Pro 4/Ultra 2/VMB5000 video source

[skippy2]

I have three Pro 4 cameras and  2 Ultra 2 cameras all connected to a VMB5000 base station.

I have a memory card installed in the base station, and I have activated local recordings.  I can tell that some local recordings are being made because the available space on the memory card slowly decreases.  I have an active Arlo subscription and videos are also visible at my.arlo.com.

There are two ways to view videos in the current iOS Arlo app.  One is to select the Feed tab at the bottom which shows all cameras video history at once, the other is to select the Devices tab wherein you can select the individual camera's video history.

The issue is that there is absolutely no indication when viewing a video, regardless of whether viewed through Feed or Devices, whether that video is coming from local storage or from the cloud.  I have gone round and round with Arlo support about this.  They seem incapable of understanding the question, and have provided many conflicting and non-responsive answers.  I am thoroughly fed up with Arlo support.

Do any of you know how to ascertain the source of a video?

[StephenB]

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@skippy2 wrote:

The issue is that there is absolutely no indication when viewing a video, regardless of whether viewed through Feed or Devices, whether that video is coming from local storage or from the cloud. 

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If you see a thumbnail, then the video is in the cloud.

[skippy2]

Thank you for the response.

Are the thumbnails to which you are referring on the Feed page?

Then how do I view videos stored in local storage?

[StephenB]

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@skippy2 wrote:

Are the thumbnails to which you are referring on the Feed page?

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Yes, and also in the notifications.  

If you don't use activity zones, then all your motion recordings should be going to both the cloud and local storage. 

• Out-of-zone motion will be recorded locally, but not in the cloud.
• Manual recordings go only to the cloud, not to local storage.

Limitations of local storage include

• recordings only accessible from the app (not the browser).
• recordings only accessible from the primary account (not friend accounts)
• no ability to store manual recordings or snapshots locally
• no thumbnails, videos need to be downloaded to the phone to view
• remote access requires router settings changes that some find difficult, and which won't work with some internet service providers.

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@skippy2 wrote:

Then how do I view videos stored in local storage?

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I'm tagging @jguerdat on this one. 

FWIW, my main account is still on Library.  I do have a couple of cameras in a different account using "Feed" so I can check it out, but I don't have local storage in that test account.

[jguerdat]

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Then how do I view videos stored in local storage?

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I'm tagging @jguerdat on this one.

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Click on Settings (the "person" icon top left, Home, Devices, your hub, Storage Settings. There's a calendar icon top right to change days.

It's rather hidden. I guess it's Arlo's way of reminding you that local storage is a backup and not a way of eliminating a subscription.

[StephenB]

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@jguerdat wrote:

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Then how do I view videos stored in local storage?

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I'm tagging @jguerdat on this one.

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Click on Settings (the "person" icon top left, Home, Devices, your hub, Storage Settings. There's a calendar icon top right to change days.

It's rather hidden. I guess it's Arlo's way of reminding you that local storage is a backup and not a way of eliminating a subscription.

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FWIW, this article says they also show up in feed.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062997

@JamesC: If that's not always true, then the article should be revised.

[jguerdat]

@StephenB , I sure can't find a way to view local recordings from Feed on Android.

[StephenB]

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@jguerdat wrote:

@StephenB , I sure can't find a way to view local recordings from Feed on Android.

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Of course the KB article might be completely wrong.

I am wondering if they

1. never show up in feed?
2. only show up in feed if you don't have a subscription for the camera?
3. only show up in feed when they aren't also in the cloud??? (for instance, with activity zones set).

But either there's a bug to be fixed or the KB article needs to be changed.

[skippy2]

I appreciate the answers so far, but I still am not sure what's going on.  I do see thumbnails in Feed, so according to StephenB I in Feed I am viewing cloud reocrdings.  I also see larger thumbnails under Devices so I guess I am viewing cloud recordings there too.

I cannot follow the instructions jguerdat posted because they don't match my iOS app.  Clicking on the Person/Home/Devices/MyHub/Storage Settings does not show a Calendar icon .  The only Calendar icon is accessible from the Feed button, not the Person icon, and the Calendar icon doesn't lead to anything that allows me to select between local or cloud recordings.

jguerdat goes on to say that local recording is not a way of eliminating a subscription.  According to everything i read about Arlo, if you enable local recording you can record and view without a subscription.  I am counting on that for when my trial subscription expires.  Otherwise, what is local recording good for?

I agree with JamesC that the referenced article does not match my iOS app and needs updating.

jguerdat said he can't find a way to access local recordings from Feed on android.  I also can't find a way on iOS.

[StephenB]

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@skippy2 wrote:

Otherwise, what is local recording good for?

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Local Recordings

1. continue to work even if your internet is down  (especially if you connect a UPS to the base station to cover power failures)
2. similarly they will be recorded even if the Arlo servers go down.
3. cannot be deleted from the app, so they are protected against accidental deletion
4. often have longer retention than 30 days, which protects against deletion due to limited cloud retention
5. will be saved even if the cloud decides the motion is outside the activity zone, so the local library will include some footage that is never saved in the cloud.

So they can be valuable even if you do have a subscription.

Part of the puzzle here is that we don't know what you will see when your subscription expires.  That is because the Feed experience is so new (and frankly does have bugs).

One step you could take is to eject the microSD card (using the app), and then connect the card to a PC to see what is stored on it.  That might require an inexpensive USB adapter.  That would confirm that the storage is working properly.

You could cancel the trial subscription for one camera, but that cannot be undone - so I don't recommend doing that at present.

[skippy2]

Thank you StephenB.

I am confident that local storage is recording something because I can see in the storage settings of the hub that the amount of used storage is slowly going up.

I agree that canceling the trial subscription for one camera just to see what would happen is not a good idea.  It would be nice if users could know what will happen to their Feed when the trial subscription expires.  I guess one option is to let it expire and see what happens. 

[jguerdat]

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@skippy2 wrote:

I cannot follow the instructions jguerdat posted because they don't match my iOS app.  Clicking on the Person/Home/Devices/MyHub/Storage Settings does not show a Calendar icon .  The only Calendar icon is accessible from the Feed button, not the Person icon, and the Calendar icon doesn't lead to anything that allows me to select between local or cloud recordings.

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WHile that lack of a calendar icon in the iOS app may be solved by logging out and back in (no guarantees), you may also want to try reinstalling the app after rebooting the phone. That has solved other mysterious issues. However, your comment makes me ask the question - are you seeing videos stored on the hub when you are in Storage Settings? 

[skippy2]

>WHile that lack of a calendar icon in the iOS app may be solved by logging out >and back in (no guarantees), you may also want to try reinstalling the app after >rebooting the phone. That has solved other mysterious issues. However, your >comment makes me ask the question - are you seeing videos stored on the hub >when you are in Storage Settings?

I haven't been able to get a calendar icon except in the Feed.  This issue doesn't bother me.

There is no option for me to view videos directly from Storage Settings.  The only way to view videos is from Feed or Devices.  And as you ask, there is no indication when I view those videos if they come from local storage or not. Above, StephenB said that if I see thumbnails they are web videos.  I do see thumbnails. So I still have no idea how to view videos that are stored locally. 

The Arlo app could sure use some work.

[jguerdat]

The lack of a calendar icon is then due to the lack of local recordings being displayed. You'd have to be able to see some to be able to change the day that's being viewed.

Can you try using a different phone to see what happens? If the same thing, all I can think of is that the hub needs to be reset and added as if new again. That is, unless the iOS app doesn't currently support viewing local recordings which would be astonishing.

@JamesC or @ShayneS ?