Arlo Pro 2 USB Storage unable to get local saved videos/clips

[SquirrelyGinger]

Unable to get local saved videos / clips.

Base is online. Can access and view live.

Camera live feed shows full strength on wifi, powered, storage connected.

Drive B was tried first, base reformatted it, became available 1784 / 1784 GB available.

USB Device Recording turned on.  Automatic Overwrite turned on.

Everything appears to be ready to go, except nothing is being recorded. Occasionally there will be a file in the library but there is nothing to play. 0:00 length.  After a few days of this and several trigger notifications, I went back and looked, and still just the single unplayable file. "Safely Removed" drive from base and connected to Win10 box.  Drive not ready.  Ah, I have a bad drive.  Swapped in a 2TB WD Elements (Drive A), formatted, turned on, enabled, yadda yadda, status shows ready to go.  Windows is not able to read the partition on Drive B, the Elements 4TB reformatted by base for 2TB. Safe remove from Windows, plugged into a "can read everything" linux box, and nope. Partition Corrupted.  Tried to repair partition, nope. Tried to reformat partition (Fat32), Nope. Tried to kill partition, Nope.  Contacted WesternDigital support, was directed towards a utility that I can use to "low level format" the Elements 4TB with.  Success! created a 4TB GPT partition, formatted with exFAT, and drive works wonderfully. 

Went to check on Drive A Elements 2TB, and its exhibiting same behavior. Nothing is being recorded, not even zero length files. Checked online, no clips there either.  Safely removed drive from base, plugged into Win10 box, same problems as before. Plugged into Linux box, same issues.  Used WD utility and wiped drive, created a new partition of 2TB MBR formatted with fat32.  Drive works great.  Plugged in, base wants to format, completed, drive is online, but no joy. Remove drive, connect to Win10 / Linux, same problems.

Above operations also repeated and confirmed on both USB ports located on base.  Its not a power issue since drive is self powered (PlugIn power supply). Drives are both usable once re-initialized (MBR or GPT) and formatted (Fat32, exFat, EFS, etc). Once connected to base and formatted, is when things go sideways.

What am I missing?

Base Station

VMB4000r3  firmware 1.12.0.1.27940

Camera (3 others waiting to be installed, small steps...)

H4 firmware 1.125.11.4_29092, powered

Drive A

Western Digital Elements 2TB self powered desktop USB3

Drive B

Western Digital Elements 4TB self powered desktop USB3

[TomMac]

I would test it with a simple speed stick of a few GB or more.

( btw, The max size was 2TB unless it has changed, based that it must be formatted in FAT32 )

[SquirrelyGinger]

Yeah, that is my next step but wanted to get other feedback first.  I can recover the drives, not so sure with a USB stick.  I do have a sacrificial 2GB one though...

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Packet is faster than Morse

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[jguerdat]

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Morse is faster than texting!
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Packet is faster than Morse

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Oohhh!! Cat fight!!

[SquirrelyGinger]

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@jguerdat wrote:

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Morse is faster than texting!
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Packet is faster than Morse

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Oohhh!! Cat fight!!

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Nah, not at all. But the pot has been properly stirrred...

[TomMac]

No fighting.... I concede that packet is faster.

but it needs more equipment to do.  😀

[SquirrelyGinger]

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@TomMac wrote:

No fighting.... I concede that packet is faster.

but it needs more equipment to do.  😀

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True.

Though a SDR with antenna and cell phone is pretty minimal.

Close to piece count with bug, radio, and antenna.

[SquirrelyGinger]

Okay...

Pulled out an ancient 2GB USB Flash drive, stuck it in base. Of course it wanted to format and I let it.  triggered the front door camera, went to check, and...nothing.  Plugged drive into win10 box as well as linux box, and neither are able to read.

It appears that local storage is not intended to be removed and viewed on another device, despite being removable and no way to download videos from cloud.  Or, it could be that my base has issues with the usb ports.  Perhaps it is not formatting properly though it is able to report back the anticipated storage available / storage used sizes. 

My ultimate goal was to have a video record of what is captured in the event of outtage of electric (battery backup for equipment) and internet.  The intent was to store everything that I could locally in order to minimize the amount of data that is being sent to the cloud. After all...:

.600MB x 60 seconds x 60 minutes x 24 hours x 30 days = 1555200MB or 1.555200 *TB* of data being uploaded each month. I forget where I got the .6MB / 600KB number, but was on arlo.com somewhere.  Also just learned that you apparently cannot store locally without uploading to server as well.

I think that we have acquired the wrong system.

[TomMac]

Odd, that it doesn't work.... Had a 32Gb stick prev,and now a 64Gb and both worked/work fine.

Tho I did format in computer ( win 10 ) and then just plugged in.

All videos are there when I check about every month... 

Sorry, got nothing to help.

[jguerdat]

I'd open a case with support since it should be just that easy:

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/support/contact.aspx

Using packet, of course...

[SquirrelyGinger]

Ok, you formatted in Windows 10 as Fat32, right?

And the base didn't want to format it again?