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Customer reviews

Rating 4.4 out of 5 stars with 336 reviews

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  • Value

    Rating 4.4 out of 5 stars

  • Quality

    Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

  • Ease of Use

    Rating 4.4 out of 5 stars

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85%would recommend to a friend

Customers are saying

Customers commend the Essential 1-Camera Outdoor Wireless HD Security Camera (2nd Generation) with Color Night Vision for its easy setup, clear picture, and night vision capabilities. They appreciate the affordable price point and motion detection feature. However, some customers express concerns about the subscription requirement and short battery life.

This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.

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.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 336 reviews
  • Pros mentioned:
    Camera quality, Overall performance

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Incredible

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    Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The product works wonderfully, the quality is incredible and the fact of not connecting even a cable solves many things

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Camera quality, Ease of use

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great starter cameras!

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    Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Easy to use it takes you step by step to set it up. The picture quality on the cameras is excellent and well and the battery last a fair amount of time.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Night vision

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great cameras!

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    Posted . Owned for 6 months when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I bought this camera before I upgraded to make sure I enjoyed the Arlo system. I now love these cameras, I do recommend the upgraded cameras. Mainly due to the removable battery. However solar panel does great at keeping them charged

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Camera quality

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Single camera

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    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Love it nice and small and simple. Clear picture to see good

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Camera quality

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    great picture quality

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    good picture on the camera, charging is not like my other ones you have to plug it in

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Camera quality

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great photos

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    Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    We got this camera because of random people coming in and out of our neighborhood. And our ring camera wasn't very good picture. This camera is definitely an upgrade and is a great price. Great picture quality. Would definitely recommend. Plan on getting one more.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Eye in the sky

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    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Great security system. Easy to install and convinient app access. I can keep an eye on things while I'm away from home.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Very good

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Very good I have the whole Arlo set up. It just sucks. You have to pay to run your videos back.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Arlo camera

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This product was a good buy. I needed to update my security and I chose this product.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Camera quality

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great quality video …

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    Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This is a great camera for my needs! Very little lag and really good video quality. Takes great photos too!

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Two Cameras

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    Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I absolutely love my camera’s. I’m so happy with this purchase. Thank you guy’s so much…

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Camera quality, Ease of use
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Impressive

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I have used many security cameras now and when I first got this Arlo camera I was very impressed. Out of the box, visually looks good and the overall setup was very easy. Their Arlo Secure mobile app was intuitive and the user interface is well thought out. A few of the things to call out for it's included features are 2 way audio, emergency siren, 130 degree viewing angle, and motion activated spotlight. The battery seems to be holding up well. I have the power management setup to "Optimized", which balances video quality and battery life. I like that you can setup thresholds for when to go into automatic low power saving mode. This low power saving mode will take snapshots instead of using video recordings. There are settings to adjust video brightness, screen flickering for shutter speed adjustments, setup activity zones, motion detection sensitivity, recording length options, and night vision. For the notifications received for different motion alerts, it identifies people and animals really well. On occasion I will get alerts if the wind is causing certain motions but I think it varies on if you have the activity zones setup. One thing I am highly considering is Arlo's solar panel to keep this thing charged. This would be great once I have the camera installed in a more permanent location and where it might not be so convenient to have to unmount/mount to charge the battery up.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Camera quality
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great addition to our Arlo system

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I got the Arlo Essential Outdoor 2nd Generation camera to replace one of my Arlo cameras that was about 4 years old or so and I was tired of replacing the CR123 batteries. This camera has an internal battery that should far outlast multiple replacement batteries on my older camera. Setup went flawlessly. I already have the Arlo app with two separate locations setup (home and vacation home). The app walks you through the setup and it went perfectly connecting directly to my wifi. The camera is located approx. 150 feet from the wifi router and the signal was stated as “strong” during the setup, so I’m pleased that I could mount it at my detached garage and have it pointing back at our cabin and driveway. I added it to our existing location’s profile and it synced up perfectly with the existing automated routines. The camera provides a very wide angle, significantly wider than our previous camera. The images are sharp and detailed, even at night. The motion detection worked great, saw some deer walking across our driveway one evening and the camera’s spotlight lit them up. I’ve only had it for a few days but I think it’s a great addition to our Arlo system and will provide excellent security. Highly recommended.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 2 out of 5 stars

    Disappointing Camera Performance and Connectivity

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    Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The nighttime video quality of the camera is disappointing, as the footage appears poor. Additionally, the camera takes a frustratingly long time to wake up when accessed through the app and frequently fails to connect. Overall, it's an underwhelming experience.

    No, I would not recommend this to a friend
    • Brand response from Arlo Team
      Posted .

      HI Ashraf,

      Thanks for sharing your review. If you're experiencing issues with night vision please try and reboot your camera and test again. If the issue persists, please navigate to Settings > Support in the Arlo App for service options available to you.

      Thank you for your patience and understanding.

      Best Regards,
      Arlo Team arlo_us

  • Pros mentioned:
    Camera quality, Night vision
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great security camera and affordable

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This second generation arlo essential outdoor camera is as good as the previous generation and more compact at affordable price . Easy to installed and connect directly to your WiFi home network, first charge the camera until the blue light stays on, then install the wall mount, adjust the camera angle by tilting the camera to the sides and down and then sync to the Arlo app. With this Arlo security camera you can capture clear video details on 1080p HD, color night vision, integrated spotlight, motion detection/ alerts 2way audio with noise cancellation and integrated siren that you can trigger manually or automatically with your settings. The box includes arlo camera with integrated battery, usb charging cable and wall mount, it also includes a free trial of Arlo secure plan. It works with Alexa and Google but it doesn’t work with Apple Home. So far the camera works great with a clear picture day or night, the spotlight is a plus the sound it’s clear with the noice cancelation but sometimes while watching the camera from your phone the sound is not as good, the sounds comes out like cosmic background noise , but I’m sure there’s some fixing with the settings for that. You have to make sure you set this camera to optimize battery life on the app, otherwise you will drain the camera. The only downside about this camera is that Arlo wants you to pay for a plan to get features like emergency response, smart object detention like people, packages, vehicles or animals, secure cloud storage, smart activity zones and animated previews, this is good if you don’t already have a security system in your home that has emergency respond features, I personally don’t like security cameras that provides you with limited features unless you pay for a plan. This camera would have also be nicer if it comes with a mini SD card that you can record your videos without paying for a cloud storage.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Night vision
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Arlo Essential Outdoor Camera

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I don’t think it could get easier than this? Charge the camera, download the Arlo Secure app, connect the camera to the app, and then hold the camera in the location you would like to mount it to check the wifi signal strength. If it’s good, then mount the bracket with two screws and attach the camera to the bracket. No wires to run, no crawling around in the attic. I did have trouble getting the camera added to the app, I was about to contact Arlo’s support but it joined on the next try. This camera requires a 2.4 GHz wifi network so I had to join it to our guest wifi, our main wifi is 5 GHz and is not compatible. The picture clarity on this little camera in daylight is amazing, and the night vision isn’t too bad, without the spotlight it gets understandably grainy. With the spotlight on, it’s able to give you a color picture at night. I have a bit of an unusual use case for this little camera. I have three 3D printers that work away in the dark in my basement and I’d like to check in on them from time to time. This camera has a 1/4-20 mounting hole so I expect it will be easy to mount it to a bracket where it can view the print progress. Being able to manually turn on the spotlight through the app is a plus. I might not have much use for the camera’s built in speaker but with it’s microphone I can listen to hear if everything is running smoothly. The audio and video both operate with a slight delay, maybe 3-4 seconds? Not a big deal. You’d be able to talk with a delivery driver or run off an undesirable visitor. You could also use the built in siren to persuade a bad guy to leave. Motion detection worked good, it sends a notification for motion or if it detects a person then it sends a person detected message.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Night vision
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 3 out of 5 stars

    Online setup issues, lackluster free options hurt

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Difficult setup and severely limited functionality without a paid subscription hinder an otherwise decent security camera. I am a very tech-savvy guy, and I had nothing but trouble trying to setup the Arlo Essential (2nd gen) security camera. For days, I kept getting stuck at the "Searching for the device on our system" screen during setup. It wouldn't advance to the point where I could add the camera to my Arlo account. I kind of assumed that the device was just too new and the Arlo Android app needed to be updated. This proved incorrect, as I was able to install the camera using my Android tablet without issue. Why didn't it work with my new-model Samsung phone? I have no clue. It was very frustrating though. A 5-minute process on my tablet should not have taken hours on my phone. I dinked around with the network settings in my phone and my home's wifi network, too...which only made the problem worse because I had to eventually go back and revert all those adjusted settings. What a pain! Moving on... Mounting the camera takes about 5 minutes with the proper tools. A 15/64 inch drill bit is needed to drill the screw holes for the mount. The camera works pretty well. The night vision is nice, at least within 6 or so feet. Outside of that, things get fuzzy. But I can definitely make out faces within that 6-foot range. The spotlight is a nice feature, too. I like that I hear the audio around the camera too. It was funny hearing the postman blurt out a naughty word when he dropped my 35lb bag of dog food awkwardly from his truck. Poor guy. The camera comes with a 30-day Arlo Secure package. However, if you don't opt to continue the paid package, the camera is pretty useless. This is a real sticking point for me. All the camera is capable of without the "Secure" package is a live view and notifications. Notifications are pointless when you click them and are shown nothing but the live view. So if you get notified about movement, but check 10 minutes later, you can't actually see what the notification was for. All you see is the live view. Totally pointless. There's no on-board storage options, no SD-card storage. And no cloud storage without the paid subscription. Such a bummer. The package isn't too expensive, but I honestly feel like a one-camera package should be free...or I should have local storage options. Just a shame. I wish Arlo offered a better package for those not wanting to pay a monthly (or yearly) fee. It really brings down the score of an otherwise nice and capable WIFI security camera. Maybe you're okay with paying a fee, in which case this camera is solid. But it's not what I intended.

    No, I would not recommend this to a friend
    • Brand response from Arlo Team
      Posted .

      Hi Tom,

      Thank you for your detailed review. Our team has worked to resolve the onboarding and live-streaming issue with the Essential 2nd Generation cameras you were experiencing during onboarding. There are some features that are still available without an Arlo Subscription. You can read more about it here: https://kb.arlo.com/000062312.

      We appreciate your feedback on Arlo Secure, please navigate to Settings > Support in the Arlo App for service options available to you.

      Best Regards,
      Arlo Team arlo_us

  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Camera quality
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great outdoor camera

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Ok for starters i like to get any problems with the device out there so you can find out first not half way through the review. So the only issue i have had so far is the way i have the camera in the afternoon the sun shines on it or actually in it's direction. So the issue i am talking about is when the sun is pointing in its direction it has this weird reddish hue to it and it will jump between a perfect picture and a reddish looking screen and even sometimes go into night vision all black and white mode.Now diven it is brand new and mite just be a setting i have to adjust or it will just kind of work itself out.We will see. Installation was a breeze two screws with a phillips head screwdriver and your done. Now it does not come fully 100% charged it was at 68% but it lets you know this in the included tiny book that comes with it. So i charged it up but i'm pretty sure i did not get it to 100% i say this because i looked at the battery life last night and it was at 90% at around 5pm at first i thought wow it burned through 10% battery life but i checked it this morning at 9am so basically 16 hours later and it's setting at 89% so i have a feeling i just did not have it charged all the way to 100% from the get go. Picture quality is great. I did notice when it is saying it is live if you look at the picture on the software on your phone there is a delay in the what is happening and what you see by about 1 to 2 seconds. Like you move your arm and 2 seconds later you see it move on the video on your phone.But if i hit the mic to talk you hear instantly what i am saying so there is no delay there. Now just FYI once you install the software it does give you an option to pay for there services and there is no close button or decline button.So you basically have to just close out the software and re open it. I wish they had a decline button so you did not have to do that because to me it looks like you are forced to buy there services,but you are not. All in all i love the camera and recommend to buy it if you are looking for a outdoor indoor camera. It's definitely built to take the weather outside and with winter rite around the corner im wondering how the battery will last outside in 20 degree temps.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Ease of use, Night vision

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Very great product

    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This camera is super easy to install. Nice high-tech looking design great quality pick up basically any motion that sensed by the camera and it let you know what it is if it’s human or cat just download the account boom ready to go definitely buying more of these and will recommend them to family members for sure. 100% satisfied with outdoor cameras waterproof weatherproof/flash is super bright has a floodlight on even the small cameras and you can adjust the brightness the night vision could be black and white or color. That’s awesome. Great great product highly recommend.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Ease of use
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Good choice

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I have been using Arlo cameras for years and have been very pleased with them. I have a wired 4K system but it isn't as easy or quick to use remotely so my Arlo cameras are my go to's. Set-up out of the box was easy and intuitive. You have to download the Arlo app and the camera gets set up there. I already had the app so the new camera popped right up with the others. The camera comes with a one month free trial of the Secure System which is their cloud based monitoring. In the app, you choose a name for your camera. From there, you can turn your camera on and off, control the settings such as the activity zone (where you want motion detected). In the activy zone, you, can set up package recognition so you will be notified when a package is delivered. This can be helpful so your package isn't left outside at the mercy of porch pirates. The camera also has settings for night vision, power optimization, etc. I had my camera in a low activity area. It still had over 90% charge 10 days later. The camera comes with a spotlight that is motion activated that you can choose to use as well. Notifications of activity can be turned on or off. This allows you to keep watch when you need to and to not be disturbed when you don't. The camera records and livestreams in 1080p, which is looks decent but I'd like to see something higher quality, like a 2K. One issue I did have is that when looking at a live view of the camera in the gallery view of my cameras, I was unable to click to make this be my single camera shown. I had to go out of livestream to change to the single camera view and then start the livestream. There is a 2 way microphone on to communicate with someone through the camera, as well as a siren that can be set to activate either automatically or manually. You can invite others to access your cameras as well by sending an invitation. Overall, I would recommend this camera. Based on the price point, the camera, functions, features and battery life make this a good choice

    I would recommend this to a friend
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