2 of 4 cameras won't record when motion is detected.

[Smbarrnc]

I'm using a Arlo 2 Base with 2 Arlo 2 cameras with 2 Arlo Essential spotlight cameras I added this year. The base has a 1tb portable hard drive plugged in. My Arlo 2 cameras record to the hard drive when they detect motion. My Essential cameras detect motion but don't record at all. I've gone back and reset the cameras, reset the whole system several times. Can't figure out how to remove the batteries from Essential cameras. I tried everything but reinstalling every component all together. Any fix?

[StephenB]

---

@Smbarrnc wrote:
Can't figure out how to remove the batteries from Essential cameras. 

---

You can't, so don't attempt it.

---

@Smbarrnc wrote:
My Arlo 2 cameras record to the hard drive when they detect motion. My Essential cameras detect motion but don't record at all. 

---

Are the Essential cameras paired with the base?  Or are they connected to your home WiFi?

How have you confirmed that they are recording to the hard drive?  What you need to do is eject the hard drive, then connect it to a PC for viewing.  If you are doing something else, then you are looking at cloud storage, not what is on the disk.  The Arlo 2 cameras have 7 days of free cloud storage, the Essentials don't come with that, and need a subscription to get any cloud storage. 

[Smbarrnc]

I figured there was no access to the batteries but stating the obvious due to that being mentioned as a fix-all.

I've connected the portable hard drive to my computer and the arlo 2 cameras record to the hard drive but not the essential.

The essential is picking up motion but there's no way to use essential cameras for local recording? They're only subscription based?

[StephenB]

---

@Smbarrnc wrote:
I've connected the portable hard drive to my computer and the arlo 2 cameras record to the hard drive but not the essential.

The essential is picking up motion but there's no way to use essential cameras for local recording? They're only subscription based?

---

I am thinking that your Essential is connecting to your home wifi, and not to the base station.  That would explain why there are no local recordings on the hard drive.

Cloud storage requires a subscription, local recording does not - but it does require the camera to be connected through the base, and not through your wifi.

[Smbarrnc]

It's connected through the base and not the wifi. I reinstalled everything, created and edited new modes. Still can't figure it out.

[StephenB]

---

@Smbarrnc wrote:
It's connected through the base and not the wifi. I reinstalled everything, created and edited new modes. Still can't figure it out.

---

If you livestream the Essential cameras, can you save a manual recording?

[Smbarrnc]

Not from the essential cameras on the website. The app there's no recording from the app.

[StephenB]

---

@Smbarrnc wrote:
Not from the essential cameras on the website. The app there's no recording from the app.

---

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean.  I wasn't distinguishing my.arlo.com from the app.

I asked if you can make a recording while livestreaming (from either), because that will verify that you have a subscription (needed for cloud storage) and that the camera is on-line.

Once past that, we can go on to diagnose motoin detection.

[Smbarrnc]

That's what I'm talking about

[StephenB]

---

@Smbarrnc wrote:
That's what I'm talking about

---

If you can't make a manual recording, then go into the subscription area of the app, and select "Manage Cameras".  Then see if the cameras are all in a subscription plan.

[Smbarrnc]

There's no subscription plan. I click on that section and it's just the different subscriptions they offer.

[StephenB]

---

@Smbarrnc wrote:
There's no subscription plan. I click on that section and it's just the different subscriptions they offer.

---

That is why there are no recordings.

Did this ever work? If it did, then the 90-day trial likely expired.