Can I record locally to my network and not use the Arlo Cloud services?

[ArloNewbie]

Will I have the ability to record videos to Dropbox, iCloud and/or my local storage device?

[jguerdat]

It's not a typo, it's just very old info that hasn't been updated since late 2015. I have well over 1GB in my basic plan.

[alligatorseyes]

With regard to the power going out / or been taken out - and cutting your camera's...

As i understand, there is a way around that - purchase  a computer "Uninterrupted power supply" and plug your internet router and your arlo base station into that (it then plugs into the wall socket)

depending on which model you get, when the power is cut, the UPS  provides an hour or more power to your devices (depends on the model you buy)  so at least the footage that occurs within that period makes it to the cloud, particularly when its the crims handy work.

🙂

[donttrustthem]

So glad I am reading this forum thread. I own a 2 camera Arlo wireless that I bought shortly after they were announced. The marketing then was (and still is) less than fothcoming - you need to read between the lines of marketing-speak to work out what the system won't and will do.  And there were no forums to learn the truth of the matter.  However, despite shortcomins, I have found the cameras useful in their own limited way while I am away from home. Not ideal, but not useless either - just very expensive for what they don't do.   

Found the Q Plus for 20% off and was actually pretty close to buying one because of the microSD card for local storage.  Then I remembered.... oh wait.... two years ago you thought USB would be for storage (if not immediately, certainly that must be the 'future use' they were hinting at back then) and I got that thought very very wrong.  So I went on a hunt for information, read reviews, read the Arlo web site, data sheets etc. It is hard to find anywhere that actually says "The microSD card can NOT be used for CVR and can NOT be used to record anything at all if your internet connection to Arlo cloud is working."  Instead the marketing mentions standard spin on convenience of local storage as backup for cloud access.

AHA.

So there is still no capability to store anything locally.  Probably no one records for 10 seconds only - you don't see enough of anything important in 10 seconds unless it is just a false alarm. And then to pay (by uploading using my precious expensive internet data allowance) to upload video to the cloud only to pay (by using my data again) to download same video again is incredible waste of bandwidth.

As with most companies who espouse the "cloud-based internet of things" while ignoring customer feedback, Netgear will survive until the younger generations realize they have sold their privacy with every aspect of their lives sifted by algorithms, their videos analyzed for clues and their cameras used in reverse, their daily routines exposed through geofencing, and all of it eventually shared with the most untrustworthy socially irresponsible corporations on the planet - and what did they give all that away for?  A 'free' email account or the ability to walk around their house and request music, or to be able to say Google turn on the light... all so they can be sold more junk more effectively.  Like lemmings... or is that pokemon go players??

Anyway, thanks, this forum reminded me about the shortcomings of the product line and also gave me the information I was looking for - the Q PLus microSD storage is not really "local storage" like most people reading the feature would think it would be. And I also learned there really appears to have been no movement on the part of the company to add any new features that their customers think are important.

A few weeks ago I upgraded my router and after owning 3 successive Netgear routers I chose another company due to lingering doubts over my Arlo expensive fiasco.  To think I thought buying a Q Plus might alleviate some of the Arlo system shortcomings and almost made that leap again.

I think I'll pass on that Q Plus purchase for now. Phew. That was a close one....

[hokeysmoke]

There seems to be some confusion here.  My Arlo Q Plus records all events on the microSD card without regard to the presense of the internet or not, and I presume it is functioning normally since at least one other member on the forum has reported the same thing.  You can tell when it is writing to the card when the icon for it turns orange (just like other functions that are in use at the time).  To be clear, It does not record CVR to the card, but it does record any triggered event for up to 300 seconds.  So Arlo does make a product with local storage.

[RonWan]

We just bought a Pro 2, 5 camera set. I am very dissapointed to see that I can not record in a local only mode. I have only a 3Mb DSL and do not like to add any additional internet traffic on it than is absolutely necessary. Also, I do not trust ANYTHING personal of mine to be in anybody elses cloud. From reading other folks questions, I think that a local only mode would be a great and often used option. I'd imagine that would void the cell phone use if this system is not connected to the internet but that would be just fine with me.

I'd have done a little more shopping if I had known of this omission. 

Thanks, Ron