Arlo - Essential Indoor Security Camera 2K (3rd Gen, 2025 Release) - Wired Plug-In Powered, Automated Privacy Shield, 1-Cam - White

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The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Affordable & capable, with a privacy shield!

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 250 Contributor

  Verdict: This camera is exactly what I needed for a specific area in the house. It does everything I need, with great resolution, and with the added feature of an on-demand privacy shield. The price is great too! It’s important to note that to get the most out of your Arlo cameras, you will need to get a subscription. Background. We have owned Arlo Cameras for many years now. In total, we have over twenty Arlo devices of all different types. What is most remarkable about Arlo is that all camera types and generations seamless integrate in the app. We still have the original pro cameras running on base stations and we have the latest Arlo Pro (6th Gen) working perfectly along side them. Kudos to Arlo for keeping all devices supported and integrated over so many years! Partly due to our existing investment and partly due to the value we think we get from the Arlo subscription, we pay monthly for unlimited cameras, 60-day rolling videos recordings, etc., and we think the subscription is worth the money, but everyone's situation is different. First impressions. The box is small, but includes everything you need: the camera, mount, plug, and charging cable. This camera is not small… it’s actually more noticeable than the Arlo battery camera it is replacing. I love that is has the privacy shutter. Setup. This camera connects over Wi-Fi so you will need to make sure you have a good signal where you plan to install it and you will need a plug. You do not have to mount it; ours jus sits on a shelf and it’s perfect that way. From the Arlo app, installation is very easy and takes less than five minutes, with the app walking through every step with pictures. The blue light that is on by default when the camera is actively monitoring can be turned off in the settings for that device, under “Device Info”. We turned off the blue light because it was too noticeable. Subscription required to get the most value. Arlo currently charges $7.99/month for a one-camera subscription, and $17.99/month for unlimited cameras. The subscription includes, among many advantages, 60-day rolling storage, identification of movements (person, animal, vehicle), detection zones, and more. Without a subscription, you will not have access to recordings, but you can still use your cameras to live stream and receive push notifications, so I think the use cases are very different but could still work for some people. For me it’s hard to justify buying this camera without the features enabled by the subscription. Performance. This camera works great: high resolution, very short delay to live stream, great night vision, really sensitive movement detection (I turned it down), seamlessly integrated into advanced automation through the Arlo app (when motion is detected on this camera, it turns on the smart light switches for my kitchen through SmartThings). There is an audible sound when the privacy shutter turns on / off, which I think is good so that you know it is activated or not. In our case, we have the camera continuously monitoring, and then turn it off when we want privacy. We like this camera so much that we ordered two more; they are perfect for using inside the house where you can easily plug them in somewhere without looking ugly. Things I love: - 130 Degrees field of view - 2K live video with 12x digital zoom - Dual band Wi-Fi that automatically switches to the best signal - Integration with smart apps for advanced automation (turn-on kitchen lights when motion is detected on the camera) - Super easy to install (less than 5 minutes) - Works seamlessly with my other Arlo devices - Live streaming takes about 2 seconds to connect - You can mount it, or just position it on a counter or shelf - I like this affordable plug in option; it’s perfect for some areas of the house - Pretty good night vision! - The Arlo app is quite good, allowing for lots of customization, automation, and daily use Things I don’t love: - This camera must be plugged in, so it’s not for all places and it’s not for all situations - The free tier doesn’t offer as much value, but this camera is so well priced that you could buy one or two of these just to get alerts and then view in livestream if you are able to see the notification right away - The nomenclature of the cameras is getting slightly confusing in the app. During setup, I didn’t remember if this was the essential or essential security. Maybe just make a new line, or call the bottom tier Standard, next tier Essential, and top tier Pro. There are quite a few types of camera now; it will soon be too many and cause analysis paralysis. Overall, I love this Arlo indoor Essential security camera. It’s affordable, capable, very easy to setup, and it has a privacy shutter. Because it’s connected to power, once you set it up, you don’t need to think about it anymore, which is a nice change from the otherwise regular check-ins on battery life for my other cameras. I love this camera and highly recommend it if you are willing to pay for a subscription.

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  Posted 1 month ago by AllAboutTech

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Great indoor camera

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 50 Contributor

  I use Arlo cameras for my home security camera system and have been investing in Arlo for years. Besides my Pro cameras, I have 3 Arlo essentials 1st gen that I use for indoor purposes. I liked the fact that I can add them to my Apple HomeKit, Google, Amazon Alexa, and SmartThings for my home automation. One drawback was the 1080P resolution, and especially at night, the picture quality was not my best. Finally, Arlo has listened to and released this 3rd-gen essential indoor camera with enhanced features built upon the previous generations, but with more enhanced quality. This model has an upgraded stand compared to my 1st gen. Also, the power port is now USB-C, which aligns with what I have in most of my devices. Still compact and has a small footprint. Same Privacy Shield that I always like to have, since this is an indoor camera, and usually I leave it closed when home. The plastic cover slides to cover and uncover the cameras based on the mode setting. Also, I can leave it closed until I open the Arlo app and hit “open & go live” to override it temporarily, and as soon as I close the app, the shield slides up to cover the lens. Very intuitive and practical. The camera can be powered by USB-A or by using the power adapter that is included in the original box. I preferred to use a USB just to declutter some power adapters. After the camera was fully powered on, I opened the Arlo app and selected the Essential cameras. The camera was found, and I followed the setup steps to get the camera online. One thing that I noticed is that this model does not need any Base Station to connect to; instead, I connected it to Wi-Fi directly. Also, the camera has a dual band capability which is good. Such an upgrade makes the camera work faster, but I lost the Apple Home integration, which I love to have. The only way to operate the camera is through the Arlo app. It is not a dealbreaker for me, but I do not understand why Arlo ended the integration with Apple Home while Google and Amazon Alexa, and SmartThings are still available. The camera quality is 2K and has a great picture, day and night. Thank you for the infrared night vision. The field of view is wide enough, allowing the camera to cover a wider area in my living room. Motion detection is also great, and the two-way audio is clear and has no lag in conversation. My final word is this camera is designed for convenience and privacy in mind at an affordable price. One thing that I would like to see, maybe Arlo could implement in the future update, is the return of Apple Home integration.

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  Posted 1 month ago by Zaid

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Arlo Essential 2k: A Smarter Eye Indoors

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  The Arlo Essential 1 Indoor Wireless Camera 3rd Generation is built on privacy and security backed by a comprehensive phone app. I had an Arlo camera a couple of years ago and they have improved in a few different areas that I will outline in my review. The security camera market grows every year but the Arlo is clearly targeting homeowners and renters that want clear 2K video resolution, quick and easy installation, and an app that gives you the ability to control a host of features. Design/Build/Unboxing The box is basic, compact, and includes the camera, power adapter, mounting hardware, and an instruction manual. The build is fairly typical but what stood out to me was the ability to adjust the camera up and down. This works perfectly for me because I can point it down at the room from a tall bookshelf. The build quality is typical hard plastic but it seems durable. It also contains a privacy shutter. There's also a plug for power. You will need to place the camera in an area where you can plug it in. I chose a bookshelf where I have a surge protector mounted on the wall. Specs & Features Video - 2K Resolution, Night Vision FOV - 130 degree field of view Power - Power adapter (No Battery) Wireless Connectivity - Dual-Band (2.4GHz and 5 GHz) Storage - There's no slot for storage, cloud storage is available by subscription Audio - 2 way audio to talk through the camera Motion Detection - It can identify people, animals and packages Emergency Siren - Can be adjusted to sound for up to 5 minutes - Performance - The Arlo Essential wireless indoor camera was easy to setup. I downloaded the app and setup to watch my living room. It was nice to be able to adjust it up and down so that I could get a full view of the room from high on the shelf. The 2K resolution is clearly much better than the typical HD cameras. The field of view is wide enough to get my entire living area where I placed it. Even though this is labeled an essential camera, it has all the features I need and no glaring weaknesses. Camera video quality and video playback (through the app) is most important to me and both of these are excellent. The motion sensor seemed to pick up every type of movement. I have 5 kids so this helps me keep an eye on everyone. You can also setup custom monitoring zones and filter your playback feed by the specific event type. Another nice feature is that you can preview events on your lock screen to see if it's important. - Subscription - There's a professional monitoring subscription that is powered by AI, stores a 60 day video history, and gives you 24/7 professional monitoring for unlimited devices. There's also a plus subscription for a single camera or unlimited devices that also keeps a 60 day video history. The big difference between these two subscriptions is one has professional monitoring and Emergency Response. Additionally, if you want to record 24/7 you can subscribe to a CVR plan that gives you continuous video recording. - App - On the home screen you can set 3 modes: Arm Away, Arm Home, and Standby. Standby will initiate the privacy shutter. You can also see your feed with each Arlo device. In your feed, you can access all of the activity through playback videos. You have the ability to switch between all of your Arlo devices. Additionally, you can set automation schedules and routines by person (It will identify you by your device. You can adjust settings for motion sensitivity, audio detection, and record length. - Pros/Cons - - Pros - * 2K Video Resolution (Great video quality) * Privacy Shutter * 24/7 Professional Monitoring & Emergency Response available * Polished Phone App * Ability to set schedules and routines by specific person(s) * Emergency Siren on Camera * You can create custom zones for monitoring * Previews on your lock screen for alerts * You can filter your feed by event type -Suggestions/Needs Improvements * Difficult to turn off notifications (only up to 24 hours) * Some notable features are subscription based I would recommend this camera to anyone for the video quality and the app which is the most important part of camera monitoring. The app is well done and easy to use.

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  Posted 3 weeks ago by NanoEthan