after VMB4000 firmware update two days ago, red USB symbols showing and won't record to local dr

[builthatch]

i have been using the same 1 TB external drive for a while as the local backup. it seems a firmware update for my base occurred two days ago and suddenly, my system won't back up locally and shows red USB symbols when the cameras are active. 

drive has half a gb left.

i restarted, tried both usb ports, tested the drive on my pc - no issues. i am very suspect that this extremely recent firmware update is the culprit. hopefully someone else sees this if they are having a similar issue.

firmware is Arlo Base Station VMB4000 - 1.21.0.0_4280_a58d08a - 13 April 2023

@JamesC

[builthatch]

I meant the drive has half a TB left, 500 GB.

@JamesC

[NZ65]

Hi, I have had the same issue for the last week. I replaced my USB, ok for a few days, then the symbol again. I tried everything formatting USB, restarted smart hub, re sync all my cameras, still no go. So I replaced my hub, installed the new one went fine, 12 hours later same issue, NOT HAPPY.  😞

[Ispiratica]

I have the same issue. However my cameras are still recording and I have access to the library to view the videos.

I can't format the flash drive as it can't be detected. The drive has been attached for 3 years.

I restarted and changed the usb plug but that's it. I refuse to do the Arlo stupid dance of reset every camera and battery. Their FM update broke it. Like a goodbye finger to us non-subscribers.

[e2e2]

I've had the same issue for ~2 months. I've done several restarts,  formatted USB drives with a PC, tried a different new drive, but the VMB4000 still will not use the drive. The software reports that the drive requires formatting, but is unable to complete the format. The base station firmware version is 1.21.0.2_4294_8a519c8.

[jguerdat]

Use a computer to check for multiple partitions on the drive. If so, delete all of them and try formatting in the hub again. You can use a computer to do this but you'll need a 3rd party FAT32 program to do so.

[e2e2]

Thanks for your ideas.

The initial drive was working for ~4 years without a problem. Neither the initial or new drive has a partition. I formatted them in linux with fat32. The VMB4000 appears to start to format, but then fails to format after a second.

[jguerdat]

It could be a faulty base or perhaps the drive is exceeding the USB2.x power consumption from the base's port. Can you attach external power or try a thumb drive of at least 16GB?

This is aimed at both posters here although exact circumstances may vary.

[e2e2]

• Hi jguerdat, thanks for your reply. Both drives I've tried are USB 3 256GB (Sandisk & Kingston)  thumb drives, so they shouldn't require too much power. I've tried both ports on the VMB4000, i.e. USB1 & USB2. When attempting to format using the android app, or using a web browser, the process fails after about 1 second and reverts to status 'Requires Formatting' for the USB Device.

[Ispiratica]

I switched USB ports and for a moment, just a moment, the format option lit in settings. It formatted the drive and red symbols went. Right after a minute they returned.

[jguerdat]

Seems like the last ditch effort would be to remove all devices in Settings, My Devices and start fresh, claiming the base first. You may want to reset the base by holding the button until the LEDs flash amber. Let it reboot to green power and Internet LEDs (Camera may be off or solid amber) before claiming it normally.

[e2e2]

Hi jguerdat, thanks for your reply.
The cameras are not very accessible, therefore I may not try your suggestion for a few months. In the interim hopefully a firmware update will resolve the problem.