ARLO End of Life Policy VMB4000r3 replacement

[dmj246]

Hi all, I have the original Arlo Pro security cameras (4 in total) and a VMB4000r3 Base station that I use just for basic video capture. I am using the basic plan and have a portable hard drive for local recording. Does anyone know if I can purchase ARLO Essential cameras and (1) still use my old base station? (2) when are the Essential cameras also reaching their EOF? ARLO communication is very vague as what feature may still work, your thought please as I don't need more that 1080p. 

[jguerdat]

Yes, you can use the VMB4000 base with the new cameras but you'd have to safely eject the drive to see the videos on a computer. The app supports directly viewing the videos when using a VMB4540 or 5000 SmartHub.

The Essential cameras are among the newest ones so EOL is quite some time in the future and has not been identified specifically. The documentation says at least 4 years after production ceases.

[dmj246]

just to confirm, I can replace the old equipment (Cameras and base) with the ARLO Essentials and newer Base, but can I still subscribe to the base package with no plan and get the same functionality? (Still able to get notification on the app and via email?)

[archieab]

I have a VMB4000 and all VMC4030 cameras with the exception of my spotlight camera which is a VMC2030.  I pay for the 30 days of recordings subscription.  The EOL email I received was kind of confusing.  If I purchase new cameras, will my VMB4000 still work with them and will I be able to access videos via the iOS app and online? 

If I buy new cameras do I still need a hub or do all new ones connect directly to wifi?  Thank you in advance for your help.

[StephenB]

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@dmj246 wrote:

just to confirm, I can replace the old equipment (Cameras and base) with the ARLO Essentials and newer Base, but can I still subscribe to the base package with no plan and get the same functionality? (Still able to get notification on the app and via email?)

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You will need to subscribe to get cloud recordings.  Direct Access to Local Storage is available for the two smarthubs (VMB4540 and VMB5000), but the feature is limited in several ways and not as good as your current experience.

Based on the EOL announcement and subscription plan changes, it looks like they will be dropping email notifications for everyone.

[TheDJV]

It's clear to me that Arlo is not the company to stick with.  A much smarter move would be to go to a real POE camera system.  This EOL scam is nonsense, nothing but a money grab. 

[Scotty52]

I’ve been thinking . I have paid yearly for the subscription for approximately 9 years. I have 7 camera and 3 lights. Arlo is now reducing my service and insulting me by giving new subscribers 75% OFF. Thanks for the slap on the face. Arlo and my friend just told me my cameras will be easily accessible by cyber theft 

[vbnita]

I also am UPSET about this End of Life Policy.  I didn't plan on spending over $300 on a product for it to become inactive!  This is bull crap.  I can't even find an email to complain to Arlo.  I guess if we start putting this information on social media, maybe other people won't get sucked into making purchases of Arlo products.  WHY would I want to purchase another product from Arlo even if they were offering us a discount?

[jguerdat · Accepted solution]

EOL does NOT mean stop working. Nothing changes in the way your system works. 

https://kb.arlo.com/000063018/Arlo-Legacy-Cameras-End-of-Life