Essential Outdoor 2nd Gen won't connect to Base Station

[kb9hgi]

I have a VMB4000 Base Station  that I use on my other cameras and I been trying to add my new Essential Outdoor 2nd Gen camera to it and it won't connect to the base station it keeps connecting to only my wifi. Is there a way to had this camera to my VMB4000 base station? If not this thing is useless! I'm not sending stuff to the cloud. Microsoft just tried that crap with me on email

[StephenB]

---

@kb9hgi wrote:

I have a VMB4000 Base Station  that I use on my other cameras and I been trying to add my new Essential Outdoor 2nd Gen camera to it and it won't connect to the base station it keeps connecting to only my wifi. Is there a way to had this camera to my VMB4000 base station? 

---

Gen 2 cameras aren't supported by base stations yet.  Arlo says the feature is coming "soon", but they haven't said when.  They also haven't given details on what hubs will be compatible.

---

@kb9hgi wrote:

I have a VMB4000 Base Station. I'm not sending stuff to the cloud.

---

FYI, any recordings you see in the Arlo app and on my.arlo.com are already stored in the Arlo Cloud. Notifications go through the cloud, and any livestreaming you do when away from home also goes through the cloud.

The VMB4000 supports local recording, but not local playback.  The only way to see the local recordings is to eject the storage from the base and connect it to a PC for browsing.

I am guessing that you have legacy cameras (pro, pro 2, or perhaps the original camera with the CR123A batteries).  If so, you will need either 

1. need a subscription to see recordings with the Gen 2 in the app or my.arlo.com
2. need to upgrade the base to a VMB4540 or VMB5000 smarthub and use the direct access to local recording feature.

I'd wait for Arlo to roll out the Gen 2 hub support before upgrading the base.

[Seacass]

Just purchased an Arlo Essential Gen 2 camera because it indicated that the camera would sync with my VMB4000 base station.  I have 4 legacy pro 2 cameras currently synced with the station.  The Arlo Essential will sync only with my primary Wi-Fi.  Now I’m reading that I will need to subscribe or buy a new base station?!  Nope.  If I need to spend money on a new base station I will get rid of Arlo and find an alternate brand.  Arlo has been a great product but now they are forcing loyal customers into signing up for subscription services.  I have relied on my current system for years.  

[Seacass]

Additionally, my system currently stores one weeks worth of recordings.  I assume that these are in the cloud.  I don’t object to that.  It’s been working great and it is not a subscription.  

[StephenB]

---

@Seacass wrote:

Additionally, my system currently stores one weeks worth of recordings.  I assume that these are in the cloud.  I don’t object to that.  It’s been working great and it is not a subscription.  

---

Your legacy cameras were sold with 7 days of cloud storage, and Arlo still provides that.   None of the currently sold Arlo cameras have that feature, so all of them require a subscription for cloud storage.

Arlo has said that they will add the ability to connect your Gen 2 camera to smarthub/bases, but they haven't said when.  And your VMB4000 only supports local recording, it does NOT support playback of those recordings.  The only way to see the recordings is to eject the storage and connect it to a PC.

The two smarthub models (VMB4540 and VMB5000) do support playback in the app, and some do use that instead of a subscription.  But there are quite a few limitations, so it is not a great user experience.

[JamesC · Accepted solution]

Base Station/SmartHub compatibility is now available for Arlo 2nd generation devices. For those that already have your Arlo 2nd generation device onboarded, you will need to remove the device from your Arlo account and re-onboard to see the option to sync with your Base Station/SmartHub. The following firmware or newer is required for this integration.

Compatibility list:
Arlo Essential 2nd Generation Outdoor - VMC2050, VMC2052 – Firmware: 1.5.0_1048_85f53f3 
Arlo Essential 2nd Generation Outdoor 2K - VMC3050, VMC3052– Firmware: 1.5.0_1048_85f53f3
Arlo Essential 2nd Generation Indoor - VMC2060 – Firmware: 1.5.0_1048_0e78ae4
Arlo Essential 2nd Generation Indoor 2K - VMC3060 – Firmware: 1.5.0_1048_0e78ae4
Arlo Video Doorbell 2nd Generation - AVD3001 / AVD4001 – Firmware: 1.5.0_1059_eb10395

Compatible Base Station/SmartHub:
Base Station VMB4000 – Firmware: 1.25.0.1_4591_0201bb2
Base Station VMB4500 – Firmware: 1.25.0.1_4541_0201bb2
SmartHub VMB4540 – Firmware: 1.25.0.1_1680_0201bb2
SmartHub VMB5000 – Firmware:  1.25.0.1_1762_0201bb2