New year, new cams - Good Bye and Good Riddance, Arlo. Maybe.
January 3, 2023 10:50 AM Subscribe
I have an Arlo base station and Arlo cameras. They're circa 2016 and Arlo has announced they will no longer support cloud-based storage for the recordings of older cams. Boo. (Don't get me started about Arlo). I'm deciding between purchasing an external drive for local storage, which my base station *supposedly* (hahahaha) handles, or ditching Arlo if there's a better alternative.
I use the cams for casual surveillance (one outdoors pointed at my front door), outdoor critter cam, and cat surveillance (Did Shadow eat Bear's breakfast again???). So, not serious security stuff, and not worth spending serious $$ on.
I like the way the Arlos work - cameras can plug into a/c power but are wireless to base station, I can watch the videos from a website, 7 day free cloud storage. Free short term cloud storage is a big plus, but local storage could work too I suppose, if it's easy.
The Arlo *says* it will work with any Fat32 formatted external USB drive, but it's not reading the one i just plugged in and honestly I have a low level of patience to mess with it. Also, Arlo may just declare my base station "obsolete" in a few months as well, trying to force me onto their newer platform, so the idea of putting more money into this system is distasteful.
Are there any simple systems I might consider as a replacement, or should I just try to get local storage working on my Arlo for now? All the online articles seem to be about trail cams with SD storage or security systems with emphasis on security features.
I use the cams for casual surveillance (one outdoors pointed at my front door), outdoor critter cam, and cat surveillance (Did Shadow eat Bear's breakfast again???). So, not serious security stuff, and not worth spending serious $$ on.
I like the way the Arlos work - cameras can plug into a/c power but are wireless to base station, I can watch the videos from a website, 7 day free cloud storage. Free short term cloud storage is a big plus, but local storage could work too I suppose, if it's easy.
The Arlo *says* it will work with any Fat32 formatted external USB drive, but it's not reading the one i just plugged in and honestly I have a low level of patience to mess with it. Also, Arlo may just declare my base station "obsolete" in a few months as well, trying to force me onto their newer platform, so the idea of putting more money into this system is distasteful.
Are there any simple systems I might consider as a replacement, or should I just try to get local storage working on my Arlo for now? All the online articles seem to be about trail cams with SD storage or security systems with emphasis on security features.
Best answer: I've got a couple dozen Wyze products, including their cameras, and vouch for them. I have both their wired v3 cams and their wireless Outdoor cameras (with a solar panel so I don't have to charge it).
There were some sensational pieces written mid year last year about how they could be hacked, but you either had to set your network in such a way that you were letting outside connections in or you had to let a device on to your network that could read data local to the cameras. Also, it's all been patched.
If you want to wait a little, they're teasing new cameras coming soon in their marketing emails. Whether that's a week from now or three months is a guess.
posted by deezil at 12:54 PM on January 3, 2023
There were some sensational pieces written mid year last year about how they could be hacked, but you either had to set your network in such a way that you were letting outside connections in or you had to let a device on to your network that could read data local to the cameras. Also, it's all been patched.
If you want to wait a little, they're teasing new cameras coming soon in their marketing emails. Whether that's a week from now or three months is a guess.
posted by deezil at 12:54 PM on January 3, 2023
Best answer: I have a Reolink with a small solar (never have had to take it down to charge it!) panel and there is a free tier for cloud storage. Once a month I have to follow the email link to renew it, but the space is generous. I too only use it for casual monitoring of the driveway so I know when someone comes to the (very rural) house.
They no longer make the camera I have, but this is the closest: Argus 3
posted by terrapin at 6:59 AM on January 4, 2023
They no longer make the camera I have, but this is the closest: Argus 3
posted by terrapin at 6:59 AM on January 4, 2023
Response by poster: Thanks all. I'll look into Wyze and Reolink.
posted by bluesky78987 at 5:10 PM on January 4, 2023
posted by bluesky78987 at 5:10 PM on January 4, 2023
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posted by emelenjr at 11:34 AM on January 3, 2023