Why does Arlo wait until I open the app to email me about low batteries

[MichaelJ81]

Why are there no alerts sent anymore for low battery? I don't expect daily updates, but a 25% left alert (or something) like we used to get. I see so many feeds on this site that say it used to exist but doesn't now, or has been turned off or something - that's ridiculous. I only found today that my front door camera batteries were completely flat, when I got an alert on the app that they required replacement - at 0%. That's mighty helpful - WHY IS THERE NO PRIOR WARNING!? I bought this system to protect my home - not to have it unprotected ALL DAY while I'm at work until I can get home. Also, having cameras go randomly offline because of being overseas and no prior warning of low battery (70% when i left) so for two weeks I had no coverage. I am considering returning this entire system and demanding a full refund - this is just simply not good enough. YOU SHOULDN'T BE TAKING FEATURES AWAY! And no, my email system is not blocking your emails either before you say it. I would like a non-scripted genuine response from someone at Arlo.

CAMERA FIRMWARE: 1.2.16720

BASE STATION F/WARE: 1.9.8.0_16666

[Jgarrison64]

I forgot to mention that my email provider is Comcast (Xfinity).  I haven’t had any problems with emails bouncing as far as I can tell.

[happydays-ni]

I have never received an email advising of low warnings. I have 5 cameras and one set drained to 0% and went flat today. No warnings, noting. Checked the spam / junk / trash folders but nothing. I thought they were automatic?

[michaelk381]

I am no longer getting emails notifying me that the battery is low.

[michaelk381]

I was out of town and the camera kept saying offline and I didn't get a warning about a low battery.  I have in the past and this is very annoying .

[timpharrison]

+1
I am also no longer receiving low battery alerts.

[ShayneS]

The Arlo development team is currently investigating reports on low battery emails not being received. We will provide an update as soon as we have more information to share with the community.

[gobuddygo]

Wow why has it taken you so long to investigate this issue am i supposed to check the state of my cameras every day, can you please post back when you have fixed this issue it cant be hard as it used to work.

[DOTTAT]

Makes absolutely no sense and doesn't help if I have to open the app in order to get the instant email notification that a battery is low. Kinda redundant? If opening the app can trigger that, why can't it also refresh the thumbnail views?

[jguerdat]

The app doesn't trigger the email. It's the connection between the camera, base and server.

[DOTTAT]

Well duh....doesn't change what I said. These things should be gathering that telemetry in heartbeat checks.

Unless of course, you'd be ok with your cameras being swiped from your house and not knowing for days until you open the app. Right?

[michaelkenward]

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@DOTTAT wrote:
Well duh....doesn't change what I said.

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No, but it does, or should, tell you that something may be amiss at your end. And that you are looking in the wrong place.

As said, there is no link between the app and low-battery alerts. So look elsewhere for problems.

I rarely open an app – I mostly use the browser interface – and I get alerts as soon as the battery feels ignored.

I would troubleshooting your email set up.

Do other email alerts, for Geofencing for example, work?

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@DOTTAT wrote:

Unless of course, you'd be ok with your cameras being swiped from your house and not knowing for days until you open the app. Right?

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Isn't that what geofencing is for? Have you tried it?

Oh, and what has stolen kit got to do with battery levels?

[DOTTAT]

I do not keep my cameras recording all the time and I have no motion alerts setup. My Gmail for alerts works fine. I log into the app and at that exact time I get an alert for every low battery I have.

You are only getting yours outside of that parameter because your cameras are on outside of you being in the all.

Make sense now?

[michaelkenward]

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@DOTTAT wrote:
You are only getting yours outside of that parameter because your cameras are on outside of you being in the all.

Make sense now?

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No.

What the heck is "outside of that parameter because your cameras are on outside of you being in the all"?

[DOTTAT]

My cameras are only active for video when I'm in the app. No motion detection etc is configured. I'm this scenario it's apparent the only time the base unit checks in with them at all is when I open the app because that's when it realizes the battery is low and emails warnings.

Someone could literally walk off with a camera and I wouldn't know.

[silverado44]

How do you expect to get notifications if you have "No motion detection etc is configured" and yeah someone could walk off with your camera and you wouldn't know it BECAUSE YOUR NOT GOING TO GET AN ALERT with it off.

[DOTTAT]

Then what is the point of the base station? If only it can connect and get telemetry and then only do so when the app logs into it? There should be heartbeat data/telemetry. Not everyone will use their cameras for alerts/recording 24/7.

[silverado44]

So you want to us this system for what its not designed for and then say something is wrong, I give up.

[DOTTAT]

No. You are only seeing it your way. Clearly it's designed to work in the way it's working here. There's an obvious gap in telemetry. No other smart home tech functions this way.

[michaelkenward]

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@silverado44 wrote:

So you want to us this system for what its not designed for and then say something is wrong, I give up.

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That's how I see it. This user has effectively disabled their Arlo system and then expects it to do something out of the ordinary.

In effect they are running a CCTV system. Disabling all recording and triggering, and having no modes or rules, means that there is no communication between the cameras and the cloud. So how can the batteries report their status?

There is an obvious answer to this strange request. Use the Arlo system as designed.

Scheduling an "on-line" session for a few minutes every day would tell the cameras to "phone home". In the process they will report their battery status.

[michaelkenward]

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@silverado44 wrote:

yeah someone could walk off with your camera and you wouldn't know it BECAUSE YOUR NOT GOING TO GET AN ALERT with it off.

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And that would happen regardless of the battery status.

Bonkers complaint.

[DOTTAT]

Awesome bunch of  in this community. Great!

Yes attack the user.

These things should have a heartbeat connection. Plain and simple.

[michaelkenward]

Yes, it really is frustrating when some ****hole cannot see that they are barking up the wrong tree and insist that the world should change to meet their needs.

We have patiently explained what you are doing wrong and have told you how to achieve your intended objective. And you feel aggrieved?

[StephenB]

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@DOTTAT wrote:

These things should have a heartbeat connection. Plain and simple.

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You definitely are using your system in an unusual way, but I think I agree that battery low shouldn't depend on motion detection being configured.

I suggest modifying your mode so that the rules will detect motion for each camera, but then do nothing (no recording and no notification of the motion detection).  That might be enough to get you the battery low notification you are looking for.

[michaelkenward]

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@StephenB wrote:

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I suggest modifying your mode so that the rules will detect motion for each camera, but then do nothing (no recording and no notification of the motion detection). 

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Great idea. One  step back from my suggestion, which is to do something for a very short interval.

Either would mean that the Arlo system is being used as designed.

Not sure how the two ideas would compare in terms of battery use. Neither would strain the thing greatly on that front.

[StephenB]

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@michaelkenward wrote:

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Not sure how the two ideas would compare in terms of battery use. 

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Hard to say, but he could also set the motion sensitivity threshold to 1, which would eliminate almost all detections.