AC Power has been disconnected

[FourJains]

I bought (Costco) and installed four ArloPro 3 cameras. These are all connected to the Smart Hub that came with this package. All four cameras have activity zones setup. I have been accessing the video feeds using my laptop (Edge browser) and two iPhones (my wife's and mine) that are running Arlo App 3.1 that was updated 2weeks ago (middle of March 2021).

Recently I have started getting this message "AC Power has been disconnected from your arlo device. Activity zones are currently disabled". Get this message irrespective of the device I use to view the video feeds. Could it be a coincident that I have started getting this at the end of the three month free subscription period? I have connected a USB drive to locally store the video and was hoping this message would go away but no luck.

Not sure what to make of this as the power is connected to the Smart Hub, all the cameras have batteries that are fully charged. Was looking at some prior posts, none of which seem to help.

Any suggestions

[dcfox1]

That is probably it. If your trial subscription expired you need a sub for Activity zones unless the Cameras are connected to AC power. If on AC the Camera process's zones if not it goes to the servers to process thus the subscription requirement. 

[FourJains]

Thanks. This helps. I wish the error message could either be more self explanatory or they (Arlo) have better documentation on this in their KB.

So if I understand this correctly, the activity zones are processed by the server, and cannot be managed locally even if I am using a USB drive. And hence if I want to use the activity zones, I have to get a subscription.  Using wireless cameras to avoid having AC power lines going from outside the house to an outlet inside.

My options are

(a) get spammed because of of all the traffic that is on the street in front of my house - a case of cry wolf because I will stop paying attention after a while;  or

(b) buy a subscription for an already expensive product?

Love my choices.

[dcfox1 · Accepted solution]

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@FourJains wrote:

Thanks. This helps. I wish the error message could either be more self explanatory or they (Arlo) have better documentation on this in their KB.

So if I understand this correctly, the activity zones are processed by the server, and cannot be managed locally even if I am using a USB drive. And hence if I want to use the activity zones, I have to get a subscription.  Using wireless cameras to avoid having AC power lines going from outside the house to an outlet inside.

My options are

(a) get spammed because of of all the traffic that is on the street in front of my house - a case of cry wolf because I will stop paying attention after a while;  or

(b) buy a subscription for an already expensive product?

Love my choices.

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Yes without AC power to cameras It is Processed by the servers with a sub. If on AC the camera does it. It would drain the battery fast without AC. It has nothing to to do with the hub. It is documented in the FAQ here. With the limitations with Local storage the sub is worth it to me personally for $10.00 for up to 5 cams but that's up to you. 

Here are two links in FAQ  that explains the options. 

What are activity zones and how do I create them? (arlo.com)

What options will I have when the Arlo Smart 3-month trial plan ends?