Pro4 Cameras not recording on Base Station

[madeboer]

I had 2 older cameras with a base station VMB4000 type and all work well. I bought 3 new cameras Pro4.  I connected them with the base station. They show in the App under the base station as connected to it.  My free trial ended. The 3 new Pro 4 cameras show motion but don’t record anything even though connected to base station now that the free trial ended.  Only the original 2 do.  It shows firmware all up to date.  Any advice on how to get the new Pro4 to record via the base station and not have to subscribe to Arlo Secure? 

[StephenB]

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@madeboer wrote:

The 3 new Pro 4 cameras show motion but don’t record anything even though connected to base station now that the free trial ended.  Only the original 2 do.  

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Correct.  All the currently sold cameras require a subscription for cloud recording.  That began in 2018 when the Ultra was introduced.

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@madeboer wrote:

Any advice on how to get the new Pro4 to record via the base station and not have to subscribe to Arlo Secure? 

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Adding a USB drive to your base will allow recording - but no playback.  You'd need to eject the storage and connect it to a PC to review it.

You could upgrade the base to a VMB4540 (or a VMB5000) - both of which do support direct access to local storage.

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

But there are limitations you should be aware of:

• recordings only accessible in the app, not the browser
• recordings only available using the primary account, not friend accounts
• no ability to make manual recordings or take snapshots
• no thumbnails - all recordings need to be downloaded to your phone to see anything
• remote access requires router setting changes that many find difficult (and which don't work with some internet service providers)

Of course you also would lose activity zones and smart notifications with no subscription.