cameras into bricks if you don't pay for a plan after the free "suck you in" trial

[TheJeff]

Had I known you turn the cameras into bricks if you don't pay for a plan after the free "suck you in" trial is upsetting. I will loose activity zones so the batteries will wear out a lot quicker. 

[StephenB]

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@TheJeff wrote:

 I will lose activity zones so the batteries will wear out a lot quicker. 

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FYI, activity zones do not improve battery life.

All motion (whether it is inside the zone or not) is streamed to the Arlo Cloud.  The cloud then surpresses video that is has no motion inside the zone.  So the camera uses the same amount of power whether zones are used or not.

[TheJeff]

Did you comprehend what I am saying. Activity zones are gone if you do not pay for a plan. I want to store locally, not on a ever seeing cloud. Every tiny motion sends an alert to my phone. I use an activity zone so it only goes off when things are IN MY YARD. I don't want a motion detect popup for every car that passes by. Nowhere in advertising does it state a subscription is required for the marketed features. Going to talk to a creepy lawyer tomorrow.

[StephenB]

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@TheJeff wrote:

Did you comprehend what I am saying. 

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Yes. I also get that you are angry.  But Arlo's subscription pricing and features is not something under my control - I am customer, and not an Arlo employee.

You will need a paid subscription to get cloud activity zones back.  Powering Pro 3 cameras with AC power would also get you activity zones (using the camera hardware).  

Your statement about battery life was incorrect, so I wanted to correct that misunderstanding.  Paying for a subscription would let you reduce notifications and unwanted recordings, but it will not improve your battery life. Conversely, dropping the subscription won't hurt your battery life.

[TheJeff]

You don't understand.  After the trial the cameras are turned "dumb" ANY movement sets them off.  I used activity zones to keep the wind blowing trees from setting off notifications. I used the activity zones to stop it from notifying me on EVERY car passing in front. The advertisement and marketing did not explain this. I have a lawyer looking at all this.

[StephenB]

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@TheJeff wrote:

You don't understand.  

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I do understand.  You're really angry because the experience got a lot worse when you lost the trial subscription.  You think Arlo didn't give you enough notice on that possibility when you purchased.  Neither issue is something the community can help you with.

FWIW, you could change the motion settings in the camera rule, or try repositioning them to eliminate the need for activity zones.  Those solutions would also improve your battery life.