Arlo|Smart Home Security|Wireless HD Security Cameras
× Arlo End of Life Policy Notice
To view Arlo’s new End of Life Policy, click here.

Multiple Issues with Multiple Arlo Q Plus cameras

Reply
Discussion stats
  • 14 Replies
  • 5281 Views
  • 2 Likes
  • 4 In Conversation
trueseasons
Tutor
Tutor

Hi, I previously had a traditional NVR installation that was clunky to use and extremely difficult to retrieve stored video. When I first saw Arlo in action, I was really excited and after the Q Plus w/poe was released, I replaced the installation with Arlo. Unfortunately, I've ran into constant, discouraging issues with Arlo that have made me believe that the technology wasn't ready for prime time. While the high cost was acceptable IF it simply performed the way it should, the issues now have me considering replacing the system with something more reliable. I thought I'd post here before doing so to see if any ideas or information about updates might lead me to see hope in sight. I'll describe my setup then the issues.

 

Setup:

Seven (7) Q Plus cameras connected with POE, wireless off. 

10/10 Mbps internet connection, with all cameras set to 720p to leave ample bandwidth.

LTE failover internet connection.

60 day video memory subscription plan.

24/7 CVR subscription plan.

Peplink router.

Netgear POE Gigabit switch.

The "live" views are accessed multiple times each day, usually using a smartphone (ios). 

Video memories and CVR accessed much less frequently, perhaps once per month or less, on Mac or iOS.

 

Issues:

  • While viewing the "dashboard", sometimes one or two cameras will claim to be disconnected for a few seconds before reappearing. It's not consistent which cameras, it happens with all of them.
  • Often, the previews will not be updated, showing an image from one or more days ago, instead of "just now", even when there is movement currently. 
  • Routinely, clicking on a live view will show a static image - I will be able to hear sound, but the video feed simply presents an outdated static image. Restarting the camera fixes the issue.
  • Sometimes, the live view will show video but no sound. Restarting the camera fixes this.
  • Sometimes, the live view will show video and intermittent sound. The sound will constantly stutter. Restarting the camera fixes this. 
  • The speaker/microphone function has never seemed to work properly, on any platform. 
  • Sometimes, a camera (varies among all of them) will not record video memories (for a day or more), even when there has been lots of activity in front of that particular camera. Restarting it seems to fix this.
  • Sometimes, the video memory will not cut off at a reasonable time and will instead be an unbelievably long, but corrupted, clip. It's usually not really viewable. 
  • Sometimes, the video memories are corrupted, with a lot of distortion, stuttering, or other issues that make it worthless. 
  • Sometimes, CVR will not be active for a period of time, even when there was certainly motion during that time. This seems to be correlated with other issues and is fixed once the affected camera is restarted. 

The issues affect all of the cameras, not just one bad one. Restarting does appear to fix most of the issues, at least for a time, although the relief varies - sometimes a week or so, sometimes only a day or less before an issue returns to one camera or another. Network logs show no issues and no connectivity issues. There are other mission critical devices on the same network that have no issues and no downtime for extended periods of time. 

 

I do know there have been updates and it's possible one or two of the issues have been addressed in a recent update, but these are generally the issues we have constantly faced over the last 7 or 8 months. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you! 

 

 

 

14 REPLIES 14
jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru
What's you upload speed as measured by speedtest.net? It think your issues are related to the router, modem or ISP.
trueseasons
Tutor
Tutor

Thank you for your reply. The upload connection has been constant above 10 mbps, as provisioned by TWC business class. I also have a VOIP phone system, streaming music system playing all the time, a POS system that runs over the network, and these have not had connection issues. I understand why you might think that but from my perspective the evidence is not there. However, you never know. I do not have any ports configured specifically for Arlo, is that something to consider?

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru
It is, especially for a business ISP. Depending on who owns and configures the network equipment, settings could be blocking ports 80, 443 and 123 need to be open to Arlo.Netgear.com. Of course, network cokngestilkn can be an issue, too, depending on usage.
trueseasons
Tutor
Tutor

Thank you. However, keep in mind the camera all function perfectly after a restart. If there were a port issue, wouldn't it consistently hinder the performance? It really feels like a memory leak or other bug that causes the cameras to malfunction at some point. I suspect it may be related to the CVR and also the high-activity level constantly triggering video memories. Do other users with well-used, multi-camera installations using CVR & memories have relatively perfect performance even after many months? 

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

Open a case with support.  While I get several recordings on my Q, it doesn't sound like I'm even remotely close to what you get.

deuterium
Aspirant
Aspirant

Noting that I have the exact same issues you have. 

 

I have 1 camera (where you have 7) and 50/50 internet speeds, ethernet attached, wireless disabled. 

It seems that I never had this issue while using the included data service.  When I upgraded to CVR and the yearly subscription, the problems arose.

 

I hope you found a solution or maybe someone can help me too.

trueseasons
Tutor
Tutor

Hi Deuterium, I'm sorry to hear you are experiencing similar issues. I did NOT find a solution and tech support was not helpful. I suspect it may have to do with using both memories and cvr concurrently. If you don't need memories, perhaps disabling that function may help. For us, we simply try to remember to restart the cameras every couple weeks to keep them running decently and minimize the amount of corrupted video and weird issues. It kind of works, but overall I wish I had gone with a modern but traditional NVR system.

deuterium
Aspirant
Aspirant

Hi trueseasons,

 

I tried disabling and renabling the cameras, but those did not seem to help my situation.

I agree with your idea that there is a problem with using both memories and CVR concurrently.  Seeing as I have no point in paying for CVR if I cannot view it, I went ahead and cancelled CVR service but retained the Premier subscription.

 

The camera works exactly as it should now.  I wish I could use CVR as well, but I guess this will have to do. 

 

Thank you.

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru
I record videos (memories?) and use CVR at the same time with no issues. I'd suggest opening a case with support using the Contact Support link at the bottom here.
TheFiddler
Guide
Guide
Great discussions here. Have you considered that the problem may exist at the receiving end --such as the iPhone or Android device, or possibly the network wifi connection that these devices are connected to, when reviewing the vids or live streams and getting poor quality? From my experience, I've seen the jagged videos, sound lags, no pics, etc. when retrieving remotely, but I almost always am able to resolve the issue by clearing the cash on the browser. Just a thought.... Good luck!

Here's my dilemma:

I have 1 (one) Arlo Q Plus and trying to decide what's the best route to EXPAND my system. With the release of Arlo Pro (with 2-way audio, AC Adapter option as alternative to rechargeable battery pack) I can effectively buy a multi-pack which could easily add a couple (or more) cams. But my concern is viewing and/or retrieving videos on my iPhone. As it is, the quality is wonky at times. (I have a 6s and a 7 -- both with 128 Gb drives at approx 35% capacity.) I can't imagine what the quality for remote viewing of 3-4 Arlo's simultaneously would be like... Should I just get another Arlo Q or Q Plus?
jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

I would think that the ability to have several live views going at the same time would solely be related to 1) minimum download speed (it can vary over time and location) as well as 2) power of the phone CPU/GPU. My laptop is noticeably faster than any of my mobile devices, even with similar clock speeds. 

deuterium
Aspirant
Aspirant

Hello TheFiddler,

I have- in my attempt to figure out what may be problem, I had tested the stream on an iPhone 7 Plus (ATT network), partner's iPhone 6s (Verizon network), both of these on the home WIFI network (same network as the camera in ethernet connected to), and a separate work computer that is ethernet connected.

Each system showed the same problem, and was resolved when the CVR was disabled.  I did not clear the cache on any browser, however! 

Thank you for your input.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have advice on your situation.  I have only 1 camera for my iPhone 7 Plus.  However, I was under the assumption that you could only view one camera live at any moment on the phone.  Is this incorrect- can you view 3-4 cameras, live, simultaneously?

 

TheFiddler
Guide
Guide

Loved your attention to detail in your testing scheme! And thanks for sharing your results. 

 

As far as viewing multiples simultaneously, that's a great question! As soon as I get another Arlo I'll let you know! Smiley Tongue

 

TheFiddler
Guide
Guide

Hello, interesting about your laptop speed. I'm just the opposite, but then my laptop may have other reasons for being slow! 

 

Thanks for your reply. We'll just keep trying things out as needed. But all in all, I like the products.

Discussion stats
  • 14 Replies
  • 5282 Views
  • 2 Likes
  • 4 In Conversation