Pre-purchase questions related to Ultra

[mxm]

Hi,

I dug around and got plenty of information about Ultra, but I have some questions. 

I currently have the Arlo Q Plus that I'm upgrading.

Requirements: Live view, local recording (sd card/usb), NO cloud recording if I can help it, remote access to local recordings for playback, basic movement alerts when armed, compatible with SmarthThings.

I believe I have most of these checkboxes ticked, but could someone confirm the following:

1. Without cloud recording (i.e no subscription), does it still use internet bandwidth for anything when simply recording to the base station? I assume not since the cameras simply stream to the base station directly.

2. Is there any difference in the recordings if the camera is connected to AC power vs. when it is purely battery operated? Specifically, on battery, does the camera being the recording "too late" to miss the first few seconds of motion? I've heard of some cameras that record only motion to have a "look back" feature where it includes a few seconds before motion was detected in the recording for proper coverage. Obviously this means the camera is always recording those few seconds locally and probably implies it needs constant power.

3. I understand I don't need a subscription for live view and local recording. However, is a subscription required for getting motion alerts/emails/texts when the camera is armed?

Finally, would the answers change at all if I was asking about the Pro 3 instead?

Thank you.

[StephenB]

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@mxm wrote:

1. Without cloud recording (i.e no subscription), does it still use internet bandwidth for anything when simply recording to the base station? I assume not since the cameras simply stream to the base station directly.

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Recordings wouldn't be made to the cloud.  The base is still connected to the cloud though.  Later on, when they roll out direct access to the USB storage in the app, it is likely that the recordings will be streamed from the base to the cloud and then to the app or web client.  But they haven't said - that is just my best guess.

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@mxm wrote:

2. Is there any difference in the recordings if the camera is connected to AC power vs. when it is purely battery operated? 

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The ultra does have the 3 second "look back" when it is AC powered.  Also, it will can apply local activity zones.  On battery, there is no look back, and activity zones require a cloud subscription (because they are applied by the cloud).

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@mxm wrote:

3. I understand I don't need a subscription for live view and local recording. However, is a subscription required for getting motion alerts/emails/texts when the camera is armed?

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No subscription is required for the alerts (there are posts here from folks who have an Ultra w/o a subscription, and they are getting the notifications even though they have no recordings).

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@mxm wrote:

Finally, would the answers change at all if I was asking about the Pro 3 instead?

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No. 

Main differences in the Pro3 - The Pro 3 is 2K (not 4K), and runs only over 2.4 Ghz.  Max field of view is a bit smaller (160 degrees, not 180).  Activity zones are set up differently - it uses multiple rectangles, while the Ultra uses a polygon that lets you place the vertices.  The Pro 3 also doesn't have audio noise suppression on the microphone.  Not sure if you care about the siren - neither is very loud, but the Pro3 is a bit better than the Ultra.

The Pro-3 and Ultra use the same battery, cabling, and accessories.

[jguerdat]

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@mxm wrote:

1. Without cloud recording (i.e no subscription), does it still use internet bandwidth for anything when simply recording to the base station? I assume not since the cameras simply stream to the base station directly.

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These cameras all require an Internet connection to use. You can't change settings monitor recordings, etc. without that connection. Yes, it's said that an app update will allow access to the local recordings but that's not here yet and I don't know whether it somehow would still require a connection to the servers. Also, you can't record to only the local drive - that's just a backup for the cloud. You'd have to pull the Ethernet cable from the hub or use router settings to block Internet access.

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2. Is there any difference in the recordings if the camera is connected to AC power vs. when it is purely battery operated? Specifically, on battery, does the camera being the recording "too late" to miss the first few seconds of motion? I've heard of some cameras that record only motion to have a "look back" feature where it includes a few seconds before motion was detected in the recording for proper coverage. Obviously this means the camera is always recording those few seconds locally and probably implies it needs constant power.

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The cameras trigger on motion. AC power just allows it to constantly stream, hence the ability to get the 3 second lookback, sort of a limited CVR. AFAIK, that still requires an Internet connection to get that.

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3. I understand I don't need a subscription for live view and local recording. However, is a subscription required for getting motion alerts/emails/texts when the camera is armed?

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No but you do need that Internet connection. The issue seems to be that you only want local recordings, not in the cloud. That isn't possible short of disconnecting the base/hub from the Internet.

And, no, there's no difference between the Ultra or any other Arlo camera for any of these questions.

[StephenB]

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@jguerdat wrote:

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The issue seems to be that you only want local recordings, not in the cloud. That isn't possible short of disconnecting the base/hub from the Internet.

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To clarify - That's true today, but it won't be true once they roll out the direct access to USB/MicroSD storage in the app.  That was promised by the end of the year.

[jguerdat]

I don't know that will negate the cloud recording. Again, you'd have to set up the base and router to prevent access to the servers while allowing access to the local storage. Not the simplest thing to do (router settings) and would still prevent the ability to otherwise manipulate the system (changing modes, live view, etc.).

[StephenB]

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@jguerdat wrote:

I don't know that will negate the cloud recording. 

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Of course it's not out yet.  But the purpose of direct access is to provide a way of recording that doesn't need a paid subscription.   From Arlo's perspective the point of it is to avoid the cloud storage costs that they incur for free accounts.

The stored video will still be routed through their cloud when you view them remotely.  But I don't see them storing them.

[brh]

@mxm,

Neither the Ultra nor the Pro3 are currently compatible with Smartthings, and I am not sure if they ever will be.

Brian