Additional Cameras

[kitjv]

I have an older base station (VMB3000) with 5 wireless Arlo HD cameras (not sure of the models) & no subscription plan. I want to add 2 or 3 more cameras. Will a subscription plan allow me to add additional cameras? Or will I have to purchase a different base station? I am looking for the most cost-effective way to do this.

Thank you so much for your help.

[StephenB]

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@kitjv wrote:

I have an older base station (VMB3000) with 5 wireless Arlo HD cameras (not sure of the models) & no subscription plan. I want to add 2 or 3 more cameras. Will a subscription plan allow me to add additional cameras? Or will I have to purchase a different base station? I am looking for the most cost-effective way to do this.

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New camera models (Pro 3, Pro 4, Ultra, Essential, Video Doorbells) are not compatible with your old base.  They also require a subscription for any cloud storage (unlike your older cameras, which have 7 day free cloud storage).

There are four options overall:

1. Look for pro 2 cameras and base (likely they would be used), and create a second account for them.  Note that if you since you already have 5 older cameras with free storage in your account, you will need a subscription if you add these to your existing account.  To keep free storage, you need a second account, and use the friend account feature to access the new cameras.
2. Get cameras that can connect directly to your home wifi (Pro 3 floodlight, Pro 4, Essential, Video Doorbells), and go with a paid subscription for them.
3. Get a VMB4540 or VMB5000 smarthub with the cameras, as those hubs support direct access to local storage with no subscription.
4. Get a new hub (at least a VMB4000) with your new cameras, and get a paid subscription.

There are limitations to direct access to local storage (option 3)

• Recordings only directly viewable in the app - not the web browser
• Recordings only available to the primary account - not friend accounts
• No ability to make manual recordings or snapshots
• no thumbnails in library or notifications
• remote access requires either a home VPN or port forwarding, and can be difficult to set up.

It's hard to say which option is most cost-effective for you.  Costs vary, and subscription costs vary by country.  Standalone bases are hard to find (often overpriced), but can be purchased in some bundles/kits.  Plus the trade-off between monthly subscriptions fees and up-front costs will be seen differently by different people.

Subscription prices can be found here:  https://kb.arlo.com/88/What-are-the-available-Arlo-subscription-plans-and-how-much-cloud-recording-i...

[kitjv]

StephenB,

Thank you for the thorough response. Obviously with any option that I choose, there will be trade-offs. All things considered, the best choice for me might be to opt to a paid subscription. Is there any advantages to upgrade my smart hub as well? Thank you.

[StephenB]

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@kitjv wrote:

Is there any advantages to upgrade my smart hub as well? 

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Pro 3 and Ultra cameras can't connect to your home wifi, and aren't compatible with your older hub.  So if you want those particular cameras, you would need to upgrade it.  The full compatibility list is here: https://kb.arlo.com/000062284/Arlo-SmartHub-and-Base-Station-Compatibility

When the ability to connect to home wifi was first introduced, folks were getting somewhat better battery life with the hubs.  Not sure if that is still the case.  Some folks more recently have reported some issues with the cameras reconnecting to home wifi after an outage.  I think that is temporary (e.g, a bug).

One inherent benefit of the base is that a single mode can control all the cameras connected to that base.  When you use home wifi instead, each mode controls just one (home-wifi connected) camera. 

[kitjv]

Thank you! I spent some time yesterday rethinking my current security camera setup (which is a combination of both Arlo & Ring products). In addition to purchasing a few more cameras, relocating a couple of my existing cameras might be preferable. Again, thank you for your time & information.