VMC2052 will not connect to smarthub vb4000

[Fheatl]

Hello - multiple unsuccessful attempts to connect to smarthub. Firmware on both devices are current, app recognizes camera, smarthub will blink and fails to connect. The camera light will blink blue for a minute or so, then quick orange blinks, the app will state unable to connect device. Any ideas?  The cameras will connect to wifi directly, however hub connectivity is critical for video recordings. 

[BrookeN]

Can you try to onboard the camera using the web or a different phone?

[Fheatl]

Went through the process of removing all devices, smart hub, three Arlo Pro cameras and three Essential XL 2nd gen cameras. Reseted the hub and went through the entire set up and all six cameras are connected to the hub. I do not have an Arlo subscription and do have an external hard drive connected to the hub.  All six cameras will detect motion, the three Arlo Pros will trigger a recording and the Essential Cameras are not triggering a recording (Yes, I did check the device rules and set to record).  Does anyone know if Arlo by design restricted the Essential cameras not to record without a paid subscription? Thx

[StephenB]

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@Fheatl wrote:

 Does anyone know if Arlo by design restricted the Essential cameras not to record without a paid subscription? 

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All currently sold Arlo cameras (including the Essentials) require a subscription to get cloud storage.  They stopped offering free cloud storage on new camera models back in 2018.

FWIW, you shouldn't be getting recordings on the Pro 2s either - the free storage for them is limited to accounts with 5 or fewer unsubscribed cameras.  There is one caveat there - a few 6-camera Pro 2 system bundles were sold by Arlo, and people who purchased those bundles have a 6 camera limit.

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@Fheatl wrote:

 do have an external hard drive connected to the hub.  

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I am guessing a VMB4000 or VMB4500 hub.  Both support local recording, neither have any playback functions.  The ONLY way to see local recordings with those hubs is to eject the storage from the app, and then connect it to a PC.  

The VMB4540 and VMB5000 smarthubs do support local playback - let us know if you have the VMB4540.

[Fheatl]

First generation pro cameras connecfed to hub and recording works. Able to view recordings via the app. Separately, the Essential cameras are connected to the hub, other than the alerts, the cameras have limited use (live viewing). I find it quite disappointing on the lack of transparency from Arlo, it should be left up to the consumers on where they wish their videos stored. The coercive practice of you buy the hardware and if you wish to take advantage of the features of the hardware you have to commit to a subscription.  

[StephenB]

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@Fheatl wrote:

First generation pro cameras connecfed to hub and recording works. Able to view recordings via the app. Separately, the Essential cameras are connected to the hub, other than the alerts, the cameras have limited use (live viewing). 

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As I explained, the VMB4000 and VMB4500 hubs do not support playback of local recordings.  So you'd need a smarthub (VMB4540 or VMB5000) to get that feature.  It does have several limitations.