Essential Outdoor 2nd Gen camera stopped recording video when 30-day free Arlo Secure Plan ended

[Kinzi]

1 month ago today (4/20/24), we purchased an Arlo Essential Outdoor 2nd Gen camera to replace our older Arlo camera.  The camera worked very well and gave us a notification on our cell phones and iPads when someone was recorded as well as a 30-second video recording. We setup the free one month Arlo Secure Plan to only give us notifications on our iPhones and iPads and a 30-second video but we did not activate anything else (light, alarm, etc.) because we did not want those services and we decided that we were not going to keep the Secure Plan once the free 30-day trail ended.  We received emails from Arlo telling us our one-month free subscription was expiring on 4/20.  This morning (4/20), the camera was working as usual until around 10 am when Arlo must have pulled the plug on the trial Arlo Secure Plan.  Now all we get are 3-5 quick notifications on our phones when someone activates the camera (instead of one like it used to do while the plan was in place) and we no longer receive any video as we used to.  We have checked our settings but everything seems to be in order.  QUESTION:  WHEN ARLO ENDED/DISCONNECTED THE FREE ARLO SECURE THIS MORNING, DID THAT CAUSE OUR CAMERA TO NO LONGER DISPLAY VIDEO IMAGES WHEN SOMEONE ACTIVATES THE CAMERA?  DO WE NEED TO REINSTALL THE CAMERA TO GET THE VIDEO RECORDING TO WORK AGAIN?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@Kinzi wrote:

 QUESTION:  WHEN ARLO ENDED/DISCONNECTED THE FREE ARLO SECURE THIS MORNING, DID THAT CAUSE OUR CAMERA TO NO LONGER DISPLAY VIDEO IMAGES WHEN SOMEONE ACTIVATES THE CAMERA?  DO WE NEED TO REINSTALL THE CAMERA TO GET THE VIDEO RECORDING TO WORK AGAIN?  

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You need to subscribe to get video recording to work.

You also lose thumbnails when the cameras trigger on motion.

But you can livestream the camera when you receive the notification.

[M1m2m3m4m5]

Greedy corporations like yourself putting a fee on using this after we already paid to buy these. How disgusting. 

[1s2RnweR]

This fact you get no video recordings after 30 days unless you have an Arlo subscription should have been advertised/stated  with the product... Possible class action suit? 

[jguerdat]

Where have you been since 2018 when the Ultras were first put on sale with the need for a subscription? It's on the box, it's here in all the documentation, etc., etc.

[MrEdward]

Live steam is worthless.  The Arlo box does NOT state a subscription is REQUIRED.  Costco will take the product back up to 90 days.  

[MrEdward]

Live steam is worthless.  The Arlo box does NOT state a subscription is REQUIRED.  Costco will take the product back up to 90 days. Subscription fee is too expensive!  When the time comes, the subscription fee does not capture the thief.  

[MrEdward]

Live steam is worthless.  The Arlo box does NOT state a subscription is REQUIRED.  Costco will take the product back up to 90 days. 

[MrEdward]

It is NOT on the Arlo box that I'm holding in my hand for the Essential Outdoor Camera.  Costco will take the product back up to 90 days of purchase.  

[StephenB]

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@MrEdward wrote:

It is NOT on the Arlo box that I'm holding in my hand for the Essential Outdoor Camera.  Costco will take the product back up to 90 days of purchase.  

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FWIW, mine says "Arlo Secure service, including cloud recording, requires paid subscription after trial period.  Arlo Secure service not available in certain countries."

The picture below is from the 2nd gen essential box, but same text is on the 1st gen box. On my first gen box, it is actually listed twice - once on the side panel that says "Protect and connect from anywhere", and again on the opposite panel that says "Peace of mind in the palm of your hand."

Packaging might have changed over time - and I've never gotten a camera from Costco. But every Arlo box I've seen for a camera that requires a subscription has similar text somewhere on the box.  Unfortunately the text is usually quite small.

[MrEdward]

I looked at the new Arlo box again.  NO notice of the required subscription on the FRONT side.  I then looked at the BACK side with more of the product photos and NO subscription notices.  I looked at the small side describing how to control the Arlo tools, without NO subscription requirements.  Then I looked at the 4th side of the box and IN SIZE 4 FONT, (requiring a magnifying glass), I now see the subscription notice on the far bottom.  I stand corrected, (photo attached).

I asked the technical crew at Costco and they too look for the required notice and did not find it.  They did say, keep the box and they will return the cameras up to 90 days!  Good for them!

After being an Arlo customer for over 10 years, they do save recordings on the cloud for a week or so WITHOUT a subscription fee with the old cameras. 

I have a Netvue bird camera system with an excellent camera that records sharp video without a subscription fee.  A few more of those cameras with solar panels will work just fine.