Alexa Arlo Skill should be fixed

[jaylewis70]

The Arlo Skill should be removed from Alexa. It doesn't work and as you can see from the reviews at Amazon, it is highly frustrating to a lot of people.

[JessicaP]

Hi jaylewis,

If you have prolbmes with Arlo Alexa skill not working, try to disable and re-enable the Alexa skill. Otherwise, contact the Support Team so they can further assist you. You will find several options for contacting support in the provided link.

[Blozlola]

Amazon Alexa is not showing the camera's live stream .  I found closed discussions and tried their solutions, but nothing is working.  I reset Echo Show to factory default.  I enabled, disabled and reenabled Arlo skill in Alexa app, restarted, reinstalled, etc. everything!  When I ask Alexa to show a camera she says, "Okay, then says "Waiting for Arlo", then "Camera is not responding,  Please check its network connection and power supply."

[Blozlola]

I also have been trying to get this to work and have spent countless hours on the phone with both Arlo and Amazon.  I have uninstalled/reinstalled, enabled/disabled, reset Alexa Echo to factory defaults, etc. and I STILL cannot get Echo to show me the cameras, even though voice notification works fine. This is what Echo says when I ask to see a camera, "OKay," "Back camera is not responding. Please check its network connection and power supply."

Someone PLEASE fix this!

[Blozlola]

My message just disappeared so I am retyping it.    No replies from Arlo Support.  Now, my husband's Arlo app won't find the system no matter how many times we restart, uninstall/reinstall, etc.   Asked about the 2FA being a problem, but no answer.  Now awaiting call back from Arlo before we have to uninstall and reinstall the complete system AGAIN!

[JessicaP]

Hi Blozlola,

Let me reach out to you via private message in regards to your contact with the support team.

[Stangle]

I've had problems with this since 2FA was enforced in Fall 2019. My Arlo Pro cameres will not work with Alexa, but my 1st gen Arlo cameras will.

I have seen other threads, and spent 5+ hours following the suggestions (which are as follows)...

• Please delete the Arlo skill on the Alexa devices and disconnect it from the network(forget wi-fi network).
  
  
• Then, reset the Arlo base station by pressing the reset button on the base station using the paperclip for 10 secs.
  
  
• Then, log in to your Arlo account and click on add device --> select base station and follow the on-screen procedure.
  
  
• Then re-sync the cameras by pressing the sync button on the base for 3 seconds and then immediately press the sync button on the camera for 3 seconds.
  
  
• Please power cycle your router (turn off and turn it on after three minutes) before resetting the base station.
  
  
  
• Then add the Alexa device to the network and enable Arlo skill and check.
  
  When the above did not work, I removed one of my Aro Pros as a test.
  1) removed the camera from the Arlo Skill in Alexa.
  2) Readded the camera in Alexa.
  When the above did not work, I. rebooted router, base station, Alexa and
  1) removed the camera from the Arlo Skill in Alexa.
  2) Readded the camera to Alexa.
  3. Waited 10 minutes.
  
  Still "[Camera X] is not responding, please check it's network connection and power supply."
  
  Just like shown here.
  
  Any ideas on how to fix this?
  
  

[Stangle]

Since September or October 2019 (when the push for 2FA was being rolled out), my Arlo Pro cameras went from working to non-working with Alexa. The first generation cameras still work with Alexa.

After factory resets (router, Echo Show 5, and Arlo base station), rebooting, power cycling, disabling/re-enabling the app, removing and re-adding cameras to the Alexa app, there has been no change: the problem remains.
This is a apparently, a fairly wide issue, judging from the app reviews.

This video has all the exact properties and problems from when this started. This video was taken just before this post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju8N4rKrGEI

What can be done BESIDES the following (which I pulled from other threads)?

• Please delete the Arlo skill on the Alexa devices and disconnect it from the network(forget wi-fi network).
  
  
• Then, reset the Arlo base station by pressing the reset button on the base station using the paperclip for 10 secs.
  
  
• Then, log in to your Arlo account and click on add device --> select base station and follow the on-screen procedure.
  
  
• Then re-sync the cameras by pressing the sync button on the base for 3 seconds and then immediately press the sync button on the camera for 3 seconds.
  
  
• Please power cycle your router (turn off and turn it on after three minutes) before resetting the base station.
  
  
  
• Then add the Alexa device to the network and enable Arlo skill and check.
  
  When the above did not work, I removed one of my Aro Pros as a test.
  1) Removed the camera from the Arlo Skill in Alexa.
  2) Re-added the camera in Alexa.
  When the above did not work, I...
   1) Rebooted router and base station
  1) Removed the camera from the Arlo Skill in Alexa.
  2) Readded the camera to Alexa.
  3. Waited 10 minutes.
  
  Still "[Camera X] is not responding, please check it's network connection and power supply."
  
  Any ideas on how to fix this or are the Arlo Pro cameras just not compatible with the app/Alexa Echo Show/Spot?
  Thanks for your time.

[gerway]

I've been very annoyed by this change, all which seems to come from implementation of 2FA. The devices I try to see my cameras on (Alexa Cube, Alexa Show, etc.) just say they can't connect to the camera. My cellphone works fine to see the cameras.

Well, here is the trick, as crappy as it is. You have to be connected and watching the camera on your cellphone (basically already connected via 2FA) and then while that is still occurring, you can see that camera on those other devices.

In my opinion, this needs to be fixed. This is not what I bought these cameras for. Yes, I can view via phone which was a big part, but equally important to me was the ability to just sit in front of my TV and say "Show driveway" and have the video popup. That used to work. I don't typically leave my arlo app open on my cellphone streaming video, but that is what I need to do now to see it on the other devices.

[Stangle]

That didn't work for me, but my cell phone is on the same Wi-Fi network (not wireless data).

What I'm looking to have happen is when camera X detects motion, it puts camera Y on my echo device (via a customer routine). This is to compensate for the latency/start time of the camera I want to view. In other words, when the Arlo system detects motion on my driveway (walking up to my front porch), the front porch camera will be live without delay by the time the person is at my front door and visible on my Echo device. It's a more effective doorbell cam, in a sense.

Still, this needs to be fixed.

These things were to make my life easier...annnnnd that's the opposite of what I'm experiencing now.

[Blozlola]

I tried streaming on my phone then asking to show on Echo, still doesn't work.

[gerway]

That's an interesting use. I'm simply trying to see the camera whenever I tell Alexa to show me.

Samsung Galaxy S9 (LTE and WiFi turned on connected to local network that the camera is on).

The Galaxy S9 has Arlo app running, open, logged into, and viewing one of the cameras.

Alexa app on same phone has Arlo app installed and active.

Alexa Show on the same account is asked "Alexa, show me driveway".

When the above scenario is tried, I see "Waiting for Arlo" and then I can see any camera that is actively streaming on my phone (you can click on multiple cameras to be streaming at the same time). The camera you ask to see must be actively streaming.

When I don't have the Arlo app open and streaming on my phone, I get "Ok" followed by "Waiting for Arlo" followed by "Hmm the camera isn't responding". I imagine this is because it's failing the 2FA check.

If I turn off my cells WiFi connection so that I'm only on LTE, this still works/doesn't work the same ways as described above. Occasionally, it might fail once and then will work. (Note: Also tried to make sure Wifi Calling was disabled with same results).

I'd be interested to know more about your custom routine/code to allow the one camera to trigger the other camera video. But, it seems just getting one camera to show with this 2FA code is troublesome let alone using one to trigger another. I would guess at a minimum you would need to have both cameras streaming on your device at the same time for this code to work based on my single camera experience. I have verified that I can stream multiple cameras at the same time to my cell and then use voice commands to switch between those streams, yet it will fail for other cameras that are not actively streaming.

We all agree Arlo has dropped the ball for far too long on this 2FA problem. This mechanism above used to work flawlessly before 2FA (no need to have my cell open and streaming at all back then). It seems the real answer is a way to approve other devices ahead of time so that they pass the 2FA check.

I also find it annoying that I have my cellphone connected to my Arlo account, and it's a trusted device, so I can log right in and see video. But from my computer, if I try to log in, I have to receive the e-mail code in order to pass 2FA and there is no way to get my computer to be a trusted device to avoid needing that e-mail code.

[Blozlola]

Doesn't work with my IPhone 6s. 

[Stangle]

@gerway Thanks for the info. This really depends on the Arlo camera. If you have the 1st gen (no sound and takes the 4 CR123 batteries), there are zero problem (except latency - more on that later). An Arlo Pro will not work and I'm told that the Arlo Pro 3 and/or Ultra work, but there are threads contesting this. I only have 1st gen (3) and Pros (2).

The workaround for latency is done like IFTTT via the Alexa app:

1. Set a trigger as camera 1 (detects motion).
2. Write a custom command to show camera 2 on Echo device.

In this image, I used any motion on Porch (camera 1) to have Trapdoor (camera 2) shown on "Mom's Echo" - This is the custom command all the way at the bottom in the Alexa app. Just type what you would have said to the Echo device.


If your cameras are far enough apart, you can beat the 20 (or so) second latency that is the camera feed going to the Arlo servers and and then back to your device.

You can probably do the same with Pistons, IFTTT, and other 3rd party things, but I don't want a science project, I want easy and done.  🙂

[Blozlola]

Thanks for the detailed answer.  Alas, it does not work on my PRO2 cameras.......  I guess I have to go back to Arlo Level 2 Support who has still not called me back after they tried once and I have repeatedly asked for them to reschedule a call.

[Stangle]

I don't think this is anything the end user can do. I originally was posting in the wrong thread (which was specific to this issue not working on specific Arlo cameras, not this specific issue not working on Arlo Pro or Arlo Pro 2 cameras (a minor technicality)).

If you read through those posts and suggestions on that thread, it appears that Arlo customers are completely screwed until Arlo fixes the issue within the Alexa Skill.

We can't do that and the steps I've followed and outlined above can not do that. That's like filling the oil, wiper fluid and gas on a car without wheels.

[Blozlola]

I finally got to talk to Level 2 Support and this is indeed a problem with the Arlo skills on both Alexa AND Google Home (I have both, neither works after 2FA).  Engineers are supposed to be working on fixing it.  Don't hold your breath.....They were supposed to send me an email to update my case but I have received nothing even though I have asked on both my Arlo app support and by responding to a previous email support update.

[Stangle · Accepted solution]

This is fixed. CONFIRMED WORKING! 

[Blozlola]

Wow! I had given up. It actually works now!!!