Local Storage
Follow the steps if your problem concerns the Local storage feature:
1. Local storage configuration
If you want to use the local storage feature to save your videos locally, you need to have one of the following base stations/SmartHubs: VMB4000, VMB4500, VMB4540, VMB5000 and a USB device or a microSD card (microSD card supported only on VMB5000 SmartHub). You don’t need any service plan to take advantage of this option. You can set it up via our Arlo Secure app or on https://my.arlo.com/.
Note that if you connect a USB device/microSD card, your camera will record both on the Cloud and on the USB device. If your Internet connection goes down, the camera continues to record locally.
Helpful articles: How do I set up local storage backups using my Arlo Base Station or SmartHub?
How do I view videos saved on local storage?
Arlo SmartHub and Base Station Compatibility
2. Storage device compatibility
The storage devices must use the FAT32 file system, which supports a maximum of 2 TB of storage space and it needs at least 16GB of available space. You have to use a USB flash drive type A, 2.0 or the following SD card types: microSD, micro SDHC, microSDXC, up to class 10 UHS-3 V90. You can check this technical information by connecting your device to a computer.
3. Unable to see recordings on USB/SD card
If there are no recordings on your storage device connected to the base station/SmartHub, please check if you’re using the “Armed” mode (or a custom mode with the “Record Video” option enabled) and what is the status of your external device in the App (gray, black, or amber). Ensure that you’re using a compatible device and that you’ve enabled the local storage option.
Please note that only automatically triggered recordings are saved locally. Manual recordings or snapshots are only saved to the cloud.
Helpful articles: Why am I unable to access my Arlo recordings in Local Storage?
How do I enable or disable local storage for my Arlo SmartHub or Base Station?
If the problem persists, go to step four.
4. No video recorded on the USB/SD card
If you have already performed all the troubleshooting steps from step three, then please format your local storage device. You can do this on your computer or through the Arlo Secure App. Remember that formatting the device will erase all data. Do not remove the USB device or microSD card while it is formatting.
Helpful articles: How do I format local storage using my Arlo SmartHub, Base Station or Camera?
5. Recording videos locally in 4K or 2K
The Arlo Ultra/Ultra 2 system lets you record 4K videos even locally. To do so, please check the following camera’s settings: select “Best Video” in the Power Management, disable AutoZoom and Tracking, and ensure that your camera is not zoomed in under Video Settings. Check also the SmartHub settings: go to Storage Settings and enable “Record in Maximum Resolution”.
Helpful articles: How do I record 4K videos to a local storage device?
6. Recorded videos disappeared
If your video disappeared, and you didn’t delete it manually, check the local storage settings to be sure that the "Automatic Overwrite" (under VMB4000 in the web)/”Overwrite Automatically” (under SmartHub and in the mobile app) option is turned off. When “Overwrite automatically” is disabled, the application will notify you if your device is low on storage space or is already full. If this option is selected, the oldest recordings will be automatically deleted when available storage on the device is below 20%. It won’t be possible to recover those videos.
7. Can’t see the recordings through the Arlo app
You can see the recordings stored on the local device only by connecting it to a PC. If you have a VMB4540 or VMB5000 SmartHub and you want to access the footage stored locally via the Arlo Secure app, you can do this thanks to the Direct Storage Access feature. If you want to securely access your recordings from outside the home network with the Direct Storage Access feature, we recommend configuring a VPN or Port Forwarding on your router. Please contact your Internet provider or router manufacturer for configuration details if you’re not able to do it yourself.
Helpful articles: What is Direct Storage Access and how do I use it for Arlo video recordings?
8. Direct Storage Access is not working
Check carefully the instructions from our KB article about the Direct Storage Access configuration and get in touch with your Internet provider to ensure that the problem is not related to your network/router internal settings.
Helpful articles: What is Direct Storage Access and how do I use it for Arlo video recordings?
9. Can’t watch the videos in the app
Your recordings should appear in the Library on the Arlo Secure app (Library > tap Cloud at the top of the screen > select SmartHub), however they will not contain a thumbnail because they are not saved in the Cloud. You need to download them on your mobile device to be able to watch them. Note that you must connect the local storage device to a computer to delete a specific recording. You will also need to do that to view footage older than 30 days.
Follow the same troubleshooting steps if you are using the local storage feature with one of the following cameras: Arlo Q+ (VMC3040S), Arlo Go (VML4030), and Arlo Go 2 (VML2030).
Please remember that to use Direct Storage Access option your cameras have to be connected to the SmartHub VMB5000 or VMB4540.
You can find all user manuals for Arlo products on our official website: