Cloud vs local storage & use

[johndthe3rd]

Hello,

I'm a bit confused about the "cloudliness" of the Arlo Pro products and was wondering if someone could shed some light to this.

From everything I've read it looks like this is a product very much tied to a cloud service. If I cannot use the system independently, what is the purpose of the local storage option?

[steve_t · Accepted solution]

Local storage is merely a backup if the internet connection is lost. You plug in a USB drive to the Arlo Pro base and triggered recordings will record to the USB drive as well as the cloud. To view recordings on the USB drive, it needs to be removed from the base and played on a computer with VLC. The USB drive, when full, will replace the oldest videos with newer ones so it won't get full and stop recording

[johndthe3rd]

Thank you. This system is not for me then. When it comes to home automation and security, I'd never invest to a product which stops working when a 3rd party company drops a product line or goes out of business.

[pc2k17]

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johndthe3rd wrote:

Thank you. This system is not for me then. When it comes to home automation and security, I'd never invest to a product which stops working when a 3rd party company drops a product line or goes out of business.

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I'm confused on this statement? The answer given to you explained how the Arlo cameras record to the cloud AND to a local usb storage device of your choosing. What does that have to do with any company going out of business? Cloud service is here to stay and usb drives will be around forever. And btw - the product only stops working when you don't have power, otherwise it works with or without internet.

I have a lots of home automation in my house, using smartthings, echo, LIFX, arlo cameras, and simplisafe. Simplisafe is a true security system that is standalone from the others and all the others integrate together very well. Arlo cameras are great for activity monitoring, adding to an existing real security system, and for home automation.

[johndthe3rd]

I want my home automation & security to keep working independently of any 3rd party service. Arlo does not fit this requirement. If you believe the cloud service will be online forever (it might?), then that is fine. Even if it did, Arlo would still not be a product for me since it does not work without an internet connection, ie. I cannot setup, control or watch live streams without a connection to the cloud service (correct me if I'm wrong).

What I like are systems like Hue, where it offers cloud functionality, but does not depend on it. If I wanted to, I could disconnect my base station forever and still control my lights and use their apps.

[pc2k17]

Slowly everyones going to some type of cloud services. My LIFX bulbs are wifi, so they have cloud fuctionality, but if internet is down but wifi is up I can still control them, so I understand what your saying. My buddy just set up a POE (power over ethernet) camera system in his house with a 24/7 continuous recording DVR with a RAID storage. This type of setup might be what your looing for, but it will cost you about double arlo type systems (unless you can run all the network cable yourself, that would save 1K). My buddy spent $2000 on a POE 3 outside, 1 inside camera setup.

[johndthe3rd]

Yeah, the great price tag and features is exactly the reason why it's so frustrating that Arlo/Circle/Blink only work in the cloud. It's probably part of the current business model: low HW prices with a subscription model and the way to sell subscriptions is to make it cloud only.

By the way I have nothing against cloud services in general but when I'm forced to use them even when I don't need or want them, that's when I'm out.

[steve_t]

I don't think Netgear, arguably one of the world's largest network solution companies, is at too much risk of going out of business any time soon but then again who knows. I'd say the vast majority of Arlo users take advantage of the basic free account 'subscription' which offers 7 days of free cloud storage for up to 5 Arlo cameras.

But yeah, you have to weigh up the pros and cons of the system to see what suits your particular needs. If I was to go wired with local storage, I'd probably look at the Ubiquiti Unifi G3 cameras with NVR for a mid cost option or a Hikvision DVR system for a high end one. But for me, Arlo have the advantages of easy of placement/positioning/installation, the option to run off power or batteries or a solar panel, and integration with Smartthings so the cameras not only record but trigger lights both inside and outside the house at night time. You mentioned you love Hue lights - you can tie in Arlo to your home automation through IFTTT or better yet, Stringify, to turn on for x minutes or flash your lights etc when Arlo detects motion but obviously this does require an internet connection to work. 

[johndthe3rd]

I don't think so either but then again Netgear is not Arlo - product lines only last as long as they are profitable.

Anyway, the problem with cameras like Unifi G3 is that they don't feature a PIR detector, which in my opinion is the key to reliable detection in low light or outside. If you know of a camera (under $1000, or even under $2000) with full HD image, PIR, infrared, weather resistance, audio and POE let me know - optional battery for wire free operation is a plus 🙂

Using IFTTT is easy for the end user for sure. It just doesn't make sense to me to send the signal thousands of kilometers away and back just so it can reach the appliance next room.