Customer Ratings & Reviews

I had to return. Too hard to use and very difficult to install. No real help and no one to talk to.

Pros: Wire free setup Easy setup Nice size doorbell Wider field of view Rechargeable battery Sensitive but not overly Cons: None This could not have been easier to set up. Like less than 10 mins from opening to up and running. I've been looking into similar doorbells and was happy to test this. The wide view exceeds other brands and with as much online shopping as I've done with the pandemic I'm super happy with that. I feel this is sensitive without being too sensitive. It doesn't pick up random lotion, it's always a legitimate motion when I'm notified. I love the app and feel that makes a huge difference too. I am also happy the battery is rechargeable and claims to last six months at a time, I was worried with wireless that I'd have to buy a ton of button batteries and create waste. I would also say this is a sleek looking device that doesn't look weird or out of place by my door. I highly recommend this and have already helped a family member place an order.

I have no problem with the device. My problem is with the geek squad who made this acquisition almost impossible

What they don’t tell you is that you have to pay a subscription to have it actually record your doorbell videos. This the same reason I returned the Ring one. I am not happy at all at the deception. I was told it does not require a subscription to use at all. Unless I instantly click the notification, the video is gone. This is now the most expensive paperweight I own. And one more bad thing to note, the quick access on / off feature turns this on and off too. Why have a doorbell if it’s turned off?

Could not get it work talking between doorbell and the app,

I was very happy to get the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell, Wire-Free! For ~1.5 years, I’ve been using an Arlo Pro 2 camera system with absolutely no complaints, so I am using the product connected to the base station and my home network. There is the option of connecting it to your home network, in the event you don’t have a camera system with base station, though I have not tried it that way. I did add the optional siren to my setup, for times when my kids are home, they will know someone is at the door. I’m very satisfied with the doorbell. The Arlo app is designed very well, integrates well into the camera system, and is fairly easy to use / maneuver. Like I had hoped, the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell, Wire-Free, integrates seamlessly with the base station. I unpacked it, charged the battery, linked it to my base station & WiFi, and installed it outside my door; very simple. I will say that the quick start guide that comes with the doorbell is much too quick, and needs to provide basic information about charging the battery, and installation; I did have to go online here and there. It does link very easily; there is a QR Code to register the doorbell on your system / with the app. The best part, is that the entire system integrates with Alexa. Like the camera system, the beauty about this doorbell is the ability to create zones within which to monitor; you basically draw a virtual box, on the app, of what specific area you want to monitor for movement, and only alarms within that area that you define. Depending on neighbors, movements, animals, etc., it truly cuts down on false motion alarms. There are a few features that detect people, animals, and packages too, and they work extremely well. You do have to have a monthly subscription for some features, but it is cheap and it’s well worth it. The zones is great; I live in an apartment with a smaller forier, and I have rarely had aberrant alarms due to my neighbors entering / exiting their apartment. The camera’s viewing angle (180°) is phenomenal; you really can see a delivery person head to tow, even when they are close to the doorbell, but you REALLY can also see packages and food deliveries at your door step. The night vision is very reliable and works extremely well; through the app, you can adjust the brightness level. Like with the camera system’s night vision, Arlo REALLY really needs to add an adjustment in the app so you can change the sensitivity at which the regular vision and night vision switch, because as it stands, it is automatic. The HD video is of high quality, with a small amount of time delay, which is to be expected depending on your network. Last but not least is the ability to communicate with whomever is at your door. You can adjust the microphone and speaker for volume, activate/deactivate them too. Visitors can leave you a recorded message. You can set the system to play a message you record, when the button is pressed. This feature is really important for me, so if I step out of my apartment to run an errand, and someone rings the bell, they do not need to worry about answering it, telling the person that their Dad can’t come to the door right now, etc. Even if you are cooking or something, it is very convenient to communicate with the delivery person while you wash your hands etc., so you do not miss your delivery. Since my phone rings when the button is pressed, I can answer, no matter where I’m at; in the bathroom, or half-way around the globe. All of the features work well together without issues. The communication feature, in conjunction with the night vision and overall large viewing angle, provide MUCH more piece of mind than I ever thought a video doorbell could.

Had to return it. Took over 6 hours to charge and when it finally did it drained in 5 minutes. Then it couldn't connect to the WIFI. Was disappointed especially since I have 2 Arlo Cameras and they work beautifully

Arlo Wireless Video Doorbell I have had the last 2 versions of the original video door bells. I've gotten use to the quirks and welcomed an improved version. The Arlo has a 'jellybean' shape which was not my preference but it works well on slim posts where as the rectangular shapes would not. I am using it on my garage door area so space was not a problem. Set up was extremely easy (I already had Arlo cameras so it saved me having to download the app and register) and quick. The slowest parts was waiting for the update to the software, and charging the battery. Charging the battery seemed to take the entire day and night, which was a similar experience with Ring. The installation was easy and even an angled bracket was supplied. Two wires and two screws and it was installed. I am using an existing door bell so there is power to the unit. The unit can also run on its supplied battery pack. Opening the unit required what looks like a sim card ejector tool which I worry might be too easy to duplicate. Operation was smooth and very quick. I immediately noticed the different in lag time between pushing the button and the notification on my phone. The notification came like a phone call which I think is a definite improvement. I often had long lag times on my old doorbell and often i'd miss the person or see them walking away. Video was a massive improvement, and extremely clear. Field of view was much improved, and it was interesting to see how much of the view I was actually missing from my old doorbell. There are options for detection of objects like people, or animals. Arlo provides 3 months trial and then there is a subscription to continue. I am still researching the cost but I think its under $3 per month, and gives only 30 days of storage. All in all, this is a massive improvement over my old video doorbell. I've been missing out on a lot. Video quality and field of view is excellent. I am divided on the shape and the tool required to open the unit.

Easy setup. Easy install. Works perfectly. Fantastic field of view. Even paired it with the chime for those instances when phone not close at hand. Area of interest easily adjustable so that it doesn't alert for every passing car. Very solid!!

I set up my parents house and my house with over 16 cameras including hubs, driveway flood lights, doorbells The first few months were great, after the trail I’m told that only certain cameras come with 7 cloud storage. I bit and signed up for a plan since my cameras were just alerting me when something was there but wouldn’t show me… my dogs do that already Pay for the plan and now zones, smart detection and even decent recording are gone, why… Because you have to pay more for that… yes you have to pay for high resolution even though the cameras are sold as such 16 cameras, 3k to a company that was supposed to be great Don’t waste your money on and customer support is not very helpful

I currently have an Arlo Essential Spotlight Camera and absolutely love it!! So needless to say I was pretty excited to get my hands on the Essential Video door bell. I currently have a well-known brand video doorbell and it’s a couple of years old and has a pretty noticeable delay in answering the door and the video quality was just good enough not to get returned. Out of the box the Arlo looked sharp and well built. It has an angle mount accessory to point the camera towards the center of the doorway which I thought was a real cool idea in case your doorbell was in a corner and a great viewing angle to see the whole scene. You can set up either wirelessly or wired to allow continuous charging. My Essential video camera is wireless and has the battery. It has been months since I had to charge it! Remarkable really. The Essential doorbell also states it can go up to 6 months in between charges. I chose to do the wired option since I already had the wires there from my other doorbell. Here’s something to consider though if you are coming from another brand… The footprint of the screws of the previous doorbell. The Arlo is very narrow which is great compared to my other doorbell but It left a screw hole visible that I had to patch and paint to match the brick. Not a big deal since I like little projects. Just something to consider. I have to admit, I was dreading the wired installation a bit. In my head, I imagined it would be harder than it actually turned out to be. I had trouble with my first video doorbell. The Arlo was really simple…don’t over think it. You scan a QR code and it walked me step by step through the process. It was easy! I also liked that to do the wired installation you didn’t have to remember which color wire goes where on the doorbell. The Arlo doesn’t care! Nice. I also thought about putting the Arlo Doorbell on my back porch door because there was not preexisting wires there for a doorbell so a wireless option would be perfect. But, the high resolution and capabilities of object identification combined with preventing porch pirates, I decided to put my best foot forward and put it on the front porch. The video and wide angle is perfect! It is really crisp and detailed. I also love the response time from a button punch to answer. Very low latency! It records the incident and keeps it cataloged in the app. You get three months of service for free and then a subscription is required if you want to keep recordings ect. It’s negligible. Thee bucks a month for 2k and 30 day recorded history! Well worth the service!! NOTE: You don’t have to have a subscription if you don’t want to record but I would highly recommend! Great product by Arlo! I highly recommend! Whether you are new to home surveillance or upgrading from another doorbell home security has come along way and Arlo is leading from the front!

unless you plan to always have the smartphone on you, and always be on the alert for hearing for the arlo alert that someone is at the door, and always be the one home who has the arlo app connected, then you will always know when someone is at the door. If you're buys and don't hear the alert, or you're not home, then someone with a smartphone other than you will have to download the arlo app and you have to grant permission for the device to notify them that someone is at the door so they can let that person in. OR if you're not home, when you get the notification on your smartphone that someone is at the door, you'll call your house to let someone know that there is someone at the door. How's that for brilliant fast forward thinking. If you do get this wonderfully well designed device, be sure to fully test it out before the return period so you don't waste your money on what could have been a wonderful product like I did. oh, and no - IFTT doesn't work with this either.

I own Arlo cameras now but this particular unit was not friendly user. I ended up returning.

I needed a wire-free video doorbell due to a recent kitchen remodel which rendered the existing interior doorbell wiring inaccessible. Since I already have the Arlo app with multiple security cameras on multiple properties, adding another device was simple and took only a couple minutes which included downloading the firmware update. Once that was done the doorbell was activate, quick and easy. Mounting the device on the exterior was also fairly quick. However, Arlo kind of missed on the included hardware to attach the mounting plate. The head of the provided screw was too small and went right through the mounting plate hole and would not secure it to the wall. Fortunately I have all sorts of screws in my garage so finding a replacement with a larger head was no big deal, but it might frustrate other users and frankly its rather inexcusable for a mistake like that. Video is awesome, notifications and alerts are great. I like the call option so you can talk to someone at the front door or tell them to beat it. Another feature I really like that other systems I’ve used did not have is alerting what’s in front of the door, i.e., person, animal (like my neighbor’s cat), or vehicle. It has been spot-on in identification. One feature that I wish it had is a way to quickly and easily inactivate the doorbell. For example, the Arlo app has an Off slider switch for the security cameras so you can quickly turn them off. We have a property up in the mountains where it can get very windy in the Winter. The pine trees will blow and sway in the wind which will trigger the motion detector on the cameras so I turn them off until the wind subsides. It would be nice to have that Off slider option on the doorbell to stop notifications sometimes when my kids are playing and going in and out of the front door constantly. I end up with lots of useless notifications and videos. Other than that, it’s a great device that provides excellent video and at a very good price.

Some brands are just better than others and when it comes to Arlo your getting better. I'm familiar with the different video doorbells such as Ring and the type of problem you run into installing one. Let me say, Arlo made everything about installing EASY! NO MORE CORDS AND WIRES!! Its ran on a battery and the battery last for 12 months!! The other thing that makes the Arlo video doorbell different is the full-frame video that shows the entire porch and not in a fish-eye lens like some video doorbells I have had in the past. Everything about Arlo was easy and successful! I highly recommend this brand if you're looking at video doorbells.

works well I feel like the app is a little too glitchy

Very excited and extremely pleased with the Essential wirefree doorbell camera! I had the Audio door bell since my house was not wired for a doorbell, but wanted a camera version, and I am so pleased I ordered this one. Simple setup, GREAT video stream, and works great with my existing system! Highly recommend for current Arlo user's, and for non arlo user's since now you do not need a hub! 5 Stars all the way!

Doesn’t film all the time and is very slow moving video

Easy, breezy step-by-step setup through the Arlo app. Picture quality is amazingly clear. The ability to see the whole person is very helpful. Overall time from doorbell push to getting the notification on my phone is quite quick. Integration with my existing Arlo ecosystem is also a big plus. Only thing missing is some sort of built-in chime. I don't particularly like the need to purchase a separate, add-on Arlo Chime for this.

The camera quality, battery life, and viewing angle are all poor in my experience. I also bought an Arlo Pro 4 and found it to be a far superior product. Unless you absolutely need doorbell functionality, you are much better off buying an Arlo Pro 4 or similar styled camera.