Arlo Pro 3 on Pro 2 base free basic plan and Q Plus

[BrandonUF]

Hi, a couple of questions:
1) I have four Pro 2 camera system with base station and purchased one add on Pro 3 camera for a total of five outdoor cameras. After smart plan trial expires, will the Pro 3 camera still be accessible in the free 7 day cloud storage with my Arlo 2 base station? Not as worried about the continuation of the smart plan.

2) I’d also like a few indoor cameras and trying to decide between:
+ Q Plus cameras
+ Another Pro 2 system and upgrading my outdoor cameras from Pro 2 to Pro 3, if it is worth the jump.
+ Plan to use separate email address and link accounts to avoid subscription.
Thoughts from the community?

[StephenB]

---

@BrandonUF wrote:
After smart plan trial expires, will the Pro 3 camera still be accessible in the free 7 day cloud storage with my Arlo 2 base station?

---

The Pro 3 requires a subscription to get cloud storage.  If you had a Ultra smart hub or Pro3 base, you could use direct access to local storage.  But not with your Pro 2 base.  https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it

---

@BrandonUF wrote:

+ Another Pro 2 system and upgrading my outdoor cameras from Pro 2 to Pro 3, if it is worth the jump.

---

I suggest trying out the Pro3 at all all your current camera positions, as that should help you decide.  You can co-locate the Pro3 with each Pro2 to get some comparison of alarm sensitivity, and video quality (both during daylight and night).

[deboer]

Having just done this, I would recommend returning the Pro 3, at least until Arlo responds to this request: https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo-Idea-Exchange/Thumbnails-for-remote-local-storage/idi-p/1751846.

If you keep your current base station, you'll have to start paying after 3 months to keep any Pro 3 footage. If you upgrade your base station and switch to local storage instead (as I've done), you'll lose all thumbnails (immediately for the Pro 2s, after 3 months for the Pro 3s) and video counts from the Pro 2s immediately and Pro 3s after 3 months.