Arlo3 not recording locally

[Knost]

Hello,
I bought a Arlo Pro kit two years ago and everything was fine. Now 4 month later I bought a Arlo Pro 3 since they should work with my older cam. Everything works fine except when it comes to recording locally on the USB I formatted in the base station. Recording locally on the Arlo 2 works fine but not for the Arlo 3. I have tried one 16gb and it says it’s good and I tried a 64gb usbdrive as well. Alsways the same problem, Arlo 3 won’t record. I get the notification but it stopped recording locally since the 90days free cloud subscription stopped working. This even though I never even used the cloud offering. Why won’t my Arlo Pro 3 record locally on the USB drive?

[Knost]

Really annoying that there’s no free cloud storage for pro3.

[michaelkenward]

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@Knost wrote:
Really annoying that there’s no free cloud storage for pro3.

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If it isn't clear on the packaging, then Arlo needs to make it more obvious. It isn't exactly news. The lack of free cloud storage has been made clear elsewhere ever since the launch of the Ultra camera over a year ago.

There was uproar when people discovered that without a paid subscription they had no way of getting at their recordings without removing the USB storage and using a PC to view them.

Arlo responded quickly with the promise that it would create something called Direct Storage Access that did not involved removing the USB device.

What is Direct Storage Access and how do I use it?

It then took Arlo months to get this to work.

The only difference between the Ultra and Pro 3 cameras on this front is that Ultra cameras have a one-year subscription bundled in the price. The Pro 3 cameras get just three months.

[Knost]

Okey I see thanks for the feedback.

[Strad]

I have the same problem.  I had the first Arlo.  It never required a subscription.  After one camera continued to eat batteries I gave up.  But thought l’d try it again with the Arlo Pro3.  Never was there mention of not being able to view the videos without the subscription.  If I knew that a subscription was necessary for basic functionality, I would not have purchased.

If this is the case, I am done with Arlo.

[Knost]

Well I think you might be able to since you have the Pro 3 base station as well. I have the pro2 station which they said is backward compatible with my add on pro3. But I cannot view my recorded videos, then I have to remove the usb and plug it into a computer or subscribe. This forced subscription is ridiculous and then I haven’t talked about their support. Takes weeks for them to reply and they hang up on you during calls as well. Never buying another Arlo product in my life again.

[michaelkenward]

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@Strad wrote:

Never was there mention of not being able to view the videos without the subscription.  

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It is in small print on the box.

ArloPro3Cloud

It is also the reason why Arlo added this:

What is Direct Storage Access and how do I use it?

[Strad]

I am disappointed in Arlo for thinking that they could just slide this past their customers that have relied on cloud service in the past.  It is egregious of Arlo to think that they have covered their bases with small print on a box when you order the system on-line.  Any differences in service should be a bold statement.

I’ve got to wonder if the geniuses who led the IPO spin off from Netgear were relying on cheating existing customers with the economics behind subscription income.

[Strad]

I am not a savvy network administrator.  Is there an easy and secure way to get my Netgear router to allow for the VPN access to the local storage on a USB drive?

[Knost]

I agree!!!

[Knost]

Here’s what I found

https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it

[Viggen]

Firstly - that's small print, tucked away on the box deliberately to make it less obvious

Secondly - it just talks about cloud recording  it says nothing about being unable to view locally recorded video (aka "direct storage access" remotely

Thirdly - guidance by Arlo, either on the website or in the app is (deliberately?) poor

Thanks for the link but the instructions for setting up a VPN to access locally recorded video are disappointingly poor, it shouldn't be this difficult. Unfortunately all this points to is an attempt by Arlo to push their customers into expensive subscriptions - just follow the $$$. It's a pity because the hardware is quite good.

[Strad]

Had the first Arlo.  The camera system was expensive, but the cloud storage access was what sold it for me.  Upgraded to the Arlo Pro 3 and enjoyed the same access for a few months and then POOF!  No access unless I pay monthly fees.  Fine print was sneaky.

I will be warning all my friends to steer clear of the devious subscription scheming of this company.

[Strad]

Yes, local storage is available.  It is buggy and you can not access it remotely without sacrificing security.

[michaelkenward]

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@Strad wrote: Fine print was sneaky.

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They certainly don't shout about it, but the box does explain what happens.

ArloPro3Cloud

Definitely fine print, but the message is clear.

Pity that they bury this "small detail" in the Amazon listing. I wonder how many people send it back when the box arrives.

Sadly, the free service died a couple of years ago when they moved from the Pro 2 to the various "upgraded" devices.

[JClose]

So I have a neighbor that I assisted in installing a Pro 3 system (5 pro3 cameras and the VMB4540 base).  They are experiencing the same exact thing - after the trial nothing is recording locally.  Well I can get it to record and be viewable all from within the app for about 15 or so days at a time before it stops.  I get it working again only after reformatting the USB.  Power cycling the cameras or base station don't seem to work, only reformatting the USB.  I am currently using a USB 2.0 32GB USB.  I have confirmed (by pulling it out and putting it in a computer) that it is not full, even though I do have it set to record over oldest recording when it does get full.

Any advise or help as this thread has confirmed that with Pro 3 cams and the VMB4540 base that local USB recording should work AND be viewable from within the app.

[Shaun1234]

Maybe you memory is getting full up!
Have you set the memory device to overwrite when full?

[JClose]

Yes i have, multiple times but i have also confirmed that it isnt even full yet.