Setting up Pro 4 for storage on flash drive, not the cloud

[Bquartar]

Hello,

I have the Arlo Pro 4 cameras and the 3 month trial subscription has expired. I do not want to start a new subscription at this time to store the video and pictures and I was told the video and pictures could be stored on a flash drive through the smart hub. I cannot figure out how to get that set up. It doesn’t seem like that’s an option for me to choose with these cameras. Does anyone know how to store the data on a flash drive with the Pro 4 cameras?

Thank you. 

[StephenB]

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@Bquartar wrote:

I have the Arlo Pro 4 cameras and the 3 month trial subscription has expired. I do not want to start a new subscription at this time to store the video and pictures and I was told the video and pictures could be stored on a flash drive through the smart hub.

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Are the cameras connected to the smarthub?  What hub model do you own?  (There should be a label that starts with VMB on the hub).

[lakeechoes]

I also would like to use the hub to store my videos/photos. Am using the hub that came with my (3) Pro 4 cameras. (Cameras were connected to hub at setup). Not too computer savvy but I'm guessing you must have a flash drive plugged into it, which I do. What I want to know is how do I view those videos without having to remove the flashdrive and plug it into my laptop? Sorta defeats the purpose of having security cameras if you can't see immediately (within 10-15 seconds) what just occurred outside.

When I researched this camera it said that you could view the videos "anytime and anywhere". Not true at all. I expected to be able to see immediately what's going on.

[StephenB]

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@lakeechoes wrote:

 What I want to know is how do I view those videos without having to remove the flashdrive and plug it into my laptop? .

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See this:

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

This requires a smarthub (either a VMB4540 or a VMB5000).  The VMB4000 and VMB4500 don't have this feature.  You'll find a label on the base that gives you the model number.

Note this feature isn't the best experience (though some do find it good enough):

1. videos only accessible in the app (not the browser)
2. videos only accessible using the primary account (not friend accounts)
3. no ability to make manual recordings or snapshots
4. no thumbnails - all videos need to be downloaded to the phone to view.
5. remote access requires router setting changes that some find difficult (and which don't work with some internet service providers - including mobile broadband).

[lakeechoes]

No problems with the first 4. How do I go about changing my router settings? And what do I change it to?

And if that's something that isn't possible to do does that mean the only way I can view recordings immediately is thru a subscription? (which stinks as the only reason I went with Arlo is cuz they said you didn't have to use the cloud and you could view your videos anytime and anywhere!) Thanks for your help!

[StephenB]

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@lakeechoes wrote:

No problems with the first 4. How do I go about changing my router settings? And what do I change it to?

There are two basic options.  Both are IMO secure, though I have a preference for (2).

(1) enable port forwarding:  The Arlo app will tell you which port you need to forward.  You reserve an IP address for the base in your router (assuming the router lets you do that - most do).  Then forward the port to that IP address.  This will also work without address reservation, but there is some risk that the base would end up on a different IP address after you restart the router.  This requires that your router have an IPv4 WAN address.

(2) deploy a VPN:  Many routers now have built-in VPN for remotely accessing your home network.  (This is different from Nord and other commercial VPNs btw).  My Orbi includes OpenVPN.  This requires setting up DDNS (also available for free with the Orbi), and installing/configuring OpenVPN on my iPhone.  This works on iPhone, but there are several reports that it doesn't work on Android (with Arlo).

Neither approach works with Carrier Grade NAT (CGNAT).  Mobile broadband, StarlLink, and some land-based ISPs use CGNAT - in part because of IPv4 address depletion.

[Bquartar]

Sorry for the delayed reply. My smart hub is the VM4540. 

[StephenB]

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@Bquartar wrote:

Sorry for the delayed reply. My smart hub is the VM4540. 

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Instructions for setting up direct access for local storage are here:

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it
• https://kb.arlo.com/000062997

Note that Arlo is rolling out a new user interface.  Most of us have the original interface that has "Library" and "Mode" as items on the main page.  The new one has "Dashboard" and "Feed".  Eventually everyone will have "Feed".

The first link is for "Library", the second is for "Feed".