Adding cameras to VMC4000 base station, how many and what kind?

[nscvfa]

We bought a 6-camera Arlo Pro 2 system a few years ago.  Base station is VMC4000.  We want to add 2 or 3 cameras.  Having trouble figuring out:

- Can we in fact add more cameras to this system?   The wifi connection is strong and high speed so that should not be an issue.

- What models of cameras can we add?  We don't want a subscription but we want to be able to have cloud recording, at least for 7 days.  Can we add "Arlo Essential Spotlight Camera" model VMC2230 and still record to cloud?

Thank you !

[StephenB]

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@nscvfa wrote:

Can we add "Arlo Essential Spotlight Camera" model VMC2230 and still record to cloud?

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Not without a subscription.  Only the legacy camera models have free 7-day cloud storage.  Arlo stopped offering it on new models back in 2018 (starting with the Ultra).

Also, if you add any camera to your existing account, then you will lose the free cloud storage on the Pro 2s.  Normally there was a 5-camera limit for the free storage, but the 6-camera bundle you purchased was an exception - in your case the ceiling is 6 unsubscribed cameras.

So if you want to avoid a subscription, you would need to 

1. add any additional cameras to a new account,
2. use friend access to share your current cameras with that account,
3. get a smarthub (VMB4540 or VMB5000) for the new cameras
4. use direct access to local storage with the new cameras.

There are quite a few limitations with direct access to local storage - among other things, if you want to see footage on a PC using my.arlo.com, or if you need friend access for the new cameras, then you would need a subscription. 

[nscvfa]

Thank you for the comprehensive answer!

If I may ask a bit more: If we did add a subscription, could we add cameras to the existing base station or would we need a different base station?

I really appreciate the help from this community forum.  Sorting out the nuances of subscriptions and limitations is difficult using just the published documentation.

[StephenB]

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@nscvfa wrote:

If I may ask a bit more: If we did add a subscription, could we add cameras to the existing base station or would we need a different base station?

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You could 

• add them to your existing base
• add them to a new base
• some cameras also can connect directly to your home wifi w/o a base.

One thing to keep in mind is that the base can only handle 5 simultaneous stream.  If you end up with more than that, then some recordings will be dropped.

Of course another thing to keep in mind is the range.  Connecting some cameras to a second base, or connecting them to a home wifi might give you better signal quality.