Arlo Pro Review - Review 2022

Best of the Year 2022 When nosotros reviewed the Arlo ($125.00 at Amazon) dorsum in 2022, nosotros loved that it was completely wireless, weatherproof, and easy to install, only were disappointed that it lacked any sound capabilities. The new Arlo Pro (starting at $249.99) not only adds 2-way audio, information technology offers sound-triggered recording. Other new features include rechargeable batteries, a base of operations station with a loud siren, and USB connectivity for storing video locally on a USB drive. The photographic camera doesn't come cheap, and requires a hub (the included base station) that connects to your router, but its video quality, flexibility, and integration with other smart home devices earns it our Editors' Pick for outdoor home surveillance cameras.

Camera

The Arlo Pro system ($128.98 at Amazon) we reviewed comes with two white cameras, two rechargeable Li-ion batteries, two magnetic mounts and mounting hardware, a base station, an Ethernet cable, a USB power adapter, and a USB charging cable for $419.99. A single camera kit goes for $249.99, three cameras are $579.99, and four cameras can exist had for $649.99. You can buy add-on cameras for $189.99, a set of three blackness photographic camera skins for $24.99, and a spare battery and charger for $49.99.

The camera itself looks identical to the original Arlo, merely bigger. It measures three.i by ane.nine by 2.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.eight ounces, compared with the first-gen's 2.5 by 1.6 past 2.8 inches and 4.0 ounces. It has a glossy white housing that meets IP65 waterproof standards, and a strong magnet embedded in its housing that allows y'all to easily adhere it to whatever metal surface. You can also place it on a shelf or countertop, or buy a mounting mechanism ($19.99) that you lot screw in to the back of the camera.

The camera delivers 1,280-past-720-pixel video and has a 130-caste field of view. Information technology offers digital pan and zoom functionality and uses eight IR LEDs to provide night vision out to 25 feet. It likewise has a speaker and microphone array for two-way communication and sound detection, besides every bit a motion detector. The top of the camera has two buttons; the ane closest to the front is used for syncing information technology to the base station, and the ane toward the back is used to release the battery compartment. It uses 802.11n Wi-Fi to communicate with the base station and has a range of upwardly to 300 feet.

Whereas the original Arlo used four relatively expensive non-rechargeable CR123 Lithium-ion batteries, the Arlo Pro uses a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery pack that is designed to last up to half-dozen months before requiring a recharge. This makes information technology much easier to install outside (or anywhere) than cameras that require AC power such as the Nest Cam Outdoor ($167.98 at Amazon) and the Lowes Iris Digital Wi-Fi Outdoor Security Camera ($135.28 at Lowe'due south) . To recharge the battery, simply remove the camera from its mount, bring information technology within (if information technology's existence used outdoors), and plug it in to the included charger for around two hours. Or, you can purchase an Arlo Pro Charging Station ($59.99) that charges 2 batteries at the same time in half the fourth dimension. New to this photographic camera is a mini USB port that you can use if you lot prefer to use Ac power rather than bombardment power, merely if the camera will be outside in the elements, yous'll need an optional Outdoor Power Adapter which is not yet bachelor just coming soon.

Base Station and App

At 5.0 by 6.ix by 2.iii inches (HWD), the new base of operations station is more meaty than the original (vi.five past 8.5 past two.3 inches). At that place'due south a Sync push button for pairing cameras upwards elevation, and the front has LED indicators for power, net, and photographic camera connectivity. Around dorsum are two USB ports, a LAN port, reset and power buttons, and a power jack. This time around the USB ports really work and can be used to attach a USB drive for storing video recordings. Inside are a 900MHz CPU, 802.11n circuitry (2.4GHz merely), and a 100dB siren that can be programmed to go off when movement or audio is detected.

Arlo Pro Smart Security System VMS4230 Arlo Pro Smart Security Organisation VMS4230Arlo offers three pricing levels for cloud storage. The Basic service is free, gives y'all seven days of deject recording, and supports upwards to five cameras. The Premier service costs $8.25 per month and gives you thirty days of deject recording and support for up to ten cameras. The Elite service goes for $12.41 per month and offers sixty days of cloud recording with support for upwards to fifteen cameras.

The Arlo Pro uses the same Android and iOS app as the original photographic camera, and if you still take the earlier cameras installed, they will all share the same app. You tin likewise log in to the Arlo web portal to do everything the app does. The main page displays each installed camera with a snapshot of its last captured image. Each camera has a battery level meter, a Wi-Fi signal meter, an icon that tells you if movement detection is enabled, and a gear icon (settings). In the center of the prototype is a play push that volition initiate a alive video feed. While viewing alive video you can use icons to manually record video, have a snapshot, view the image in full screen, and printing the microphone button for ii-way audio advice. Private photographic camera settings include an on/off switch, bombardment and Wi-Fi connection status, video and audio settings, and a Movement Detection examination.

At the bottom of the main page are Devices, Library, Mode, and Settings icons. The Library icon takes you to a folio where you'll see a listing of recorded video and snapshots. Simply click on any video to view it, share it, mark it as a favorite, or delete it. Tap the Mode icon to arm or disarm sound and motility detection, create arming schedules, enable warning notifications, adjust motility and sound sensitivity settings, create custom rules for recording motility- and audio-triggered events, and enable geofencing. The Settings page includes business relationship data and allows you lot to grant access to the organization to friends and family. Here y'all can also change the order of where the cameras announced in the app, suit camera settings, and edit contour information. The Devices icon takes you dorsum to the main camera folio.

When integrated with a SmartThings Hub ($49.98 at Amazon) , the Arlo Pro organisation will piece of work with other smart home devices. For example, you can take a camera brainstorm recording when a door/window or move sensor is triggered, and you can use its motion-sensing capabilities to trigger devices such as continued lighting. The system besides works with If This So That (IFTTT) recipes, which utilize net-based services to trigger dwelling automation devices, and can utilise geofencing to arm and disarm the system using your telephone's location.

Installation and Performance

As was the example with the original Arlo, the Arlo Pro was easy to install. If this is your first Arlo, yous volition have to download the app and create an business relationship. Since I already had the app and an account, I started by plugging in the base station and connecting information technology to an open port on my router. In one case the power and cyberspace LEDs turned dark-green, I tapped the Add Device button at the lesser of the home screen and selected Base Station from the menu. The station was immediately recognized. I named it and moved onto the adjacent screen to sync the cameras with the station. I placed a camera inside iii feet of the station, pressed the Sync button on the top of the station, and so pressed the Sync button on the camera. A blue LED on the photographic camera began blinking immediately, indicating that the camera was paired. I repeated the process with the 2nd camera and installed 1 outside in my backyard, and placed the other one inside on a desktop, pointed toward my front door.

Arlo Pro Smart Security System VMS4230 Arlo Pro Smart Security Organisation VMS4230Whereas the Nest Cam Outdoor is always recording, the Arlo Pro is idle until you lot request a alive feed (or when movement is detected). Every bit a result there's a three-second lag betwixt the time y'all hitting the Live button and the fourth dimension the live feed is displayed—something we've seen with other cameras including the original Arlo and the OCO Wi-Fi Cloud Camera .

In testing, the Arlo Pro provided sharp, highly detailed video with fantabulous color saturation. Black-and-white night video was precipitous out to 25 anxiety and showed excellent contrast. Recorded video was simply as sharp and detailed as the live feed, and I received email and push button alerts whenever move or sound triggered the cameras.

I was receiving alerts from the outdoor photographic camera due to high winds, just once I adjusted the motion sensitivity the alerts ceased. 2-fashion sound communication between the camera and my phone were perfectly clear. I created an IFTTT recipe to plough on a lamp connected to a D-Link Smart Plug whenever one of the Arlo Pro cameras detected motion, and it worked flawlessly, as did the geofencing arming feature. The base station'south siren also gets quite loud.

Conclusions

With the Arlo Pro you can monitor both the within and the outside of your dwelling (provided you buy two cameras) without having to run network cables, and yous don't need an AC power source. The photographic camera uses rechargeable batteries that will provide upwards to 6 months of power earlier needing a charge, and you lot have the choice to apply AC ability if you're then inclined. You'll spend more on an Arlo Pro than yous will for other outdoor cameras similar the Canary Flex ($99.99 at Amazon) and the Ring Stick Upwards Cam ($99.99 at Amazon) , and it requires a hub, but it delivers better overall image quality and more features than both.

Granted, the Arlo Pro doesn't give you 1080p video similar the Nest Cam Outdoor, simply its 720p video is plenty sharp. Moreover, you don't have demand a pricey subscription to view recordings that are stored in the deject like yous exercise with the Nest Cam, and the Arlo's wireless capabilities requite y'all much more flexibility when deciding where to identify your cameras. For these reasons, the Arlo Pro is our new Editors' Selection.