No Recordings?

[Rocky194]

I have a hard drive yet I can't see the recordings since I canceled my subscription. I use to be able to see my recordings without having a subscription? 

[StephenB]

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@Rocky194 wrote:

I have a hard drive yet I can't see the recordings since I canceled my subscription.

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What model base station do you have?  Look for a VMBxxxx label on the base.

Have you ejected the disk,  connected it to a PC, and looked there for recordings?

Do you see "Library" in your app?  Or do you see "Feed" and "Dashboard" instead?

[Rocky194]

VMB4540 Base Station, I plugged in a USB and changed the settings to record locally. It shows it is listed and it records, but when I go to view any recordings, they go away. I can see the Library but there are no recordings even after I record it manually by turning the camera to record. I removed the USB and there are no recordings on the USB. My old system allowed me to record to the Base Station without a subscription. I purchased this base station for $100 when I upgraded from the old cameras and paid for a one year subscription at a discounted rate but it was going back to $13 a month and I didn't want to spend the money when I thought I could just record my videos on the base station and delete them as I watched them? Looks like they want this to be a subscription only and now I have 5 cameras that don't do anything unless I pay the ransom?

[StephenB]

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@Rocky194 wrote:

VMB4540 Base Station, I plugged in a USB and changed the settings to record locally. It shows it is listed and it records, but when I go to view any recordings, they go away. I can see the Library but there are no recordings even after I record it manually by turning the camera to record. I removed the USB and there are no recordings on the USB. 

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Were you using this same disk with the old system?

Did you try reformating it in using the app?

[Rocky194]

This is a new USB, I reformatted it. Same Results

[StephenB]

If you have a thumb drive that is bigger than 32 GB, then I suggest trying that.

[Rocky194]

It's 128

[StephenB]

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@Rocky194 wrote:

It's 128

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I'm suggesting that you try another one.

You could also try reformatting this one (as FAT32) in a PC using a (free) third-party partitioning tool

[Rocky194]

Arlo Support told me that I had to have a subscription or in order to view the recordings I have to remove the USB and plug it into my computer. That is NOT going to happen. I tried a different USB, same results. I don't understand what you mean by FAT32?

[DannyBearAgain]

Where in the arlo app are you looking for the backup recordings? Normally you have to go into the base station settings to see the recordings.

Manual recordings are only stored on the arlo cloud never on the backup storage.

FAT32 is the format type and is recommended when formatting using an operating system on a pc.

[StephenB]

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@Rocky194 wrote:

Arlo Support told me that I had to have a subscription or in order to view the recordings I have to remove the USB and plug it into my computer. 

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Are you trying to look at the recordings using the phone app?

Or are you trying to use my.arlo.com on the PC?

Details on how to set up and access the local storage depend on whether you see "Library" in your app, or whether you see "Feed" and "Dashboard" instead.

For "Library", the steps needed are here:

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it

For "Feed" they are here:

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062997

Either way, there are limitations

• recordings can only be accessed from the app (not from your browser)
• recordings can only be accessed from the primary account (not friend accounts)
• you cannot make manual recordings or take snapshots
• no thumbnails, all videos need to be downloaded to the phone before you can see anything
• remote access requires router setting changes that some find difficult (and which don't work with some internet service providers)

@DannyBearAgain wrote:

FAT32 is the format type and is recommended when formatting using an operating system on a pc.

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To be clear, it is the only format type that will work with Arlo.  Other options (exFAT, FAT, NTFS, etc) won't work.

[Rocky194]

It's a scam run by Arlo, they sell you a base station for $100, then make it extremely hard to view your recordings, you can't do it on your laptop, you have to access them on your phone. You can't delete the recordings after you view them, you have to wait for them to be recorded over on a USB drive. I bought Arlo because the original cameras DID NOT require a subscription to record or view your videos. My old cameras were no longer supported and they offered a discount to upgrade to new cameras. I bought four Pro4 and one Flood Light Camera, all with solar panels and a $100 Base Station VMB4540. Now I have about $700 in useless camera equipment that stays charged. The only way to view the recordings now is to subscribed for $13 a month, SCAM! I will no longer recommend or buy Arlo for ANYTHING. They should refund me for the misleading information, why sell a base station if you really need the cloud subscription anyway. So, NO, Arlo did not solve the problem only recommendation from them was to subscribe. SCAM!

[ShayneS]

Hi @Rocky194 

Are you able to view your local recordings now?

[Rocky194]

The only way to see any of the recordings on my 5 cameras are on my cell phone. I can't preview any of them, I have to download each one separately and then I can't delete them unless I remove the USB stick and delete them from my laptop, NOT from the cell phone. Arlo made it as hard as possible to view your recordings without a subscription. I originally bought Arlo because you didn't need a subscription to view or delete your videos. When they offered a deal to replace my old cameras for the End of Life promotion, I bought a Base Station with the 5 cameras with the assumption I would still be able to record, view and delete the recordings without being required to purchase a subscription. The Base Station is a waste of money and has NO VALUE to owning one WITH OR WITHOUT a subscription. 

[StephenB]

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@Rocky194 wrote:

The only way to see any of the recordings on my 5 cameras are on my cell phone. I can't preview any of them, I have to download each one separately and then I can't delete them unless I remove the USB stick and delete them from my laptop, NOT from the cell phone.

Yes, that is correct.  There are some other limitations also (one being that "Friend" accounts cannot access the local videos).

Although some find it to be an adequate substitute for a subscription, I agree with you - it is a poor experience.

IMO, it works better as a backup to the cloud storage,

• providing more retention
• including recordings that are out of the activity zone.