Cloud Retention Periods Are Wasteful and Inflexible – Please Offer Custom Options

[OP1397]

Hi Arlo-Team,

thank you for your reply – but unfortunately it completely misses the core issue I raised.

Yes, motion detection and notifications may work without a subscription – but the ability to save video footage is the critical part of any security system. And this is intentionally disabled for cameras connected via WLAN, even if they are part of the same trusted network.

From a technical standpoint, there is no valid reason why a camera that is in the same IP subnet as the SmartHub should be prevented from recording to the local microSD card – especially when the system detects motion and knows exactly which camera triggered the event.

This artificial restriction is not a feature – it’s a deliberate design choice to enforce subscription dependence, and it stands in stark contrast to the expectations Arlo creates with terms like “local storage” and “SmartHub.”

Additionally, I find the fixed cloud retention periods inefficient and unnecessary. Personally, I would prefer to retain video footage for just 7 or 14 days – anything longer is excessive for my use case. Yet Arlo enforces a 30-day or 60-day retention model, even though storing unwanted video for longer increases your own server costs and exposes users to longer-term data risk.

It would make far more sense – for both Arlo and privacy-conscious users – to allow custom retention settings in the cloud.

I deliberately invested in Arlo as a premium, privacy-focused platform – but I now realize this was a mistake. I will not purchase any additional Arlo products unless local recording is enabled for all cameras, regardless of connection type, and cloud storage becomes truly user-configurable and efficient.

Best regards,