ARLO ESSENTIAL 3-CAM KIT, no base. Trial ran out and now I have no recording capabilities,now what?

[vmax15834]

Can I have my camera's record to my personal cloud? If I purchase a base, which one should I get? Can I access video that is recorded on the base from a phone away from home? Will the camera's still detect motion and record to the base? I do not want to purchase a plan, wouldn't have bought these had I know this.....

[StephenB]

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@vmax15834 wrote:

Can I have my camera's record to my personal cloud? 

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No, unfortunately Arlo doesn't have that feature.

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@vmax15834 wrote:

 If I purchase a base, which one should I get? Can I access video that is recorded on the base from a phone away from home? Will the camera's still detect motion and record to the base?

If you want access from the phone, then you need to get a smarthub (VMB4540 or VMB5000).  The VMB4540 supports USB storage, the VMB5000 supports microSD.

Then pair the cameras with the smarthub, and set up the direct access to local storage feature.  https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it

There are a number of limitations you should be aware of:

1. Local recordings are only available in the app (not the browser)
2. Local recordings are only available in the primary account (not friend accounts)
3. You cannot make a manual recording or snapshot
4. There are no thumbnails in the notifications or library - you need to download to see anything about what is in the video.
5. Remote access requires router setting changes (port forwarding, or a VPN for home network access) - some find this difficult to set up.

Of course there are other subscription features - notably activity zones and smart notifications.  There is more information on what you end up with here:  https://kb.arlo.com/000062312/What-options-will-I-have-when-the-Arlo-trial-ends 

[vmax15834]

Thank you for your reply. Need to make a decision on what to do....