topic Re: Pro 3 smart plan or no plan options in Arlo Smart

Pro 3 smart plan or no plan options

sporkpirateib — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 21:15:12 GMT

I have two Arlo Pro 3 cameras on a VMB4540r2 base station with a 500GB local storage device hooked up. I'm not opposed to the new 2k plans, but I'm curious what I would be left with if I DO NOT subscribe to a plan. I am not really making use of smart zones and many of the other smart features, but I do use the person detection. I don't feel like I am really using the smart plan features other than the person detection and the mobile video library. As a side note, most of my video clips are NOT actually 2k due to Auto Zoom and Tracking (still confirming that is the root cause).

Without a smart plan will the cameras still record locally?
Can the cameras/system still send me mobile notifications of motion if I don't have a smart plan? In other words, do I lose mobile notifications all together?
Am I correct that I would have to disconnect my local storage and connect it to a computer in order to view the video clips from the cameras if I don't have a smart plan. In other words, do I lose the ability to view videos through the mobile app/cloud storage?
With the pro 3 cameras can I still get 7 days of free cloud storage or is that outdated information/only for pro 2 cameras?

Re: Pro 3 smart plan or no plan options

StephenB — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 12:06:30 GMT

Answers below apply after the direct access to local storage is added in the app and web client (which should be very soon now - certainly before the trial subscription runs out).

@sporkpirateib wrote:

1. Without a smart plan will the cameras still record locally?

Yes.

@sporkpirateib wrote:

2. Can the cameras/system still send me mobile notifications of motion if I don't have a smart plan? In other words, do I lose mobile notifications all together?

Yes, you'll still get notifications. But no smart classifications.

@sporkpirateib wrote:

3. Am I correct that I would have to disconnect my local storage and connect it to a computer in order to view the video clips from the cameras if I don't have a smart plan. In other words, do I lose the ability to view videos through the mobile app/cloud storage?

True today, but not after the direct access to local storage is rolled out.

@sporkpirateib wrote:

4. With the pro 3 cameras can I still get 7 days of free cloud storage or is that outdated information/only for pro 2 cameras?

No. Free cloud storage isn't offered for the Ultra, Pro-3, or the video doorbell.

More info on all of this is here: https://kb.arlo.com/88/What-are-the-available-Arlo-subscription-plans-and-how-much-cloud-recording-is-available

@sporkpirateib wrote:

As a side note, most of my video clips are NOT actually 2k due to Auto Zoom and Tracking (still confirming that is the root cause).

Auto Zoom and Tracking definitely reduces the resolution down to 1080p.

Re: Pro 3 smart plan or no plan options

sporkpirateib — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 18:21:10 GMT

@Stephanb Thanks for the clarifications. Do we have an actual date for that feature rollout? My free trial expires on 1/6/2020.