Unable to access Library

[Bigtrev]

I have 3 pro 4s and a hub. 

Since my intro subscription ran out I intend on utilizing a USB as I initially intended. I have the USB set up and it shows that storage space IS being used up. If I access the USB on my CPU the information shows up but not in library when connected to my wifi. 

If anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears. I've spent about 8 hours on this problem solving and forum tralling with no avail. Help, I guess?

 

 

 

[chickenchick]

The problem is DEFINITELY NOT FIXED!!

A forum is for dissemination of info. Please post a solution here if you Arlo got one. This is what forums for.

[StephenB]

---

@chickenchick wrote:

The problem is DEFINITELY NOT FIXED!!

---

I gave you the only solution for contacting Arlo support, which is to select a subscribed camera in the support area of the app and then use phone or chat support.  

Note this is a user forum, and like almost all posters here, I do not work for Arlo. I'm not in any way responsible for the support experience.  And I don't have any secret knowledge about firmware bugs. 

FWIW, I don't think that direct access to local storage offers a very good user experience, even when it is working as designed.  I've explained the limitations many, many times here to folks who are considering using it instead of a subscription.  I personally think Arlo should improve it, but doubt that they ever will.  

In any event, the feature is working properly with my own cameras in the iOS app (though I am currently using only VMB5000 smarthubs).  That wasn't always the case in the past, but it is the case now.  Your problem appears to be intermittent (sometimes works, but usually not). 

Have you explored the network combinations on the phone?  For instance, does it work reliably when the phone is only connected to your home wifi (mobile data disabled)?  It might give some useful clues on what is going on with your setup.

Also, when you talk about "downloading a video on the list" after the error...  Are you accessing a video you previously downloaded?  That would still be on the phone (or in icloud) unless you manually deleted it.

[chickenchick]

I would have expected someone be picky on words. I don’t think I would be dumb enough to press on a downloaded video. It was the other videos on the list successfully downloaded even when I got the error message and the updated list isn’t loaded.

You really sound like a Pro and working for Arlo in any sense. It’s huge profit for Arlo selling subscription at an exponential and unreasonable price. When money comes into play, you know there would be a lot more strange things happening.

[StephenB]

---

@chickenchick wrote:

I would have expected someone be picky on words. I don’t think I would be dumb enough to press on a downloaded video. It was the other videos on the list successfully downloaded even when I got the error message and the updated list isn’t loaded.

---

I  can only go by what you say - and your wording wasn't clear enough for me to guess what you meant.

---

@chickenchick wrote:

You really sound like a Pro and working for Arlo in any sense. It’s huge profit for Arlo selling subscription at an exponential and unreasonable price. 

---

Like the other "gurus" I am an Arlo superuser.  But I don't work for them and I have no access to their internal information. As far as "huge profits" go, their public financial reports don't show that at all.  Maybe take a look at page 4 on the most recent 10Q here:

• https://investor.arlo.com/financials-and-filings/sec-filings/default.aspx

While I don't think the subscription price is unreasonable myself, I do think it would be better for all concerned if Arlo offered a good experience for local storage.  

[ShayneS]

@chickenchick Do you have the local network option enabled on your iPhone in the settings?

[chickenchick]

Surely I did open up local network function on my iPhone.

[StephenB]

---

@chickenchick wrote:

Surely I did open up local network function on my iPhone.

---

There are two aspects to this - one is making sure the iPhone is on your home wifi, the other is make sure that the Arlo app has permission to use both wifi and mobile data.

[coryv]

I just had a long thread with Arlo chat guy about my new Pro 4 not posting videos to Library.  I have a VMB4000r3 hub that works flawlessly with my old camera.

What the chat guy said was that, to the contrary of all the press on the Pro 4, you can only record videos from the Pro 4 to a USB stick, but not view them thru the app.  If you get a notification on your phone about motion detected, clicking on it will only give you the live camera feed, not what triggered the notification.

If you want to see the video with the motion, go home, remove the USB stick from the base station and plug it into your computer to view.  In other words, totally useless.

The Arlo way of making sure you invest in a new base station.

[chickenchick]

Indeed the local storage is useless.

chatting to the guru here who like to be picky on words only stops the conversation & the exploration of what’s wrong with Arlo. (I would highly suggest anyone here to IGNORE the Guru here!!)

some tech guy from Arlo asked me thru private message here on the forum for a log from the Arlo app 2 weeks ago to examine what’s going wrong, hopefully they will be able to solve the problem.

What I tried in the past 2 weeks, refreshing the list on local storage about 10-20 times, ignoring the error message by clicking OK, would render one successful loading of the list of locally recorded videos and I would be able to download video on the app thereafter (once the list is still there, I can still download other not yet download videos). That must be a bug from Arlo.

[StephenB]

---

@coryv wrote:

 I have a VMB4000r3 hub that works flawlessly with my old camera.

What the chat guy said was that, to the contrary of all the press on the Pro 4, you can only record videos from the Pro 4 to a USB stick, but not view them thru the app.  If you get a notification on your phone about motion detected, clicking on it will only give you the live camera feed, not what triggered the notification.

---

You got correct info.  That base doesn't support direct access to local storage.

---

The two smarthubs that support direct access to local storage are the VMB4540 and VMB5000.  

---

@coryv wrote:

The Arlo way of making sure you invest in a new base station.

---

FWIW, I think it's more about getting people to purchase subscriptions.  Even with the smarthub, the experience isn't great.

[StephenB]

---

@chickenchick wrote:

(I would highly suggest anyone here to IGNORE the Guru here!!)

---

Please don't throw rocks at other posters.  We are Arlo users, just like you are.  There's an ignore feature in the forum, use that instead if you want to.

I get that our conversation earlier didn't go that well.  But I can't give useful advice without knowing for sure what is going on.  The responses weren't intended to stop any conversations, the goal was to get clarity on the details of what was wrong.  I do hope that Arlo will be able to resolve your problem.

[coryv]

The thing is, when I bought my Pro 4 it was supposed to be compatible with the 4000 series hub,  It DID NOT say compatible if I subscribed to Arlo's paid service.  I think that is dishonest.

[jguerdat]

A subscription has nothing to do with being able to use your VMB4000 with your Pro 4.

As @StephenB mentioned above, "That base doesn't support direct access to local storage." That does NOT mean you need a subscription, rather it means you can't use the app to view local recordings like you can with the newer hubs that actually have hardware to support that access. Your base can still record but you have to eject the drive for viewing on a computer. That does not require anything other than understanding how the system has to work and how you access the videos.

[chickenchick]

I think I am able to explain what’s happening here with inaccessible HDD library… simply lack of hardware capability.

i formatted a new HDD with the hub… the HDD library works initially. A few hours later when more videos were recorded into the HDD, the HDD library doesn’t work any more.

and I tried over the day, the HDD library doesn’t work, until the turn of the day at midnight. When a new day comes, the HDD library works again with the few videos in the list, but in the morning, when more videos are recorded, no longer works.

it is apparent a lack of hub processing capability that causes the HDD library not loading.

this is serious as Arlo isn’t providing customers with a working hub when it comes to hardware capability problem.

i am urging all to try & see if it’s really a hardware problem. HDD video library works only when a few videos are stored

1. when a newly formatted HDD is used.

2. At midnight when few videos are recorded on a new day.

[StephenB]

---

@chickenchick wrote:

i am urging all to try & see if it’s really a hardware problem. HDD video library works only when a few videos are stored

---

I see hundreds of recordings on both my VMB5000s back to about September 15th.

[chickenchick]

I think I am able to explain what’s happening here with inaccessible HDD library… simply lack of hardware capability.

i formatted a new HDD with the hub… the HDD library works initially. A few hours later when more videos were recorded into the HDD, the HDD library doesn’t work any more.

and I tried over the day, the HDD library doesn’t work, until the turn of the day at midnight. When a new day comes, the HDD library works again with the few videos in the list, but in the morning, when more videos are recorded, no longer works.

it is apparent a lack of hub processing capability that causes the HDD library not loading.

this is serious as Arlo isn’t providing customers with a working hub when it comes to hardware capability problem.

i am urging all with VMC4540 & experiencing “unable to access local library” to try & see if it’s really a hardware problem. HDD video library works only when a few videos are stored with the conditions below

1. when a newly formatted HDD is used.

2. At midnight when few videos are recorded on a new day.

[jguerdat]

Is the HDD externally powered or are you powering from the USB port? I don't see any advantage in using a HDD in the first place since a thumb drive works perfectly and is tons cheaper and easier to manage.

[arlosup]

Have you tried deleting the app from the phone and reinstalling it? 

I’m on iOS and that’s what worked for me. Likely there is a network permission conflict when iOS or the app gets updated and it doesn’t auto resolve network permissions. 

[Maxx21]

It has been happening for months. I was on a chat with support today, but the stopped responding, 1/2 hour wasted. I have tried everything that I have seen except removing the base station and adding it back. I don’t really want to get out the ladders and add all the cameras back.

[CrashD]

All of these examples of poor customer service and lousy product development/product support are why Arlo stock is in the toilet.  This 'elite', highly-compensated management team is not worthy of those descriptions.

Try running a company that delivers a solid product first. 

[chickenchick]

Did the user manual explicitly say external HDD aren’t recommended?? Am I supposed to be an Arlo engineer exploring externally powered HDD should give higher chance to work??

bunch of gurus are not worth responding to… they really are employed to work here!!

[chickenchick]

New problem arises from a REAL USER…

cameras drop offline and off for no apparent reason. How would I solve it?? Shouldn’t be a stable connection be guaranteed for a product on the market??

GURUS, please don’t tell me to remove those not working cameras to re-pair it again… a mature product shouldn’t be that unreliable.

[chickenchick]

THOSE WHO ARE THINKING TO SWITCH TO Arlo, LIKE I DID, SHOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE.

THE SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. Bunch of gurus here are here to silence threads and try to cover.

[n2plus2]

I have the same problem and finally I decided to reinstall the app on my iPhone.  After that the problem was resolved.

[WillOGod]

Uninstalling then reinstalling the app worked for me this time. Have had ongoing issues with this, not expecting it to keep working long-term, but it's working for now and I can see video from the base station for the moment.