Arlo|Smart Home Security|Wireless HD Security Cameras
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Which camera should I upgrade to?

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kdflynn77
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Hello, been researching for a few days and it’s somewhat difficult to get a straight to the point answer. If anyone can provide that here it will be greatly appreciated. 

We have a pretty simple setup. we got 2 Arlo Essential cameras and the VMB4000r3 base station about 5 years ago I think. We’ve been having issues with some videos not recording properly and having a major issue with lag time between detection and actual recording. It has gotten pretty bad. So I’m figuring it’s just time to upgrade the cameras. 

We only use 2 cameras, one each in the front and back of the house. Both connected via WiFi. The hub is hardwired to my router. Max camera distance from the hub is about 50-60 ft and through a few walls. Haven’t had any connectivity issues, just seems the cameras are outdated. 

We haven’t had a subscription and have been satisfied with being able to view videos via the Arlo secure app for up to 7 days. 

My question’s now are as follows:

 

1) Which camera style do I need? Price isn’t an issue, but I can’t tell what’s best between the Ultra 2 and the Pro 5. 

2) Will my existing hub work just fine with new cameras, or should I upgrade that as well?

 

3) Is a subscription going to be needed in the future once the fee 7 day cloud storage ends? Or is the hub all that is needed for storage?

 

4) If a subscription will be required to store videos and view them on the app for any period of time, can that be bypassed with connected an ext hd?

 

5) If an ext hd is the only alternative to a paid subscription, can the saved videos still

be accessed via the Arlo app, or can they only be viewed via a computer?

 

I am wanting to keep my existing setup as close to what it is as possible, just simply wanting to upgrade the hardware.

Just need the ability to have the cameras connected via WiFi (and rechargeable like we currently have if possible), and the ability to have any videos stored and viewed. 

Any answers to my questions are greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time. 

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jguerdat
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I'm suggesting connecting the hub to the extender so the hub will provide optimal signal to all cameras. Of course, any access point (router or extender) can be used to connect a camera that supports that connection but the Ultra HAS to use the hub. Connect the hub to the extender after the extender has been configured to your network and all would be well. Move both the extender and hub to different locations as needed for that optimal connection.

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jguerdat
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You indicate the cameras being connected to WiFi but are trying to use your VMB4000 base for something. WIthout the cameras being connected to the base, the base is doing nothing on your account. If the cameras are using the base's dedicated WiFi rather than your home WiFi, that's totally different and the base has added functionality.

 

The video recording and lag time issues likely have to do with signal strength and/or quality. You may need to try repositioning the cameras and/or your base (or router, if the cameras are connected directly to that) to maximize the signal. Also, check for other wireless devices near any Arlo device that uses 2.4GHz which could be interfering with the cameras' connection. House construction and things on/in the walls can also cause issues. WHile it's a possibility that the cameras have issues, I doubt that newer ones would make much, if any, difference since the WiFi connection would still have to be worked out.

 

1) The difference between the Ultra 2 and Pro 5 is generally negligible unless you want 4k (Ultra) recordings vs. 2k (Pro 5). The Pro 5 would allow you to connect directly to your home WiFi while the Ultra 2 is said to be able to connect at greater distances (I don't have one so can't comment). If you go to https://www.arlo.com/en-us/cameras there's a Compare Cameras button at the top that may be useful.

 

2) The VMB4000 will work with the new cameras but if you might be considering using local recordings also the new SmartHubs are a better choice. Also, if buying an Ultra they will only connect to a base or hub so buying a system likely would be useful.

 

3) All of the cameras newer than the Pro 2 require a subscription for cloud recordings. As above, local recordings can be made using a thumb drive (VMB4540) or microSD card (VMB5000) and the app will be able to directly view them although with significant differences compared to cloud recordings. A subscription will allow the older cameras to still have cloud recordings - the free 7 day plan goes away.

 

5) Yes but I would recommend NOT using a hard drive - a 32-64 thumb drive/microSD card (some have used at least 256GB drives) stores an awful lot of videos and is easier to work with. Use of a SmartHub allows the app to view the local recordings directly with limitations.

 

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

 

Ask away for clarifications or with other questions.

kdflynn77
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Thank you very much for your response. I may have misspoke on how the cameras are connected. They are paired to the hub but I assumed they still used my home wifi to actually work. In the all they show paired with the hub, and the hub is hardwired to my router. 

I do have the option to switch to local storage in my app I just haven’t tried it yet. However, if a newer smart hub would be a better choice for local storage I wouldn’t be opposed to upgrading. 

I did do the compare option on the Arlo site and didn’t see much difference other than the resolution which doesn’t matter much to me. However the wind cancelling addition would be useful, and it also has the dual motion sensors while the 5 only has single. I couldn’t find anywhere what exactly the benefit in having dual sensors would be. Logically it would suggest to be better at detection motion but that still leaves the question on if it would begin recording quickly enough. 

It does seem that the camera that is closer to the hub and router does start recording sooner so you may be correct in that it’s a distance thing. The furthest camera is only about 50-60 ft away but has to go through 3-4 walls, with 2 being bricked. 

I am not able to move my router at this time. I did try an error mesh network setup once but it seemed to cause issues with my wife’s vpn connection for her work so we returned it. I had never messed with one before though so it’s possible I didn’t have it fully configured properly. WiFi connectivity throughout my house has been pretty solid without it and even outside up to about 100-125ft away, and have rarely had connectivity or buffering issues so I haven’t felt the need to look into a mesh setup again. But if it may help the cameras record quicker I would consider it again. 

I would appreciate clarification on the following:

 

The Ultra’s dual motion sensors

 

An upgraded smart hub

 

If the cameras work better (or how they even connect) being connected to an Arlo hub or connected to my WiFi

 

Mesh network suggestions and setup if that would improve the cameras connection and recording timing. 

Thanks much for your help. 

jguerdat
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Guru

@kdflynn77 wrote:

Thank you very much for your response. I may have misspoke on how the cameras are connected. They are paired to the hub but I assumed they still used my home wifi to actually work. In the all they show paired with the hub, and the hub is hardwired to my router. 

I do have the option to switch to local storage in my app I just haven’t tried it yet. However, if a newer smart hub would be a better choice for local storage I wouldn’t be opposed to upgrading.


The use of a SmartHub would be useful for local recording. Any of the older bases that support USB drives require ejecting the drive for viewing on a computer so the hub's ability to show them via the app would be much easier.

 


It does seem that the camera that is closer to the hub and router does start recording sooner so you may be correct in that it’s a distance thing. The furthest camera is only about 50-60 ft away but has to go through 3-4 walls, with 2 being bricked.

The brick walls do indeed add an issue. I'd tend to suggest a WiFi extender for your hub to connect to for optimal connection to all cameras, with this one needing the most work for placement. The Ultra 2 supports longer range so that could be a solution but no guarantees.

 


The Ultra’s dual motion sensors

I can't specifically answer this because I don't know the technical details. I suppose it's for covering the whole extremely wide angle view for the camera that a single PIR simply can't cover.

 


An upgraded smart hub

As above, the hub provides local recordings that are directly accessible via the app. The 4000 does not.

 


If the cameras work better (or how they even connect) being connected to an Arlo hub or connected to my WiFi

Arlo suggests a better connection and better battery life using a hub but remember that the Ultra only connects to a hub.

 


Mesh network suggestions and setup if that would improve the cameras connection and recording timing.

I don't have a mesh network - rather like you, I didn't have the best results when I tried. Might have been my fault for all I know. It's worth knowing that there have been sufficient posts here from folks trying to set up a system on a mesh network so you'd have to do some research here to see how to overcome the issue(s). Since you seem satisfied with your current router, I'd suggest making your own "mesh" via a WiFi extender - much cheaper and easier to work with.

kdflynn77
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Awesome, thank you bet much for all of your help. I think I will give the Ultra cameras and smart hub a go and see if I get improvement.

 

I do remember researching WiFi extenders before I attempted using the mesh network. 

 

So that will be my final question, as for including a WiFi extender to help the cameras - if I understand correctly an extender would only help if I planned on connecting the cameras directly to my WiFi, and not the hub itself, correct? Meaning it wouldn’t help with having the Ultra cameras since they MUST be connected to a hub. Did I understand that correctly?

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

I'm suggesting connecting the hub to the extender so the hub will provide optimal signal to all cameras. Of course, any access point (router or extender) can be used to connect a camera that supports that connection but the Ultra HAS to use the hub. Connect the hub to the extender after the extender has been configured to your network and all would be well. Move both the extender and hub to different locations as needed for that optimal connection.

kdflynn77
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Ah, I see now. I believe I definitely have a good plan to move forward in trying to upgrade my setup. Thanks again for all of your help!