It’s a common error on many Arlos cameras or doorbells which appears when you try to update the firmware on the camera. It may start to roll out normally, but eventually, it will get stuck making the camera non-functional.
The error message reads “Firmware Update in Progress. Do Not Remove Batteries”, and is going to be stuck there regardless if you unplug the power or remove the batteries.
Sometimes this error gets fixed automatically by itself. Other times you may need to try some tricks to make it work.
How to fix the Arlo camera stuck on the firmware update
The method that has been reported to work is shown below. Follow the steps one by one.
Step 1. Push the power button on the back of the Arlo Pro base station to turn the power OFF.
Step 2. Leave the power OFF for about 10 minutes and while it is off, remove the battery and leave it out of the camera for about 5 minutes.
Step 3. Reinstall the battery back into the camera that failed the firmware update. Depress the power button on the back of the Arlo Pro base station and everything should reboot.
Step 4. Upon reboot, check through the app for the cameras that are requesting a firmware update. Hit OK on all of them. Normally the cameras (devices) should update to the latest firmware.
If some of the cameras are still stuck on the update, then try this weird trick that works.
Go to the Library of the camera (that is stuck on update), and you should see the saved recording. Click run on one of them (saved or stored recordings).
Check if you’re able to play it. If so, return to the Devices and check the update. You’ll see that the update has gone through and the camera is again online functioning as it should.
It sounds unrelated, but many people who follow these steps have reported that it unstuck the firmware update. (This indicates a bug on Arlo’s software that needs to be addressed by the manufacturer).
Other tips
Another thing you could do is to remove power from the base station for a minute or so, then power it back up and allow it to reboot. Go through the update process again and see if it works.
If that doesn’t fix the problem, remove the battery from the camera, (as long as the camera LED is not flashing blue and amber), then reinsert the battery and allow the camera to resync.
Another suggestion is to remove the camera from the app. Then bring the camera close to the base station, install a fresh set of batteries, and then resync.
Allow the camera to (temporarily) remain near the base station overnight and see if you still do not receive the update.
Also, you can try to reset the base station via the app a few times and see if the update goes through. Additionally, you can use the reset button on the unit (not all devices have one though).
Sometimes the internet may have issues such as not being stable or not working at all. Try to open up some random pages on your phone to confirm that the connection it’s actually working. You also may reboot the router, and turn off and on the WiFi on your phone settings.
If none of these methods worked for you, it’s time to contact the Arlo support team for further assistance. Provide the necessary information to them such as model, serial number, and date of purchase, and let their team handle it.
