Storage Space

[davidpardoe]

I need to store 30 days of recordings (24/7) across 4 cameras. It needs to be stored locally (ie. not cloud). I know I can add up to 2Tb USB storage to the hub but am trying to find out how much I will actually need?

[jguerdat]

2TB is overkill. A 32-64GB thumb drive is cheap and easily removed for copying to external storage if needed. You can see for yourself by installing any thumb drive you happen to have, let it record for some time and see how much storage is used.

Of course, this all depends on what base or hub you have. In order to use the app to view local recordings you'll need to have either the VMB4540 (USB drive) or VMB5000 (microSD card) SmartHubs. The VMB4xxx base stations use a USB drive but you have to eject the drive for viewing on a computer.

[davidpardoe]

Thanks for replying. I haven't bought yet and need to make sure I can store enough recordings locally. 

[jguerdat]

I remove my drives from the hubs and copy any videos to my NAS for safekeeping every month. A quick sampling of a few month's capture shows 6-15GB per month. I have 17 devices connected to hubs although I'm not in the most active location. Recording times vary from 10-ish seconds to 60 seconds, depending on the location and usage. You may need to determine how many recordings and their times you get to get a feel for what you need to do.

[davidpardoe]

So does that mean recordings are only triggered when movement is identified? 

[jguerdat]

Yes. Also, if you're using Smart notifications and/or activity zones, note that ALL recordings are kept for local recordings while the servers may delete some based on your settings. Local recordings can be useful for "missing" videos in the cloud.

[StephenB]

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@davidpardoe wrote:

I need to store 30 days of recordings (24/7) across 4 cameras. It needs to be stored locally (ie. not cloud). 

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To be clear, activity zones and smart notifications both require a subscription.  With a subscription, recordings will be stored both locally and in the cloud. 

The only way to prevent cloud storage is to remove the camera from the subscription plan.

Note even that won't work with the legacy cameras (pro, pro2) as they came with free 7-day cloud storage that can't be disabled.

[davidpardoe]

So in other words the only way to use Arlo cameras is to pay a monthly subscription!

[StephenB]

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@davidpardoe wrote:

So in other words the only way to use Arlo cameras is to pay a monthly subscription!

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No.  But smart notifications do require a subscription.  Activity zones also generally do (although some cameras do support activity zones w/o a sub when the camera is AC powered). Phone support also requires a subscription.

If your goal is to avoid the subscription cost, then if you want to see local recordings in the app, you need a VMB4540 or VMB5000 smarthub.  Older bases require that you eject the storage from the base and connect it to a PC for viewing. 

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it

There are several limitations to direct access to local storage:

• recordings only accessible in the app (not the browser)
• recordings only accessible from the primary account (not shared accounts)
• no ability to save manual recordings or snapshots
• no thumbnails, so videos need to be downloaded to view
• remote access requires router setting changes that some find difficult (and which can't be made with some internet service providers).

Internet service providers in the last point include Starlink, mobile broadband (T-Mobile, Verizon, etc), and any other carrier that uses CGNAT.