Does the essential camera need a hub?

[hoofbeats95]

I have 4 arlo cameras.  3 are Arlo Pro and 1 is Arlo Pro 2.  I have a base station(hardware VMB4000r3).   I would like to add 1-2 more cameras.  However, I'm confused as I thought my base station had a limit of 5?  Also the new essential cameras say they connect direct to wifi, but also have hub compatibility.   Could I connect an essential direct to my wifi, still get the videos in my app/cloud for X number of days?  And not connect to my base?  I've been reading the forms and I'm kind of confused on how/where the videos from the essential camera are stored/ viewable. 

Thanks!

[StephenB]

First if all - your Pro 2 cameras have 7-day free cloud storage.  USB local storage in your hub is for backup, and you need to remove the USB storage and connect it to a PC in order to view the local recordings.

The Essential cameras require a subscription to get any cloud storage.  If they are paired to your base, you will get local recordings.  But again, you need to connect the USB storage to a PC in order to view them.

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@hoofbeats95 wrote:

Could I connect an essential direct to my wifi, still get the videos in my app/cloud for X number of days?  And not connect to my base? 

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Yes, you can connect them either way.  Though getting cloud storage requires a subscription (as stated above).

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@hoofbeats95 wrote:

However, I'm confused as I thought my base station had a limit of 5? 

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Sort of.  The base can handle 5 simultaneous recordings at a time.  But you can connect more cameras.

The free cloud storage you have now is also limited to 5 unsubscribed cameras.  So if you add 2 or more essentials, you will lost the free storage for all the pro 2s unless you get enough subscriptions to keep the number of unsubscribed cameras at 5 or less.

[hoofbeats95]

Thanks.  I don't use the USB.  I just download from the Arlo app if I want to save a recording. 

So if I get an essential camera, connect to base, but no local storage - when I'm away from home and get an alert from the essential camera - how do I view it?  I can't view it in the app since it doesn't have cloud storage?  That means you must have a subscription for the essential cameras to even be able to view an immediate alert in the app? 

I did not realize the distinction between the 5 and 15 cameras.   I live on a farm, so I'd like to increase my camera count, but I certainly don't need all 15  recording/streaming at the same time.   Interesting point though about unsubscribed count.  Dang.  Seems like Arlo has really changed the way things work.  I love my cameras, but I also love that they are "free" and I'm not paying any monthly fees.   

[StephenB]

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@hoofbeats95 wrote:

That means you must have a subscription for the essential cameras to even be able to view an immediate alert in the app? 

Correct.  You can start a live view when you get the notification - but no way to store anything, or to see what triggered the notification.

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@hoofbeats95 wrote:

but I also love that they are "free" and I'm not paying any monthly fees.   

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I get that, and like most folks would rather avoid monthly fees.

Though the cloud services do cost Arlo money, so the "free" cloud services you get now are subsidized from new camera sales and paid subscriptions.  A bit like a Ponzi scheme if you think about it.  So I can see both sides of this issue.