If you don't go full 4K you lose 4K live and 4K to your SD

[LandJS]

Well for your free year it's 1080 to the cloud with 4K live and 4K to your SD card.  Then you find out when it's time to pay you either pay for the top tier or there is no 4K period.  It's either all 2K or pay for all 4K.  Once you have to pay the plans are changed to only two options.  If you don't go full 4K you lose 4K live and 4K to your SD because that plan you used all year no longer exists.  You can the agent told me have 4K on your SD card if you take no plan.  Looks like subscription will only last one month.

[JamesC]

LandJS,

Incorrect. 4K live streaming and local storage does not require a specific subscription plan. If you renew your existing plan, nothing changes.

With the plans available today, if subscribing to Premier, your cloud recordings are saved up to 2K with 4K live streaming and local storage still available.

If subscribing to Elite, your cloud recordings are saved up to 4K, with 4K live streaming and local storage available.

JamesC

[LandJS]

JamesC I am only telling you what happened to me and  Arlo support told me just yesterday that is the way it is now.  I now only get 2K to my SD card and 2K live.  They said they can't send 2K to the cloud and to my SD or live at the same time and my only option was to purchase the top tier 4K.  Their words not mine so there is a disconnect between here and support.  The fact is , I am only getting 2K live and when going to my SD library on the phone app.

[JamesC]

LandJS,

We're currently investigating an issue some users are reporting that results in a 2K badge incorrectly being displayed for 4K content. I will provide an update when I have more information on this issue.

JamesC

[n1976jmk]

@LandJS @JamesC 

LandJS, you already know this but if are waiting for JamesC to respond with a real answer than you best will wait until your 80 years old.  He responded to my huge string from late December 2019 about cloud recordings and smart notifications missing and not happening.  He wrote in early January that Arlo is investigating and he’d reply when there’s an update.  I’m still waiting.....  also I even responded to the string last week tagging his user name with no response from him sadly.

I’m on another string about someone who discovered issues with CVR and gaps in footage, etc.  he responded to that one last week too saying Arlo was looking into it and he’d respond back.  Still waiting on that response too.

Arlo sure knows how to charge my credit card without issue though.......

I’ve owned my system since last April, I may have had 3 weeks straight of a working system out of that entire time.

 
but I love how JamesC was so quick to respond that you were wrong, but then he responds back stating he made a mistake without saying he made a mistake.

[LandJS]

Here's the thing, even if the 2K badge is being displayed incorrectly it doesn't change what Arlo support told me.  "you opted for the 2K plan and it's not possible for the camera to send 2K to the cloud and 4K to the SD card or for you to view live in 4K with this plan".  " The plan you had no longer is available and you must choose 2K or 4K .  With the 2K plan you will no longer be able to view live in 4K or record to SD in 4K. "  "If you want 4K to the local storage you can opt out of a plan and use your card without smart notifications "  Their words not mine.   So is JamesC right or is Arlo support right because they can't both be.  After a year of being a beta tester I am now a paying customer with cameras that still don't always record and even when in the cloud don't always get a notification.  If anyone thinks there are a lot of pissed customers on here go check out sites like pissed customer, 357 against Arlo and how many just cuss and don't get involved.  I like that James tries to help when he can but Arlo as a company has serious issues and aren't all on the same page.

[LandJS]

After my contact with Arlo support yesterday I received this e-mail today.

I understand the confusion with the subscription plans please use these links

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

https://kb.arlo.com/000062366/New-Arlo-Smart-subscription-plans-FAQ

https://kb.arlo.com/000062367/What-changed-in-the-Arlo-Smart-subscription-plans

I am going to close this case

Then there is a line that says follow up  and link update case so I filled it out and it says can't access this we are working on it.  Guess it's broke to.

I purchased this system believing it provided 4K live and 4K to local storage, I also purchased more than 5 cameras because the plan said up to 10 cameras.  I am willing to pay the extra two but I will get 4K live and to the SD or this is going to our AG office.  CASE NOT CLOSED

[LandJS]

JamesC  Got this e-mail straight from Arlo this morning leaving no doubt.

Update to your case #41420234

Hi Larry, Good day, I understand what you mean, that you should be getting 4K resolution on the camera since the camera is built to be in 4K.  However, in order for you to do that you would need to cancel current plan and change to the Elite plan as that will provide you with the 4K resolution on livr stream and local storage.  I do apologize for the inconvenience.

I repeat, bait and switch ripoff and beware everyone who is about to run out of their first free year. This is not what was advertised at purchase.

[JamesC]

LandJS,

I will take a look at your support  ticket. As mentioned above, the subscription you have should not impact your ability to live stream in 4K or receive local recordings in 4K.

We are aware of an issue where some users are seeing a 2K badge when they should be seeing a 4K badge but this is a bug. The development team is working on a fix for this issue.

Again, a specific subscription is NOT required to live stream or locally record in 4K. The subscription only affects what is stored within the cloud.

JamesC

[LandJS]

Thanks James for taking a look but as you can see everyone involved is telling me it's not a badge issue but the new plan change.

[LandJS]

and the silence remains,  it shouldn't take this long to confirm the policy.  Do all plans continue 4K live and 4K SD recordings or not ?

[JamesC]

LandJS,

I've already answered this above. I apologize for any miscommunication conveyed to you by the support team but as stated, the plan you subscribe to should not restrict your ability to stream 4K live or receive 4K local recordings. There is a bug resulting in the incorrect badge being shown that the development team is working to resolve.

JamesC

[LandJS]

I guess where the confusion was is that although you had given an answer a direct e-mail from Arlo contradicted your answer as did a support person.  Your last response was that you would look into it but that didn't answer which was right. I take it by today's reply that you have and the e-mail and support person were incorrect.  I am thankful for the help you give everyone but I also hope you can understand that a answer given on here and contradicted by support will always lead to confusion.  Thank you

[LandJS]

Sorry James but you are wrong.  To settle it I pulled my SD card and went through a month of videos.  Everything up to the time they turned off my plan forcing me to choose between 2K and 4K is in 4K.  Everything after that day is only 2K it's not a mislabeled badge it's a rip off.  People be warned when it nears time for your year to be up.  They didn't even give me a chance to keep what I had, they turned off my library with a link to choose between 2K and 4K.  If you don't pay for elite you lose 4K live and 4K to your SD.

[LandJS]

No I didn't get the answer I wanted because the answer was wrong.  I checked the SD videos which were all 4K before and have all been 2K since.  Arlo links also state this is the case.

[LandJS]

Well JamesC you shut down the last thread this came up in with the statement that I was wrong and it was a bug.  So I went back to Arlo support and they say you are wrong and I will not get 4K to my card without purchasing the elite plan.  They in fact said 2K is intended for the pro 3 and Ultra owners are expected to purchase the elite plan.

[rjmcinnes]

OT (now): Since I cannot finish our conversation on the other now closed thread...

All is exactly as you stated: I can capture 4K video to my SSD card, and 1080p to the cloud.

I can view 4K video directly from the USB card on my iPhone.

I can view 4K video on my iMac, by removing the card from the Arlo SmartHub and inserting it into the iMac.

Messy, but is works (let us hope the iPhone App will be transferable to macOS soon) 

My first year does not expire until July 2020, so I can just sit back and monitor what will transpire before then.

Like you, I expect to be able to continue to capture  4K video to my SSD, beyond July, as has been promised by Arlo since the day I purchased my system.

As a note of interest: I believe I prefer the zoom and track at 1080p to 4K video stream;  I have my cameras set to Full FOV 120, and and tracking does zoom into the edges and corners of the space without distortion.  Time will tell.

Thank you for helping me get to understand this fabulous security system; a very clever design which  essentially meets all of my requirements home security with three cameras.

Robert.

Model: Arlo SmartHub VMB5000r4, Firmware: 1.15.0.4_297_aa40f04

Cameras (3): Arlo Ultra 4K, Version H6, Firmware: 1.070.50.2_205_0c7c8e1

Subscription: Premium (expires July 2020)

Computer: iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014), macOS 10.15.4, 

Phone: iPhone 11 Pro, iOS 13.3.1.

[LandJS]

glad to hear it's working for you, it is a good system when working as it should and hoping to for 1.  allowing for all phones with full permissions to be able to access the SD and 2. for the computer to also have access.  It's a pain to have to jump between devices.  Not sure about Apple machines but once the free plan runs out and you go to pay 2K or 4K only the edge browser works on PC's.  Apple probably handles it fine, they are usually ahead on those type of things.

[HAlmeida31]

After my subscription to 2k, my arlo ultra no longer records in 4K on sd card and also does not stream 4K locally! The video quality has significant drop in quality!

[HAlmeida31]

After my subscription to 2k, my arlo ultra no longer records in 4K on sd card and also does not stream 4K locally! The video quality has significant drop in quality!

[LandJS]

yup they take your 4K away if you don't pay for elite, not something they advertised when most of us bought them, you should however still be able to live stream locally.  I'm on the 2K plan and mine says 4K when streaming at home.  Check that pan and zoom aren't turned on or you will not get it in 4K

[rjmcinnes]

LandJS,
I am curious, do you find 4K on USB gives you a better resolution than “zoom and track” on the same image on 2K.
Thanks Robert.

[HAlmeida31]

There is more detail on 4K videos I’ve notice than 2k specially when zooming to see license plates and face detail when I used the 2k can’t barely see license plates specially do to my cameras being very high up over 12 foot high...I have not yet tested if these videos are true 4K. But the zoom and track I never use it do to loss of details on video.

[HAlmeida31]

I did not know that. So what you’re telling me if we subscribe to 2k the local recording on sd card will not record on 4K anymore? And yes I did check pan and zoom they are off.

[LandJS]

that is correct if you take the 2K plan they take away your 4K to the SD card.  Support after going to the upper level told me it isn't possible to send 2 different resolutions, one to the cloud and another to SD.  This is of course BS since for a year they sent 1080 to the cloud and 4K to the SD.  It's about forcing you to pay for elite.  And yes there is a tremendous difference in 4K to the SD.  The only time I could ever read a license plate was 4K on SD, can't even do it 4K live.  On SD I could pause and zoom in on it.  Even then it was only to about 15 foot distance away.