Bought a new H9 camara and added it to my base station, a VMB4000, but it stopped recording history.

[born2fly145]

Hello,

I've had a VMB4000 with 2 H3 camara's since 2018, and I bought and added an H9 camara to my base station.  It was my understanding that if I had a USB storage drive installed, I would not need a subscription with this camara to record video history after the trial expired.  I was surprised when it stopped recording history locally on my base station after the trial was over.  This camara has little use to me if I cannot keep video history and I don't want a subscription for just one camara.   Can I return this camara?  And if I buy an older used H3 camara off E-Bay, can I record and keep video history without a subscription?

[StephenB]

---

@born2fly145 wrote:

I bought and added an H9 camara to my base station. 

---

The H number is a hardware revision for a specific camera model, and doesn't tell us what camera model you actually have. (All camera models have an H revision, and the numbers used aren't unique).

You can see the camera model by opening the housing and removing the battery - there is a label inside.  If the housing cannot be opened, then you have an Essential or Essential Spotlight.

---

@born2fly145 wrote:

It was my understanding that if I had a USB storage drive installed, I would not need a subscription with this camara to record video history after the trial expired. 

---

All the newer cameras (starting with the Ultra in 2018) require a subscription to get any cloud storage.  Those models include the Pro 3, Pro 4, Ultra, Ultra 2,  Essential, and  Essential Spotlight.

You will find that the USB storage includes video recordings for the new camera.  But the only way to see those recordings is to eject the USB storage from the base and connect it to a PC.

[born2fly145]

Ok, so, that's good info.  The new camara is a VMC2030-100NAS.  My original camaras were Arlo Pro 1's.  They continue to record video history just fine on my base station.  So, the new camara though, I cannot see video history  unless I remove the USB card and plug it into a PC.  Seems like a step backwards, but I understand how it works now.  It's not really a viable solution, though. 

My question was can I return this camara?  And then can I get an old Arlo Pro 1 off E-Bay that will that allow me to record video history locally like my other two original camaras do now?

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

---

@born2fly145 wrote:

The new camera is a VMC2030-100NAS. 

---

An essential spotlight.

Note a smarthub (VMB4540 or VMB5000) would give you direct access to the USB recordings from the app (but not the browser). It's a fairly expensive solution for one camera, and has several limitations.  Personally I'd go for a single camera subscription instead, but if you want more info on this, let us know.

---

@born2fly145 wrote:

can I return this camera? 

---

You'd need to check with the seller on that.

[born2fly145]

Again, good info, and I'll check with the seller on returning it.  But will an old used Arlo Pro 2 (VMC4030P) off E-bay allow me to capture video history locally now without a subscription on this older base station?  I have two of these now that do this, but I don't want to assume anything else.

[ShayneS]

Hey @born2fly145

I have provided the link with further detail regarding the cameras and subscription features. Hopefully this help: https://kb.arlo.com/88/What-are-the-available-Arlo-subscription-plans-and-how-much-cloud-recording-i...