Do I need an Arlo SmartHub or Base Station

[RobbieS]

I am planning on purchasing Arlo Cameras and doorbells but do I need an Arlo Hub?
I already have an Aeotec Smart Home Hub which supports WiFi, Zigbee, Zwave, and Matter.  Can I connect my devices to that hub and completely control the Aero products?
Can I have the Safe and Secure Pro Plan and use all its features without an additional Aero hub?

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@RobbieS wrote:

I am planning on purchasing Arlo Cameras and doorbells but do I need an Arlo Hub?

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The three cameras models you put in the post (Video doorbell, Floodlight, and Essential) can be connected to your home wifi with no hub.

Many other models (for instance Pro 3 and Ultra) cameras require an Arlo Hub.

Note you will need a subscription for these cameras to get cloud storage.  US cost for unlimited cameras is $9.99 per month for Arlo Secure.

• https://kb.arlo.com/88/What-are-the-available-Arlo-subscription-plans-and-how-much-cloud-recording-i...

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@RobbieS wrote:

I already have an Aeotec Smart Home Hub which supports WiFi, Zigbee, Zwave, and Matter.  

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That doesn't support the Arlo cameras.  At the moment, if you need (or want) a hub it has to be Arlo's.

An Arlo hub would allow you to add local storage for your videos.  Generally I think that is best used as a backup, but some folks use that instead of a subscription.  If you want to do that, then make sure you get either a VMB4540 or VMB5000 smarthub.  

There are a lot of limitations to using local storage in that way - post back if you want more info on them.

[RobbieS]

Thanks for the reply.  That's interesting. 
If the Aeotec Smart Home Hub (which is the same as the Samsung SmartThings hub and supports WiFi, Zigbee, Zwave, and Matter) does not support the cameras, what protocol does Arlo use that it is not supported?  The camera descriptions say they work with SmartThings.

Or, maybe I am confused, and Arlo does use one of those protocols and the camera will work - but the issue is just that that hub will not allow all the functions of the cameras such as zoom, turning spotlight on and off, audio, zones, ...
Or, maybe it is just that the subscription plans require an Arlo hub.
What is it that requires the Arlo hub?
Thanks

[RobbieS]

p.s.   I see on the website links to cameras, doorbells, secure, floodlights, accessories - but I can not find anywhere a page for the hubs.  There seems to be no way to look at the hubs and see the differences and features.  Do you possibly have a link?  Thanks

[StephenB]

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@RobbieS wrote:

Or, maybe I am confused, and Arlo does use one of those protocols and the camera will work - but the issue is just that that hub will not allow all the functions of the cameras such as zoom, turning spotlight on and off, audio, zones, ...

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Arlo implements their IoT protocols in their hub, not the cameras.  So you need both your normal IoT hub and the Arlo hub to use them.

Note I don't use those features myself, I just use the features in the Arlo app.

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@RobbieS wrote:

There seems to be no way to look at the hubs and see the differences and features.

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Yes, that is missing.  Hubs aren't listed under "accessories", and it is hard to get info from the main website.  @JamesC - a KB article describing the features of the various hubs would be useful.

Generally - 

The VMB4540 and the VMB5000 are the two smarthubs.  They offer direct access to local storage - the other hub models do not.

The VMB5000 has a microSD slot for storage (and no USB port).  It also is the only dual-band hub - though personally I find that 5 ghz can be problematic, since the range is shorter than 2.4.

VMB4xxx hubs (including the VMB4540) have USB ports to add a flash drive or an SSD for local storage.

The VMB4000 has an integrated siren - which is a feature Arlo dropped in newer hubs.

VMB4xxx and VMB5000 hubs support all the Arlo cameras that can use a base station. 

There is some documentation here you might find helpful:

• https://www.arlo.com/en-us/support/docs

[RobbieS]

Thanks again for all your help.
I think I will try with the Arlo hub and see if the IoT support in the newest VMB5000 smart hub will support my things and if so switch to that one hub and sell off my other.  (The advantage with the other hub was the vast amount of things and protocols it supported and the excellent software to control everything with zones and programs with one thing causing another thing to do something. So I do have the option of keeping both it just makes control harder with two hubs and interfaces.)  I think I have enough info now to go ahead - so I will give it a try and if it doesn't work for me, well I do have 30 days to return.
Again, thanks.

  @JamesC  My suggestion would be not a KB article since prospective buyers would have to search the database for it, but to put a section with controller info in the menu on the main page like for doorbells, cameras, ...  It is real discouraging to have to search for information.  A number of times I almost quit and went elsewhere.  I was only encouraged to dig deeper because of the outside reviews I saw, not anything on the Arlo website.
And also to let people now up front that the cameras, even thought they work with SmartThings, require an Arlo hub and why.  The "works with SmartThings" blurb on the camera page sis misleading.
And also, to describe the hubs IoT and SmartThings capabilities.  Arlo only tells what Arlo products the hubs are compatible with in the info I found deeply buried on the website and here in discussions.  The real advantage of the SmartThings and IoT is the interoperability so don't hide it. Promote it.

[jdwd]

I have a arlo smarthub VMB5000. What do i do next. 

[StephenB]

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@jdwd wrote:

I have a arlo smarthub VMB5000. What do i do next. 

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Have you onboarded it to an Arlo account?