Arlo’s new EOL policy for its products now commences no earlier than four (4) years from the last date that volume manufacturing of such Arlo hardware devices. While that may appear short, realise Arlo’s first camera product, VMC3030 (Gen3), was introduced in November 2014 and manufactured until January 2019. Its EOL is April 2023.
EOL policies are always controversial. In Arlo’s case, it basically means no future firmware or security patches. The pace of technological change has driven some EOL products. For example, its Arlo Protect Cloud (storage and AI features) no longer support some older products simply because they use insecure protocols and encryption.
It is no different from EOL policies from Apple, Microsoft and almost any technology-based company that constantly updates processors and internal software. Arlo’s new EOL policy is fully compliant with Australian Consumer Law. It is exploring additional services and support for EOL devices through an alternative paid service offering.
Arlo assures users that the older products will keep working – no changes required, but owners should consider retiring legacy equipment, if only for their safety.
It will endeavour to provide at least 90 days’ advice notice before implementing an EOL Effective Date for an Arlo Product. This will be via the Alro Secure App.
CyberShack feels this new EOL policy is generous and congratulates Alro for publishing it. Most IoT makers totally ignore security patches, and EOL is the day your warranty expires.
Arlo’s new EOL notice December 1, 2022
To find your model number go to the Arlo Secure App > Settings > Support Centre > Click on specific camera > Scroll down to the Details section to view the product model number.
| Model ID | Product | First Manufacture Date | Last Manufacture Date | EOL Date |
| VMC3030 | Gen 3 | Nov 2014 | Jan 2019 | Apr 1, 2023 |
| VMC4030 | Pro | Oct 2016 | Dec 2018 | Apr 1, 2023 |
| ABC1000 | Baby | July 2017 | Sept 2019 | Jan 1, 2024 |
| VMC4030P | Pro2 | Nov 2017 | Dec 2019 | Jan 1, 2024 |
| VMC3040 | Q | Nov 2015 | Sept 2019 | Jan 1, 2024 |
| VMC3040S | Q+ | Nov 2015 | Sept 2019 | Jan 1, 2024 |
| ALS1101 | Lights | July 2018 | July 2018 | Jan 1, 2024 |
| AAD1001 | Audio Doorbell | May 2018 | Sept 2019 | Jan 1, 2024 |
| SW/Service Description | Introduction Date | Deprecation Date | EOL Date |
| Email Notifications | Nov 2014 | Jan 2023 | April 1, 2023 |
| E911 Emergency Calling | June 2018 | Jan 2023 | April 1, 2023 |
| Legacy Video Storage (AWS S3) | Nov 2014 | Jan 2023 | Jan 1, 2024 |
2 comments
Jesse
Perhaps you have been hoodwinked (or paid?). I can’t agree about this being “generous”; it’s more accurately characterised as a money grab on Arlo’s part. Perhaps you were unaware, but the “free” rolling 7-day cloud storage which was part of the package customers bought with their security systems is not being stopped due to “security” issues, as it will still be available for these old, no-longer-updated cameras – but now only via a paid monthly subscription. If this was purely about insecure old tech, they’d simply stop the possibility, not offer a paid monthly fee to continue it for the no-longer-updated cameras.
(I’ll note Apple don’t keep supporting software on old tech, but neither do they remove the free cloud storage associated with Apple accounts, so it’s false equivalence to suggest it’s just the same. I doubt most customers would be upset if it was merely updates that were being stopped. It’s the withdrawal of the fee-free subscription to cloud (which allows vital aspects of functionality to continue) that is the issue… at the same time as allowing functionality to continue via a paid subscription instead).
Contrary to the assertions made in this article, it’s also not at ALL clear that this move complies with Australia Consumer Law – there have been a spate of companies that have got themselves in trouble with “misleading and deceptive conduct”, particularly around “free” offers, trials, and imposing non-transparent (and contrary) conditions on advertising “unlimited” subscriptions. The free cloud recording with “no monthly subscriptions” and ability to remotely view clips triggering motion alerts were not just part of key functionality requirements for these security systems but were prominently advertised at the point of sale and on the product packaging. Plenty of companies have gotten into legal trouble for abusing consumer law and found themselves, in their carelessness, on the wrong side of a misleading & deceptive conduct suit, particularly around their advertising of free and unlimited plans of late – including some with large legal teams on retainer. This would be another excellent scenario to test in court – home consumers don’t have the funds for these kind of things, but certainly the assertion that “Arlo’s new EOL policy is fully compliant with Australian Consumer Law” has problems – I personally don’t know a single lawyer who would be happy with publishing such a bold statement, and you don’t sound like a legal practitioner, so I’m assuming you sourced this opinion somewhere else – to cover yourself, I’d strongly suggest quoting that source rather than adopting the statement yourself.
From my perspective, putting Consumer Law aside, in contrast with business systems, many home users do not have the funds and are not a market expected to renew security system equipment costing thousands over a short life cycle. While it is undoubtedly more secure to do so, this is the reality of home systems – they will not update as quickly as, say, businesses are able to. This is known about the home market and not unexpected in home users investing in security systems. For instance, when choosing between an old surveillance system that is hackable versus no system at all, many modest households will persist with the former, as it still offers deterrence against the smash & grabs they are at most risk of. Households often don’t have the budget for best practice, and they make their choices – they may be aware they don’t have the latest, most robust tech, but they tend not to expect their 4-figure surveillance investment will have functionality actively removed (and/or ransomed) four years after purchase. This move was not made on a good faith basis and will not be surprised if Arlo suffer in customer backlash. They only brought it on themselves.
Ray Shaw
Hi Jesse. All very valid points, and I have forwarded this to Arlo Australia for hopefully a response. Definitely not paid, although we do carry its announcements (from a press release, so it is not edited or fact-checked) as it is an advertiser. Let’s see if we get a response.