Arlo Pro 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

[ArloWontCharge]

I just posted my one star review at Amazon.

[Doug_Phoenix]

Hi @pc2k17 

I'm glad you enjoy your paid subscription service. We've always had subscription options.

In my case, as with many others here, I purchased Arlo specifically for the free video storage/retrieval and app access. As I just posted, Arlo advertised that this "never expires." So, I hope you can understand that many of us feel deceived and cheated.

There is no reasonable action any of us could take to interfere with your enjoyment of your system/service. Most companies of this scale have funds allocated for legal fees etc., and if there is a loss due to settlement, it will hit GAAP earnings but probably not EBITDA. In other words, the company will probably not suffer too much from suits. As for boycotts, I don't see how that will impact you. Any impact to Arlo's bottom line would be long-term.

Be assured that most of us will not be assuaged by your arguments.

Best wishes to you. 

[AshTray900]

The sad part of all this mess is that they have ensured all originally happy customers of their legacy products will never buy from them again with one **bleep**ty New Year’s Day email. That and anyone who reads this here, companies that may no longer wish to carry their products etc, backlash is a **bleep**.

before this I would have gladly replaced any one of my 5 old ass cameras with a brand new one when failure was imminent.

now the arlo system will be phased out as each device dies.

I have paid for the service for 3 of the 6 years I have owned it so I am basically unaffected by the policy change, however how they feel about their customers means a lot anyway.

exactly how long did they think 6-8 year old cameras at this time to last anyway (at least that’s when I got mine I’m not sure when stores finally stopped selling those models).

attrition would have wiped out all of the free accounts as base stations aged and cameras failed, good replacement rechargeable batteries got harder to find etc. electronics don’t last forever, and the fact that many of theirs were still going should have been something to be proud of rather than seen as a loss of income due to free subscriptions.

bottom line is I will probably at some point just foot the bill for a new security system to replace the door and motion system that monitored with 90’s era tech with a new company that will take responsibility for all security devices in my home, hard wire them so I don’t have to charge etc and be done with it, one breaks they replace it. My security company swooped by and installed a new door sensor within a day or two last year when it kept going off for no reason. No hassle to me.

[StephenB]

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@dimochik wrote:

 a $9.99 a month per camera subscription plan

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$9.99 per month is the cost for unlimited cameras (Arlo Secure US pricing) - so not per camera.

[StephenB]

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@Jharm wrote:

At the very least, Netgear should...

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Nothing to do with Netgear - they divested Arlo back in 2018.

[MichaelRo]

I’d disagree a bit.    Giving me $20 bucks or 20% off coupon just so I can buy MORE products from them and start paying for a subscription isn’t acceptable.  

I ALREADY paid for the higher prices cameras and I ALREADY paid for 7d cloud storage.  If they want to refund all the money I spent, that’s fine.  But this was their business model and they advertised on it.  They cannot change now unless they declare bankruptcy. 

[Kevinintx]

Thanks for the link to the product and I reported it as having incorrect information.

[dimochik]

@StephenB , unfortunately I am not able to attach a screenshot of my arlo portal, but this only plan that's available to me on my portal is this:

CVR Plan

Never miss a moment - Record 24/7 non-stop to the cloud by adding a continuous video recording plan. Starting from $9.99/mo per camera.

[StephenB]

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@parker2 wrote:

I can still find them for sale on Amazon today.  WTF?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LR8PG6Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

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Always important to check the actual seller on Amazon.  In this case, it is NOT Arlo (despite the "Visit the Arlo Store" link in the item).

Arlo has no control over third-party sellers of used equipment.

[toddd3d]

Let's call this what it is, an attempt at a cash grab. These cameras should have a long life, no real moving parts, and they seem to be built to sustain exposure to the weather. How does a company in good faith try to implement a policy that renders perfectly useable products useless, and attempts to create an environment where you either "pay up" or get out. In the NUMEROUS threads already created the sentiment is the same, and I hope Arlo either change their decision, OR give existing users some way to continue on with the cameras and more importantly the cloud storage. If that isn't going to happen, how about opening up the cameras so that individuals or the community at large can either connect to their own personal computers/ servers or develop a workaround. Has Arlo responded to any of these threads, or are they just going to remain silent further damaging the way their customers view them? Come on Arlo, step up and engage your community, or is it easier to hide behind an email and inaccessible support? I am going to spread the word to all of my friends and family on social media on how this is going down.

[sscotsman]

So here is a question I cant find the answer to:

This End of life notice appears to only mention the camera models, not the base station..

So, Is it possible to buy a new model of Arlo camera, and then have the new camera still work with the 7-day storage with no paid subscription? same as before? 

[StephenB]

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@dimochik wrote:

CVR Plan

Never miss a moment - Record 24/7 non-stop to the cloud by adding a continuous video recording plan. Starting from $9.99/mo per camera.

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I don't know why are you aren't seeing Arlo Secure as an option.  Arlo Secure is the subscription most similar to the 7-day free store.  That provides 30 days of storage, among other features.  Details (including pricing) are here:

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

CVR requires AC power to the cameras, and IMO the user experience isn't that great.  Navigation of the video is awkward and tedious (at least the last time I tried it), and there is no ability to download segments of the video.  In any event, it's not the subscription that most people using the free 7-day storage would want.

[Doug_Phoenix]

@AshTray900 

Bingo! I think you have things exactly right. 

[Debilorraine]

I am also very upset by this decision. I just purchased my cameras in 2019 and was also thinking of adding on, but this decision has me thinking of switching gears and looking to utilize another brand. 

[AshTray900]

I think the answer is no, the 7 day free plan will be gone by April.

the systems will work fine if you subscribe. If you don’t your system will internally work but will not have much access to the outside world, like you might get an email saying motion detected or battery low but you will have very limited use of the app.

camera system will record to usb until it’s dead.

not an arlo employee but this is my interpretation. Either get the plan or ditch the cameras are your options basically. If you keep the current setup without the plan you will have a system where police can pull your stick to see if they can determine who robbed you, or solve your murder lol but then it’s too late.

I bet you will be able to get stats from the app like battery Heath and notifications but after apr 1st you won’t be able to watch a video from the app at all without the new plan.

cameras didn’t go eol the free plan did, even if it was a selling point included in camera cost.

someone look it up, I wonder if all the cameras they claim are eol are exactly the same ones with that free option. Bet so, I bet nobody that bought one after they stopped offering it got an email about eol

[pc2k17]

My guess is the writing on the outside of a box is not a binding agreement. What you agreed to in order to use the service is binding. I had the free 7 days for 5 years and I knew one day they would get rid of it. It's just the nature of the security and/or computer electronics business.

The car warranty comments.... when you buy your car you sign an agreement, the manufacturer can't change that agreement (usually). In this case the writing on a box isn't a binding agreement. By using the service, you agree to certain things, one is probably that they can change whatever they want.

And comments aren't arguments, there comments based in fact. If you destroy the company (which I doubt that will happen) then the rest of us lose the service because whoever is mad. That is exactly the thinking that is tearing this country apart.

Look I agree, I thought it was BS when they started the subscription service in the first place, but it was clear then and now that Arlo wants to be a monthly subscription-based security company, not a hardware-based camera company. And all security companies, adt, simplisafe, etc, have monthly subscription plans. I don't fault a company for wanting to make more money, it's what they're supposed to do.

A better email, better communication, better plan to implement this certainly would have helped.

[dimochik]

@StephenB , I take it back, there is an Arlo secure at 9.99 per month for unlimited cameras. 

Nevertheless, all of my points still stay. Quality is inferior. Cameras miss events. Very unfortunate that Arlo did not honor grandfathered customers. This is a bad precedent for someone to continue to trust the service. 

[StephenB]

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@sscotsman wrote:

So, Is it possible to buy a new model of Arlo camera, and then have the new camera still work with the 7-day storage with no paid subscription? same as before? 

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No.  The free storage was always linked to the camera model, not the base model.  You could pair a legacy camera with any base, and still get the 7-day free storage. 

And if you have a VMB3xxx base, it's not compatible with any of the new cameras anyway.  A VMB4000 is compatible,  but if you pair a new camera model with it, you would find you need a subscription for cloud storage.

[dfrohmader3]

Like others, I purchased ARLO in part due to the 7 day cloud storage. Now I can still get the storage for a fee so where does "end of life" fit into that? Certainly understand not supporting software upgrades as that has happened too many times on my laptop. But am open to other thoughts and ideas on how to proceed. 

[ExArloUser69]

Thoroughly disappointed in Arlo for this, but I do recognize that Arlo Pro 2 and earlier users do not generate revenue for Arlo and in fact, are a revenue and resource drain. It is sad that the longtime customers who helped build Arlo into what it is today, are unceremoniously being shown the door because we are no longer cost effective in the new subscription paradigm. 

I will continue to use my cameras with local storage until I tire of the inconvenience and will then replace the whole system with cameras from another vendor entirely. That is my right as a consumer - to choose which companies receive my money and I'm not going to support a company that makes no attempt to support me. Adios, Arlo.

[Sbne]

It's the loss of cloud recording, which led to my purchases, that is making my units worthless.  Local storage not an option on my base unit.  Suggestions?  Let me have em.

[StephenB]

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@dimochik wrote:

@StephenB , I take it back, there is an Arlo secure at 9.99 per month for unlimited cameras. 

Nevertheless, all of my points still stay. 

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My own cameras aren't going EOL and I do have a subscription.  So I have no horse in this race, and am not going to chime in with my opinion about the EOL decision itself.  Or challenge peoples' opinions and experience with Arlo.

But I am answering some questions on paths forward, and doing what I can to make sure the information people share is accurate.  

[Sbne]

And I'm not paying for a subscription.  Shouldn't have to.  Service was included in my original purchases

[StupidArloUser]

Well, I just received the same e-mail regarding EOL on my Arlo Pro cameras. I just ordered an additional one through Amazon, going back when it arrives. This is a money grab. The only thing that this will enhance is Arlo's bottom line. This is a huge dis-service to all of your customers.  I am done with YOU!

[cbrauckmiller]

Ahhh...shows how much I pay attention.  Seems like the divestiture was pretty seamless 🙂

Thanks!