topic Re: VMB4000r3 uploaded videos not high resolution in Arlo

VMB4000r3 uploaded videos not high resolution

shadowb — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 15:39:57 GMT

I have two Arlo 2 VMB4000r3 cameras several years old. They work fine but the uploaded videos are not very good resolution. I just installed a Blink camera on my garage and it's much better. I think I have to buy an Arlo cloud subscription to get higher resolution saved videos - is that correct? If so, I already had to buy a Blink subscription so perhaps I should just replace the Arlos with Blinks. Thoughts please?

Re: VMB4000r3 uploaded videos not high resolution

StephenB — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 15:55:58 GMT

@shadowb wrote:

I have two Arlo 2 VMB4000r3 cameras several years old.

Well, no. VMB4000 is the model for a base, not the cameras. Likely the cameras are Pro 2s, though they might be the older Pro.

If you open the camera housing and remove the battery, you'll see a label inside. That will tell you the camera model.

@shadowb wrote:

I think I have to buy an Arlo cloud subscription to get higher resolution saved videos - is that correct?

One aspect is that you would need to by a subscription soon anyway, as the free 7-day cloud recording is ending later this year. If you missed the email notification on this, the details are here:

https://kb.arlo.com/000063018/Arlo-Legacy-Cameras-End-of-Life

One technical detail - the Pro always sends 720p resolution, the Pro 2 always sends 1080p resolution. That is the case whether you have a subscription or not. Arlo says that the bit rate is higher with a subscription - which would increase the clarity. Low bit rates do result in a blurry picture.

Since I do have a subscription, I can't say from direct experience how much of a difference the subscription makes. That said, IMO Arlo should increase their bitrates even for folks with subscriptions. Personally I'd be willing to give up some retention to get higher quality.

Re: VMB4000r3 uploaded videos not high resolution

shadowb — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:41:49 GMT

Thanks for the insight. After further research I discovered this model accepts Local Storage via USB. I added a 64GB thumb drive and all is well now.