Should I keep my Pro 5S camera on older system?

[AppleGuy]

I have 11 Arlo cameras of various vintages at two homes.  I recently added a used Pro2, but the battery is weak and I can't get a new one (aftermarket have poor reviews).  I bought a new Pro 5S instead, but discovered I can't add it unless I upgrade to the new UI so I'm holding off because there are clearly important ramifications to understand.  I use three modes on my existing system: All armed, All disarmed, and Outside Only (custom mode).  Can I get the same functionality if I upgrade to the new UI?  I have a subscription, and my oldest base station is a VMB4000.  I use activity zones on some of the cameras.  I get 30 days of recordings in my Library, will I get the same in my Feed?  Are there any other differences I should know about before going down this one-way path?

Also, what is the cutoff on older cameras that are supported by the old UI?  I'm trying to determine if any still have OEM battery support.

Thanks!

[StephenB]

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@AppleGuy wrote:

 I use three modes on my existing system: All armed, All disarmed, and Outside Only (custom mode).  Can I get the same functionality if I upgrade to the new UI?  

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Yes.  For example

1. use Armed Away to arm all cameras (which I think is the default)
2. use Standby to disarm all cameras (which is the default)
3. use Armed Home to only arm outdoor cameras (which I think will require you to modify the rules)

See

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062777/About-Arlo-Routines-Modes-Rules-and-Automations

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@AppleGuy wrote:

I have a subscription, and my oldest base station is a VMB4000.  I use activity zones on some of the cameras.  I get 30 days of recordings in my Library, will I get the same in my Feed?  Are there any other differences I should know about before going down this one-way path?

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The subscription features are the same, so no issues there.

If you had the cameras at two different homes, you would need one subscription for each location.

Also, the combination of scheduling+geofencing doesn't work.

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@AppleGuy wrote:

Also, what is the cutoff on older cameras that are supported by the old UI?  I'm trying to determine if any still have OEM battery support.

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Not sure what you mean here.  EoL dates are here:

• https://downloads.arlo.com/images/PDFs/EOL_Policy/Arlo-End-of-Life-Policy_06_01_2023_Final.pdf

Arlo has already ended production of some accessories (including batteries) for the Pro 2, even though it has not yet reached its EoL date.

[AppleGuy]

Thanks for the reply, @StephenB!   When you say I would need separate subscriptions for the two homes, I presently only have one, and it handles both homes fine (I adjust the order so the cameras at each home appear next to each other).  Would I no longer be able to do this if I updated to the new UI?  

I'll rephrase my question about camera support:  I can add older cameras (at least as recent as the Pro2) to my existing setup (old UI) no problem.  But I can't add the Pro 5S without updating to the new UI.  My question is which cameras can I add without being forced to update the UI?  I'm hoping something more recent than the Pro2 that still has batteries available.

[AppleGuy]

Thanks for the reply, @StephenB!   When you say I would need separate subscriptions for the two homes, I presently only have one, and it handles both homes fine (I adjust the order so the cameras at each home appear next to each other).  Would I no longer be able to do this if I updated to the new UI?  

I'll rephrase my question about camera support:  I can add older cameras (at least as recent as the Pro2) to my existing setup (old UI) no problem.  But I can't add the Pro 5S without updating to the new UI.  My question is which cameras can I add without being forced to update the UI?  I'm hoping something more recent than the Pro2 that still has batteries available.  Could I add a Pro3 or Pro4 camera without being forced to update the UI? 

[StephenB]

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@AppleGuy wrote:

Thanks for the reply, @StephenB!   When you say I would need separate subscriptions for the two homes, I presently only have one, and it handles both homes fine (I adjust the order so the cameras at each home appear next to each other).  Would I no longer be able to do this if I updated to the new UI?  

You have three modes altogether, and geofencing is now associated with the location and not the camera/base.

If you can live within those constraints, you can stay with one subscription.

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@AppleGuy wrote:

I'll rephrase my question about camera support:  I can add older cameras (at least as recent as the Pro2) to my existing setup (old UI) no problem.  But I can't add the Pro 5S without updating to the new UI.  My question is which cameras can I add without being forced to update the UI?  I'm hoping something more recent than the Pro2 that still has batteries available.  

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You can add almost all of the Arlo cameras.  There are compatibility issues with the Go, but AFAIK all the others are ok.

[AppleGuy]

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@StephenB wrote:

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@AppleGuy wrote:

Thanks for the reply, @StephenB!   When you say I would need separate subscriptions for the two homes, I presently only have one, and it handles both homes fine (I adjust the order so the cameras at each home appear next to each other).  Would I no longer be able to do this if I updated to the new UI?  

You have three modes altogether, and geofencing is now associated with the location and not the camera/base.

If you can live within those constraints, you can stay with one subscription.

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OK, that's pretty much a non-starter, then: if I add a Pro5s camera and am forced to the new UI then my subscription costs double!  (Since I need to have the two homes in different modes.)

Looking through the other forums I see the same issue about being forced to upgrade the UI when attempting to add a Pro4, but I didn't see the same for Pro3.  This is also the cutoff where direct WiFi connection was added, perhaps this has something to do with it.  So I think I'll return the Pro5S and get a used Pro3, which has the same resolution and FoV, still has batteries available, but hopefully will be supported by the old UI.

[StephenB]

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@AppleGuy wrote:
OK, that's pretty much a non-starter, then: if I add a Pro5s camera and am forced to the new UI then my subscription costs double!  (Since I need to have the two homes in different modes.)

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At some point Arlo will migrate everyone to "Feed".  Hopefully they will add back custom modes before they do that.

If you can put only Pro/Pro 2 cameras at one home, then of course you could set up two locations with only one subscription (taking advantage of the 7-day cloud storage).  Or just use local storage with a smarthub at one home.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

I recommend you check this forum on what is being said about the new User interface before you switch over...

[AppleGuy]

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@StephenB wrote

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At some point Arlo will migrate everyone to "Feed".  Hopefully they will add back custom modes before they do that.

If you can put only Pro/Pro 2 cameras at one home, then of course you could set up two locations with only one subscription (taking advantage of the 7-day cloud storage).  Or just use local storage with a smarthub at one home.

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In my case, it’s a question of tying the modes to a single location, rather than per base station.  Otherwise I need two subscriptions.  As it stands, I have cloud storage for both homes on one account, and independent modes.  I’m going to order a Pro3 with the hope it is supported by the old UI like the Pro2 is.  The Pro4 and Pro5S cameras don’t need a hub, which may have something to do with why they aren’t supported in the old UI.

[StephenB]

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@AppleGuy wrote:
The Pro4 and Pro5S cameras don’t need a hub, which may have something to do with why they aren’t supported in the old UI.

Nothing to do with the hub.  The Pro 4 is supported by the old UI, as are the Arlo Baby, Arlo Q, and Essential Gen 1 cameras.  All of these can connect directly to your home wifi.

All Arlo cameras launched after Home Security System only work with Feed (saving Arlo the extra work needed to add them to the old UI).  Clearly Arlo was not anticipating all the issues with Feed, and was expecting all users to be migrated to it shortly after it was rolled out in early 2023.

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@AppleGuy wrote:
In my case, it’s a question of tying the modes to a single location, rather than per base station.  Otherwise I need two subscriptions.  

I get that.  Note Arlo's terms of service have always required one subscription per location - they just didn't have any way to enforce that in the old UI.  That said, I think they should allow 2 locations in the account (only requiring additional subscriptions if you have 3 or more locations).

There are a lot of use cases that require custom modes even when all the cameras are in the same location.  So I suspect Arlo will have to add them back.  That would give you the ability to control the cameras at both sites.  But my guess is that geofencing will only be possible at one of them.

[AppleGuy · Accepted solution]

To finish off this thread, I got a used Pro3 camera (which is quite similar to the Pro5S except it doesn't support hub-less operation), and it connects just fine to my system running the old UI.  And you can still buy authentic Arlo batteries.  

Bottom line, the Pro3 appears to be the latest Arlo camera that will work with the old UI.

[StephenB]

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@AppleGuy wrote:

Bottom line, the Pro3 appears to be the latest Arlo camera that will work with the old UI.

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No, the Essential Gen 1, Pro 4 and Go 2 cameras also work with the old UI and were all released after the Pro 3.