Arlo Q iPad app for continuous baby monitoring

[Bcalli2]

Can I use the arlo Q with the iOS iPad app to continuously monitor the camera throughout the night? I will have a dedicated iPad on a dock for power. I realize there are notifications that can be set but I just want the camera on 24/7 to monitor the baby myself. Is this possible?

[jguerdat]

Maybe not exactly as you may be thinking. You can only live view for 30 minutes at a time but with the Q camera you can purchase the continuous video recording option. I haven't tried it so see how long you can monitor using this but the Q continuously streams with or without CVR. The only way you have access to this stream is with CVR. It may fit your needs but you'd need to test to see if CVR drops out or maybe someone else has tried this.

[Bcalli2]

So you have to pay to have a live stream over 30 minutes?

[jguerdat]

That's one way to look at it.  Yes, the camera will time out but is always streaming.  I guess it depends on what you want/expect from the camera - it's not exactly designed as a baby monitor.  Would you actually be watching it continuously?  Would restarting the live view be a huge problem?  Detection includes audio so a squeak or cry can record as well as motion and you can get immediate notification of that.  CVR costs $10/mo if you choose.

Just batting ideas around...

[jguerdat]

While I was typing the above I thought I'd just test to see how long live view works before timing out.  Right now it's been about 40 minutes and still going so the 30 minute limitation doesn't seem to be true.  I'm going to let it run to see what's up.

[arlocurious]

Another aspect to consider is how long the iPad app will remain on before blanking the screen.

I did a quick test on my (docked) iPhone just looking at the camera list.  (I do not have the Q.)  The iPhone screen stayed on full brightness for several minutes, so possible the screen blanking will not be an issue... but would like to hear from someone who can test with live streaming on a Q.

(I did a comparison using the Insteon app and an ip camera... the iPhone dimmed and then blanked the screen in 1-2 minutes.)

[jguerdat]

And one last observation - over an hour without it dropping.  Looks like I've been telling folks the wrong thing about the Q camera.  The wireless cameras time out at 30 minutes to save batteries but the powered Q doesn't have that limitation.  It's always streaming and it looks like live view just watches that stream.

One tidbit - my test ended a bit prematurely with a "not connected" message - something interrupted my stream.  All my cameras did the same thing so it wasn't limited to the Q. If that happens, live view has to be started again.  In the meantime, if you didn't catch it fast enough, motion/sound detection would still record and give you an alert.  That alert would be a useful indication that live view ended for whatever reason so you can restart it.

Edit:  Forgot to mention the interruption was a minute long or less.

[Bcalli2]

Thanks for the update. Did you test the live view from iOS app? 

[jguerdat]

No. This was all from the web browser. I can try the Android app later but no iOS here.

[jguerdat]

Just completed a 1+ hour live view using my Android app with no issues. I'd be willing to bet the iOS version would work the same.

[Bcalli2]

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jguerdat wrote:

Just completed a 1+ hour live view using my Android app with no issues. I'd be willing to bet the iOS version would work the same.

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Thanks for the update. I would like to hear from someone else who has tried this on an iOS app before I go out and buy the ARLO Q. 

Just to recap: I am wanting to use ARLO Q as baby monitor with the option of continously viewing the live stream throughout the night on a dedicated ipad hooked to power with the iOS Arlo app. As you know this is basically how most current baby monitoring systems work. I will use the notifications of sound alerts as a backup in case the connection drops throughout the night. (Hopefully I will wake up to an email alert.) I want the ipad to be on contiuously so I don't have to wake up, unlock the ipad, and connect to the live stream. Ideally it would just run throughout the night like all other current baby monitoring systems. 

The reason I want to use the ARLO Q for this baby monitor vs paying for one that is proven to work for baby monitoring is because I plan to expand the system with Arlo wireless cameras for a full security system in the future. 

What I know so far is that this is definetely possible for >1hour on the android app and has had ?problems with dropping the connection on the desktop platform. 

Has anyone else had success with ARLO Q as baby monitor on iOS? 

[Hometheatremave · Accepted solution]

I have the Arlo Q with the Arlo app running on my IPad 2 (IOS). I have the IPad 2 plugged into A/C and the Auto Sleep (or whatever it's called) set to "OFF".

I started the Arlo app 1 1/2 hours ago with the Arlo Q camera showing Live. And it's still showing everything Live, including sound, 90 minutes later. It has never reset or shutdown.

So it's seems that it would be perfect as a baby monitor.

[hacksaw35]

We're in the same boat as you. Did you end up making the purchase?

The live view keeps freezing up for us after a few minutes. Sometimes it will last an hour or so but after a few nights using it, it has never made it through the night without freezing or timing out.

[jguerdat]

Make sure you open a case with support.  That's the only way to get tracking of the issue.

[hacksaw35]

Thanks. Created a support ticket yesterday.