Arlo 4 Pro subscription expired but I have a Hub VMB4000r3

[Alexwu21]

I have had my Arlo Pro for many years and decided to add another camera. I purchased a Arlo 4 Pro and added it to my hub. after the intro subscription expired now the camera does not record unless i subscribe. 3 Older model arlo pros continue to record with no issues. 

From my understanding, if i have a hub i should not need a subscription to view recordings, is this correct? 

Is this a compatibility issue?

Do i need a new smart hub so i can view recordings without a subscription? 

My end goal is to be able to view recordings without a subscription. is it possible with the new cameras? 

Thanks

[StephenB]

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@Alexwu21 wrote:

I have a Hub VMB4000r3... I have had my Arlo Pro for many years and decided to add another camera. I purchased a Arlo 4 Pro and added it to my hub. after the intro subscription expired now the camera does not record unless i subscribe. 3 Older model arlo pros continue to record with no issues. 

From my understanding, if i have a hub i should not need a subscription to view recordings, is this correct? 

Your understanding is not correct.  All the recordings you see in the app or my.arlo.com are stored in the cloud.  The Arlo Pro cameras were sold with 7 days of free cloud recordings.  Arlo stopped offering that on new camera models 5 years ago, and all the currently sold cameras require a subscription to get cloud recording.

Although your VMB4000 does support local recording, it does not support playback.  The only way to see the local recordings is to remove the USB storage and connect it to a PC. 

The VMB4540 and VMB5000 smarthubs do support direct access to local storage, but there are a lot of limitations.  While many do use that feature instead of purchasing a subscription, it doesn't offer a great user experience.

Limitations include:

• Recordings are only available from the primary account (not shared "friend" accounts).
• Recordings are only availble in the app (not my.arlo.com).
• No ability to take snapshots or make manual recordings.
• No thumbnails - videos need to be downloaded to the phone before you see anything.
• Remote access requires router setting changes that some find difficult, and which don't work with some internet service providers.

If you are using the new "Feed" User Interface, then you will also find that the recordings so not appear in the Feed - you need to go into the storage settings to see them.

Of course there are other subscription features you also lose - in particular, activity zones and smart notifications.

[Alexwu21 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the clarification. This is very disappointing. The cameras are basically useless if i cant watch the recordings so arlo is basically forcing the consumer to subscribe. Guess i'll be searching for another brand that offers either free cloud or a better price point.