Don't charge monthly fees for extra cameras

[supaflyz]

I bought the 4 camera system.  I finally know how to tweak the system to my liking.  This is exactly what I'm looking for in a surveillance system.  The sound wasn't really important to me.  I want to add more cameras.  The paying monthly fee for extra cameras is making me hesitant.  I'm find with the 1 gig and 7 days free.  I just want to add more cameras.  I have no use for extra storage.

[jguerdat]

Note that there's no storage space limitation anymore - just the time limit.  You can add more cameras by using another base and up to 5 cameras on that system, using a different email address for the master account.  You can then combine everything into one view by using the Grant Access capability in one system, using the same email as for the other system.  That way all cameras (up to 10 total unless you then add yet again another system) will show up.  A little putzing but should work fine.

[supaflyz]

I went ahead and bought 4 camera with the 2 arlo Q

[TomMac]

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supaflyz wrote:
I went ahead and bought 4 camera with the 2 arlo Q

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I saw a note on FBook that you can run all 6 under the free account... New change in plan ???

see below;

 Question on the bundle of 6...It states free up to 5 cameras. Is there an additional charge for the bundle of 4 wireless and 2 q's??

Arlo Smart Home Hi Ashlee,

Thanks for reaching out to us. Correct, after the cameras are set up, you will download the Arlo App and add each of the cameras to the account. The free basic account allows up to five supported cameras. However, those who wish to add add...

Like · Reply · 1 · May 30 at 6:30pm

Arlo Smart Home Hi Ashlee,

Just to follow up, after double checking the bundle packaging offer, you can actually view all six cameras without needing to upgrade your basic free account. Also you are required to download the free Arlo App prior to setting up the cameras. My apologies for any confusion.

Best regards,
Arlo Smart Home Team

[JamesC]

The 6 camera bundle (4 wire free and 2 Q) is a Best Buy specific bundle. This bundle allows the user to view up to 6 cameras on the Basic plan. For more information see here: Arlo HD Security System with 4 Arlo Wire-Free and 2 Arlo Q Cameras (VMK3500)

JamesC

[supaflyz]

Do you know how I could make it work though?  I'm able to sync all 6 of the cameras, but it woulnd't let me view one of them.  keeps flashing that I need to upgrade my subscription.  I called and no one could answer me.  They said that they have to go up to a person higher up to get back with me. 

[JamesC]

supaflyz,

Please private message me the case number you have open with the support team and I will investigate this issue further.

JamesC

[trickytcamgeek]

I now have 6 Arlo cameras and two base stations.   I bought 2 base stations with 3 cameras each. A base station plus three cams is as cheap as 3 cams on their own.  

I can now confirm itś not possible to run 6 cameras from just one base station. Only five of them showed up. However when I added the second base station I was able to get the sixth camera on the new station. However in order to see it I had to create a new account with a different email address and then grant permission for my old account to see the new account.   Although you can see all six cameras that way in a single view, you can only use the mode function  to program the cameras which are actually linked to the account of which you are logged in. You can not use mode to program the cameras of which you are a guest. 

 Make sure that you plug your base station into your modem-router and not into your Router-extender which is plugged into the modem-router.   In both cases when I plugged my base stations into the router-extender which is attached the modem-router. It worked for about 12 hours and then ceased to work so I advise plugging the base stations into your modem router, not the second router or wifi extender.

By the way it is very difficult to find shops selling these cameras in my country.  I could not find the sets of 4 cameras nor the base station with 4 or 5 cams.   I also can't get replacement batteries from the retailer who sold me the kit.  I can buy them on Amazon and eBay though.

Last point for Netgear:  get rid of the 5 camera limit per free account.  It will boost your sales.  People don't want to use two accounts to get their sixth camera.

[k000]

I just fell into this category also. Bought a 3 camera set from Sam's Club, and as it always happens sort of liked the setup and want to add 3 or 4 more cameras. But having to add one more base station is ridiculous and there is no way I am paying 9.99 a month for 6th camera.

Netgear, please do allow more cameras on free plan.

[jguerdat]

Just playing devil's advocate here:

Should it be limited at 6?  Or 7? Or 8, so purchasers of 4 packs can use all their cameras?

A stake has to be put in the ground someplace, whether it pleases everyone or not.

Just sayin'...

[k000]

Good point, I was thinking the same. Probably 10 is a good idea with week's recording. If you want extended recordings then pay

[TomMac]

You can always run two accounts for free... but if you want convenience, it costs sometimes

could easily break the # of cams up, like inside or outside

[k000]

Yeah.. I get that. I have a 3 set and 4 set. Like other people we are "suggesting" that Netgear think of convenience to use also for users. We already know the workaround.

My request and suggestion like OP still stays.

[MichaelRogers]

I understand that you cannot program the 6th camera on its own bay station as a guest (second email), but in addition to being able to view the live feed of this 6th camera as a guest, do the triggered recordings also show up in the log (in the main account) when viewed as a guest?

[jguerdat]

That's rather the point of the friend or guest account. As such you can at least view videos and you can enable admin privileges to be able to do more.

[MichaelRogers]

The convenience factor doesn't seem to be much of an issue at all once you get your mode pre-sets done and saved. From there, you can turn off, on, change modes, adjust schedules, etc. from a dummy friend login.

There's actually one advantage to having a dummy friend account in that you can have two different scheduling modes on cameras linked to two different base stations (and likely different locations). For example, one series of scheduled modes may be better for the cameras out front and a different schedule of modes may be better for the cameras out back. If the cameras were all on one account, you couldn't schedule different modes independently.

[k000]

Funny thing is I was talking to colleagues at work and they were talking abt options.. and someone else brought up this exact topic about Arlo 🙂 and two people at work got swayed to buy other cameras with their own local recording.

Arlo team - this could be very good and easy win for you; 

[Schorschi]

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MichaelRogers wrote:
There's actually one advantage to having a dummy friend account in that you can have two different scheduling modes on cameras linked to two different base stations (and likely different locations). For example, one series of scheduled modes may be better for the cameras out front and a different schedule of modes may be better for the cameras out back. If the cameras were all on one account, you couldn't schedule different modes independently.

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That a double-account system has more scheduling flexibility than a single-account system is incorrect.

There is nothing you can program with a double-account (double-base station) system that you can't also program with a single-account (single-base station) system, given the same number of cameras.

You may have to program more modes with the single-account (single-base station) system compared to a double-account system (when counting modes combined), but that's only a one-time setup. After that it's just a matter of selecting or scheduling the right mode at the right time -- with either system.

That you can serve two physically separate locations with two base stations (and can't with a single base station) is a given and the only valid point.

[MichaelRogers]

I now have 3 accounts (with 3 base stations) with 11 different cameras. At the time of my original post, I had 2 accounts with 3 base stations (as one account initially shared 2 base stations). The one account with 2 base stations did not give me the flexibility I expected because modes and schedules are created at the base station level rather than the account level. One camera on one station could not be integrated with another camera on a different station regardless of whether there is 1 or more accounts involved.

In my specific circumstance, I have three distinct zones (front, back/garage and 4th floor) where entry to my home is possible and all three have different time of day and days of the week needs. The three zones are not only geographically different, but massively different in terms of scheduling needs. In summary, trying to schedule all 11 cameras (in the three distinct zones with very different scheduling or ad hoc needs) would be a royal pain in the ass (assuming the wi-fi signal could reach). Unless you're Michael Bay or Steven Spielberg, I can't imagine why you'd want more than 5 cameras on a single base station anyway.

The difference between having 3 accounts and 3 base stations (free for theoretically up to 15 cameras) versus 1 account and 3 base stations (requiring a premium service plan) is really not all that different once you get your initial modes programmed (assuming you have multiple emails which I do).

I guess my point is that I don't see what there is to b**** about. And my wife's "friend account" who has been friended by all 3 of my accounts (giving her full admin privileges) looks exactly the same to her as it would if I friended her from a single account with 3 base stations.

I actually appreciate the economics that Arlo has to deal with. Beyond the initial one and done profit pop of selling the camera equipment, they need some sort of revenue source to keep the backend (what we don't see) functioning. If they don't get any premium users, they can only finance that service by selling more cameras (and/or charging more for them) which has a potentially unsustainable Ponzi structure to it. They've actually made it quite easy to circumvent the spirit of the structure (free up to five) by essentially giving you free unlimited camera servicing constrained only by the the number of email accounts you have X 5, and I appreciate that. They need at least a few suckers to get annoyed by the slightly more onerous process to keep it self-financing, and better someone else than me...

I learned early on Arlo sells 1 camera for $159 and they also sell 1 camera + 1 base station for $159. I ordered cameras in drips (and once knowingly didn't get the free base station because I didn't think I had a use for it). Now that I better understand how it works, never buy a camera or two or three without getting the package with the free base station even if you think you'll never need it.

[mipaaz]

Why ? We are buying their hardware ? Not using any of the high end functionality. I just want to efficiently use what I paid a lot of $ for !

[MichaelRogers]

Even the low end functionality is not free (for Arlo NETGEAR) even if they offer it free to the customer. They need to keep at least some minimum number of customers willing to pay for the premium service to subsidize those of us (me included) that free ride on the "low end" basic functionality plan. The more high end functionality they give away free, the fewer there will be to subsidize the backend service (e.g., servers, storage, app updates, etc). At some point, that means no free service for anyone and essentially you have a choice to pay Arlo a monthly fee for basic service (or to use the Arlo cameras as paperweights).

The Arlo camera is more of a platform than it is a hardware device as the camera delivers a video image to NETGEAR who then returns it to your phone or PC (via processing and storage on their infrastructure). They can't make the free (ongoing) version of the platform too perfect or ideal or they will screw themselves in the end (or have to charge a lot more for future cameras they sell and hope people keep buying more and more of them).

You pay for your smart phone once, but there is an ongoing service plan (through Verizon, AT&T, etc) that makes that piece of hardware function as a useful tool on an ongoing basis. Smart phones have high and low end service plans, but they generally do not give away even the most basic service plan for free. To my knowledge, most other competing security camera platforms don't either, so Arlo is unique that way. I understand that a free (ongoing service) cannot be perfect and Arlo would be stupid to try to make it so. They're toeing the line between giving away a free service plan to help them drive camera sales versus perhaps selling a cheaper camera that requires a monthly minimum service fee. They better have good margins on those camera sales and/or have a strategic plan to earn sufficient ongoing revenue from premium service plans to make that viable over the long-term. Such a "strategic plan" has to have an element of keeping the consumer willing to pay up for greater functionality.

[TexasGuy]

Bought the VMK 3500 and still not able to use my 6th camera. Help?

[JamesC]

TexasGuy,

The VMK3500 is a special kit that allows for the 6th camera to be viewed on the Basic plan when setting up a new account.

Did you already have an account at the time you added the VMK3500?

JamesC

[TexasGuy]

Sure did.. started off with just the Arlo with 5 wirefree cameras.
Your tech support team is having to delete my account so that I can reopen a "new" account with my same email address but it's taking a few days and doesn't seem necessary..but I'll continue to wait..