Arlo and Arlo Pro. FREE SUBSCRIPTION REMOVED. I NOW HAVE TO PAY???

[NetBox]

So now all users who purchased the original Arlo HD cameras and the Arlo Pro cameras have to PAY to have their recording u0ploaded and stored on what used to be the FREE 7 day 5 camera account subscription????

Have Arlo actually have the sneaky disgraceful cheek to remove the FREE subscription for recording.

I have had Arlo original cameras and Arlo Pro cameras, they are all set to record and upload the videos on what was the FREE profile/subscription. This was given to ALL users for 7 days recording for upto 5 cameras. This was the whole reason millions of users bought the product.

Now Arlo have REMOVED the free subscription. My cameras are not recording and uploading videos, and when I log in online I am being told I don't have a subscription and none of my cameras are recording. I am being told I NOW HAVE TO PAY to have my videos stored.

MESSAGE STATING

"Without Arlo Smart, your cameras will remain inactive. Are you sure you wish not to subscribe Arlo Smart for your new cameras?"

It is absolutely disgraceful that Arlo sell a product then remove its one useful feature. Not a way to do business at all and I will NEVER recommend or buy another Arlo product. Disgraceful company.

@JamesC 

Why am I being told I dont have recording on my account? (When I am an original user and have original cameras AND Arlo Pro?

Why are my videos not being recorded?

Have Arlo actually now removed the Free subscription, even though we all got emails saying the Free subscription users will ALWAYS have the 7 days free for 5 cameras!!!!

What on earth are Arlo doing? Its fraud!!!

[NetBox]

According to your email to all users and also according to your website it states:

"No subscription

If you have an Arlo Pro 2, Pro, Go, Wire-Free, Q, Q Plus, or Baby camera, you will continue to have all the benefits that were included with the purchase of your camera. This includes free rolling 7-day cloud recording, live streaming, 2-way audio, local storage, and activity zones on up to 5 cameras."

Why are my videos no longer being recorded?

Why when I log in to my Arlo account online and I being told I dont have a subscription and I HAVE TO PAY for a subscription otherwise my cameras will NOT record to the cloud?

What is Arlo doing? Why do they try to force users to Pay? Is it legally possibly for you to remove the service you PROMISED all purchasers originally?

See:

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

[MaikRovers]

I still have my free 7 days subscription. Use Arlo Pro set with 4 camera's.

[TomMac]

TMK, there has been NO changes re the free 7 days rolling storage for the HD, Pro, and Pro2 cameras on the BASIC level of service

Only the newer Pro3 and Ultra require a paid service after the trial period.

This of course does not apply to extra services which have always been an add on .

[NetBox]

Thanks for your reply TomMac

That is what I believed to be the case however it seems I am unable to log into my arlo account without either agreeing to go onto a paid subscription service Or deactivating my cameras recording to cloud feature. I explain below.......

I own (and have owned for many years) both Arlo Original AKA "wire-free" and Arlo Pro cameras.

I go to "my-arlo" online as normal to log in.

I am immediately greeted with a pop up covering the whole page, offering me a Free trail to the Arlo pay plan which states (I have cut it short as below........)
--------------------------------------------------
The best view around with the best plan around.
Free Trail Upto 30 days recording, upto 2K Video Recording etc etc...

Try Free for 1 month (clickable link)
Maybe later (clickable link)
--------------------------------------------------

So I click "maybe later"

I am then greeted with another full page pop up stating.......

--------------------------------------------------
Expand your view with Arlo Smart

Arlo Smart includes... blah, blah, blah.....

With two option here:

View Plans (clickable link)
Maybe later (clickable link)
--------------------------------------------------

So again I click "maybe later"

I am then greeted with ANOTHER full page pop up stating:
--------------------------------------------------
Without Arlo Smart, your cameras will remain inactive. Are you sure you wish not to subscribe Arlo Smart for your new cameras?

Yes (clickable link)
Cancel (clickable link)
--------------------------------------------------

I DO NOT WANT MY CAMERAS TO BE INACTIVE I want them to work (as before & further more I dont have ANY new cameras added) so I DONT CLICK YES.

If I click Cancel it just goes back to the previous popup trying to get me to a subscription.

So how do I log in without these popups?

and more importantly why are my cameras not recording to the cloud as before?

I want to have what I paid for when I purchased my cameras and what was promised by Arlo, WITHOUT HAVING TO PAY A SUBSCRIPTION FEE.

[TomMac]

Don't know, I believe you shouldn't have this issue...

Try and send a PM to JamesC  or Arlo support.

[JamesC]

If you have 5 or less original Arlo/Arlo Pro cameras, you won't need a subscription and nothing has changed for you. Click "Yes" on the "Are you sure you wish not to subscribe Arlo Smart for your new cameras?" prompt if you do not want a subscription.

It sounds like your system is simply "Disarmed" if it's not detecting and recording motion. After you're through the pop-ups about the new service plans, check your modes and make sure your system is "Armed".

JamesC

[Wumpus101]

I too am now seeing this - all my cameras ( 5 originals ) are 'offline' - the base station is online. ( i can see this as I use the app on mobile network and see the base station but not the cameras )

I bought this set up on the basis that it was free and recordings kept up to 7 days.

My cameras are now useless - I can't see through them - i can't get push motion alerts from them.

All the money I have spent on these is wasted ? unless I pay the ( surely illegal ) subscription I am now forced to ?

[StephenB]

---

@Wumpus101 wrote:

I too am now seeing this - all my cameras ( 5 originals ) are 'offline' - the base station is online. ( i can see this as I use the app on mobile network and see the base station but not the cameras )

---

Your problem has nothing to do with the subscription changes last December.  

• What camera models and base station do you have?
• What are the LED(s) on your base station showing?  https://kb.arlo.com/000039100/What-do-the-LEDs-on-my-Arlo-SmartHub-or-base-station-mean

Try removing one camera from the account, and then re-add it.  If that works, then repeat with the other four.

[MoniqueB]

Just jumping on this...

I purchased and installed the front door camera - my trial ended this past weekend.

However -- ALL of my other cameras (all pro, all 7 day rolling free cloud) have all stopped recording...

My understanding as per the dude at BestBuy whom I bought the Arlo FRC from stated that IF I wanted the front door to record, be set to a focused selection of the view (ie. it points to the street, and I only want it to activate from the walkway of my house and not every single car that drives by) that I did need a subscription but all along, the standard 7 day was active.

Can I have somebody explain to me the cancellation of services when I have spent  more money ??

How can I re-engage my original pro cameras on the 7 day, without the full service.

Thanks

[HSMobile]

I had the same issue after my doorbell trial expired. I reported this via the Arlo chat support and voila, it's working again. 

[batgirl001]

Did you have to subscribe for just the video doorbell or all of your cameras? 

[StephenB]

You need enough camera subscriptions to make sure you have no more than 5 cameras that aren't on a plan.

So if you just add the doorbell, you only need a single-camera subscription for it.

[Jlang84]

When I bought this product with 3 camera I never once expected to have to pay $30 a month to keep being able to use it I am not happy I could own a new car or pay 1/4 of my mortgage for that. That is a joke maybe 30 a year but $360 a year that’s absolutely ridiculous! Is there any other way to record without paying this fee of subscribing to this?? It’s daylight robbery

[HSMobile]

I only subscribed for my doorbell. The others are still on the free, 7 day plan. 

[StephenB]

---

@Jlang84 wrote:
When I bought this product with 3 camera I never once expected to have to pay $30 a month to keep being able to use it I am not happy I could own a new car or pay 1/4 of my mortgage for that. That is a joke maybe 30 a year but $360 a year that’s absolutely ridiculous! Is there any other way to record without paying this fee of subscribing to this?? It’s daylight robbery

---

How many cameras do you have and what model cameras are they?

A premier subscription for 5 cameras is $10 per month in the US, so I think there is some confusion here.

[robsilv]

Hi James,

We have 2 Arlo Pro 3 cameras which we bought in October 2019. 

I'm replying to your message which states: "If you have 5 or less original Arlo/Arlo Pro cameras, you won't need a subscription and nothing has changed for you".

I recently noticed that I'd stopped receiving regular notifications from our cameras. As per the screenshot below, I checked my cameras and found they have been switched to "Do nothing" mode without my knowledge. There is also now a new message saying "Upgrade your cloud storage and enable video recording and snapshot" and the "Record video" button is greyed out and no longer selectable.

I bought these cameras and went with your brand specifically because you offered 7 days of free cloud storage. I don't recall seeing anything about there being a 3 month free trial for these cameras at the time, meaning I would later have to pay in order to "enable video recording". I checked these details carefully as this would have been a deal breaker.

I have only received 3 emails from Arlo since I bought the cameras, none of which said anything about a 3 month trial or its impending expiration. As you can imagine, I was shocked to find Arlo had a) disabled my security cameras without my knowledge, and b) disabled their core functionality unless I now start paying a subscription.

Please advise how we can re-enable the 7 days free storage and the basic functionality of the cameras without having to sign for the subscription.

Kind regards

Rob

 

[LandJS]

The pro3 cameras do not have the free 7 day that ended with the pro2.  Pro3 require a plan to continue cloud and smart.  That I'm sure is clearly stated on the product.

[robsilv]

Hi LandJS,

Until recently the Arlo Pro 3 had free 7-day rolling cloud recording, I know this because I had and used the feature for months and bought the product on this premise.

Instead of telling me "my subscription will expire on X day" (as I didn't have a subscription), in order to encourage me to sign up for a paid subscription, the strategy was to up-sell me in app from the 7-days free service to a paid plan, offering advanced features like face recognition. I didn't both doing this as I was happy with the 7-days free storage. As mentioned in the previous message, I never received any communications from Arlo regarding having a trial subscription or the prospect of it ending.

Here's an article, last updated (at time of writing) on the 6th Jan 2020, where Arlo state that "We recently made changes to the Arlo Smart subscription plans".

In point 1 it states:

Does my Arlo camera still have free 7-day rolling cloud recording?
If you have a legacy Arlo camera (Arlo Wire-Free, Pro, Pro 2, Go, Q, Q Plus, or Baby), your camera will continue to have the same free 7-day rolling cloud recording that was included with your purchase.

What it doesn't explicitly state is: if you have a Pro 3, you will not continue to have the same free 7-day rolling cloud recording that was included with your purchase.

Effectively, for Arlo Pro 3 buyers like myself, it appears we've been the subject of a "bait and switch" strategy. We were sold the product on the premise that it would have "free 7-day rolling cloud recording", but this has now been revoked. Arlo have effectively remotely "bricked" my cameras without informing me, putting them into "Do nothing" mode, so my house has been unprotected for I don't know how long. This, in and of itself for a security camera company, is a terrifying prospect. In order to "unbrick" my cameras and enable features as simple and fundamental as "video recording", I'm now being asked to pay a monthly subscription.

I will be happy to accept this has simply been a failure of the Arlo Customer Experience / Product team to design for this scenario IF Arlo respond and re-enable the 7-day rolling cloud recording for Arlo Pro 3 customers who bought the product on this premise. If this is not the case, this is clearly a PR disaster waiting to happen for Arlo. I don't imagine they'll continue to be the darlings of TechCrunch and Wired if it turns out this was not an accident!

Cheers

Rob 

[StephenB]

---

@robsilv wrote:

Until recently the Arlo Pro 3 had free 7-day rolling cloud recording, I know this because I had and used the feature for months and bought the product on this premise.

---

No, the pro 3 never had that.  The install will automatically opt you in to a 3 month trial subscription.  

If you still have the box it came in, you'll find it does say that a subscription is needed for cloud storage.

[robsilv]

Hi StephenB,

Please see this link, showing the ArloSmart plan landing page from 16th Nov 2019, courtesy of the Wayback Machine on web.archive.org. I've attached a screenshot below for convenience. Note the section I've highlighted which states:

"Your Arlo camera comes with a rolling 7 days of cloud recording"

As per my previous messages, this was the status quo when I bought my Arlo Pro 3 cameras in Oct 2019. The text does not specify that the rolling 7 days of cloud recording is for certain models of cameras, nor does it say it will expire at any point in the future. Consistent with the messaging here, the app at the time promoted the idea that I should upgrade to Arlo Smart in order to get the benefits of motion zones and person detection, though I never did this. While the stated "unwanted notifications" were indeed annoying, this "annoyance by design" and the value propositions of the paid plan were not enough to trigger me to upgrade.

Let me state again for clarity that I have received no emails stating I was on an Arlo Smart plan or that it was expiring.

Compare the November Arlo Smart Plans page with the new Arlo Smart Plans page, which has introduced the table in the second attached screenshot. The new page introduces a table with a column for "No Plan". This table clearly shows that Cloud Video Quality and Cloud Video History are no longer available if you have no plan.

Please take a moment and look at it again.

The first shows you get 7 days of rolling cloud recording without a plan and that enhanced notifications, motion zones and person detection are benefits of the Arlo Smart Add-on.

The second shows you don't get any video recording without a plan, and that video recording is now bundled in with the Premier and Elite Plans, along with enhanced notifications, motion zones and person detection.

Presumably the question over whether Arlo have recently changed their subscription plans, as they themselves explicitly state here, is now beyond reasonable doubt for anyone following this thread? Further, that 7 days of rolling cloud recording was previously available with no plan, and this is no longer the case.

Conclusion

• I never signed up for an Arlo Smart Plan, nor was I ever notified that I was subscribed to an Arlo Smart Plan, or that it was expiring.
• Arlo remotely "bricked" my cameras (making it so they can no longer record without a paid plan) without notifying me, leaving my house insecure for who knows how long. This, in and of itself is completely inexcusable for a security camera company.
• I only discovered this when I eventually looked at the app (thinking that maybe I wasn't receiving notifications anymore because Arlo had improved the experience by removing the "annoyance by design" notifications), only to discover that Arlo had remotely switched my cameras to "Do nothing" mode.
• Further, I am no longer able to switch them back to "Record video" mode as the option is now greyed out (see 3rd screenshot)
• Just below these options, it now says "Upgrade your cloud storage and enable video recording and snapshot". i.e. I can no longer record video on these very expensive video cameras I've bought, unless I now sign up for an expensive subscription.

This looks to me to quite simply be a "bait and switch" strategy, where Arlo have first lured Arlo Pro 3 customers in with an attractive proposition, then completely disabled their cameras unless the pay for a subscription.

As I've mentioned before, I'm willing to believe this has been done in error, and all is forgiven if Arlo will now turn back on the rolling 7 days of cloud recording, which was the basis of my original purchasing decision, for all Arlo Pro 3 customers.

I look forward to hearing from someone from Arlo on this matter.

Regards

Rob

[StephenB]

---

@robsilv wrote:

Hi StephenB,

Please see this link, showing the ArloSmart plan landing page from 16th Nov 2019, courtesy of the Wayback Machine on web.archive.org. I've attached a screenshot below for convenience. Note the section I've highlighted which states: "Your Arlo camera comes with a rolling 7 days of cloud recording"

I look forward to hearing from someone from Arlo on this matter.

---

Of course you are welcome to pursue this with Arlo.  FWIW, the US landing page (captured by wayback a bit earlier) doesn't have your text.  https://web.archive.org/web/20191013195032/https://www.arlo.com/en-us/landing/arlosmart/

Independent of what might have been on this particular landing page, the pro3 and ultra cameras didn't have free 7 day cloud recording even if you were using 1080p resolution.  The box itself did say this (though you did have to look for it).  Though if you live in New Zealand, then you could argue that it was advertised in your geography.

But a lot of folks have been startled when they've lost cloud storage after the trial subscription expired.  It was easy to miss the opt-in, and not realize you had that subscription.  And others assumed that 7 day recording was available w/o the trial subscription.  I think it might be clearer now - we'll see if it's clear enough in future months as more subscriptions expire.

[drb1]

I too am now seeing this - all my 5 Ultra cameras will not store on the Arlo cloud 7 days worth of footage like they use to. You pay thousands of dollars to set yourself up and Arlo now sting you for an outrageous $21.99 per month!!! And the marginal cost to Arlo if $0!!! 

Is all the money I and others have spent on this expensive product wasted ? Surely Arlo know this is incensing its customer community and a massive backlash and loss in sales and revenue is imminent?

[StephenB]

---

@drb1 wrote:

Arlo now sting you for an outrageous $21.99 per month!!! 

---

Are you in Australia?  Just wondering about the pricing you quote.

---

@drb1 wrote:

Surely Arlo know this is incensing its customer community and a massive backlash and loss in sales and revenue is imminent?

---

It was a huge issue for the Ultra back in January/February 2019.  So they announced they would provide direct access to local storage.  That has several limitations, but it is available for free.  https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it

They also reduced the subscription cost for 4K motion recordings.  Before you needed to add PVR ("premium video recording") to get 4K recording.  Now 2K cloud recording is included in Premier, and 4K is included in Elite.  Both are cheaper than the old subscription price with PVR added.  

[drb1]

I am in Australia. Thankyou for advising that I can store locally on my own Arlo Hub that I purchased with the cameras. 

As far as subscriptions, you are asked to pay extra for Ultra 4K cameras, then forced to pay extra to record in 4K on an ongoing basis. Double sting in the tail!!!

Can we have our Ultra cameras use all the features we bought them for and have it save to other cloud subscriptions like Google or Apple. Sounds like a much smarter and cheaper way (and in many instances free and with high security) of using the expensive setup Arlo sold us?