How to Add Local Storage to an Arlo SmartHub

Every Arlo SmartHub has a USB port on the back that can store recorded footage locally — no subscription required. When the internet goes down, cameras connected to the SmartHub continue recording to the USB drive without interruption. It is one of the most useful features Arlo offers and one of the most overlooked. This guide covers exactly how to set it up, which USB drive to buy, and the key compatibility difference between the two current SmartHub models.

Which SmartHub Do You Have?

There are two current SmartHub models and local storage works differently on each:

The Arlo SmartHub VMB4540 is the more common model and is typically less expensive. Since most current Arlo cameras are single-band, the dual-band advantage of the VMB5000 is only relevant if you plan to add dual-band cameras later. For most setups the VMB4540 is the right choice.

What USB Drive to Buy

Not all USB drives work reliably with the Arlo SmartHub. A few things to confirm before buying:

The drive must be formatted as FAT32 — not exFAT, which is the default format on most drives sold today. The SmartHub can format the drive for you during setup, which is the easiest path. The minimum size is 16GB. The maximum the SmartHub can address is 2TB — drives larger than 2TB will be formatted down to that limit. For practical purposes, 128GB to 512GB is the right range — large enough to store weeks of motion-triggered footage, manageable in size and cost.

Use a name-brand USB flash drive rather than an external hard drive. External hard drives require their own power and can be unreliable when connected to the SmartHub’s USB port. A compact flash drive from SanDisk, Samsung, or Kingston in the 128-256GB range is the right tool for this application. Avoid no-name drives — capacity fraud is common in unbranded USB drives and a drive that claims 256GB may only have a fraction of that available.

How to Set It Up

The setup process takes about five minutes once the drive is plugged in.

Step 1. Insert the USB flash drive into one of the USB ports on the back of the SmartHub. The drive does not need to be pre-formatted — the SmartHub handles formatting automatically.

Step 2. Open the Arlo Secure app or log in at my.arlo.com. Go to Settings > My Devices and tap on your SmartHub.

Step 3. Scroll down to Local Storage and tap Storage Settings. The app will detect the connected drive and display it.

Step 4. If the drive is new or unformatted, tap Format. This erases everything on the drive and formats it as FAT32. Confirm and wait for the process to complete — typically under a minute.

Step 5. Toggle local storage recording to On. The SmartHub will now record motion-triggered clips to the USB drive simultaneously with any cloud recording.

What Gets Recorded Locally

Only automatically triggered recordings — motion detection, sound alerts, and other automated events — are saved to the USB drive. Manual recordings and live view snapshots are saved to the cloud only. This is an Arlo limitation worth knowing: if you manually start a recording in the app, it will not appear on the local drive.

When the drive fills up, the Arlo app sends a notification. At that point you can remove the drive to archive the footage, clear it and start over, or connect a second USB drive to the second port on the SmartHub for overflow. The SmartHub numbers the drives in the order they were inserted — the first drive is USB Device 1, the second is USB Device 2.

Viewing Local Recordings

To view recordings stored on the USB drive, go to Settings > My Devices > SmartHub > Local Storage > Storage Settings and select the drive. Note that remote access to local recordings — viewing them from outside your home network — requires router configuration changes that many users find complex. For most people, viewing local recordings works best when connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the SmartHub. For remote access to recordings, cloud storage via the Arlo Secure subscription is the simpler path.

Local Storage vs Cloud Storage

Local and cloud storage work simultaneously — adding a USB drive does not disable cloud recording if you have an Arlo Secure subscription. The two complement each other: cloud storage provides remote access and off-site backup, local storage provides a fallback when internet connectivity fails and an additional copy of footage that stays on your premises.

Local storage without a subscription is a genuinely useful feature — the cameras continue recording through internet outages and the footage is accessible via the app on your home network. For anyone who wants to avoid a subscription entirely while still having video history, local storage via USB is the practical path.

This guide is part of our Arlo Security Camera Reviews guide.