Have essential; can view image in base and get alerts but no recording. Other cameras ok

[kde]

Have base vmb3010 older cameras work ok but essential doesn’t record. I do see the image but cant record it. Also get alerts.

Also noticed i only get about 30 days from battery vs the advertised 6 months. Pain having to climb ladder every month.

[StephenB]

The essential isn't compatible with your VMB3010 base - you must have on-boarded it to your home wifi.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062284/Arlo-SmartHub-and-Base-Station-Compatibility

To get cloud recordings you will need a subscription.  Your old cameras came with free 7-day cloud recordings, but newer cameras (starting with the Ultra in 2018) do not.

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@kde wrote:

Also noticed i only get about 30 days from battery vs the advertised 6 months. Pain having to climb ladder every month.

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Unfortunately Arlo (and it's competitors) are (IMO) overstating battery life.  

Without recordings it's tricky to figure out what you can do to improve it - generally that requires adjusting the field of view and/or the motion sensitivity.

In some locations the solar panel can help.  Or replace the camera with an XL, which has a much larger battery.