New to Arlo - Local Recording Questions

[mj_newbie]

Hi,

I currently have a Ring doorbell. I'm currently in the market for one or two security cameras. One feature I like about Arlo is their ability to record locally vs. just cloud for Ring. I'm interested in Pro 3 or Ultra because of their wide field of view.

Is it worthwhile to get Arlo cameras or is it better for me to stay with the Ring ecosystem?

If I choose Arlo, I will likely not subscribe to their cloud services. I will likely just store all my videos locally in the base station. I have few questions regarding Local recording:

1. Does any of my data / video goes to the cloud?

2. Is there a secure way for me to access my videos from my phone when I'm not in the house?

3. Do I get any notification of movements on my phone when I'm not in the house?

4. Can view my camera in "live" mode when I'm not in the house?

Thank you.

[jguerdat]

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@mj_newbie wrote:

1. Does any of my data / video goes to the cloud?

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The system is cloud-based so you should keep the hub connected to the Internet so you can manage the system. However, without a subscription, no recordings go to the cloud so data usage is minimal.

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2. Is there a secure way for me to access my videos from my phone when I'm not in the house?

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You can either use a VPN connected to your router or forward ports in the router settings to access local recordings remotely. Note that the VPN is the most secure although the port forwarding is generally minimally insecure due to "security by obscurity".

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3. Do I get any notification of movements on my phone when I'm not in the house?

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I believe that would still work due to the system's connection to the servers but never tried it.

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4. Can view my camera in "live" mode when I'm not in the house?

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Yes.

[rlpjsh]

Some additional facts:

#2: If you are an Android user be aware that remote access to local recordings through VPN when away from your LAN works ONLY with an iOS device. My primary device is Android and VPN access to local recordings does not work on my Android phone. Others in this Arlo Community have verified inability to access and no one (including anyone from Arlo) has claimed otherwise. Web access to local storage is not available. See this thread: https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo-Pro-3/Remote-access-through-VPN-to-local-storage-on-Android-app/t...

#3: With no subscription, yes you will still get notifications of camera detected movement but without thumbnails of the local recording. The local recording library (when you can access it) gives no preview of what initiated the recording so you will not be able to quickly determine if the recording was because of a tree branch blowing in the wind or an intruder on your property. You must download each local recording from your hub to your phone to view the contents. 99% of my recordings are false alarms.

HTH

[tony_2018]

Confirmed, not working at all with Android phones.