Requirement for subscription?

[bluefin21]

Hi, I'm hoping someone can advise on what's possible without a subscription. I've looked for FAQs but they don't seem to answer the questions I'm interested in.

I currently have an Arlo Q Plus (which includes 7-day cloud recording and does a decent job for me, using the iOS app). I also have a couple of Eufy 2K cameras. My main reason for going with the Eufy cameras was that they're "standalone", so no ongoing subscription required. But now I'm looking for improved video quality, so  I'm considering replacing them with a couple of Arlo Ultra2 cameras for their 4K capabilities. However, I don't understand what functionality I might lose with Ultra2s vs the Arlo Q plus (or not) without a subscription. On the assumption that I would have a couple of Ultra2s and a VM5000 SmartHub with a suitably ginormous SD card will I still be able to:

a) have videos automatically saved locally to the SmartHub SD card when motion is detected by a camera (certainly for the moment I'm not interested in particularly clever motion detection, like differentiating between humans and animals or whatever - just 'motion'. We're reasonably out of the way - there's not a constant stream of activations)

b) get notifications that something has happened (motion detection event and/or recording) from the app

c) view saved recordings via the app

d) view the live stream from a camera via the app

e) [I assume this is possible, but for completeness I'm going to ask anyway! :-)] enable/disable/configure the cameras via the app

f) in an *ideal* world, I could use something like IFTTT to trigger off a motion detection event and copy the saved recording to local NAS or my own cloud storage.

Basically I would like to be able to do on an Ultra2 all the stuff I can currently do on the QPlus, without an ongoing subscription. Advice on what is or is not possible would be much appreciated.

A separate question is around the motion detection. I've got the Arlo Q Plus inside the house pointing out through a window - but detection of motion outside still works, So I assume that it's not using PIR for motion detection, but actually detecting changes in the image? Would an Ultra2 work in the same way (and would it need a subscription for that)? [The Eufy cameras I have do not detect motion through windows]

All guidance much appreciated!

Thanks,

Pete C.

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

Hi, I'm hoping someone can advise on what's possible without a subscription. I've looked for FAQs but they don't seem to answer the questions I'm interested in.

---

Not sure if you saw this or not: https://kb.arlo.com/000062312/What-options-will-I-have-when-the-Arlo-trial-ends

FWIW, you don't mention activity zones in your question list.  For completeness:  Cloud activity zones require a subscription.  If the cameras are AC powered, you will get local activity zones (processed in the camera hardware).

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

a) have videos automatically saved locally to the SmartHub SD card when motion is detected by a camera (certainly for the moment I'm not interested in particularly clever motion detection, like differentiating between humans and animals or whatever - just 'motion'. We're reasonably out of the way - there's not a constant stream of activations)

---

Yes (with no smart classification or notification filtering).  You don't mention manual recordings or snapshots.  You will lose those w/o a subscription.

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

b) get notifications that something has happened (motion detection event and/or recording) from the app

---

 Yes.

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

c) view saved recordings via the app

Yes but...

There are limitations that many find frustrating:

1. Recordings only available from the primary account (not from friend accounts).
2. Recordings not available in the browser
3. Configuring your router to allow remote access to recordings can be challenging.

As an aside, 2K and 4K recordings use HEVC encoding, and getting them to play back in your browser can also be challenging (with a subscription). 

On Windows PCs, it requires hardware acceleration (which is there in most newer PCs), but also getting/installing the Microsoft HEVC extention from the Microsoft app store.  And even then, it only works with Edge.

I'm not a Mac user, but I think it will work on newer Macs with Safari.

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

d) view the live stream from a camera via the app

---

Yes.

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

e) enable/disable/configure the cameras via the app

---

Yes.

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

f) in an *ideal* world, I could use something like IFTTT to trigger off a motion detection event and copy the saved recording to local NAS or my own cloud storage.

---

AFAIK there is no way to do that.  There were some scripts that could download to a PC that could be modified to store to a NAS, but I believe that 2FA has broken them.

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

A separate question is around the motion detection. I've got the Arlo Q Plus inside the house pointing out through a window - but detection of motion outside still works, So I assume that it's not using PIR for motion detection, but actually detecting changes in the image? Would an Ultra2 work in the same way (and would it need a subscription for that)? [The Eufy cameras I have do not detect motion through windows]

---

The Ultras use PIR, so they will not work reliably through windows.  The new Arlo Essential Indoor (which replaces your Q) also uses pixel detection, so it would work.  Like the Q it is 1080p.  But it does not come with free 7-day cloud storage.

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

Basically I would like to be able to do on an Ultra2 all the stuff I can currently do on the QPlus, without an ongoing subscription. Advice on what is or is not possible would be much appreciated.

---

Hopefully the answers above help clarify that for you.  You will obviously lose some features, but you might not use or care about them.  Direct access to local storage is certainly not as convenient as cloud storage, but there are people here who are ok with its limitations.

[bluefin21]

Thanks, that's really good info. I *had* come across the KB article you mention, but it didn't really answer some of questions I had, particularly around the app.

I don't think I'm particularly in need of activity zones - I don't have them set up on the QPlus at the moment. I did set one up at the start, but the camera would just stop recording and drop off the network on a reasonably regular basis (every few days). If I didn't notice I'd go days without any recordings - which is a bit of a failing in a security camera! Getting rid of the activity zone did seem to coincide with an improvement - it still drops occasionally, but the frequency is maybe once a month (and I check more regularly!). I haven't tried to diagnose it any further.

I think I'd typically only be playing recordings back via the app, so the HEVC encoding shouldn't be a problem? If I need to copy a recording for viewing on the PC (not a Mac :-)), I expect I can probably find an offline viewer/converter of some description.

I currently have a VPN endpoint to connect  into my home network from outside, so remote access *shouldn't* be a problem.

Pity about the PIR, if I'm honest! I like the fact that the QPlus works through the window (and also effectively has a greater motion detection range, I think). But ultimately it just means I would need to be a bit more thoughtful about positioning, so not a big problem.

So all in all, it doesn't look like there are any showstoppers. I greatly appreciate your thorough answers!

Thanks.

[StephenB]

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

I think I'd typically only be playing recordings back via the app, so the HEVC encoding shouldn't be a problem? If I need to copy a recording for viewing on the PC (not a Mac :-)), I expect I can probably find an offline viewer/converter of some description.

---

No problems with HEVC in the mobile app.  On the PC you can use VLC (among other players) - though you need to get the file there somehow of course.

One limitation I forgot is the lack of thumbnails, so there is no hint of what's in the recording.  In the app you need to download them see anything.

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

I currently have a VPN endpoint to connect  into my home network from outside, so remote access *shouldn't* be a problem.

---

I use OpenVPN on my iOS phone, and that does give me access to the local recordings.  There was a problem doing that with Android though - not sure if that is fixed now or not.

The other option is port forwarding.

---

@bluefin21 wrote:

Pity about the PIR, if I'm honest! I like the fact that the QPlus works through the window (and also effectively has a greater motion detection range, I think).

---

My Essential Indoor is aimed through a window.  Pixel detection definitely has better range for me during the day.  Window glare is an issue at night.