base station local storage

[arloplcommunity]

Dear Arlo community,

   Arlo appears to state in no uncertain terms that local storage is available (https://kb.arlo.com/1146857/How-do-I-set-up-local-storage-backups-using-my-Arlo-Base-Station-or-Smar...).  I have problems  adding the base hub to my phone as a device, and some of the discussions appear to suggest that even the Arlo 3 requires subscription for local storage

   1) I do not have the base hub in my device list (although I can view arlo videos on my phone).  I presume adding it is the first step ?

   2) Adding the base hub requires the password for the 2.4 GHz wifi.  Where do I get it ?

   My base station model is VMB 4540

[StephenB]

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

   1) I do not have the base hub in my device list (although I can view arlo videos on my phone).  I presume adding it is the first step ?

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Are you using a "friend" account (shared cameras)?  Or are you using the primary account?

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

   2) Adding the base hub requires the password for the 2.4 GHz wifi.

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No it doesn't.  The base connects to your home network via ethernet.  You cannot access its closed wifi (only the cameras can do that).

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

some of the discussions appear to suggest that even the Arlo 3 requires subscription for local storage

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Local storage is always free.

Cloud storage requires a subscription for newer cameras (including the Pro 3).  Arlo stopped offering free cloud storage on new camera models back in 2018, then they introduced the Ultra.

[arloplcommunity]

Hi Stephen,

    Thank you so much for getting back to me.  I have been able to view the real time videos from my phone since I set up the cameras more than a year ago, so there must be some connection between my phone and the base station.  That said, when I tried to add the base hub to my device, the following popped up:

"connect to WiFi.  Be sure that your phone is connected to the same network as your Arlo device.

1) go to your phone's setting > WiFi. connect to a 2.4 GHz network

2) return to the Arlo app

3) Tap "continue" to allow Arlo to assess your location to find the 2.4 GHz network"

I am using the primary account.  I inserted a flash drive to the base hub, but did not see any saved videos.

Thanks again.

[StephenB]

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

That said, when I tried to add the base hub to my device, the following popped up:

"connect to WiFi.  Be sure that your phone is connected to the same network as your Arlo device.

Was the phone connected to you home wifi?

[arloplcommunity]

I have tried it both ways.  When the phone was not connected to my home WiFi, I was asked to connected to the 2.4 GHz network, see the above.  When it is connected to the home WiFi, I got "no Arlo devices found". The same error message popped up with three different phones.  It looks like there is some form of connection of my phone with the base hub though,  as I can view real time videos from the cameras.  The LED light on the base hub is blue, and there is an Ethernet cable between the hub and the router.

[StephenB]

BTW, if you are seeing the cameras, but not the base, then you must have originally connected the cameras to your home wifi - not using the base at all. 

Or you are looking in the wrong place (the base won't appear on the main screen, but it should appear in settings->my devices).

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

It looks like there is some form of connection of my phone with the base hub though,  as I can view real time videos from the cameras.  

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The connection to the cameras is cloud-assisted (and is relayed through the Arlo cloud when you are not using your home wifi).  Adding a device to the account is done differently.  Plus as I said above, if the base isn't in your device list, then you aren't using the base at all.

Have you tried using a PC to add the base (my.arlo.com)?

[arloplcommunity]

I am finally able to add the base station to my device list after resetting it (this was the very first thing I did a couple of weeks ago when I had trouble adding it, but some reason it did not work at the time, so I thought the issue was something else).

Now I have a new problem. My usb device status says ready, but I am not seeing any files written on it (nor do they show up in the library presumably because I have a VMB4500 but why ?) . There is no "record video" checkbox in my camera setting, and "record locally" is on in my base hub setting. I would assume that by default videos are recorded, and the user needs to actively change the settings to do otherwise.

[StephenB]

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

(nor do they show up in the library presumably because I have a VMB4500 but why ?) .

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Because direct access to local storage is only supported on the VMB4540 and VMB5000 smarthubs.

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

There is no "record video" checkbox in my camera setting

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Correct. The recordings are stored in the base, and Arlo doesn't provied a way to store them only for selected cameras.

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

Now I have a new problem. My usb device status says ready, but I am not seeing any files written on it

, and "record locally" is on in my base hub setting.

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That is the setting, so something is wrong. I suggest reformatting the USB drive via the app, and maybe also restart the base.

How big is the USB drive?

[arloplcommunity]

Thanks !

The USB is 64 GB and has been formatted both on my computer and the app (not sure why Arlo helpfully requires at least 16 GB, as a typical video is less than 15 MB). I have restarted the base station, both from the app, and a physical reboot.

[StephenB]

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

The USB is 64 GB and has been formatted both on my computer and the app (not sure why Arlo helpfully requires at least 16 GB, as a typical video is less than 15 MB). I have restarted the base station, both from the app, and a physical reboot.

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And no videos on the drive at all? (when you look at it on a PC).

[arloplcommunity]

The Arlo folder of the flash drive is absolutely empty when viewed on a PC).

I own quite a few other gadgets, and it is usually not this difficult to set up a basic function. My frustration extends to the Arlo website. I sign in (without checking the "remember me" box for security reasons), and when I navigate to a different section of the website in the same active session of the browser, I have to re-log in. I do not think I have seen another website quite like this.

[StephenB]

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@arloplcommunity wrote:

The Arlo folder of the flash drive is absolutely empty when viewed on a PC).

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Do you have another one you can test with?

[arloplcommunity]

This is a brand new flash drive from a reputed vendor, but I will get another one. The failure rate of a new drive is probably on the order of 4 sigma or higher. I have a half dozen usb sticks that are 8 GB or lower. If you go back 10 years, it was popular for vendors to give away flash drives at trade shows. Nobody does it any more. Still wondering why a 16 GB drive is required given the size of the videos and the willingness of many users to overwrite them.

Is there a lag time between the recording of the video, and synchronization of it between the cloud and the local drive? Recording of the video to the cloud is instantaneous, I would think the same for the local storage, but there is a sync button on my VMB4500. I have waited for a day for the recorded videos to magically appear with no luck so far.