Subscriptions

[Atorre]

I brought 2 essential XL Spotlight camera and from my understanding from what I read on the web a subscription wasn't necessary for they to perform their basic function of recording events.  However recently they stop working.  I got a message in my library section stating Cloud storage keeps your clips secure.  The option presented was learn more .    There was no option to dismiss the notification for later and the whole system wouldn't work.   i had to subscribe for a month to get the system up a running again despite the fact that I don't need cloud storage.  After an extensive search online I finally found a phone number for Arlo to discuss the problem.  their call center is located in India and it was very difficult to understand the accent of the customer service person.   They contradicted what was on the web and insisted that a subscription was necessary.   I asked them for an email, address and they wouldn't give me  insisting I use the chat facility .  

Has anyone else faced a similar issue and if so what did you do about it?

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@Atorre wrote:

I brought 2 essential XL Spotlight camera and from my understanding from what I read on the web a subscription wasn't necessary for they to perform their basic function of recording events. 

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Not sure what you read.  But a subscription is in fact needed to get cloud storage.  More information on what's available to you w/o a subscription is here: https://kb.arlo.com/000062312/What-options-will-I-have-when-the-Arlo-trial-ends

Local storage (mentioned in the KB article) requires a compatible base station (preferably a VMB4540 or VMB5000).  

[Atorre]

If I get one of these base stations will I still need to subscribe or will my videos be stored on the base station memory card?  Which base station is compatible with my camera model?

[StephenB]

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@Atorre wrote:

If I get one of these base stations will I still need to subscribe or will my videos be stored on the base station memory card?  

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If you purchase one of the base stations I mentioned (VMB4540 or VMB5000), then you can use direct access to local storage.  This can be used either with a subscription or instead of a subscription.  https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it

There are some caveats:

• Recordings are only available in the app (not the browser)
• Recordings are only available to the primary account (not friend accounts)
• Manual recordings and snapshots can not be made
• Thumbnails are not available
• Remote access requires either setting up port forwarding or a VPN in your router, which is difficult for some. 

The storage doesn't come with the smarthubs, you need to add it.  In the case of the VMB4540, you'd add USB storage (e.g., a USB flash drive).  With the VMB5000, you need a microSD card.  Minimum storage is 16 GB, but if you are purchasing memory for this, I suggest getting 128 or perhaps 256 GB.

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@Atorre wrote:

 Which base station is compatible with my camera model?

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Both the models I listed are compatible with all Arlo cameras. https://kb.arlo.com/000062284/Arlo-SmartHub-and-Base-Station-Compatibility