Pro 3 Floodlight & Esseintial XL Spotlight with Smart hub No subscription VMB4540 or VMB5000

[Knogg]

Hi all,

I've just purchased and set the 2 cameras up to learn about the current features being locked to a subscription.

one web page of General Arlo cameras showed 7 days cloud storage. which I'm now told is specific to a certain product.

As titled I have the Pro 3 Floodlight and the Essential XL cameras. I wish for notification activated triggers to be recorded and visible through the App after my 3 month trial ends of the cloud subscription.

I'm reading mixed compatible info and have no idea on the difference between VMB4540  VMB5000 smart hubs.

it seems VMB4540 is the only one listed in Australia. is VMB5000 a newer product and coming soon to Aus and are they both able to function as i require be it with a USB inserted or portable Hard drive plugged in. I need to be able to see the stored videos via the app when I'm off premise such as can be done when via the cloud library except with without a further subscription. Failing this I'll be returning the units as they are not fit for purpose.

Cheers !

[jguerdat]

A few things:

- The VMB5000 is actually an older hub which was released with the Ultra cameras. The VMB4540 was released later with the Pro 3 cameras.

- I prefer the 4540 since it uses a USB drive rather than the microSD card used by the 5000.

- Use of either works well but you should be aware that remote viewing of the videos will require either a VPN to your router or port forwarding set up on the router. You have to be on the same network as the hub to be able to view the videos, unlike the cloud recordings.

[Knogg]

Thanks for the response jguerdat I Don't have a VPN.

I'm also using a non conventional system.

I have a a 4G Sim operated Netgear AirCard which is attached to an Aircradle. these have apps that I can remotely access but I am not familiar with Port forwarding or if my system is capable.

could you possibly elaborate ?

also does Smart Hub recording get bumped up to 4K ? or is that only with the premium subscriptions.

[jguerdat]

I see there's a number of such devices on the Netgear website so I'd suggest checking the documentation there for your specific model to see if port forwarding is possible. You can also just log into your hotspot and look around - it will be called port forwarding.

None of your cameras are capable of 4K recordings. The hub has nothing to do with that - it's all in the camera sensors.