TESTED Netgear Arlo Pro2 + Pro + GO Solar Panel Charger PART 2 by Wasserstein Review

[@RobDaman]

Hi everybody! I've had the Solar Panel plugged in since November of last year and only once I had to change the battery. It was due to the lesser winter daylight and gloomy weather. I wanted to add that this works with the Arlo Pro 2 but will not work for CVR ( continuous video recording ) as the panel can't keep up the power drain of continuous recording and of course will not work during the evening (non solar) times. Thanks for watching my Arlo based product videos. I'm working on a few more but apologize as I've been running behind due to getting sick earlier this year.

[@ubeurban6160]

Hey Rob, I see that there are two types of Wasserstein solar panels. There seems to be one that is half the price of the one that you provided, would you recommend this one for 25 bucks, or stick with your suggestion? Much appreciated...

[@RobDaman]

Hi, Is this the cheaper priced one? amzn.to/2KCMRIH If that's the one you saw it appears the plug is different so it won't fit your Arlo. I'm not sure if there's any power output difference as well. Post the link if that's not the one you saw. Thanks for commenting.

[@ubeurban6160]

Awesome man! I appreciate the feedback and breaking down the product. Again great video and thanks for pointing me in the right direction! I believe I'll just stick with your suggestion then when moving forward 😉

[@RobDaman]

ube urban glad to help. Thanks for watching

[@SgtMinuteman]

How is it working now?? Has Arlo App blocked using this solar panel.

[@RobDaman]

still plugged in since this video and going strong. i just bought a new s10+ so had to download latest app.

[@RobDaman]

***UPDATE***: It's still sitting on my bbq most of the time in the shade but exposed to rain and moisture daily. No issues. I just changed my battery for the 1st time since the video (5 months!). It's in the shade a lot with shorter winter sun exposure too so I think it's performing well. I've had no sorts of errors during this entire time. Still a great buy! Try it out yourself: USA amzn.to/2ymKsMW Canada amzn.to/2AyrbcQ UK amzn.to/2jfQ3BU

[@bblawncarekc]

Nice! Only question is if your battery went down over the 2 weeks, then how well does the solar panel charge the camera??

[@RobDaman]

Great question. In part 1 of my testing I had tried to see if it could power the Arlo Pro without a battery and unfortunately it did not. The standard Netgear usb ac adapter does so I used that as a benchmark. My BBQ sits in the shade easily half the day. Instructions state to angle it to receive the best exposure to the sun. I just let it sit in a random angle. Over 2 weeks it I had between a dozen to 3 dozen triggers per day including audio triggers with the standard 10 second recording. My evaluation is this is not a full on charger to revive the Arlo from a dead battery but more of a 'battery tender' that will keep the battery level for a longer time. I suspect in longer periods of direct sunlight it may maintain the battery much better though.

[@elmalloc]

it is not worth it then

[@m.e.d5997]

In your video, you say the battery is getting charged great with solar panel. I noticed your camera was hooked to wifi. Have you tried running Arlo Go without wifi ( using cellular) to see how long the battery lasts and if the panel will charge it?

[@rustylozanolpc4227]

I plugged my solar panel in and it’s not charging. The camera was fully charged. Although I think I forgot to peel off the protective cover on the solar panel face.

[@RobDaman]

I don't think that's a factor. If it's not working in direct sun you could have a defective unit. It happens.

[@miketiffany624]

Wondering if this solar charger can be used with non-Arlo cameras that have rechargeable batteries as long as the connection on the charging port of the camera is the same as the cable provided when you purchase the Solar Panel Charger?

[@RobDaman]

i think you'd have to see the amperage requirements. I'd reach out to Wasserstein direct for that question.

[@Izlandboifitness]

Do you have to have a rechargeable battery in the Arlo camera when using the solar panel?

[@RobDaman]

Yes

[@terrymullins6490]

Nice video! I read the Arlo Pro 2 battery without the solar panels needs to be replaced every 4-6 months. What Is the the life expectancy of the Arlo Pro 2 battery when combined with the solar panel?.

[@RobDaman]

Good question. Depends on your traffic and recording times. My back yard has very low traffic so I've rarely changed it. Also depends on how much sun exposure too.

[@nawaration7925]

Can I install the solar panel and have the active zone control on Arlo Pro-2? Instead of connecting it to AC power.

[@RobDaman]

Hi That's a good question. I'm not sure if active zone draws more power. If it does draw more then I would say no. Also when there's no solar source you would lose that feature.

[@apacheone3643]

You need to test the panel for a few years as if the front of it is plastic/plexiglas it will yellow and become blocked from sunlight over time.If it is glass with a plastic back this can overheat the cells causing a failure.

[@RobDaman]

CRAZY HORSEPOWER great suggestion. I'm curious do you think budget solar panels will generally yellow or otherwise? It's still on my BBQ since day one and still going. 👍

[@apacheone3643]

I put solar panels on my house and instead of purchasing a 6 volt panel I built a 6 volt regulator and charge NY ARLOS from a 12 volt 600 watt system.

[@apacheone3643]

Rob Daman To answer the question about yellowing you need to look at the front of the panel if it is glass no it won't, but if a plastic like plexiglass or a epoxy filler for the front was used yes in time it will.

[@EpicBenjo]

Awesome! Thanks for this update! Question: if you glue the cable into the connection of the Arlo Pro, will you still be able to take out the battery if you had to replace it or charge it if, let's say, the solar panel failed or if there's too much shade and it eventually drains?

[@RobDaman]

Glad you like it! Yes it's easy to pop it open. I have a few mounted and I just push the release and open it from the front half of the camera so I don't have the need to readjust the aim of the camera.

[@Junglefever6606]

Does this still work? I bought the netgear solar panel and it gave me nothing but issues, wouldnt allow recording, looking for a power source at night.. etc. It did charge the battery but it did not allow recording which was annoying.. looking for alternatives.

[@RobDaman]

I actually was going to post an update today. It's still sitting on my bbq most of the time in the shade but exposed to rain and moisture daily. No issues. I just changed my battery for the 1st time since the video. It's in the shade a lot with shorter winter sun exposure too so I think it's performing well. I've had no sorts of errors during this entire time.

[@Junglefever6606]

No hiccups at all? The reviews im reading are 50/50. Did you have to mess with any firmware?

[@RobDaman]

none. I've seen some of those comments as well. Possibly a bad batch. I know the Netgear solar seemed to be a failure for most part as you've experienced. No firmware updates, no unplugging/replugging. It's been getting wet pretty much daily from the morning dew. It's strange you couldn't record as it's just charging on your Netgear.

[@larryedwards4741]

I have 3 of these and none of them work after 1st charge. Why? I have arlo pro.

[@anthonyfisicaro4493]

how is this with arlo pro 2? Not using the continuous recording

[@willbertbonilla3955]

Do i have to remove the battery to connect the solar panel?

[@RobDaman]

Best to leave the battery

[@MALITHA8]

the real question is does it give you the 3 second pre recording with the Arlo pro 2?

[@RobDaman]

Hi, To answer your question, it will during daylight hours when it senses being charged but like the CVR feature it may/will drain more power than the panel can replenish dependent on the frequency of triggers per day. I'd say that feature would be best for a location with less triggers.

[@sergiovalenti7255]

How many cameras can you hook up to a single solar panel? I have 2 cameras near each other facing different directions.

[@elmalloc]

Only 1

[@eddier9571]

Does it work for Arlo Security Light?

[@darrenholden7447]

Are you still using the solar charger for the Arlo 2 camera and how is it working out? How does it charge over time? Thanks

[@RobDaman]

It's still on the exact same spot as it was in the video doing the same job. I did swap batteries twice during these times due to rainy and dark days. Not bad in 2 years

[@kirk891]

Does the Solar panel allow the 3 plugged in features (look back, activity zones, CVR) to work or do they work only with a true power cord?

[@RobDaman]

+kirk891 good question. I'll be testing that shortly on the Pro2. So far I've tried connecting my pro without a battery and it won't power up vs a power brick and cable. Stay tuned...

[@streamalexander6804]

works only with a true power cord

[@d.m.8175]

Hey Rob, will this panel allow you to do the constant recording? The arlo 2 says it will do constant recording if it is plugged in and you purchase a plan. Will this allow this?

[@RobDaman]

+D. M. Good question. The Arlo will show it charging during the day so constant recording will work but only during daylight hours. The hamper is night time it won't work. Also running it constant is going to draw a lot of power which the solar panel won't be able to handle. It's more of a battery tender so to speak. I haven't charged the battery since I've done this video but it's slowly reducing the overall battery charge levels. Thanks for posting.

[@d.m.8175]

Rob Daman thanks very much for your help! I do appreciate the input!

[@RobDaman]

+D. M. Any time. Definitely look into the Wasserstein cable. I'm testing one with the built in ac adapter soon

[@marvinchavez8419]

How long is the cable from solar panel to the camera?

[@RobDaman]

Hi, It is 6 feet long. Happy New Year

[@Shamil1992]

Question. Does solar panel charging activates features that only accessible while plugged in to power? Look Back feature.

[@RobDaman]

+Shamil Fazliyev good question. That's correct it will need to look to be "charging".

[@pklin]

Thanks for the review! Does the solar panel come with a weather-resistant charge cable? Or is the Arlo Pro 2's cable weather-resistant also? In my case, the camera would not be exposed to the elements, just the solar panel.

[@RobDaman]

Hi it's an integrated cable so it's not replaceable and is meant to be weather resistant. This is the same part for both items. thanks for the comment.

[@kuvtutub]

i just got this solar panel for my arlo pro 2 camera and i keep on getting an error message on 2 out of the 3 panel that i have. why?

[@RobDaman]

What's the error? Is the camera firmware updated?

[@RobDaman]

Also swap the panel that isn't causing an error and try it on the other 2 cameras as well as the ones causing an error to the "good" camera

[@pokerchannel6991]

why are all the reviews of the solar panel from Arlo 1 star? thx. Is Arlo bad? thx.

[@RobDaman]

Ya. That was the feedback I've been seeing and lack of support from Netgear didn't help. I haven't charged my wasserstein since last November!!! It's still in the same spot 👍

[@byrondelgado5521]

So it’s been a while since you used Wasserstein solar panel. Is it still charging your Arlo camera now in May 2019? I just bought a pro 2 bundle from Costco. The Arlo solar panels have very bad reviews & I hear Wasserstein only works for a few weeks before They start to not work and actually drain your batteries

[@RobDaman]

Still doing it's thing. I've swapped batteries maybe twice cuz we had dark and rainy days sometimes.

[@byrondelgado5521]

Rob Daman thx for replying I have 5 camera bundle and not sure which way to set them up. $79 for Arlo solar panel with terrible reviews and bad customer service does not inspire me to invest more of my money

[@RobDaman]

No prob. I think the problem with these panels is people think they can run the longer recording and services or high traffic areas. It's not high power enough for that.

[@drcsep]

Hi. Do you need a power adapter or different batteries pack in order to use the Arlo camera with the solar panel?

[@RobDaman]

You just need the solar panel. It's been sitting in the same spot for several months and I haven't changed the battery once! I need to upload my squirrel attack footage soon! lol

[@RobDaman]

***UPDATE*** I've had the Solar Panel plugged in for over 2 months from my last test and it's still charging during the day with no errors. We've had a few rains and moisture. My Arlo still is going strong! I haven't changed the battery either! 👍

[@ReaLifeVideos420]

does it still work? i heard them netgear bastards released an update to the arlo cameras that makes these not work and that oyu had to buy the Netgear branded solar panels, is this true?

[@RobDaman]

Still going strong! I haven't heard about them doing that sort of sabotage but I know there were many failures. It's raining the last few days here and still going strong

[@ReaLifeVideos420]

thanks for the quick response man, subbed and liked, Amazon doesn't have them in stock anymore so i guess i'll just buy directly from the manufacturer

[@RobDaman]

No problem. Thanks for the sub! Yeah this product and the long USB cable always sells out. I'm working on more tech videos too. Just trying to catch up now. Their portable USB charger is nice too!

[@elfridpuntiel9059]

Rob Daman can u leave the arlo recording 24/7 with that solar !!

[@Makinja]

Does this mean that if you have 4 cameras you'd need 4 solar panels to maintain them?

[@RobDaman]

Hi. Yes that's correct.

[@mantarayasurf]

Rob I just plugged my new solar panel to my Arlo Pro camera and it works except that it creates background noise, and it is annoying! has this happened to you? it sounds like ground noise when an electrical unit its not properly grounded , let me know if you have any suggestions, thanks

[@RobDaman]

+Tony Arellano I don't get any noise. What happens when you plug the the USB cable and wall adapter? This would help rule out or identify that the solar panel is the issue. If no noise while connecting ac power, definitely reach out to Wasserstein for an exchange

[@mantarayasurf]

thanks for the reply, it is a defective panel for sure I found on Amazon's reviews others with similar issue and manufacturer replaced the unit which its also not charging the battery

[@RobDaman]

+Tony Arellano glad at least it's figured out. They should handle the exchange easily

[@johndubose1401]

Hi Rob, I've purchase 4 of the Wasserstein solar panels and used fully charged Arlo pro 2 batteries but each time I connected the solar panels to the cameras it discharges to zero volts. Do you have any suggestion as to why. Bottom line is that these solar panels seem incompatible with the Arlo pro 2.

[@RobDaman]

Hi, Are you running CVR? If not how many seconds are you recording video? When I first hooked up the Pro 2 the default settings are to record the entire event when it senses movement vs the Pro 1 which is at a 10 second default recording time. Under that circumstances I saw recordings of up to 3 minutes which will drain the battery much faster than the Solar Panel can charge.

[@tjac4801]

Hey bro nice videos..I bought this solar panel because of your videos and my arlo pro 2 started at 99 percent and not with the charging lighting bolt it's decreased dramatically ..I installed it at 12 pm and it's around 7 and my battery is now around 40 percent..I'm probably going return it ASAP ..I also pd for the CVR subscription to work thinking the camera with give it power to use the new Arlo pro features..pls help me if possible

[@RobDaman]

Hi, If you're not getting the charging indicator whatsoever then there's an issue with the panel. You should definitely return it. Now if you're thinking to do CVR in conjunction with the panel, I wouldn't recommend it. CVR draws a lot of power and the panel I doubt can keep up with that much power draw. The second concern is it will not function at night due to it's design. I suggest running the 16 foot cable kzbin.info/www/bejne/hafSp3hsfLZ-j68 I have here and the netgear or Wassertein quick charger. Thanks again for checking out my vids.

[@tjac4801]

Rob Daman I am getting the charging indicator but it's draining my arlo pro 2 battery..it went from 95 to 39 percent in 6 he's..but I am returning it for sure

[@daosavat]

If the temperature is too low, nothing can charge the battery until it warms up.

[@RobDaman]

+daosavat good point

[@erikv2502]

I bought the original Arlo solar panel, it costs more but is way better. I bought the Arlo system for reliability and that is exactly what the Wasserstein system does not provide. I had the panel installed on a sunny spot but still the batteries would drain after 2 Months. No Wasserstein for me again.

[@the40yogamer]

great vid I like you get right to the point thumbs up and subbed

[@RobDaman]

thanks for the comment and sub!

[@lchau1983]

bought 3, on Arlo pro2 battery Drains 100% in a day on a full charge (show in charging mode)

[@RobDaman]

Are you running CVR? If not how many seconds are you recording video?

[@jeffreysibayan8668]

Hello and thanks for the Vid. You mentioned that initially the charge on you battery from you camera was 95%. You installed the solar panel and it dropped down to 91%. Over the several weeks plugged in, did it eventually charge to 100%?

[@RobDaman]

Hi, great question. My bbq is in the shade most of the day so it hasn't charged it fully. I plan to relocate the solar panel to the other side of the house where I get more sun. The other issue is it's winter so we don't have as much light. So because of the above factors it didn't charge to 100%. I can say I have a decent amount of triggers daily (20-40 times) so that will be a factor in battery charge.

[@jeffreysibayan8668]

Thanks for the reply. Also, I've been reading that some folks are getting error messages when installing the Wasserstein solar panels. You stated that you did NOT get any error messages? I have the Arlo Pro, so I'm hoping that I won't get any messages.

[@RobDaman]

No error messages at all. I've read those errors have been common with the Netgear brand. Let me know how it goes. Thanks again for commenting.

[@elmalloc]

you cannot use DTS audio at beginning, friend! :)

[@hadiwidjaja9515]

Hi Rob, many thanks for sharing your experience. When the camera is being (permanently) charged/powered via solar panel, are there still delays in starting recording? I read many reviews on Best Buy that complained about the delay issues. I'd appreciate your feedback. www.bestbuy.com/site/reviews/arlo-pro-3-camera-indoor-outdoor-wireless-720p-security-camera-system-white/5665611?feature=lag

[@RobDaman]

Hi, That's a great question. I haven't seen any additional delay using external power vs the battery alone. Reading those reviews it seems their complaints was the starting recording time even with the battery or the delays in the app to view the videos. You can adjust the sensitivity to help with that start time. Netgear did add CVR for the Arlo Pro 2 but that requires a fee and also constant power that you'll need to use an outlet for. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks again for commenting.

[@MrDieseldog]

Yeah cool product, but no INTERNATIONAL shipping........sucks....!!!!