How many cameras? base station VMB4500

[TexasMom]

I have the above base station with 5 pro 2 cameras.  What are my options for adding additional cameras  if I don't need them monitored/active?  There are some areas of my house/yard that I would like to look at from time to time, but I don't need recordings.  Can I get one of the newer ultra or pro cameras and add them to my base station?  How do you see thru the essential cameras since they don't require connecting to the base?

[Dannybear]

Regards the 5 camera limitations, this is a account limit not a Base station limit which is 15 cameras.
To have more than 5 cameras on your account any additional cameras need to be on a subscription plan.

Regards cameras that don’t require a base station, they connect directly to your local router modem wifi.

Be aware that you can only live stream a max of 5 cameras at the same time and they are limited to 30mins.

[TexasMom]

Can I still see thru the cameras that are not on my subscription?

[StephenB]

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@TexasMom wrote:

Can I still see thru the cameras that are not on my subscription?

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Yes.  If you get single-camera subscription(s) for the new one(s), then the ones you already have will continue to work as they do now. 

Though if you are buying 3 or more new ones, then you might as will get the multi-camera subscription and put all your cameras on it.

[TexasMom]

So I HAVE to buy a subscription in addition to paying $100+ for the camera?

[StephenB]

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@TexasMom wrote:

So I HAVE to buy a subscription in addition to paying $100+ for the camera?

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Almost certainly yes.

The new camera will come with a 3-month trial.  A summary of the features that you'd have after it expires are here:

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062312/What-options-will-I-have-when-the-Arlo-trial-ends

The biggest losses (IMO) are that you lose all cloud storage, and also activity zones.  You can attach USB storage to your VMB4500, and it will store recordings locally.  But to see them, you will need to eject the storage, connect it to a PC or Mac, and browse the USB storage from there.