I purchased an arlo pro 4 camera. Do I need a subscription with arlo 2 base station

[juggernaut6475]

I have an Arlo 2 base station and 4 Arlo 2 cameras that I use with the 7-day free recording and no subscription.  I just purchased an Arlo 4 camera to add as my 5th camera.  Will it work with the Arlo 2 base, without the subscription, or after the 90-day trial will it stop working unless I purchase the subscription?  Thanks

[StephenB]

---

@juggernaut6475 wrote:

Will it work with the Arlo 2 base, without the subscription, or after the 90-day trial will it stop working unless I purchase the subscription?  Thanks

---

It is compatible with VMB4xxx bases (and the VMB5000), or it can connect directly to your home wifi.

It will work without a subscription, but you will lose features (including all cloud storage):

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062312/What-options-will-I-have-when-the-Arlo-trial-ends

Pricing for a single camera subscription depends on the country you are in - details are here:

• https://kb.arlo.com/88/What-are-the-available-Arlo-subscription-plans-and-how-much-cloud-recording-i...

[Dannybear]

The pro4 requires a subscription plan for the Arlo cloud library after the trial ends.

[juggernaut6475]

So just to confirm, no 7-day free storage even though the Arlo Pro 4 camera is using an Arlo 2 base?

[Dannybear · Accepted solution]

No, the subscription requirements are for the camera or doorbell model.

The 7days free cloud library ended back in 2018 with the pro2 camera series, subscription is unrelated to the Base station used.

The later model cameras only work with the later base station models VMB4xxx and VMB5000 unless they can connect to the local wifi router.

https://kb.arlo.com/000062770/Which-Arlo-Cameras-and-Doorbells-work-directly-with-my-Wi-Fi-router 

You would still have the free storage if you got hold of another pro/pro2 camera.

You have the option to purchase a VMB4540 base or VMB5000 hub to access direct storage recordings for the pro4 but not as conveniently as using the cloud.

https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it-for-Arlo-video-recor... 

[juggernaut6475]

Thanks for the info, looks like I'll be finding another Pro 2 camera.  I don't know when Arlo will learn that not everyone wants to be forced into subscriptions.  I know it makes them a ton of reoccurring revenue but as soon as another company offers a subscription-less feature, they will lose a ton of customers and maybe then they'll wake up and stop being greedy

[bergy1]

I paid for the package of 2 4k cameras and the smart hub 90 days ago. It worked fine (although the play back resolution wasn't great). Now, the system won't work without a subscription! If I needed a subscription for "extra" features - that would be one thing, but requiring a subscription for the system to simply operate is another! Unless I'm missing something - this is BS!

[StephenB]

---

@bergy1 wrote:

Unless I'm missing something

---

The system should be working with fewer features. See this for details:

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062312/What-options-will-I-have-when-the-Arlo-trial-ends