Arlo Pro not recording on External Hard drive

[Ronni1974]

Hi every one.
I have a problem that I can not get the base station to record on my inserted hard drive.

The app shows that an external hard drive is connected, and under Local Story, it shows Green and is ready. However, the recordings are not on the disc.

I've tried both with a 500GB hard drive and an 8GB USB stick. But nothing works. The usb connector has worked fine with an early owner of the system.?

I have connected all my camcorders to direct power, and I subscribe to CVR 24/7 Filming. Maybe that may be the problem. ??

Or maybe it could have reached the format to do.? The USB Stick is formatted under FAT32 ..?

Hope you can help me...??

Many kind regards, Ronni.

[SolarDude]

I just did some testing on my two Pro 2 cameras and the 8 gig USB thumb drive for storing videos locally to make sure it was working and it's not.

So when I have a internet connection everything works fine. The videos get uploaded to the web and the video gets saved to the USB drive in full. I can replay the USB videos via VLC player perfectly.

The USB stops working as soon as I cut the internet connection to see how the system performs when the internet is not available.

When I test the cameras when there is no internet connection at night time outside I can see the infered LEDs light up when I am In view of the camera but they do not stay illuminated, you can see the red LEDs turning On for a few seconds and the OFF, and then they will turn on again and turn off again.

It keeps doing this when I am in view of the camera. When the net is available the camera detects me and the IR lights stay on the whole time I'm in front of the camera and only turn off when I'm out of view.

When I go back and look at the USB video files for recordings when the net is not available what I find are tons of small .mp4 files that do not play in VLC because they are so small there is no data there or there will be short video clips they play but never the whole recording that you would normally get if the I internet was available.

I attached a screenshot of the small video files that are saved.

When the net is available the video files are full size and the video files play without any problems so I know the USB drive is working fine.

So you may be relying on the USB drive to save your video files when the internet is down but you need to verify this because it may not be actually working when your internet connection goes down.

I'm running off a mobile 4G WIfI hotspot with unlimited data on my phone. When I leave with my phone the camera is without a internet connection. It would be nice to know Arlo is actually recording to the USB drive in case something did happen while the internet was not available. Right now that's not working correctly.

Is anybody else seeing this same behavior? Better check if your relying on this feature and check back here so we know if it's a wider spread problem.

I did reset the base station before the testing just incase that would have helped.

[JessicaP]

Hi @Ronni1974,

Make sure to enable your local storage. You can read more here: How do I enable or disable local storage of Arlo video recordings on a USB device?

[JessicaP]

Hey @SolarDude,

The videos should save when your internet is going down. Have you tried  using a different USB and test to see if you are experiencing the same problem with the other one? 

[Ronni1974]

Hey. I have done as described. I have constant power through the approved cabinet to all my cameras. I've found that when I quit the power from the camera so they only run on the battery, it can record on the ester hard disk. But when there is cable / power for the cameras, it does not take on the esters hard. How do I fix this. ??

[JessicaP]

Try to toggle the "USB Device Recording" off and back on. Are you experiencing the issue on both the 500GB hard drive and the 8GB USB stick?

Also try to power cycle your Base Station to see if that can help it out. To power cycle your Base Station, unplug your hard drive/USB stick safely first, unplug the power adapter from the outlet, wait one minute, and reconnect the power adapter to the outlet. The base station takes one to two minutes to start. After it starts up, try to replug in your hard drive/USB stick and see if that helps.

[Ronni1974]

Hello again.

I have now tried your described procedure.

But think you have misunderstood. I have three pcs camera, but i have power cable in all camera constant. And the system does not record on the external hard drive.

But when i disconnect the power to the cameras, it may well record to the external hard drive.

So my installation with battery in all camera and direct current constant. Then I can not get the system to record on the external drives. Only when I take the power off camera so they only run on the battery. ??

[SolarDude]

I bougth a new Sandisk 16GB card and formatted it in the Arlo Base Station successfully.

I see the same problem where when the internet goes down the Video files do not save to the USB drive.

The videos save just fine when there is a internet connection.

When the net is down the cameras activate from me walking in front of them they  start recording but you can see the IR LED's turn ON and OFF over and and over again instead of turning on and staying on when I'm moving in front of the cameras.  The video files that are created end up being 4kB or 70Kb and contain no video data for some reason which makes them useless.

Can anybody else confirm if their video files do not save to USB drive when their internet connection goes down? 

[JessicaP]

Just to make sure, are you on the latest firmware for your Base Station, which is version 1.11.9.0_26520 or newer?

[SolarDude]

The base station is on a newer firmware version than the current firmware you mention. The firmware is automatically loaded by Netgear from my understanding.

See the attached image to see the firmware and basestation model. Starting to think I may have a bad basestation.

[Ronni1974]

Hello again. Yes, I have the latest version installed 1.12.0.0_27099 and there are no new updates available. What can the problem be like?

[JessicaP]

I will PM you guys to see if our support team can help you further with your Arlo Pro unable to record on your external hard drive when your internet is down. 

[Leeroymc]

I am getting the same problem. The camera only record less than 1 second, and IR leds only show up for a second. When internet is restored recordings work fine. When internet is down the auto recordings aren't working

[JessicaP]

Hi @Leeroymc,

Have you tried with a different USB/external hard drive to see if you're experiencing this issue? Try to disable and re-enable local storage backup by reading this article: How do I enable or disable local storage of Arlo video recordings on a USB device? 

[lplant]

I have the same issue - long videos being recorded to USB when internet is available.  Short videos (less than 1 sec) are recorded when internet is unavailable.  ie only a fraction of the movement is recorded.

[SolarDude]

I'm still having this issue even after all the recent updates.

Support never got back to me about trying to fix or resolve this issue.

Seems like this is a issue affecting mutiple people. 

I would love to get this working so I have security even when my WiFi is down. 

I did try many different usb storage devices and I get the same offline recording problem where it only records a second before turning off. 

[WatchDoge]

HW Version VMB4000r3

Serial Number 4R058577A738E

Firmware 1.12.0.1_27940

Having the EXACT SAME ISSUE for a year now. We just want answers. Is it a bug or is offline recording a premium paid feature?

[lplant]

Arlo support is rubbish. Arlo has a defect in the way videos are recorded to USB when internet connection is unavailable.  Problem remains unresolved yet Arlo support has closed the problem without diagnosing or  resolving the problem.  Case no #40675405

[Leeroymc]

Agreed.
I challenge Arlo to show that it works with any kind of set up and share with user community.

[Dannybear]

@SolarDude,
“Is anybody else seeing this same behavior? Better check if your relying on this feature and check back here so we know if it's a wider spread problem.”

Yes, I have created the same outcome to your experience with similar testing.

@JessicaP,
Are you in a position to find out from Arlo if this is expected behaviour?
As this has been hidden within the forum for a long time now, i would not like to think that the firmware has been nobbled to prevent the use of USB backup when not connected to the Arlo server.

[Leeroymc]

I've spent 2 hours with chat support with no fix. When ticket was going to be escalated I was told I had a non standard config as I was using a laptop with internet connection sharing to test at a house with no internet, even though everything was working fine while while my non standard connection was working. When disconnected from internet I have exact same experience as others. I think this was an easy way out for Arlo rather than looking further into the problem. I have a 'standard' config at home (adsl2+ modem, lan cable connected directly to base station) and have same experience when I drop the internet connect by unplugging the phone line from the modem. The recordings work for about a minute then base station recognises there is no internet and then it shows same behaviour as others have reported where leds on camera only light up for a second and a very short video is recorded.
The system simply does not record full duration videos to USB when internet is unavailable.

[Leeroymc]

I think it is time for Arlo to tell us they have tested that full recordings are possible without internet connection, and explain their setup, firmware versions etc or be honest and say this does not work without internet connection. This would take less time than the 2 hours I spent with chat support going through standard script or trying different storage, reformatting storage, disabling and reenabling USB backup, rebooting base station, removing and reading cameras, changing record time from 'while detecting to fixed duration. I am sure all people that have contacted have gone through all of these steps and still find nothing works.
Time to be honest Arlo that this feature doesn't not work when internet is disconnected and spell it out your product before people buy it, or rework your firmware so that this feature works. I am sure this is a simple fix that would improve the reputation and uptake of your product. I had started to recommend your product to family and friends but with recording to USB disabled when internet drops, I can't continue to advise others that your product will protect their homes in the event of internet connection loss.

[Dannybear]

I was intending on protecting the base and modem with a 10min UPS, but thinking more on this is that it is pointless if the Arlo server is lost, I only get one second recordings on the USB.
I imagine that the issue goes away if you have the base and modem power supply backed up continually during a power fail as the externally powered cameras would revert to battery mode and so allow full length recordings.
I think that this is why the issue is not seen as more widespread.
I shudder to think what would happen if the Arlo’s server is discontinued, not that it matters as we have no access to the base stations and cameras, I guess they become gold plated boat anchors.

[lplant]

For me, the issue is caused by loss of internet, not by loss of power. Cameras run off their batteries, power remains on in home so the arlo base station and internet modem run, when the telco’s internet service drops out in the neighbourhood, Arlo only records videos of approx 1 sec duration to the USB.

Arlo support tell me this week they have known about this problem since Nov 2018 but would not provide me with a problem number so I could track it and did not tell me whether they were working on a fix.

Even when the problem is fixed, recording videos to USB on Arlo still has usability issues: mainly you need to be on site and physically disconnect the USB from the base station and connect it to a laptop to view the video and (2) videos recorded to USB when the internet is down are not later copied to Arlo cloud when the internet service is restored.

Why now allow remote viewing of videos recorded to USB?

Why not upload videos recorded to USB during internet outage to Arlo cloud once the internet service is restored?

At this stage I have paid for a USB which Arlo doesn’t always use properly and am paying for cloud storage of videos when not all videos are stored on the cloud.

I like the Arlo product but dislike this issue and the lack of attention by Arlo support. Basic professional product support is lacking in this instance.

[Dannybear]

Maybe the Arlo support team should publish their own mission statement so we know what to expect.

Extract from Arlo’s website “About” statement..

“Beyond just security, Arlo is focused on creating beautifully designed products and services that intelligently work together to make your life more enjoyable, more connected, and more easily managed from wherever you might be at the moment. So you don’t miss any of life’s little moments, big and small.”