Arlo - Pro 4-Camera Indoor/Outdoor Wireless 720p Security Camera System - White

Pros Extremely Quick setup (A 2 camera system takes roughly 30 minutes) Very easy set up. It comes with basic instructions but the app nicely walks you through each step No need to run wires Compact Discreet cameras easily blend in with lighter color homes Good daytime video quality for the price Includes microphone and speaker Flexible mounting options. Included option is easy but other fixed mounts can be used Large rechargeable batteries Motion trigger is supposed to get an update to determine if the motion is by a person All devices get regular security updates. Even the cameras get updated wirelessly. Nice considering cameras are a new target for hackers. Inanimate objects don’t seem to cause false motion triggers Standard external hard drive can be used for local storage Basic plan included for free Easily expandable Cons Support for Windows is poor for the new touchscreen devices. No Windows app for Windows 8 and 10 devices of any size. Video quality, mainly night time, is probably not good enough for legal purposes. Night video quality makes recognition near impossible past approximately 10 feet Easy to steal or move regardless of mounting Camera speaker is not very loud Provided screws use too fine of a thread and the metal head strips out easy All videos are public if someone can intercept your emails on the way to your inbox. (Email delivery by design is not encrypted so if someone intercepts your emails on the way they can see any of your videos with audio) Recording time is fixed so even if motion or sound is still occurring you can miss recording Web interface has some bugs such as freezing on zoom, Live play button disappears, and touch doesn’t work. Sound recording doesn’t occur until a few seconds after video recording At least one camera exhibited a noticeable “ticking clock” sound when recording audio Connecting them hardwired defeats the weatherproofing Instructions do not give tutorial about advanced features but rather let you discover them No organizer for hard drive recordings Dependent on good upload internet speeds. The more cameras you have, the faster the upload speed you need. This can be a limiting factor for some. Long lag time to start live viewing even with very fast connection Setup was very easy, particularly for a security camera system. The entire process is achieved by following the steps one by one as the app tells you. Install the app, set up your Arlo account, plug in the base unit to power and internet, sync the cameras, hang the cameras, and you’re done. A two camera system only took approximately 30 minutes. The kit includes metal bases, screws, and wall anchors but the screws are small and easy to strip. The metal bases work with a strong magnet included inside the camera. Although convenient, the metal bases allow someone to easily steal or move these expensive cameras so placement is important. Netgear offers screw in mounts for a more rigid and secure mounting. The entire hardware and software process has had a lot of thought put into making it easy. There are no complicated router changes needed to be made at all or complicated programming. Oddly some features, like changing the recording quality, must be done on a regular computer for which there is no app. There is one strange feature omission from Netgear. This system has a Pro designation and yet support for regular, more modern computers, is limited. Businesses by and large use Windows computers and the most popular type of Windows computers selling today are Windows 2-in-1 convertibles with touchscreens this trend is forecasted to increase and yet this system is barely even useable by any touchscreen Windows device. This is also odd because what better way to check out a security video than on a large screen. You are forced to use a browser to view videos which the experience varies based on browser. Simple things like moving a slider don’t work because the website doesn’t work with touch. Browser administration has other bugs, such as the Live Video button disappearing. If this was an app you wouldn’t have to worry about how the end user’s choice of browser affects the experience. Not having a Universal Windows app is a missed opportunity. I have seen a large increase in clients that are buying Windows 2-in-1 systems instead of desktops or Android/iOS tablets for their primary system. A Windows Universal app they could support such systems, or any other form factor of Windows for that matter. Imagine if the app was on Xbox One in your living room and you want to check on things outside. Just say “Hey Cortana, open Arlo” and you could see your video feed or videos quickly and easily from the convenience of your couch on a big screen. That would be great. If you have smaller Windows devices, the website is unusable. It tries to get you to use an app that doesn’t exist. Oddly enough if you have a link to a shared video the same website will serve you the video in a mobile optimized format. Smaller Windows devices and Windows Mobile devices are left unsupported. Future updates and app releases could easily alleviate this but for now Windows support is poor. The base unit comes with a Sync/Siren button, network port, and two USB ports for storage. The siren is loud and sounds like newer smoke alarms. It can be trigger locally, by the app, or via configurable rules such as motion or audio sensing. You can switch the base unit to modes for recording for motion and/or audio, no recording, or armed or disarmed based using Geofencing. You can also define your own custom modes allowing specific cameras and audio for each to be on or off. Due to battery restrictions, there is no continuous recording. Recording time from motion is a default of 5 seconds regardless of if the motion continues. Cameras include built in IR for night vision, motion sensor, microphone, and speaker and are weatherproof assuming the charging plug cover is on. One large difference with the Pro version is the inclusion of large rechargeable batteries which should last quite a long time between charging. When video is recorded, it is uploaded via your internet connection to your account meaning a good upload internet speed is important. Videos are stored in a calendar format and can be viewed, shared, or deleted from the interface. Overall performance when factoring in the price for features was good. Shuddering and lag was minimal with surprisingly good wireless range. Remote viewing of live video is reasonably quick although it still took several seconds and is highly dependent on your internet upload speed. Audio took about 2 seconds to start every time after a motion trigger recording or manual live viewing and had a slightly audible tick-tock sound. The built-in speaker is barely audible at max volume. As with all security systems, there is a loss of some detail to do recording compression. Daytime recordings show signs of video compression but subjects are still reasonably recognizable at approximately 25 feet. Nighttime viewing brings recognition down to approximately 10-15 feet before subjects hard to recognize. Although not official, friends in law enforcement said it is not good for legal purposes as they must have a definitive, recognizable face to use the video. Motion detection was generally good but people moving fast could often elude the recording. Due to the fixed recording time, the system could also miss recording an event if it ran past the configured time. A big concern is the video sharing feature. Arlo by default emails you anytime it records. It conveniently sends you a screenshot of what it recorded. However; the email sends a direct link to the video that can be viewed without logging in. This would be even more concerning if you had cameras in your house. By definition, is sent unsecured between providers. Although the industry is trying to improve that, you should always assume your emails have no encryption when sent to you. This means that it is possible and relatively easy for criminals to eavesdrop and see your videos with audio without ever knowing your account info. The good thing is that is easy to remedy turning off the feature that emails you when it records a video. That way the link to the video won’t be sent out on the web unsecured and your videos are still stored in the cloud without being shared openly. Hopefully, Netgear will remedy this in the future. Overall, it is a nice system for the price point when compared to the competition. Compared to legacy DVR and NVR security camera systems this makes the whole process a lot more accessible for the average consumer. As long as you keep your expectations in line it is a nice system. All security camera systems, particularly ones costing less than $2,500 have limitations. A standout feature, even comparing to high end systems, is this system will automatically get updates for security. Anyone who watched the news in late 2016 saw that the biggest hack was perpetrated using devices, such as camera systems, that weren’t updated. That is something still lacking in the “professional” security camera world. You also won’t have to hire someone to come pull wiring through your house or small business. Cameras can be placed wherever you can mount a base. If for some reason, such as poor signal, the place doesn’t work they are easy to move. It not be a real high definition security camera system but it also costs nowhere near as much. Just be sure you can accept the Cons before buying. The overall system is well thought out and with continued improvement of the listed cons this could be the best system for nearly any price.

The Arlo Pro system aims to bring simple, affordable security features to almost any home. With its simple setup and easy-to-use features, Netgear has mostly succeeded, despite the few limitations of Arlo Pro system. SETUP - Setup is incredibly easy and straightforward, aside from the excessive amount of packaging. The system I ordered came with 2 cameras, 2 rechargeable batteries, a base station with a siren, and 2 magnetic wall mounts. - There are only a handful of setup procedures, which took me all of 10 minutes: Connect the base station to your router; insert the batteries into the cameras; pair the cameras to the base station; and place the cameras where you want them. This can all be done using the neatly-designed Arlo app. FEATURES - The Arlo Pro system sports a clean and modern design. The white color of the cameras may stand out a bit if used outdoors. - Arlo Pro is not a 24/7 recording system. Rather, the cameras use a combination of sensors to detect motion or loud sound, which then trigger the system to begin recording. When activity is detected, the system sends an alert to your phone. From there, you can view a live feed from all of your cameras and turn on the siren to scare away intruders. You can even use the two-way audio feature to talk to whomever is in front of a camera. - The free cloud service will store motion- and sound-activated video clips for up to 7 days (premium cloud plans are available for purchase, which will store your clips for a longer period of time). You can also attach a storage device to the Arlo base station to make local back-up copies of your clips. - The cameras are totally wireless. Netgear claims that they should work up to 300 feet away from the base station. PERFORMANCE - I tested this system in two separate environments: a 1,000 sq. ft. apartment and my family's 3,500 sq. ft. suburban house. The apartment has just one person - me. The house usually has a flurry of people going in and out during a typical day. This was a great way to see the strengths and weaknesses of the Arlo Pro. - In my apartment, I installed both cameras indoors: one camera facing my front door and the other facing my outside balcony. The "geofencing" feature of the Arlo app works perfectly for this simple setup. The app tells my Arlo system when I arrive at or leave my apartment, so it automatically arms or disarms based on my location. As such, I have yet to receive any false alarms while using the system in my apartment. - At my family's house, I installed one camera outdoors (at the front door porch) and one camera indoors (facing the entrance door from the garage). The amount of motion/sound alerts I receive can become overwhelming, especially if I forget to disarm the system when I know someone will be home. I've even had a few false alarms from cars driving by, squirrels running through the front yard, and even snow falling too heavily. - Despite the few false alarms, the system does its job well. Picture quality is great both day and night (even in a pitch-black room), and the wide-angle lens of the camera covers a large area. Battery life has been fine so far (both cameras are still close to 100% after a week of use). I love the wireless convenience of the cameras and being able to place them practically anywhere. The magnetic mounts are very strong and should withstand any outside weather conditions. The siren on the base is VERY loud. COULD BE BETTER - Netgear needs to figure out a way to reduce the amount of false alarms and notifications triggered in large or active households. As it is now, such users must constantly fine-tune the scheduling feature in the Arlo app or rely on the "geofencing" feature, which doesn't appear to work well with multiple users/devices. - The system relies on a stable internet connection - so if your router or service provider are unreliable, you may not see any recordings or alerts. Luckily, this hasn't been a problem for me, but it's something to be aware of. - The app needs a bit of work. Advanced settings like motion sensitivity, custom arm/disarm rules, and notification preferences seem to be buried deep in the app and aren't explained very clearly. - If you live in a cold climate and place an Arlo Pro camera outside during the winter, you're likely going to see very short battery life. Just another limitation to be aware of. OVERALL All things considered, the Arlo Pro is a great security camera system for my family. Just keep in mind that this is a reactive system -- one that only records when it senses motion or noise -- and not a proactive, 24/7 system. Such a system has notable limitations, but it also offers a great deal of convenience with its wireless cameras and easy setup. Hopefully Netgear will continue to improve the system and app over time. Recommended!

I needed cameras after waking up to a slashed tire one morning. After a day of research I bought the Ring Spotlights. Worst mistake I ever made, I returned them the next day and when I did, I bought the Arlo Pro 4 Camera Kit. It's been a few days of testing this system and already I am much happier with Arlo Pro than I was the Ring Spotlights. Pros: Although the motion detection doesn't reach as far and the camera angle isn't as wide, I get much more reliable motion detected recordings instead of every leaf and squirrel that goes by. With this system, I also have a lot more customizable options than I did with the Ring App. I can zoom, set custom schedules, geotracking, and even build my own completely custom mode. This allows less recording while home and awake, motion on one camera to trigger recording on others, sound detection, etc. Cheaper than 4 Ring Spotlights and requires no monthly subscription for basic 7-day cloud storage. I couldn't tell you if the picture quality is really 720p, but it's good for a wire-free setup and still, once again, better than Ring. I heard Pro 2 cameras are 1020p, offering better daylight picture, however night vision is the same so it wasn't worth all the extra money to me. Camera angle and positioning is important with all security cameras but with the Pro cameras it's even more important you find the perfect location and angle to meet motion detection and video quality needs. The night vision has been very good so far, although car lights can trigger daytime recording. With a car in driveway with dome light on, I could easily see the driver and what they were doing. The ability to add external storage via USB connection is a big plus for me. This allows many many recordings to be saved for as long as you wish, and there is 2 spots to add external storage. Being able to add on to this system is nice as well. This hun can handle 5 cameras and I can add multiple hubs to suit my needs. The app is really easy to use and setup took no time at all, even having to update firmware on hub and all 4 cameras. The additional accessories are a nice touch to this system. Adding a silicone case will hopefully help with some of the temperature issues I keep reading about. Magnetic mounts for easy relocation inside helps cover what is necessary at that time. Also, the solar panels, 2 battery fast charger, etc. There is some lag sometimes, but normally a <2sec delay, however I expect that from any wireless device. Custom recording settings such as, motion and sound, just motion, record, don't record, stop at end of motion, custom set recording length up to 2 minutes. Cons: The speaker, although very clean, crisp, and clear, is not loud enough at all. I tested inside my house from around the corner, less than 15ft away and could barely hear it. Picture Quality could be better, Camera Angle could be wider, and motion detection could reach further (or add battery powered motion detectors that trigger Pro cameras to start recording. No siren on cameras themselves, only the base. More secure mounting options are needed considering cameras have to be mounted fairly low due to lack of range for motion detection and distorted picture quality. Even a way the camera can be padlocked to the mount would be great. 4 Magnetic mounts come in package, only 1 outdoor mount ($20ea) included. I hear cold weather has been an issue, it is 39ºF here today and cameras are still working fine. Although rated down to -4ºF, I didn't really expect it to work under those conditions. My $700 Samsung Galaxy S7 probably couldn't handle constant cold either, but if it can, it's $700 for ONE device. That would be $2800 for 4 of them if you compare that to the cameras. No Windows app was a real dissapointment. This should be corrected immediately. Final Opinion: If you are looking for a wire-free camera system, with a picture as clear as if you were looking right at it, not a single flaw, and think electronics are invincible and not affected by low temperatures... DO NOT BUY THESE CAMERAS, OR ANY OTHER WIRE-FREE CAMERAS ON THE MARKET. If you are looking for a good, reasonably priced, customizable setting surveillance system to have some peace of mind and added protection, I strongly recommend these cameras. If you have the money, try out the Pro 2's, they might be better, I don't know, but Pro 2's are 1080p instead of 720p. If you don't need to go wire-free, obviously wired cameras offer clearer pictures, continuous recording, etc. However, I would still recommend Arlo products. I WILL BE MAKING A REVIEW VIDEO OF THE ARLO PRO SYSTEM OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS SO EVERYONE CAN KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE CONSIDERING/BUYING. FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS.

Arlo - Pro Indoor/outdoor Hd Wire Free Security Camera (2-pack) - White I have had home security cameras setup from time to time when working from home. Since I have an upstairs office I was always concerned that I could have had someone break in my house and not even know it while I was working. I park my car in the garage so it would be easy to assume no one was home. I tried various indoor camera setups, some placed inside windows but there was always a compromise. Poor image quality, stress on my wireless network to stream and poor software implementations. The cost of quality outdoor cameras was just too steep. IP cameras such as the Arlo were always very pricey and I didn’t want to have my house wired for the older analog cameras. I tend to be a DYI person because I like to know how things work and how to fix them if there’s a problem. Once you open the box on the Ario system you will find two very nice cameras, a separate base station, two rechargeable batteries plus mounting hardware. I have the two pack but Netgear offers other packages with more cameras. The two pack in not cheap. You do have to pay for them. The good news is if you price high quality IP camera these are very competitive especially as a turnkey solution. I use an Android phone and once I installed the app from the Google play store all I had to do was setup an account. After that is was very simple to connect the cameras to the base station. The whole setup took all of 15 minutes from installing the app to having the cameras working on my phone. Since these can be both inside and outside cameras I decided to mount them outside. This was the one place I could never use in my prior attempts to have a security system. The cameras support two way communication however sound from the outside camera if you were going to actually talk to someone, is to low to be very useful. Not a concern for me but if that's something you want from your setup this might not be there yet. It could also be fixed by a firmware update but nothing during the setup reported needing one and I review what you get not what you might get. The image quality is very good for up close. As you view from a farther distance it does tend to lose some quality. This is probably due to the high field of view, 130° that the cameras provides and I would say in most cases this is a better trade off. For most cases such as someone at the front door the image quality is very good. The cameras support motion detection and can be setup to record when they detect motion. This is a very needed feature since you can record video that can stored either locally on USB drives, two are supported, and connect to the back of the base station or on the Netgear website. The website recordings can be shared, downloaded or deleted as needed. If you have the Ario app open on your phone it will vibrate when motion is detected. I signed up for the free service but they also have paid plans. The free service supports up to five cameras and cloud storage for up to 7 days of recording. Netgear claims the cameras are weatherproof but the battery compartment might not be. So I mounted them where I felt they had the best chance to stay dry. Battery life is claimed to be up to two or three months. Time will tell on that one but you do get an indicator on the charge level of the batteries when viewing from them and they can be setup to run powered if that’s an issue. Night vision is also very good but I was most impressed with how the base station works. You plug it into your router or any available network jack. And the cameras only talk to it and don’t use your other wireless network. I tried several different locations for the base station and got good signals pretty much wherever I tired it. So I ended up putting it next to my router in a closet and it is showing a full signal, very impressive. Finally there is a smart siren that can be activated manually or setup to trigger remotely. This is a serious siren and will definitely get attention if triggered. This is a very good camera security system for the cost. Netgear is a leader in networking for both consumer and enterprise, they know what they're doing. The product is feature rich, easy to install and it's one screw to mount. They have done a great job with the software which runs on both Apple and Android or in a desktop browser. I could easily recommend this for someone looking for a DIY some security system. You can add up to five cameras to the two pack but if you think you need more cameras it might be best to buy them in the 3 or 4 pack. The individual cameras bought separately are much more expensive than if you buy them in the larger pack. Overall a great product and if you feel the need there is always the Geek Squad warranty to keep you protected. Mounted outside it's a small price to pay for the protection offered.

Sytem does everything it claims with minimal lag. One note I've noticed none have mentioned is the use for burglary prevention and prosecution. Having worked in Law Enforcement for over 20 years I routinely heard the amount of pending alarm calls at any given moment which in a large city is typically 30 or more. These alarms are assigned for response chronologically so often police officers simply are responding after the fact to write a report. Using the Arlo System an owner can notify police themselves, giving a description of perpetrators for apprehension and most importantly, having their call assigned as a priority in progress call rather than just another pending annoyance as deemed by most Police Departments.

Whether you’re concerned about vandalism to your home, need to check in on your children that are home alone or just want to see what your dog or cat are up to in the other room, having personal home cameras is practical and I believe the Arlo Pro HD Security Camera is the right choice. Set up was easy and the instructions clear and easy to follow. Set up for the cameras took about minutes. The camera feels durable and the magnet that holds them in place is STRONG and allows for a very personalized alignment. There was the immediate concern that if these cameras are within arm’s reach they could be easily taken but this can be remedied by setting them high enough where they won’t be noticed or touched. I also discovered that there a variety of Arlo camera covers sold that allow the cameras to blend with your house/background color. Controlling the cameras is easy via app or computer (as long as you’ve created an account). The interface allows the user to create clips of what has been recorded and share however you like. You can even watch BOTH cameras at once; a feature that my other home security cameras lacked. The other cameras that I refer to are similar to the Arlo cameras and are almost the same price. The picture is clear and bright. The camera does allow for brightness control which is a nice bonus feature for low light areas. You can also set the clarity higher but it will affect battery life. I have mine set to optimum for clarity and battery life. I have had mine set up for 4 days and batteries still going strong. The sound is clear and the two-way speaker was better than I expected. I could hear loud and clear from it. Speaking of batteries, they are easy to remove and charge. There was a slight issue with getting a steady signal from the one camera that was placed at the other end of the house where the Wi-Fi strength wasn’t as strong which in turn created some stutters and occasional freezing with the reception. It’s hard to pinpoint if this is the fault of my Wi-Fi or if there was some other signal causing a disruption between the camera and the base. I was pleased to see the camera still worked relatively well. When the signal strength peaked, the visual was perfect. I have to mention that even with this issue, the Arlo camera succeeds since the other brand of camera doesn’t even broadcast a signal in the same placement. The base from where the cameras are connected to also serves as a siren when activated (it’s up to the user as to how he or she wants to have the siren triggered). I was impressed with the loudness and reach of the alarm within the house. The siren will definitely cause any intruder to run upon hearing it. I could even hear the alarm/siren from outside as I stood in the driveway where I can turn off the alarm via the app. At the end of the day, the Arlo Pro security camera is easy to set up and use without sacrificing features or quality. Personally, I feel that if you are exploring the idea of setting up home security then this package should be at the top of your list.

I finally decided that I need to add more of a piece of mind to my family and I, so I obtained the Netgear Arlo Pro Security System. This was the first time to every venture into a home security system. Overall, I am highly satisfied and it wasn’t any bit of a headache to setup. The system was as simple as plug and play. I hooked up the home base into my router; put the batteries within the cameras; sync them to the base and I was up and running. The quality of the video and audio is amazing. When I connect to watch the live video feed, there is about a 4 second delay (understandable) but I can hear things quite clear, such as conversations, that are more than 25 feet away from the camera. I am able to see things clear while it is pitch black. I am able to connect to the camera remotely and I can speak through the camera’s speaker and it could be heard about 10 feet away. I am connect to my system any time and watch live video feed when I am away. The motion sensor works well. When motion is detected, notifications are sent to my phone. I am able to access the log within each camera and play back what triggered the motion sensor. Like I said, this is my first home security system and this was extremely easy to set up. The range of the system is also impressive. I have one camera within the basement and the base unit is on the second floor. It is an older house with plaster-and-lath walls. I am quite satisfied with this, great job Netgear.

These cameras are a great choice for added home security. They are very small in physical size and extremely easy to set up. I was up in running in a matter of a few minutes. The setup is done with the Arlo app, and it does a good job of walking you through the process. There are some great standout features of these little guys. The motion-sensing recording is great. I had to dial down the sensitivity, because they were actually picking up too much movement outside (dust, etc.). Speaking of outside, the ability to mount these outdoors is another great feature, the included mounting hardware is dead-simple to set up, and doesn't require you to run a bunch of wires. Along with the ability to record based on movement, they have the option to record based on audio, which is a welcome addition. The downside of the wireless, is depending on your mounting locations, the hub may not quite reach. Which results in a bit of a stuttering signal. I originally placed the hub in the second story of my house, towards the back of the house. It had a bit of trouble keeping a signal. I can't fault the hardware though. It was a decent distance, not to mention trying to go through brick and glass to the camera outside. I was able to solve this by adding a wireless extender and plugging the Arlo hub into it, closer to the front of the house, downstairs. The recordings are good quality, even at night (yes, they have night vision as well). The app allows you to view live feeds, and download clips directly to your phone (iOS or Android), or PC. I used the Arlo software on an Android phone (Pixel), and it worked most of the time. I did have a few hiccups. It seemed to crash on occasion, when resuming the app. Speaking of the app, some things weren't quite as simple to figure out. I mentioned adjusting the motion sensitivity earlier. It wasn't immediately clear to me on how to make the adjustment. Going into the motion detection test, there is a sensitivity slider there, and I thought that was how to adjust it initially. After a bit more time, I realized that when you're customizing your "Mode" rules, you can adjust the sensitivity there. Makes sense. Speaking of which, the Mode rules are a great option also. You can have your Arlo send you either an app notification or email (or both) when it detects motion, along with recording the clip. Arlo will store those clips in the cloud for you for 7 days too. You can purchase a longer time frame, or buy a hardware backup to plug in, but it seems like most people will just want to save the clips necessary. If you want the quick pros/cons: Pros: Great quality, easy setup, excellent features, smart ideas in the app, easy to use Cons: Range may be an issue for some (pretty easily solved though), the app seems to have a couple minor kinks (I'm betting these get worked out soon. The app is overall great.)