Customer Ratings & Reviews

When I saw that Arlo was going to stop supporting their old model cameras, I decided to get this Arlo Essential camera to replace my Netgear Arlo Q camera... which is still working perfectly fine. For a few years now, we’ve been using the whole Arlo system which includes 3 cameras and the video doorbell and the Arlo Secure subscription. Everything was running fine… until this camera. Installing the camera was as easy as all the other Arlo devices. What really seemed to have messed things up was, while adding the camera to my app, I was prompted to update the app to a new version. Well, the new version is quite a drastic change from the previous version. It erased all the schedules I had set up. The process of setting up schedules is completely different and not intuitive. As for the camera itself, it worked as expected. The 2K image is very clear and the night vision is better than on the Arlo Q camera. The speaker is a lot more clear making it easier to understand the person on the other side. I have mixed feelings about the privacy shutter. While I appreciate the privacy when we’re home, I do not like how you can easily hear it open and close. There are times when we go on trips and hire a dog sitter to stay at our house. Yes, we like to occasionally check in on the sitter. (We had a sitter in the past who invited friends over without asking us.) With the Arlo Q camera, we were able to discreetly check in on the sitter. That will not be possible with the Essential camera and its very noticeable shutter noise. I’m still trying to figure out how to work around that with setting up a routine based on geofencing, but so far I cannot get it to work consistently. Part of the quirkinesses with the new version of the app. The day after setting up the Essential camera, it seemed to have stopped working. It still appeared in the app, and I could see past videos, but I could not get it to stream live video. I contacted Arlo support and they told me that there was a known issue with their Essential cameras. It took 2 days for them to resolve the issue. I’d like to note that I also took this opportunity to ask their support about (re)setting up all my schedules. It took communicating with 5 different support reps before finally getting someone to actually provide helpful information. I even had one rep send me instructions for the old version of the app. Most of them had responses that indicated that they didn’t even read what I was sending them. It was a very frustrating experience. Overall, this Essential camera has left me with mixed feelings. After the technical issues with the camera were resolved, the functionality of the camera is good. It would have been nice to not have been prompted to update the whole app while setting up the camera. Based on my support experience, it seemed even the Arlo support team was not ready for this camera, and the new version of the app, to go live.

The new Arlo Essential is a good improvement on the previous generation - It now offers a privacy shutter that automatically opens and closes based on at-home privacy/arming settings you specify. It's also a slightly modified aesthetic design that allows it to blend in better to your home without gaudy logos on the front of the camera bezel. The camera offers a shelf/table mount option, or converts via a screw-mount for wall mounting with the included stand/bracket. The USB power cable included isn't long enough for some wall mount scenarios, so extension cords might be needed for some mounting scenarios. Connectivity is easy as this camera can independently connect to the Arlo app via 2.4GHz WiFi. If you have a Mesh WiFi system, ensure that it has its own 2.4GHz band for IoT devices to ensure maximum compatibility. Things were easier when I tested it with this setting turned on for my home network. The camera image quality is good, comparable to competitive indoor cams that were used in similar areas of my home. the "2K" version I have is the premium model, and a 1080p version is also available. The camera is able to connect, once set up with the Arlo app, to Google Home and Amazon apps. I was also able to use it with HomeKit using my HomeKit bridge, so its compatible with all of the ecosystems if you have the right bridging gear in your home.

I really like these brand of cameras but they are not the best, the cheapest, nor the most expensive. They are a balance wired camera for your indoors that is very basic in functionality but it does have simple app functionality. I do have other cameras of this brand so that makes it easy for me to integrate this one into the mix. I will say that the one thing I don't like it that without paying for an extra dvr service per camera the recording functionality and availability is extremely basic. I am able to see videos of things within the last month and download them to my phone. I don't have an app for my PC or a way to with an app to watch the feeds from my much bigger PC monitor. I also don't like that this needs the plug to work. I think it would have been better to have an option to use a cord or a battery. If the power goes out, then the camera is down. There is also a slight delay and I have not found a way to stop that. The first 2 seconds or so are not recorded when it should be. I would recommend it but be sure you know what you are getting.

First get this camera when .on sale and it is a very good bargain. I have an area in my basement, the boiler room, approximately 90 feet from the router, no mesh system. Router is about 5- 7 years old. I have tried blink, Lorex and other lesser known wifi plug in cameras with no signal or sporadic signal, make the cameras useless. I have a very old Foscam 7+ years old camera that has a solid connection about 85% of the time. I know weird. So set up of this arlo camera took less than 3-5 minutes, really less. Updates and entering my password took the longest and account for the bulk of the installation time. I set it up in the boiler room eventually. Connection too sporadic but after about 3-5 m8nutes in the new location, the connection has been rock solid. Sound pickup is fantastic and clear during app playback. The live video delay on the app is under 2 seconds, love it. No drop connection or list if signal so far. Now the sound quality is great but omg the picture quality over the Foscam and even many of my other more powerful cameras is just phenomenal. The black and white clarity is just pure clarity. The color pictures is like you are actually in the room. Zoom clarity is not affected.

This little camera came at just the right time and I’m so pleased with the performance. I had someone storing basically all their possessions in my garage while they looked for permanent housing and, to protect myself as well as their stuff I decided to set this camera up in there. It picks up everything! If I’m arriving home it notifies me that the garage door is opening. It tells me there’s a vehicle detected in the viewing area. It tells me there’s people detected when we get out of the car. Every time I get a notification it automatically records whatever it detects. Five minutes after I’ve left the garage into the house I’ll get a notification that motion was detected because the garage light automatically shuts off. If my car continues to settle and makes slight noises I get a notification and they’re recorded. Downloading the app and connecting the camera was simple and easy, one of the fastest processes for a new device setup that I’ve done. I was impressed with the ease of the entire process. Seeing the modes for monitoring was simple and toggling between them takes no effort. The camera is hard wired so no need to worry about charging. The recordings of the audio and video triggered events are clear and precise. I can see how this camera will come in very handy in the future and I’ve already purchased three more for the rest of my home, replacing the other brand I’ve had for years. Overall I’m very happy with this camera and have absolutely no complaints or negative feedback. I would highly recommend to a friend.

I have been wanting an indoor camera to use as I have cats and also have foster cats at the moment. I also live in an apartment and like the option to see if maintenance enters while I'm away. The Arlo Essential camera is a great option as its compact and easy to set up as well as offered at a great price point. The unboxing was super quick and easy. The box includes the camera with cord, a power block, and mounting accessories as well as all instructions. Once plugged in, you will be able to set up directly through the app. There is a button to connect to bluetooth to your phone and then add your Wifi network through the app. Any updates will be installed while setting up. The stand on the bottom allows it to be adjusted to whatever you like to get the correct view. I will not be mounting mine because my apartment is fairly small, but the mounting process looks super quick and easy and only includes a few pieces. You can add the security package for a monthly subsrcription price to upload feed to your cloud and save the video format. There is also an emergency feature where the camera can notify emergency services. There are options to see saved feeds as well as the live feed. This camera has a lot of great features and is perfect for what I'm looking for!

The Arlo Essential Indoor Camera is a wired, 2K security camera. It is a very small indoor camera that is just under 4” tall. The setup is incredibly simple and quick. The part that took me the longest was deciding where I wanted to place it! To setup: Plug it in using the included power plug and attached cord. It doesn’t charge - it is a wired camera so know that wherever you decide to place it, it will need to be constantly plugged in. Then download the Arlo Secure app and follow the simple instructions to get the camera onto your WiFi. The Arlo Secure app is a bit wonky for me. It shows as having been updated in the last week or so, but I find it to be unclear as to where to find what I am looking for - to me it isn't very intuitive. I can eventually find what I want, but it takes time. As soon as you are on your WiFi, you are automatically enrolled into a trial period of the Arlo Secure Service - there is no choice in this. The Arlo Secure Service provides 30 days of cloud storage of automatically recorded clips, animated notification previews and more. I believe it is a 30 day free trial after which, you will be billed, if you sign up. The least expensive plan I see right now is $4.99/mo for 1 camera. Without the service you are not able to automatically record events - there is no cloud recording. You can see events as they stream only. If you choose to record an individual stream to your phone on your own, you are able to do that if you catch an event live only. This is the main thing that gets me about companies like this - I buy their camera, but I cannot use it fully without paying them a monthly fee. There are some nice features with this camera such as the privacy shield. When you don’t wish to have the camera observe anything, you are able to close the shield from within the Arlo app and a physical shield goes over the lens. You receive notifications on your phone when any motion is detected and if you are paying for a plan, it will record the event in 2K and it will let you know if the motion is a person, animal or vehicle. It has 2 way audio so you can speak to and hear visitors. And it has a siren that can be activated manually or via settings in the app as a result of motion. I would recommend this Arlo Essential Indoor Camera to those looking for a basic indoor security camera and who are willing to pay for a monthly subscription if the non-subscription features aren’t enough. I would recommend checking that out before purchase.

Excellent quality good working camera for indoor s

We recently purchased an Arlo Pro 5S. We already have an older version and wanted the 5S to scan a further distance in another area. So far it has been great, the night vision in color is a great feature, so far there hasn't been anything at the distance we are surveilling, but it does pick up our dogs very well. The battery also charges and lasts longer than our older version.

The setup process was pretty easy I was able to breeze thru it since I currently already have an Arlo video doorbell. The quality on this indoor cameras is about the same as the video doorbell and it should be noted that if you’re considering adding a camera like this one, it DOES impact how much you pay per month for video recordings. My doorbell by itself was going to be $4.99/month. For $12.99/month this adds support for multi-cameras, while $17.99/month seemingly does that plus emergency response [monitoring]. I love the ability to geo-fence for recording - simply put, this means the Arlo app detects when I am/am not connected to my home WiFi and automatically arms and disarms the camera so I’m not having to manually toggle this setting and/or accidentally wasting valuable storage space on videos of myself. There’s one thing the app does that drives me up a wall: if you don’t go into the app every so often, you “time out” and have to re-authenticate and re-sign into the app again. When you sign back in, you’ll find no video was recorded from the time you were signed out to the time when’re signing back in, which kinda defeats the purpose of having a camera system. I have reached out to Arlo support to try to get resolution on this but they seem to think this is expected and normal behavior.

It isvery easy to set up and gives a great picture. A good value for the buck!

Easy set up and the picture quality is really good. 2 way audio is a plus in now-days. Very happy with the purchase

Love the compact size and the excellent quality of the video.

I love the assistance I received from the help desk and the quick replacement from them

Love it and its reliable product.. thank you..... ..

The video quality and audio sound were exceptional!

now i can check my home on my phone easily when i'm on the go

I’ve purchased this camera for our vacation property in Mexico only to find out that the app will not let me install it because the US model is not allowed in Mexico!

camera sucks dont buy it its slow and doesnt even record