Arlo Pro 4 camera added to 3-camera Arlo Pro 2 stopped recording to local storage

[KiwiLinz49]

Hi, I have an 3-camera Arlo Pro 2 setup, with a VMB4500r2 base which has served me well for the past 3 years or so. Last last year, I added a fourth camera - an Arlo Pro 4 2K. It came with a 3-month trial subscription, that had lots of nice feature, but I decided not to renew it when the trial expired. From that point on, the Pro 4 camera ceased to record activities and save them to my local storage. It would detect movement, but not record it. Is there anyone out there that has experienced the same, or similar, and can suggest a fix. Thanks in advance.

[DannyBearAgain]

Try removing the pro4 camera from the account and then adding it back to see if it will start recording to the Base station backup USB again.

The app library only shows the arlo cloud recordings such as those from the early cameras that have the 7days free cloud storage bundle. The pro4 need a subscription to record to the cloud library.

[KiwiLinz49]

Thanks for that. I actually meant "Free Cloud Storage" not "Local Storage". I have tried removing the camera and adding again as a new one, but that didn't work. I'm a bit annoyed actually because I asked the store I bought it from if the Pro 4 camera was completely compatible with the Pro 2 base, and they said "yes" and Arlo's own website says so as well. It just didn't go into that level of detail.

[DannyBearAgain]

Just to clarify further, the pro4 camera has no cloud storage bundled at all, you need to have it attached to a subscription, trial or payed.

When the trial subscription ended you don’t have any recordings to the cloud nor their smart features. You do keep basic notifications and live viewing.

The fix for you is to purchase a monthly subscription to restore the cloud library access to the recordings or change the Base to the smart hub vmb4540/5000 to be able to access the backup storage in app.

The pro2 recordings will continue to show in the cloud library, and also be available to download from the local storage USB. Not ideal recommendation since the path suffers limitations.

[KiwiLinz49]

Hi. Yes, I realise that now. It's a shame that, when I purchased that particular camera, as an addition to my existing 3 camera setup, I asked if it was completely compatible. I was told it was, and the information on the Arlo website seemed to support that.  Thanks for your input.

[DannyBearAgain]

It is always easier to tell you what you want to hear. I imagine you are not the first or the last.

[KiwiLinz49]

So do you think the loss of free recording to the cloud is due to the specs of the newer Pro4 camera, or is it a change to the overall software? Put another way, could I source another Pro2 camera, and have that send any recorded footage to the cloud just like the other Pro2 cameras do? I'd be interested in your thoughts. Thanks.

[DannyBearAgain]

In theory, adding another pro2 should retain the free cloud storage feature. You can have up to five legacy cameras installed before a subscription is required.

It is not something I can say from experience and arlo has announced a planned EOL date going forward although their cloud library services will remain.

You would need to gauge the pros and cons against the subscription costs given the pro2 cameras are rare to find and sell at a premium price for obvious reasons.

Edit:

The requirement for arlo cameras to need a subscription started with the ultra model in 2018.

Some suggest that it was a move to stop customers paying forward for the free cloud storage services, hence why they were so expensive to buy and unable to be competitive.

[StephenB]

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@KiwiLinz49 wrote:

So do you think the loss of free recording to the cloud is due to the specs of the newer Pro4 camera, or is it a change to the overall software? 

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Neither really.  Legacy cameras (like the Pro 2) were sold with 7 days of free cloud storage.  Arlo still provides that.

The Pro 4 (like all current cameras) wasn't sold  with this feature, and requires a subscription to get any cloud storage.

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@KiwiLinz49 wrote:

Put another way, could I source another Pro2 camera, and have that send any recorded footage to the cloud just like the other Pro2 cameras do?

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Yes, as long as you meet the other constraint (no more than 5 unsubscribed cameras in the account).

You are very unlikely to find a new Pro 2, as Arlo stopped making them in 2019.  Used ones often are pricey, since many people are looking for a way to avoid the subscription.