Arlo cameras if you don't purchase a plan?

[Jt4bama]

recently purchased arlo cameras and now discovered they are useless unless you pay for one of their plans. 

BEWARE very misleading company

[jguerdat]

The need for a paid plan is on the box, in the documentation and has been true since the Ultra cameras were released in 2018.

[JamesC · Accepted solution]

Jt4bama,

Once the included trial subscription expires for your cameras, you will need to purchase a subscription plan to continue enjoying the same benefits offered with the trial. For more information on this, take a look here: https://kb.arlo.com/000062312/What-options-will-I-have-when-the-Arlo-trial-ends

JamesC

[VancouverBC]

Yes, need for subscription applies to doorbell cameras too. For the price you'd think you'd get some cloud storage. But it's similar for most competing manufacturers. They are all using a similar business model of subscriptions. Also there is no reduction in the purchase price when previously I'm sure the purchase price paid also was a one-time purchase for cloud storage into the future. The monthly fee adds up over time. 

[ArloUser38]

Just noticed that they got rid of the Basic plan entirely, and increased the price of the Plus and Premium. The cameras are practically useless at this point. 

If anyone has any ideas on ways to still get value out of the cameras without having to shell out over $200 in subscription fees, please let me know. 

Arlo Secure Arlo Essential Camera Arlo Essential Spotlight Camera 

[robaustin]

Agree - Arlo has changed their policy which is devastating!

I'll be throwing all my Arlo gear away.

I have 2 Pro 2 cameras I've had for a few years. I *USED* to be able setup motion detect, and record to my account.

Now I can't.

Before I noticed the change, I purchased 2 Essential 2K and now am stuck with them now that the trial expired. 

ARLO - We can't afford your plans. We bought your gear to use WITHOUT a plan. You USED to allow operation of your equipment WITHOUT a plan and now you've changed it and your equipment is USELESS without a PLAN I'm NOT going to purchase.  Shame on you! 

[robaustin]

This KB article is misleading. You have to read the fine print and it does NOT go into detail which devices do NOT allow local (free) recording:

• Local Storage Recording*

*Auto Zoom & Tracking and Local Storage Recording are not available for all Arlo devices.

Note: Without an Arlo plan or trial you will not have access to features such as Video History and Activity Zones.

I can no longer record locally with my Pro 2 cameras and I USED TO BE ABLE TO !  And the new Essentials 2K cameras are USELESS now as well.  

This is VERY upsetting. The my.arlo and apps used to allow for a pretty good activity filter and cloud recording and you TOOK IT AWAY!    This is unconscionable! And I would suggest unscrupulous business practice.  

Tossing all your gear now.... and do NOT expect good reviews. 

[StephenB]

---

@robaustin wrote:

I can no longer record locally with my Pro 2 cameras and I USED TO BE ABLE TO !  And the new Essentials 2K cameras are USELESS now as well.  

---

What base station do you have?

The VMB4000 and VMB4500 support local recording, but do not (and have never) supported playback.  The ONLY way to see local recordings with these hubs is to eject the storage and connect it to a PC for viewing.

Many people assume that the free 7-day cloud recordings they see in the app and my.arlo.com are stored on the hub.  They are not local.

The free 7-day cloud recording has also always been limited to 5 unsubscribed cameras in the account.  Did you go over that limit when you added the 2nd gen cameras?

[robaustin]

Stephen,

I've had the VMB4000 along with 3 Pro 2 cameras and have ALWAYS been able to record content AND play it back on the various devices I have the APP installed on.  (I assumed that the VMB4000 has internal memory)   

That seems to have stopped recently and that makes me furious. 

Additionally I purchased 2 Essential 2K cameras and I *thought* I'd be able to record and play back as with the Pro 2's but *THAT* is not possible. 

I've long struggled with the apps poor design, difficult to find and configure rules and schedules. 

I've already purchased a replacement system and am already impressed with the better design and functionality. 

-Robert

[StephenB]

---

@robaustin wrote:

I've had the VMB4000 along with 3 Pro 2 cameras and have ALWAYS been able to record content AND play it back on the various devices I have the APP installed on.  (I assumed that the VMB4000 has internal memory)   

---

That assumption is wrong.  All the videos you have been seeing are actually stored in the Arlo Cloud.

---

@robaustin wrote:

That seems to have stopped recently and that makes me furious. 

---

If you only have 5 cameras in the account, the Pro 2s should still work as they always have.

Have you tried making a manual recording while livestreaming one of these cameras?

---

@robaustin wrote:

Additionally I purchased 2 Essential 2K cameras and I *thought* I'd be able to record and play back as with the Pro 2's but *THAT* is not possible. 

---

Correct.  Cloud recording with the Essential Gen 2 cameras requires a subscription.