VMC2030 no recordings in my feed.

[djp416]

My camera has working fine and correctly for 2 months.  the battery went dead while we were away for extended time.  I charged and put my camera back in place.  Camera is online and looks fine but no recordings are in my feed.  I do not have a smart hub, just one single camera with app on my phone.   I thought the ARLO ESSENTIAL VMC2030 cameras recorded for 7 days for free.  I need help in knowing how to set up or turn on recordings in my APP.   I did not think I needed a subscription if i only want recordings for 7 days on my app. 

[StephenB]

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@djp416 wrote:

I thought the ARLO ESSENTIAL VMC2030 cameras recorded for 7 days for free.  

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Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Legacy cameras (pro, pro 2, and some others) were sold with free 7-day cloud storage, and Arlo still provides that.

But all the current cameras (including the Essential) require a subscription to get any cloud storage.  That started back in 2018 with the Ultra model.  That was on the packaging for the camera (though perhaps not as prominent as it should be).

[lojmpa]

this same thing happened to me:  my three 2030's batteries died, after recharging and reconnecting, I suddenly have no 7 day cloud recordings to access.  The pricing for 30 day cloud storage is absurd, going to have to use direct storage on an arlo hub.

[JamesC]

lojmpa,

To clarify, 7 day free cloud recording has never been available for VMC2030 cameras. Upon installation, these cameras activate a trial Arlo Secure subscription plan. Once that trial expires, recordings will no longer be saved to the cloud unless a subscription plan is activated.

JamesC

[djp416]

Thx for the response.  If I buy a smarthub for the one camera i have how do I view the feeds or recordings?  will they be shown in my app (iphone) or do I have to log in to view them?

[djp416]

Can you tell me how I would view my feeds / recordings if I purchase a Smart Hub for my single essential camera?  Would I view them on my phone APP or do I need to log into something?

[JamesC]

djp416,

You would need to setup direct storage access. For information on how to do this, see here: https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it

JamesC

[Brigirl]

Hello,

Can you please tell me, if you know, for how long was the trial Arlo Secure Subscription Plan?  I recently discovered my Essential Spotlight cameras VCM2030 are not recording even though they are online.  Thank you for your assistance.

[StephenB]

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@Brigirl wrote:

or how long was the trial Arlo Secure Subscription Plan?  

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For a long time it was 3 months.  Last fall they changed it to 1 month.  However, you might still have gotten 3 months if you happened to get older inventory.

[Brigirl]

The link you included does not list VMB4000 a compatible.  Is there a direct storage device for this Arlo Base?

[StephenB]

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@Brigirl wrote:

The link you included does not list VMB4000 a compatible.  Is there a direct storage device for this Arlo Base?

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The VMB4000 supports local recording, but not playback. So with that base you'd need to eject the storage and connect it to a PC for viewing.