EOL email and is base upgrade possible?

[Jeeplover]

I have three Generation 3 (VMC3030) cameras, all working perfectly fine. I received an email this morning from Arlo stating that they now have an End Of Life Policy on Generation 3 (VMC3030) model cameras and will no longer provide free 7 day cloud storage, any firmware updates and and email notifications as of 1/4/23. And that I can continue to use them with a subscription but only for live viewing and movement detection and notification. I never really use them for this purpose, rather I review the recordings every day or so. I just logged on here to mention the same thing as some others and to pose a question:

Is it possible to upgrade the (currently working fine) base station without local storage, to a newer one with local storage so I can keep the rest of my system intact?

I have looked into the newest Eufy camera systems and they do provide local storage in the base station using a laptop battery. I will likely go in this direction if I don't get an answer in regards to my question. Would be great if someone from Arlo were actually moderating this forum and release a statement

Thanks everyone!!

[Jeeplover]

Sorry folks, I meant Laptop hard drive, not battery. 

[Jeeplover]

I figured I'd add this here too. I hope this might help someone. Looks like this base station could work with our older systems and it has local storage available via a USB A connection. The base station appears to be available at Amazon for $110. It's an option for those of you that want to stick with Arlo due to a large system investment. You would just have to continue to deal with Arlo and their questionable ethics and lack of customer service.

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@Jeeplover wrote:

Is it possible to upgrade the (currently working fine) base station without local storage, to a newer one with local storage so I can keep the rest of my system intact?

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Yes, VMB4xxx and VMB5xxx bases support all cameras and have local storage.  However, only the VMB4540 and VMB5000 support the direct access to local storage.  The others require you to remove the storage from the base and connect it to a PC for viewing.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062337/What-is-Direct-Storage-Access-and-how-do-I-use-it

Direct access to local storage isn't a great user experience, and is only available in the app to the primary user.

[Jeeplover]

Thank you so much!

I hope this information can help someone.

For me, I believe I am done with Arlo and will find another system.

Again, as opposed to Arlo support, the Arlo community is amazing, thank you!