Arlo
Support

Dennis_F · ‎2022-05-10

How do I get to talk to a REAL PERSON??????? We have had our cameras for 2 years now and we had everything going just fine, Now all is screwed up ARLO keeps e=mailing me to buy more cameras, I have enough I want them to work like ARLO PROMISED.

StephenB · ‎2022-05-10

You can find the model number of the base by looking for a label on the base that starts with VMB.

If your cameras have removable lithium batteries, then you can find the camera model by looking inside the camera (take out the battery when you do this). You'll find a similar label indide the camera that starts with VMC.

@Dennis_F wrote:

How do I get to talk to a REAL PERSON???????

Do you have a subscription for the cameras?

Can you describe what problems you are having? We might be able to help here?

Dennis_F · ‎2022-05-10

I did have and they changed it for some unknown reason, I want to talk to a real person and get it straightened out. Did not have any trouble until a couple of weeks ago.

StephenB · ‎2022-05-10

@Dennis_F wrote:

I did have and they changed it for some unknown reason, I want to talk to a real person and get it straightened out. Did not have any trouble until a couple of weeks ago.

Of course we are real... But if your problem is with the subscription, then support is the best option. If you still have a subscription, go into the subscription area of the app, and select a camera in the plan. Then you should see a phone option in the app.

If you provide more information, perhaps the mods ( @JamesC and @ShayneS ) might be able to help creating a support case.

Dennis_F · ‎2022-05-10

It seems as though they stopped the subscription for some unexplained reason, used to be able to see our videos on the arlo app, nothing now and they keep sending adds to buy cameras and such, I WANT TO TALK TO A HUMAN BEING, seems to me they do not want to talk to anyone.

Jhartung · ‎2022-05-10

My arlo ultra stopped recording. The older other cameras still record. I want to record to a flashdrive but its not allowing me. I want to talk to a human

PopsWayne · ‎2022-05-11

I am so frustrated... I want to talk to a real person. We have an older system... Possibly the Pro 2. We would like to upgrade. Would like to see what our best option might be. Probably get lined up with a "Plan" so that I could get support....

Any wisdom appreciated.

StephenB · ‎2022-05-12

@PopsWayne wrote:

I am so frustrated... I want to talk to a real person. We have an older system... Possibly the Pro 2.

Let's start by making sure we know what you have.

The easiest way to identify the base is to look for a label on it that starts with VMB.

The original Arlo Wireless cameras use 4 CR123 batteries, so they are easy to identify.

The Pro and Pro 2 both take the same lithium batteries. You can identify them from the outside of the camera by looking at the bezel.

@PopsWayne wrote:

Probably get lined up with a "Plan" so that I could get support....

Your older cameras came with free 7-day cloud storage. All the new cameras (starting with the Ultra in 2018) require a subscription to get cloud storage. While there is a way to access local storage directly from the app, that has quite a few limitations (and requires purchase of a VMB4540 or VMB5000 smarthub).

So a subscription would be more convenient, as well as giving you access to phone support.

@PopsWayne wrote:

We would like to upgrade. Would like to see what our best option might be.

Any particular things you are looking for? Just getting a subscription would add some features to your existing cameras.

The mainstream camera options are the

Essentials
Pro 3 Floodlight
Pro 4
Ultra 2

The Essentials are 1080p cameras and are fully sealed, so you cannot remove/replace the battery. Personally I don't view them as an upgrade over the Pro 2, but they do offer more resolution than the Pro cameras. Most of the Essentials out there are the spotlight version, there is also a version w/o a spotlight that might be a bit less expensive.

The Pro 3 Floodlight is interesting, as it uses a full floodlight instead of a spotlight. So worth a look if you have a need for that.

The Pro 4 is a 2K camera, so it is an upgrade over the Pro 2. It also has a wider field of view than the Essentials, which is often convenient.

Once you know your base station model, you can see if any of these cameras are compatible with it here: https://kb.arlo.com/000062284/Arlo-SmartHub-and-Base-Station-Compatibility But all the above cameras can connect to your home wifi, so you wouldn't have to upgrade your base (unless you want local storage).

The Ultra 2 is a 4K camera, and has the widest field of view. Unlike the others, it requires a base station - preferably a VMB4540 or VMB5000.

Note that the Essential, Pro 4, and Ultra 2 cameras have an XL option, which gives you much better battery life. You can also upgrade ordinary Pro 4 and Ultras to XL by purchasing an XL upgrade kit. Battery life is overstated (particularly on the new models), so if that is something you want to improve, then definitely get the XL.

The Pro 3 Floodlight only comes with the XL battery (needed because the floodlight requires more power).

Overall, I think people looking for new technology should start by looking at the Pro 4.

PopsWayne · ‎2022-05-12

Thank you so much for your response!

We probably have the original cameras. We bought them at Sams Club approx 6 years ago. They use the 4 CR123 lithium batteries. They are at our lake place and I will have to check them further when we get out there.

Thank you for all of this information.... so appreciated!! Pops and I will review and look into the subscription.

Do you have any subscription thoughts on which plan? To be honest I have not even looked at what plans are offered.

StephenB · ‎2022-05-12

@PopsWayne wrote:

Do you have any subscription thoughts on which plan? To be honest I have not even looked at what plans are offered.

If you want 4K, then you will need Arlo Secure Plus. Secure Plus also has an emergency response feature.

Secure is less expensive, and IMO is the way to go if you decide on 1080p or 2K cameras.

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

@PopsWayne wrote:
We probably have the original cameras. We bought them at Sams Club approx 6 years ago. They use the 4 CR123 lithium batteries.

Definitely the original cameras.

FWIW, there is no reason to retire them right away (or at all) if they are still working. You could keep both old and new cameras running, at least for a while so you can make sure everything is working properly with the new stuff.

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