Arlo Ultra 2 not streaming and recording in 4k on second day. Only recording and streaming in 2K

[fat_wallets]

Purchased an Arlo Ultra V2 add-on camera from local retailer JB hifi to add to my existing Arlo base station (VMB4500r2)

The Ultra camera comes with free 3 months Smart Plan trial which include 4k cloud recording. Note that my existing Pro 2 cameras have free 7 days cloud recording. 

Out of box on first day it was streaming and recording in 4k (I can see a 4k logo at bottom left corner of each video recorded). However from the 2nd day it was streaming and recording in 2k only. 

Here is what I researched and did according to Arlo community post.

1. Confirmed that VMB4500 support 4k recording and streaming. 

2. Both my mobile (iPhone 12) and Arlo base station, cameras are in the same WIFI network. 

3.  Setting, my devices, Ultra Camera video settings, Auto HDR and Local 4k Live Streaming turned on. (Auto Zoom & Tracking is off)

4. Camera power management set to "Best Video"

5. My internet is on NBN Australia with tested download speed of 14.1 mbps and upload speed of 4.07 mbps tested. 

Given above I'm struggling to find out why it's not live streaming and recording in 4k. Can anyone assist. 

[StephenB]

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@fat_wallets wrote:

Given above I'm struggling to find out why it's not live streaming and recording in 4k. Can anyone assist. 

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Did you enable "auto zoom and tracking"?  The zoom is digital, and that will change the resolution to 1080p.

[fat_wallets]

No Stephen as mentioned in point 3, Auto zoom and tracking is off. 

[StephenB]

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@fat_wallets wrote:

No Stephen as mentioned in point 3, Auto zoom and tracking is off. 

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Sorry, I missed that.  FWIW, manual recordings are only 1080p.

Did you try downloading a motion recording, and checking the resolution? That would let you know if the label was simply missing (or wrong if it says 2K), or if the resolution was in fact wrong. 

With Windows 10, you can right-click on the downloaded video, select properties and then details.

1080p should say 1920x1072, 2K should say 2560x1440.

You might also check that the trial subscription is "elite" and not "premier"  If you enabled local storage on the base, you should also make sure that you enabled "Best Local Recording".

[fat_wallets]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Here is what I did,

1. I've downloaded 2 clips off the cloud recording on my iPhone. 

2. First recording has a 4k logo which was motion detected on the first day of purchase. Resolution is 3840 x 2160. (4k)

3. Second recoding has no 4k or 2k logo which was motion detected today. Resolution is 2608 x 1472. (2k)

btw you're correct that manual recording only has a resolution of 1920 x 1072 (1080p)

As for my subscription, how do I check whether my trial subscription is Elite or Premier?  It just says "3-Month Trial" under subscription tap. I did find a community article that states the 3 months trail include 30 days rolling cloud storage with 4k video. (https://kb.arlo.com/000062311/What-is-included-in-the-Arlo-Smart-3-month-trial)

[StephenB]

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@fat_wallets wrote:

As for my subscription, how do I check whether my trial subscription is Elite or Premier?  It just says "3-Month Trial"

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Yes, you're correct - it doesn't say.  But it is supposed to be 4K for the Ultra cameras.

You might need to reach out to support (there is a link at the top of the forum page).  The chat option will launch a chatbot that might help you sort this (you will have the option to chat with a person afterwards).

[Hook55]

I had the same issue. Brand new cameras, just installed. What caused the issue with me was that I changed the video mode to ‘wide’ instead of ‘superwide’. When I changed it back to superwide it started recording in 4k again.
Hope this helps.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

14Mbps and 4Mbps is a bit low for 4K, if you're recording to the cloud. Also, what's your price plan? If you're using the base station as storage, sometimes switching on/off video settings for the ultra camera will do the trick.

[Mark_II]

I am having the same issue:

- Arlo Ultra 2 

- VMB4000r3 (Confirmed supports 4k in Arlo KB)

- Base & iPhone & PC all on same router

- 1 Gbps FIOS internet, both ways

- Auto HDR: on

- Local 4K Live Streaming: on

- Auto Zoom & Tracking: off

- Power management: Best Video

- Video mode: Super Wide"

All my clips have "2k" badge on them.. When I download and check the resolution they are 2k.

[fat_wallets]

Guys, I finally figured it out. The free 3 months plan does not support 2k/4k cloud upload. 

You need to subscribe to Arlo's 2k or 4k plan (Monthly paying option) to make it work.  

[Mark_II]

I thought that may be the issue, so I have already upgraded my subscription to "Arlo Secure Plus" which is supposed to support 4K. However my clips are still stored as 2k. Not only that, the 2k resolution is worse than my 1080p Nest camera.

Very disappointed, will be sending back.