Paid subscription - Is it now a requirement ?

[Sakima13]

I have had Arlo Cameras for years and never paid a subscription.  Is this now a requirement to have a paid subscription?

I have not been able to access my camera library since today 10-20-23.

[StephenB]

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@Sakima13 wrote:

I have had Arlo Cameras for years and never paid a subscription.  Is this now a requirement to have a paid subscription?

I have not been able to access my camera library since today 10-20-23.

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Legacy cameras (the original Arlo WireFree, Pro, Pro 2, and some others) were sold with 7 days of free cloud storage.

Arlo stopped offering that on new camera models about 5 years ago.  All currently sold cameras need a subscription to get that storage.

[Sakima13]

If someone used a smarthub would that be the solution to a subscription?  I really do not care about storage.

And is there a way to delete a post after posting?

[StephenB]

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@Sakima13 wrote:

I really do not care about storage.

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You said you wanted to see your Library - which is what the cloud storage is used for.

With no storage, there is only live streaming.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062312/What-options-will-I-have-when-the-Arlo-trial-ends

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@Sakima13 wrote:

If someone used a smarthub would that be the solution to a subscription? 

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There is a direct access to local storage feature that some use as a substitute for a subscription.  It requires a VMB4540 or VMB5000 smarthub.

In my opinion, it offers a rather poor user experience.  Limitations include

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