my cameras did not connect to the Smarthub

[Darcy51]

Just bought this from Costco - qty 3 of Pro 4 XL camera and Smarthub bundle.  Why did my cameras hook up with my wifi and not the hub?  How do I get the cameras to connect to the hub now?  

[StephenB]

Did you add the smarthub to your account before you onboarded the cameras?

[Darcy51]

Well it appears not.  I have to admit the instructions that you follow to set it up are not the most detailed.  It's not showing as a selection, shows that it's connected to my wifi.  Says"do you want to connect this device to Smarthub?  Learn more "  Now I guess I have to remove it and re-on board it.  This is so frustrating. 

[Darcy51]

Well now it sees the Arlo but it's asking for a password that I don't have.  

[StephenB]

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@Darcy51 wrote:

Well now it sees the Arlo but it's asking for a password that I don't have.  

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You'll see the Arlo wifi network, but you ignore that - and just connect your phone to your home wifi.  And of course select the base station when you want to onboard.

You can also onboard from a PC (browse to my.arlo.com), so you could try that if you continue to struggle with onboarding from the app.

[Darcy51]

Ok, i will try that.  When I re-onboard - do I have to take the cameras down to see the QR code?  This is really becoming a pain, but I have the hub and I want to make sure I'm using it correctly. So is it going to show my camera connected to Arlo hub or to my Wifi network?  

[StephenB]

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@Darcy51 wrote:

Ok, i will try that.  When I re-onboard - do I have to take the cameras down to see the QR code?  This is really becoming a pain, but I have the hub and I want to make sure I'm using it correctly. So is it going to show my camera connected to Arlo hub or to my Wifi network?  

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There isn't a QR code scan when you onboard to the smarthub.   But you will need to press the sync button on the camera.

The camera will connect to the Arlo hub over the closed wifi network that you are now seeing on the phone.

[Darcy51]

This is killing me.   Do I do add a device again?  It is showing a QR code and now it can't find the camera which I have already taken down.  Where is this sync button on the camera? 

[Darcy51]

How do I do #2 below?  Is this my problem?

You can change your camera’s WiFi connection from your router to an Arlo SmartHub
VMB5000 or VMB4540, or an Arlo base station VMB4500 or VMB4000.
To add a SmartHub or base station and connect your camera:
1. Open the Arlo app.
2. Add the SmartHub or base station to the same Arlo account that your camera was
originally connected to.
If you’re using an Arlo Smart trial associated with this account, doing this keeps the Arlo
Smart trial active so you don’t lose it.
3. Follow the Arlo app instructions to set up your SmartHub or base station and connect it to
the internet.

[Darcy51]

Ok I figured out that I never added the hub as a device, which I have done now.  So do I need to run a USB from the hub to the router to record now?  

[Darcy51]

Ok, I have one camera connected to the hub, but I would still like answers to my  question about the USB.  Also do I have to take the cameras down or can I just change them over to the hub?  This has been a painful experience.  

[StephenB]

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@Darcy51 wrote:

 do I have to take the cameras down or can I just change them over to the hub? 

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I believe you have to remove them from the account and on-board them again.  You will need to press the sync button inside the camera shell to do that - so unfortunately you will need to take them down again.

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@Darcy51 wrote:

but I would still like answers to my  question about the USB.  

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You should have a 3-month trial subscription, so the recordings will be saved in the cloud for now. 

You can also add a USB drive (16 GB or larger) and enable direct access to local storage, and get it working.  Then you'll have some time to decide if you want to continue with the subscription, or just use the local storage.