topic Re: Wireless doorbell not recording or notifying alerts since free subscription ended? in Arlo Video Doorbell Wire-Free

Wireless doorbell not recording or notifying alerts since free subscription ended?

Bluebottle1 — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 16:16:19 GMT

Not sure what this field means

Re: Wireless doorbell not recording or notifying alerts since free subscription ended?

jguerdat — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 12:02:52 GMT

What field?

Any camera newer than the Pro 2, starting with the Ultra in 2018, require a subscription for cloud recordings. The 3 month free trial is just that - a trial subscription.

Re: Wireless doorbell not recording or notifying alerts since free subscription ended?

Bluebottle1 — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 12:16:08 GMT

So we have 2 pro2 cameras and a hub we’ve had for a long time. I recently inserted a as card into the hub. Will this save and alert notifications like the cloud does?

Re: Wireless doorbell not recording or notifying alerts since free subscription ended?

StephenB — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 11:02:25 GMT

@Bluebottle1 wrote:
So we have 2 pro2 cameras and a hub we’ve had for a long time. I recently inserted a as card into the hub. Will this save and alert notifications like the cloud does?

What hub model do you have? There should be a part number label on it, that starts with VMB.

If you have a smarthub (VMB4540 or VMB5000), there is a path to get recordings w/o a subscription.

If you have an older base (VMB4500 or older), then you need a paid subscription for the doorbell.

Re: Wireless doorbell not recording or notifying alerts since free subscription ended?

Bluebottle1 — Fri, 13 May 2022 09:07:24 GMT

Sorry for the delay. I’m glad I checked back in to read your message because our hub happens to be a VMB4000.
How do I go about setting up the path?
Please tell.

Jay

Re: Wireless doorbell not recording or notifying alerts since free subscription ended?

StephenB — Fri, 13 May 2022 11:10:11 GMT

@Bluebottle1 wrote:
... our hub happens to be a VMB4000.
How do I go about setting up the path?
Please tell.

Direct Access to local storage requires either a VMB4540 or a VMB5000 - which you don't have.

Options for recordings are:

Attach USB storage to the VMB4000 for local recording. Eject the storage and attach it to a PC for viewing.
Get a Secure subscription for the doorbell ($2.99 USD per month in the US).
Get one of the two smarthubs above, and attach storage to them (USB for the VMB4540, microSD for the VMB5000). MSRP is $99.99 USD for the VMB4540, but unfortunately they are mostly out of stock. Some sellers have them, but charge a premium price - for example, I see $199 on Amazon.

While the VMB4540 (or VMB5000) will allow direct access to local storage, there are some caveats:

Local recordings are only available in the app (not the browser)
Local recordings are only available in the primary account (not friend accounts)
No manual recordings or snapshots are possible
No thumbnails (either in the library or the notifications)
Remote access requires router setting changes, which some find difficult. Also, it won't work with some ISPs (for example, Starlink and T-mobile broadband).

In addition, w/o a subscription you lose smart notifications and activity zones. They often are needed with the doorbell, since it cannot be aimed.

Personally I think the single camera subscription is the best option (even at MSRP, the payback for option 3 is about 3 years if you only need a subscription for the doorbell).

Re: Wireless doorbell not recording or notifying alerts since free subscription ended?

Bluebottle1 — Sat, 14 May 2022 02:20:55 GMT

Thanks so much for your help. Everything I needed to know.

Great information.

Jay