Accessing local video recordings through Arlo Ultra Base Station for multiple users

[Maz_Enk]

Anybody have a home-hack to enable multiple users (e.g. partners) to access locally stored recordings on an Arlo Base Station? At present, the software seems to allow only the “main user to view locally stored recordings.

In other words, I’m currently restricted from viewing recordings on hardware I own, which is quite annoying.

Arlo tech support have highlighted they’re looking into this as a “feature” in upcoming releases, but in the meantime, has someone put there developed a workaround?

[StephenB]

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@Maz_Enk wrote:
Anybody have a home-hack to enable multiple users (e.g. partners) to access locally stored recordings on an Arlo Base Station? At present, the software seems to allow only the “main user to view locally stored recordings.

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If that were possible, it would be a serious security issue.  

Anyway, as far as I am aware there is no workaround.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

I'm sorry but how would this be a security issue? In a number of security systems, home users are able to access videos, not just one user. And to be clear: when you buy a security system, it's usually for the whole household, not just one person (i.e. it's not a personal security system). I'm afraid Arlo is behind times big time with their approach to who can access local videos and whether it's actually possible in terms of local storage.

[Maz_Enk]

Edinburgh_lad1, I’d like to say I think your comments are 100% on point.

It’s frustrating to pay top dollar for kit, only to find the human thinking around the tech is not of the same calibre.

I feel that Arlo should offer free subscription services until a point at which they “fix” this problem. I’ve asked as much a number of times, only to be told “we can’t”.

[StephenB]

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@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:
I'm sorry but how would this be a security issue?

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FIrst of all, I agree that more than one user should be able to access the videos (and that it ought to be possible to use a home NAS or home PC as the local repository).

Of course it would be different if Arlo had designed their system to support that multiuser access securely.  But they haven't.  They've designed the base (and home wifi-connected cameras) so they can only be accessed from the Arlo app and the Arlo Cloud and some locked-down partner applications.  Any workaround you could find now would be bypassing the network security that Arlo has built into their devices.

In other words, if you could manage to access the videos directly from the base, then whatever hack you used would also be a potential attack that others could use.