Pro 4 says AC power has been disconnected. Does that mean I need to purchase a subscription?

[Danoret]

Pro 4 camera

[StephenB]

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@Danoret wrote:

Pro 4 says AC power has been disconnected. Does that mean I need to purchase a subscription?

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If you want to use activity zones while on battery power, then you need a subscription.

You'll also need it for smart notifications and cloud recording.

[Danoret]

Thank you, can I get any get recordings (even temporary) without a subscription? Or is it just live video?

[StephenB]

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@Danoret wrote:

Thank you, can I get any get recordings (even temporary) without a subscription? Or is it just live video?

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Just live video if you are connecting directly to your home wifi.

If you use a VMB4540 or VMB5000 smarthub, then you could use direct access to local storage.  IMO not a good experience, but there are people who use that feature instead of a subscription.   You would need to remove your activity zones though.

Limitations include

• recordings only available using the primary account (not friend accounts)
• recordings only available in the mobile app (not my.arlo.com)
• no ability to make manual recordings or take snapshots
• no thumbnails, videos need to be downloaded to the phone to view.
• remote access requires router setting changes that some find difficult (and which won't work with some internet service providers).

In addition, if you using "Feed" (and not the older "Library") interface, then navigating to the recordings is a bit awkward.

[Danoret]

Very disappointing, would never have purchased the system had I known that. Guess they are just very expensive decoy cameras now. My brother has an older system with a hub and no subscription and gets recordings, I thought this system would do the same.

[StephenB]

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@Danoret wrote:

My brother has an older system with a hub and no subscription and gets recordings, I thought this system would do the same.

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Arlo stopped offering free 7-day cloud storage on new camera models back in 2018.  All the currently sold cameras require a subcription for cloud storage.