Floodlight Videos not showing up in library

[Kalie]

My ARLO Floodlight videos are not showing up in my library. I receive a notification of motion, and it is paired with my base station (VMB4000r3), but they are not showing up in my library. All of my other videos show up (ARLO pro and Indoor cam), but not my Floodlight cam. My setting say the camera is paired with my base station, but no videos in library after motion notification. I do not have an ARLO secure subscription, no do I want to pay for one, as my base station is supposed to provide access to videos and the library.

[StephenB]

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@Kalie wrote:

I do not have an ARLO secure subscription, no do I want to pay for one, as my base station is supposed to provide access to videos and the library.

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Unfortunately the lack of subscription is the problem.

If you have USB storage connected to the VMB4000, you can eject the USB stick, plug it into a PC, and review the footage.  Smarthubs (VMB4540 and VMB5000) support direct access to local storage in the app, but that features is not in your older VMB4000 base.

FWIW, 7-day cloud storage was provided for the early Arlo cameras (up to the Pro 2).  But Arlo changed that in 2018 (starting with the Ultra) - and Pro 3/Pro 4/Ultra/Essential cameras all require a subscription to get any cloud storage.

[Kalie]

Thank you.  So I now have to buy a subscription for my Floodlight cam and my Indoor cam? Both. That will be expensive. Why then have a base station? My base says it is paired with the two cams. But no videos.

[StephenB]

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@Kalie wrote:

Thank you.  So I now have to buy a subscription for my Floodlight cam and my Indoor cam? Both. That will be expensive. 

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~$6/month in the US for two single camera subscriptions.

Note I don't work for Arlo.

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@Kalie wrote:

Why then have a base station? 

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Local storage in the base station will give you a backup of the videos in the cloud (with more retention) - which can sometimes be helpful.

The base station also consolidates control functions (using the modes) - not always a plus, but there are situations where it is.

As noted above a smarthub would have let you use direct access to local storage w/o a subscription.  There are several restrictions though.  Personally I prefer the subscription, given the restrictions and the price of a smarthub compared with the monthly subscription cost.

[Kalie]

Thanks again. Appreciate it. Reading more, I see that if I opt for "Local Storage" using the 4540 or 5000, I have to select "Local Storage". In doing so, I will not be able to log into ARLO.com, and view my library of videos. I would have to use an app? If that is true, that eliminates the use of a computer, and I would be tied to a smart phone app?  Also - if I go with the subscription, will the Indoor cam, the Floodlight cam, and the ARLO Pro videos "all" show up in my library, and viewable using ARLO.com (windows), as well as the iPhone app?   Thanks again.  Sure wish they would have told me that when I bought the two additional cameras, instead of "no problem, it will pair with your base/smart hub".   Thanks

[StephenB]

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@Kalie wrote:

 Reading more, I see that if I opt for "Local Storage" using the 4540 or 5000, I have to select "Local Storage". In doing so, I will not be able to log into ARLO.com, and view my library of videos. I would have to use an app? If that is true, that eliminates the use of a computer, and I would be tied to a smart phone app? 

Yes.  The restrictions include

• recordings only available in the app (not the browser)
• recordings only available to the primary account (not friend accounts)
• no ability to make manual recordings or snapshots
• no thumbnails (files need to be downloaded to the phone and then viewed)
• remote access requires router settings changes that some find difficult (and which don't work with a few ISPs)

Note the subscription is also needed if you want activity zones for the floodlight.

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@Kalie wrote:

Also - if I go with the subscription, will the Indoor cam, the Floodlight cam, and the ARLO Pro videos "all" show up in my library, and viewable using ARLO.com (windows), as well as the iPhone app? 

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Yes.  Retention would be 30 days for the cameras in the subscription plan (which would be about $10/month US for unlimited cameras, and about $6/month for the indoor camera and floodlight)

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