Basestation VMB4540 unable to see local records and playback

[kparlo]

I thought base station VMB4540 can see local records and playback via Arlo app.  But I can't see my local records or playback on the app.  Am I missing something here?

[StephenB]

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@kparlo wrote:

I thought base station VMB4540 can see local records and playback via Arlo app.  But I can't see my local records or playback on the app.  Am I missing something here?

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Have you connected USB storage (at least 16 GB)?  IMO a flash drive is a better choice than a hard drive.  128 GB to 256 GB is really all you need.

More information is here:

1. https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it-for-Arlo-video-recor...
2. https://kb.arlo.com/000062997

The first article applies if you see "Library" as a menu choice in your app. The second applies if you instead see "Feed" and "Dashboard".

[kparlo]

Yes, I have connected my flash drive to the base station.  I triggered a motion on one of my cams; it sent me an alert, and created folder on the flash drive.  But I don't see any files via windows or Arlo app.

My drive is 2TB.  Is that size supported by Arlo?

[jguerdat]

2TB is the maximum supported by FAT32 so yes, it's supported (but is gross overkill).

You haven't told us which user interface (UI) you're using - the old one with Library or the new one with Feed to view recordings. How you look for local recordings varies according to the UI.

[kparlo]

Thanks for your help.  I'm using the one with Library, and don't see any "feed".  I click on Library and set filter to Base Station to view recordings; but none shown

[StephenB]

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@kparlo wrote:

Yes, I have connected my flash drive to the base station.

My drive is 2TB.  Is that size supported by Arlo?

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Many 2 TB flash drives are scams (and don't hold anywhere close to what they claim).

Do you have another flash drive you can try?

Also, did you test it on the PC (writing a lot of data to it, and then seeing that you can read it back)?

[kparlo]

I tested it on my windows.  I'm able to create file in my usb flash drive w/o issues.  This product seems not friendly

[jguerdat]

Did you try a different drive?

[kparlo]

No I did not 'cause I know my drive works.  I can manually add file to it and Arlo did create some folders in it

[StephenB]

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@kparlo wrote:

I tested it on my windows.  I'm able to create file in my usb flash drive w/o issues.  This product seems not friendly

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How much data did you write to the drive?

Flash drives from well known/reputable brands are usually 1 TB or less.  Almost 2 TB flash drives I see are brands I've never heard of.  Often they are advertised at a ridiculously low price ($40 or less) - if you got one of those, it almost certainly won't have the capacity it claims to have.  

The Buffalo SSD-PUT is one exception - that does have a 2 TB version for about $100 USD, and it has been tested by Tom's hardware

• https://www.tomshardware.com/best-picks/best-flash-drives#section-best-high-capacity-flash-drive

Generally speaking, there are a lot of cheap scam flash drives out there (on Amazon and other sites).  It's best to stick with well known brands - some (no particular order) include Sandisk, PNY, Corsair, Kingston, Samsung, Transcend, and Patriot.

[kparlo]

My drive is Western Digital.  For testing purpose, I only made a few motions to trigger the recording.  Some folders were created, but no files

[StephenB]

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@kparlo wrote:

My drive is Western Digital.  

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So NOT a flash drive (which you said earlier) ...

Did you format it as FAT32?

Is it powered externally, or are you trying to power it from the USB port?

Did you eject the storage via the app before you disconnected the drive from the base?

[DJArlo]

As of March 12, the Android Arlo app was unable to access my local recordings.

Library error message:

"There was an error obtaining your library.  Arlo team is working on this issue." 

I added many comments to a different thread, as I thought the cause was something else.

Coincidently, I regained Direct Storage Access for about 6 hours March 17 when I 

(1) installed Android app on a different device that never had the app.

(2) uninstalled the app and reinstalled it on my original device.

After that ~6 hrs, the issue (no access) has returned on both devices.

It seems like the app is timing out when it tries to access the hub recordings, then it gives up and shows that error.

[ShayneS]

Are we still experiencing these symptoms? 

[DJArlo]

Not at the moment, and I did not change anything. 

[Someone-else]

I have had the same issue from about the same time. No idea whether the ~6 hour fix occurred though as I guess that would have been pot luck as to whether I was trying to access at that time.