pro3 since I have put my hub on a USB local storage 32GB stick, it has always given me errors

[Doubleuwong]

It seems that I have wasted my money in buying this arlo unit, ever since I have put my hub on a USB local storage 32GB stick, it has always given me errors, "can't retrieve recordings, no recordings found, arlo team working on solving problems"

have tried resetting cameras to the hub, then it works for a day or so, then back to the same problems.

People have suggested that I must have all cameras on so I can view recordings, this worked for a little while, but now back to same old problems.

like how many times do you have to remove devises and reload them to make everything work then not work again?

[jguerdat]

Have you tried a different drive?

[dwt66]

I am having the same problem.

I have Pro3 cameras connected to a VM4540 SmartHub with a USB connected 1TB Portable HDD plugged into it.

The SmartHub is connected to an Orcon Netcomm NF18ACV Fibre Router.
I have the Arlo app on a Samsung Galaxy S10 (with up to date firmware).

I have Direct Storage Access turned on.

I have Port Forwarding enabled, and have configured the Netcomm router with the correct IP address and Internal/External Ports so that the SmartHub is visible and 'Available'.

Live views of the cameras work fine from the app on my mobile - and I get notifications on my mobile when any activity is spotted - but it just WONT record in my library on my app!! And yes, I have chosen 'Hub' vs 'Cloud' on the pull down menu. 

I have rebooted everything, checked the Portable HDD for errors, and re-installed the app, but still no solution.

Can anyone help please?

Also - I have been reading through the other posts and found two statements (if true) that could explain whats going on ... 

1. Is it true that "you can't access stored videos from the app, and instead you have to pull the USB and plug into computer to view the files."?

2. Is it true that "access to local recordings only works on iOS, not on Android"?

Thanks for your help!

[StephenB]

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@dwt66 wrote:

1. Is it true that "you can't access stored videos from the app, and instead you have to pull the USB and plug into computer to view the files."?

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That's only true with older base stations - not with the VMB4540 or the VMB5000.  One caveat is that the local recordings are only available in the app - they are not available via the web interface.

But one useful troubleshooting step for you is to eject the USB drive (using the app or the web interface first), and then connect it to a computer.  That would let you determine if the problem is videos not being saved in the first place, or whether it is videos not being accessible in the app.

Disk partitioning is one thing to look at.  Many portable drives have multiple partitions.  That gets in the way here, and those partitions need to be manually removed.  You can do that with the Windows disk manager.  After that the disk should be reformatted.

Also, the disk needs to be formatted as FAT32, not as NTFS or exFAT.

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@dwt66 wrote:

2. Is it true that "access to local recordings only works on iOS, not on Android"?

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I switched from Android to iOS a few months ago, so I can't confirm operation with the current app on Android. But when I was running Android, I was able to access local recordings when I was on my home network. 

I was not able to access the recordings when I was away from home and using my VPN.  I believe that is still a problem with the current Android app.  I didn't set up port forwarding (I have a paid subscription, so local recordings are just a backup for me, and not essential).  So I don't have any personal experience with that.

[dwt66]

Many thanks  Re my Portable HDD - it isnt partitioned, and it's formatted and functioning correctly, and is under the 2TB limit that Arlo recommends.

So ... cameras are live, Im getting regular notifications of when motion is triggered, everything on the SmartHub is on and 'Available' and looks like its working correctly (Direct Storage Access, Port Forwarding, etc) - yet still no luck.

What has started to happen is that I have started to get random recordings drop into the Library in my app (on an Android phone) - just every now and again, nothing constant for any reason that I can see - but they are often 0:00 secs long! Wierd!

Maybe the Arlo system just isnt setup for users to record locally and the only choice is sign up for their Cloud service?  Grrrr ....

Thanks for your continued help.

@StephenB

[jguerdat]

Works fine on Android here. I would start by using another drive, preferably a thumb drive. A hard drive is more cumbersome to manipulate if you need to remove it (especially if using external power) and a thumb drive of 32-64GB is plenty to hold a lot of video before filling.

[dwt66]

Thanks jguerdat

The Portable HDD Im using is actually a Thumb Drive (16GB) - and Im still only getting about 1-out-of-every-10 recordings coming through to the Library in my app, and all of them 0:00 secs long!

Thanks for your continued help.