Arlo Floodlight Not Recording

[starcatcher_6]

Hello Everyone,

I’ve tried, with no success to figure out how to get my floodlight to record.  Yes, my trial has ended.  I tried resetting the floodlight camera (removing the battery).  I’ve tried resetting the base and reinstalling ALL the cameras.  I’ve checked to make sure my Arlo cameras are armed.  All my other cameras are recording.  Also, I’m saving all my videos to a USB on the base.

Can someone please help me figure out what I need to do to get this thing to record?  

I’ve reached out to support and I’m not getting a response.

Thank you in advance.

[StephenB]

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@starcatcher_6 wrote:

 All my other cameras are recording.  

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What models are these cameras? 

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@starcatcher_6 wrote:

 Also, I’m saving all my videos to a USB on the base.

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What model is the base?

Have you tried ejecting the USB storage from the base, and looking for recordings on the PC?

[Col13]

I have exactly the same problem - the floodlight does not record to the library, whereas all my other Arlo cameras do.

The floodlight worked perfectly during the trial period but as I have not taken out a subscription it does record anything to the hub library - although it registers movement etc and is connected to the hub. WHY and how do I change it to show recordings in the library?

[jguerdat]

As noted many times here any camera newer than the Pro 2 requires a subscription for cloud recordings. You had a free trial which is why videos showed up in the cloud but now you need to either purchase a subscription or connect the camera to a hub so you can record locally on the supported USB drive or micro-SD card.

[Jason_25]

He isn't talking about recording to the cloud.  I am having the same issue. And yes, my floodlight is configured attached to my base station.  The regular indoor cameras record to local USB storage fine but the floodlight does not.  Only activates for motion and gives notification.  Please, if you are a "super user" provide constructive feedback.

[StephenB]

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@Jason_25 wrote:

  I am having the same issue. And yes, my floodlight is configured attached to my base station.  The regular indoor cameras record to local USB storage fine but the floodlight does not.  

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What model are the cameras that work?

What model is your base station?

Have you tried ejecting the local storage, connecting it to a PC, and looking for recordings there?  It'd be useful to sort out whether the issue is about storage of the recordings or retrieval.

[Jason_25]

The cameras are Pro 2. Device info says "H4". The base station is VMB4000r3.

I haven't checked to eject the local storage USB drive yet. I can do that now.

[StephenB]

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@Jason_25 wrote:

Device info says "H4". 

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FWIW, the Hx numbers in device info aren't generally very useful.  They are just small hardware revisions to the camera model.  

The best way to check the camera model from the app is to go into the support area.  Then select the camera, and scroll down to the bottom of the page.  You'll find a product field there.  

There is also a label inside the camera - if you open the housing and remove the battery you'll find it.  In the case of the Essential (which is sealed), it is printed on the rubber seal on the bottom of the camera.

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@Jason_25 wrote:

The base station is VMB4000r3.

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Let's start here.  Your base doesn't support the "direct access to local storage" feature.  Only the smarthubs (VMB4540 and VMB5000) have that.  The ONLY way to see the local storage with your base is to eject the storage and connect it to a PC for browsing.

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@Jason_25 wrote:

The cameras are Pro 2.

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These cameras have 7-day free cloud storage.  All the recordings you see in the app (and my.arlo.com) are actually stored in the cloud.  FWIW, you aren't the first user to be confused on this.  Many other people with USB storage installed on their base station have also assumed that the recordings they see in the app are retrieved from the USB stick. 

But Arlo stopped including this on new camera models back in 2018 (starting with the Ultra).  All the newer cameras (including your Arlo Floodlight) require a subscription to get any cloud storage.  That is why you don't see recordings now that the trial subscription has expired.

Your options are to

1. stick with your current setup; removing USB storage and connecting to the PC when you want to see footage.
2. upgrade the base to a VMB4540 or VMB5000, and set up direct access to local storage
3. get a single-camera Arlo Secure subscription for the floodlight.
4. get a multi-camera Arlo Secure subscription, which would give you more retention and some other features on the Pro 2 cameras.

If you are interested in (2), there are a number of limitations with that feature - so post back and ask for details before you purchase.

[Jason_25]

@StephenB ,

"upgrade the base to a VMB4540 or VMB5000, and set up direct access to local storage"

So I was looking at buying the VMB4540 since the 5000 doesn't look like any more significant features... what are the limitations you speak of?

Basically, can I use local storage for the floodlight cam and/or the internal house pro 2 cameras AND see the clips within the app? It's fine if it's only viewable for 7 days at a time.

[StephenB]

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@Jason_25 wrote:

So I was looking at buying the VMB4540 since the 5000 doesn't look like any more significant features... what are the limitations you speak of?

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The limitations are:

1. Recordings can only be viewed in the app (not the browser)
2. Recordings can only be accessed from the primary account (not friend accounts)
3. No ability to make manual recordings or take snapshots
4. No thumbnails - video needs to be be downloaded to the phone to see anything
5. Remote access requires router setting changes that some find difficult (and which won't work with some internet service providers).