Arlo 4030 camera EOL? Wtf?

[simonjf]

I have just received an email about the End Of Life policy. If this is actually what is going to happen then I need to follow up with all my friends and family, social media connections to advocate against Arlo, and search for an alternative company and service, likely starting my own online storage service for them with appropriate security cameras.

Additionally, contacts at Arlo seem to be designed to prevent actual communication - which has the stink of a company that hates its customers.

[JamesC]

New, updated information is now available regarding the EoL policy that is very relevant to much of the discussion taking place here in this community thread. These changes will allow Arlo legacy users who currently have 7-day storage service to continue receiving that service, uninterrupted.

I encourage you all to visit https://downloads.arlo.com/images/PDFs/EOL_Policy/arlo-end-of-life-policy-021023.pdf and read up on these changes.

Thank you,

JamesC

[JamesC]

Hello Arlo Community,

With the recently announced Arlo end-of-life policy, we understand many of you are seeking more clarity and a path forward after your device becomes end-of-life. In the coming days we will be reaching out to impacted users via email with special offers. Keep an eye out for those emails as they will contain more details about these offers and instructions on how to take advantage of them.

For those who may not have read this new policy or have questions about how this may impact you, I encourage you to take a look here: https://downloads.arlo.com/images/PDFs/EOL_Policy/arlo-end-of-life-policy-021023.pdf?cid=a&cid=a

If you've not received a discount offer via email, visit https://www.arlo.com/en-us/eol-offer-form.html and enter your email address, if your account is eligible you will then receive the discount offer via email.

Thank you,

JamesC

[Archier123]

In order for my Arlo camera system to work am I needing to purchase a subscription now? Is this something new or used to be able to get one week of service for free?

[StephenB]

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@Archier123 wrote:

In order for my Arlo camera system to work am I needing to purchase a subscription now? Is this something new or used to be able to get one week of service for free?

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If you have Arlo Pro cameras, then you should be getting free 7-day cloud service.

Can you confirm the camera model?  (newer models - Pro 3/Pro 4/Pro 5/Ultra/Essential -  don't come with this).

If the camera has a removable battery, you will find a label inside the housing (remove the battery after you open the housing).

[JD11111]

I have three Generation 3 (VMC3030) cameras, all working perfectly fine and have been this way for over 6 years. I recommend Arlo to anyone who has ears. I love them!

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 they will most likely cease to work as there will be no firmware updates and support.

I thought I might have received a discount to purchase new Arlo cameras as a sorry but nothing! Not even any contact details to speak about the email. I went into chat but my model camera has no availability to live chat unless I pay for a subscription. 
I can say that when my cameras stop recording on 1/4/23 I will be buying another brand wireless camera, as there are many more options on the market now then what there was 6+ years ago.

Thanks Arlo for the new years present and making completely fine and working cameras useless!

[MickyB3]

I’m in the same boat got 6 cameras with half of them bought in 2019 (4030 model) so only a few years old. The EOL letter stinks of greed especially the 7 day cloud cancellation unless you subscribe for additional cost. Very disappointed Arlo, loved your products but will be moving to another platform and recommending to all my IT friends to jump ship so they afford future dishonest practices. A real shame. Please also learn what or EOL means as it’s not money!!!!

[ccha243]

I have 3 camera, the third was bought in 2020 so not even 3 years old! 

I agree the email was very poorly written. Many ways to say the same thing but it went the most brutal way. 

Unclear what this will mean, paying for a subscription may not even work as cameras will not be updated... How ridiculous is this statement. 

Totally unacceptable from a supposedly reputable company, left customers hanging without any clear directions or plans. 

[-DLS-]

Totally agree, these camera's were not cheap to start off with in my country now this?, never again will I bother with this bunch...  Waste of a good setup I had going

[StephenB]

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@JD11111 wrote:

I can say that when my cameras stop recording on 1/4/23

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FWIW, the KB article says that 7-day cloud recording stops on 1 January 2024, not 1 April 2023.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000063018/Arlo-Legacy-Cameras-End-of-Life

If the KB article is correct, there is still quite a bit of time for Arlo to provide some options here (discounts, etc).  And maybe improve local storage???

[auf4ever]

If this is not an outright breach of contract then it's certainly a vile breach of faith = Arlo cannot be trusted; if we can't continue to see the videos via the cloud/internet function then the cameras instantly become useless = it would then be time to replace them with some alternative system with *guaranteed* permanent service. I intend to explore the 'refund on breach of contract = defective product' situation.

[jguerdat]

I recently received notifications that both Chrome and Edge won't be updated on my W7 home theater PC. Is there a global conspiracy going on here that old devices are being EOLed even though they're still working perfectly well?

Any device or software being considered end-of-life isn't new. It's just a matter of time before it happens. If you read the FAQ (https://kb.arlo.com/000063018/Arlo-Legacy-Cameras-End-of-Life) you can still use the devices and there are suggestions for (mostly) maintaining the status quo.

No, people, the sky is not falling...

[Sbne]

What a waste of money for all of the cameras I’ve been happily using without issue over the years.  This is a money grab to force us into subscription plans that we don’t need.   I feel bad because I’ve recommended these cameras to my family and now they’re gonna be screwed too.   Good bye Arlo.  Way to burn your bridges. 

[AshTray900]

I have had my cameras working flawlessly for years, I get this ridiculous email stating functions will stop working? Are you f’n serious! This was a 1000 camera system!

I get it no more firmware, fine, but what else does this mean??

am I still going to be able to use the Arlo app? I pay for 30 day storage and animal package detection etc, is this going to still work. What exactly are you trying to tell me will no longer work??

email was poorly written to explain the exact details. I will NOT buy a new camera system from Arlo just due to age, and their is no excuse to phase these out, outdated firmware would NOT stop the cameras from functioning so are you telling me your just going to drop the usability of my system? That’s totally unacceptable!

are you just telling me new features might be not available to me? Fine

if you are just tired of giving the system free 7 day storage, just state that, I pay for 30 day storage.

so what exactly is going on here? I need the app to be able to access my cameras, I would like to retain my 30 dollar PAID for storage, I want package detection etc, there is no reason to turn it off just because you think the cameras are “old”.

[RyanT82]

I agree. Requiring a subscription for new models because it is the industry modle is one thing, but to change for legacy products/customers that were promised free storage is scummy.  All under the guise of cybersecurity.  But don't worry if you pay them a monthly fee, then the issue goes away.  Lost a customer for life.

[Mark85]

Yup I agree. I loved (past tense) my ARLO Pro cameras and never felt the need to update because they worked so well, and having a rolling 7 day cloud storage for free was awesome… but I guess I’m not the perpetual customer that ARLO is interested in having.

[userpnw]

According to their policy on April 1 all Arlo Pro and Pro 2 products will no longer get firmware and will no longer be able to store video in the cloud. 

This is extremely not cool and a good reason for anyone using Arlo to never do business with them again.

[edawson23]

Hopefully room for a class action in this notice

[Anon123456]

Fully agree. I just got the email and I am pissed.

2 Bases, 12 cameras. 

Don't tell me that in order to keep using my product and get Clips in the cloud that I have to now subscribe to an additional service. Complete bull**bleep** and I am livid.

Fine if you want to tell me I won't get any support and there's no replacement or whatever, that's totally understandable. But don't tell me clips will not go up in the cloud because when I have to replace the system I will now NOT be looking at Arlo

[userpnw]

Do yourself a favor get Ring or another brand and avoid most Arlo issues and this BS EOL policy 

[userpnw]

It actually says your product may not even be able to use subscriptions too 

[pc2k17]

I agree 1,000,000 percent. WTF, are you kidding me. Happy New Year from Arlo, in order to keep using our service that you pay for, you need to spend another $1000. I have 4 Pro and 1 Pro 2 camera. (plus, I have the video doorbell and three Pro 4 cameras). I now have to replace 5 cameras.

End of life security and/or home automation equipment should be FREE or HIGHLY DISCOUNTED.

I have Arlo cameras, Reolink Cameras, SmartThings Home Automation, and SimpliSafe for my alarm company. So far Reolink and SimpliSafe both have had end of life products and both companies replaced the equipment for FREE!

In fact, SimpliSafe not only replaced all my equipment, but they also let me get a water leak sensor, Temp sensor, and a Wifi lock all for FREE.

We need answers on this.... it appears to be a money grab!

What functions are we losing?

Will we have to pay full price to upgrade the EOL cameras?

[Doug_Phoenix]

Hi there!

I just received the message below from Arlo indicating that Pro camera support will reach end-of-life on April 01, 2023. This includes the 7-day free cloud storage. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I'm flipping angry! I paid a pretty-penny mid-2019 for a mid-resolution system in order to receive free cloud-based storage, away from Google and Amazon's prying eyes. If Arlo goes through with this, I'm never buying anything from them again, and I'll recommend the same to friends, family, and colleagues.

I had expected the system to work as advertised for 5-10 years. Under four years is unacceptable.

Email text:

Hi XXXX,

As part of Arlo’s commitment to delivering high performance products and to protect our customers’ privacy and data, we continually review the ability of our products and services to meet the ever-evolving technology and cybersecurity standards of the market. Based on this analysis, we determine when our products and services need to be updated or retired and moved into their end of life (EOL) stage.

Starting January 1, 2023, Arlo is implementing an EOL policy for its products and services, with the Generation 3 (VMC3030) and Pro (VMC4030) cameras being affected on April 1, 2023. These cameras were released in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The EOL of the Generation 3 (VMC3030) and Pro (VMC4030) cameras means that certain features of, and support for, these cameras will become unavailable, including 7-day cloud storage, firmware updates, and email notifications. To find your product model number go to the Arlo Secure App > Settings > Support Center > click on your specific camera and then scroll down to the details section to view the product model number.

These cameras may continue to be operated after April 1, 2023 by all existing Arlo owners to live stream video, receive motion notifications, and store video clips locally with a compatible Arlo base station. These cameras also can utilize Arlo’s new cloud storage, which is available with the Arlo Secure subscription service, though the EOL’d cameras themselves may lose some functionality over time, as they will not be provided with further firmware upgrades.

More information on Arlo’s EOL policy can be found here.

Thank you for being part of the Arlo community.

-The Arlo Team

[snovak870]

Arlo realizes that no one buys their product any more because they removed the 7 day cloud storage so their new business plan is make the existing happy customers pay subscription based monitoring.  Arlo WAS a great system and product but now more.   Someone said you can still use the cameras but what good are the cameras if you can't see what was recorded.  The system is not fast enough to review live.  Arlo could have reduced to 1 or 2 day cloud storage but this is not acceptable.  If you have recommended Arlo to others in the past make them aware to look for a different  system.

[fredq2]

2 bases and I just bought Arlo pro V2s (limited to 1 per base) so very unhappy with this policy change. Seems like EOL is an excuse to sunset the free 7 day cloud storage.

Friend of mine just switched to Wyze - cheaper and better video quality. May have to do the same.

e-mail below: 

As part of Arlo’s commitment to delivering high performance products and to protect our customers’ privacy and data, we continually review the ability of our products and services to meet the ever-evolving technology and cybersecurity standards of the market. Based on this analysis, we determine when our products and services need to be updated or retired and moved into their end of life (EOL) stage.

Starting January 1, 2023, Arlo is implementing an EOL policy for its products and services, with the Generation 3 (VMC3030) and Pro (VMC4030) cameras being affected on April 1, 2023. These cameras were released in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The EOL of the Generation 3 (VMC3030) and Pro (VMC4030) cameras means that certain features of, and support for, these cameras will become unavailable, including 7-day cloud storage, firmware updates, and email notifications. To find your product model number go to the Arlo Secure App > Settings > Support Center > click on your specific camera and then scroll down to the details section to view the product model number.

These cameras may continue to be operated after April 1, 2023 by all existing Arlo owners to live stream video, receive motion notifications, and store video clips locally with a compatible Arlo base station. These cameras also can utilize Arlo’s new cloud storage, which is available with the Arlo Secure subscription service, though the EOL’d cameras themselves may lose some functionality over time, as they will not be provided with further firmware upgrades.

More information on Arlo’s EOL policy can be found here.

Thank you for being part of the Arlo community.

-The Arlo Team

[Rduffus67]

I agree with all of these comments that was the main reason I went with Arlo in the first place because they said free 7 day storage! So they are in breach of contract don’t think I’ll be doing business with them after April 

[Ben58]

I have had two generations of the Arlo camera system; the first being when Arlo first came out.  I updated a few years ago to the pro version to eliminate the need to buy CR123 batteries all the time.  While new systems have come out to compete with the Arlo, i have stayed loyal - replacing a bad camera when it went bad, but never looking to replace the system with another brand.  But if Arlo now thinks I am going to buy their new, expensive version just to stay loyal with they, they are nuts.  I understand the EOL need, but that should only include no more support/firmware updates; NOT to eliminate features we rely on like cloud storage. Come April, I will be a new blink camera system owner.  Poor form Arlo!