Customer Ratings & Reviews

The additional spot light is great. Gives me peace of mind

I have older Arlo cameras. And I have to say that they did a really great job with the updated versions. The picture is clear and crisp. Setup is very easy and only took about 20 minutes in total. I mounted the camera outside of my townhouse door. I didn’t honestly need any help it was very straight forward. The flood light is VERY bright. The light outside of my door isn’t working due to a fuse issue and it’s hard to get it repaired due to Covid, honestly with the camera armed I don’t feel the need to worry about it too much right now. I’m able to safely unlock my door without fumbling due to the bright light from the camera. I honestly feel a lot safer. I did a test run with my dog to see if the camera could really tell the difference between an animal, a person, and someone delivering a package. I live off of a very busy street. I will say that each time I had my dog walk past in the app it was able to pick up that it was an “animal” walking past the camera. The package feature worked about 90% of the time. Honestly, this is a great addition to your home defense. Beware that the XL is just that; very large, but I feel that it’s mounted very securely. I intend on adding 2 more to replace my old Arlo cams.

It was a very good item. It worked well and did the job.

Very good. Arlo working very well... clarity alright!

This might be a great camera. I bought it for my MIL for Xmas. Went to set it up, found that the camera only uses 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi but must be on the same network (and frequency) as the phone with the Arlo app. Newer phones are on 5Ghz. Returned the camera.

Camera advertises a 1-year battery. I have had it in my home for 3 weeks and the battery is almost dead. It has not even recorded anyone. Just been in standby mode. And it's inside. Very disappointing

There was a montly fee to record and save the video. I had a theft at my home, it recorded it just fine, but when I went to file a police report it had been deleted.

We use it as a birding camera and it's perfect for that.

Absolutley terrible.. it disconnects every day and then I cannot get it connected I take the app on and off, it just disconnects and then will not connect again. I have a sister with Dementia and needs to be watched 24-7 this is NOT A GOOD Deal or Camera. I wish technology would work like its made but the fact is all this technology is a waste of Money and this camera does not work Consistently AT ALL!!!. Surprise they can sell you stuff that just does not work right.. have had it for 30 days and its maybe worked a half a day without disconnecting.. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE CAMERA DO NOT BY ARLO.

Well camera is excellent for viewing whatever is going on and picking up people and animals. Communication by voice is terrible! Very difficult to understand what is being said thru the camera. Would love to keep but after 3 months ARLO charges 3.00 a month 10 if you have 2 cameras for motion alerts and storage. There are 10 other cameras that charge 0 and cost less...so why would i keep these

I like it, it is easy to download, very convenient; just one issue I have not figured it out yet; I can’t seem to extend the time on the video recording...from factory it is too short of a time that it records!!

Device very problematic to install. Not yet able to Install same

I have added about one Arlo camera from each generation of Arlo’s since the first ones came out so I have watched the brand and technology grow. The XL Spotlight is a nice upgrade as the battery is much larger than any previous model and the clarity is on par with some of their highest quality pictures. The spotlight itself is both handy in making the picture clearer at night and as a deterrent when people notice it comes on in their presence. Myself and my neighbors are ok with people knowing that whatever they do is being noticed and the light is not disturbingly bright, just enough to let people know it is there. I have already suggested it to another friend and neighbor and I will continue to recommend Arlo as long as they keep offering great quality cameras at a reasonable price.

Overall ok. Battery only lasts a couple months on a charge even though specs and box say up to a year compared to non XL which says 6 months for battery life.

Just got the Arlo Essential XL camera. I love that fact that it doubles as a spot light. Extremely easy to set up with a good battery life. Footage is clear and works well at night due to the spot light feature. App is super easy to use and I love the fact that you can give access to multiple users through the app. Definitely will be purchasing more cameras to complete the home security system.

Arlo Essential Spotlight Camera Bottom Line Up Front: This is an excellent wireless (Wi-Fi) battery-powered security camera with very good resolution that works well during the day and through the night with motion detection. The spotlight improves nighttime operation by providing a bit more light. (During the first night of operation, the motion-detection captured a family of Florida Black Bears in my front yard!) Because this is a wireless security camera system, you’ll need a strong Wi-Fi signal in the 2.4GHz band. The charging port is on the bottom of the camera to keep water out. To utilize the system's full capabilities, you must subscribe to an extra cost Arlo Smart Plan. The camera is available in either white or black. What’s in the box: Camera (of course), 12-inch USB-A power cord; Adjustable Indoor/Outdoor Short Mount with three mounting screws; quick start guide Set-up: You can set up the camera(s) with either the Arlo app for your smart phone or your desktop computer. I think it’s easier on the smartphone since that’s where you will receive your notifications. Setup takes around 10 minutes using your smart phone (which is how I did it) and a few more minutes to install the mount. Compatibility: If you already have an Arlo security camera system, this will work with the following Arlo gateways: VMB4000 VMB4500 VMB4540 VMB5000. If you don’t have one of these gateways, you can connect directly to your Wi-Fi router. (See the Arlo website – Arlo.com.) It will also work with Apple Watch; Google Home Hub; Amazon Alexa but I don’t have any of these so I didn’t explore operations with them. Mounting: NOTE: This camera does NOT have the magnetic mounting circle that was present on older models. This camera has three options for mounts: The Adjustable Indoor/Outdoor Short Mount (It’s about 2 inches high and it comes in the package); or, as optional addition cost options, you can get the Outdoor Security Mount (4.8 inches tall and 2.3 inches wide) or an Outdoor Mount ( 2 inches tall). I used the Outdoor Security Mount because it provides a bit more stand-off from the mounting surface. Battery Life: Arlo advertises six months for this model saying the six month figure is based on camera usage of 4000 seconds per month, 30 seconds per stream, and 2/3 day operations and 1/3 night events split. “Your mileage may vary” depending on many factors such as how you set the camera up, how often it’s triggered and the temperature of the environment where you will use it. If you need a longer battery life, Arlo says its Essential XL Spotlight Camera will provide 1 year of operation between charges. NOTE: You can use the battery charger from other older Arlo systems if you have one. I plan to purchase an Arlo solar panel to keep it charged all the time. PROS • Excellent resolution and field of view (130 degrees) • Very good night operation with the spotlight • Easy set up • Video can be saved to your smart phone • Two-way audio • Built-in siren CONS • The included charging cord is only 12-inches long (tip-to-tip) which my experience shows is too short. (I use a longer charging cord and AC adapter that came with a spare battery for my older Arlo Pro 2 camera package and it seems to work fine.) • To charge the battery, you must either take the camera indoors and plug in the charging adapter OR buy a solar cell (at additional cost) for continuous operation. • It does not offer Foresight (e.g., capturing 3 seconds of activity prior to activation). • To take full advantage of the camera’s capabilities (high resolution recording, 30-day video cloud storage, identification of activity as vehicle, person, animal or package delivery, restrict motion sensing to limited areas to reduce alerts, and e911) you have to subscribe to an Arlo Smart Plan (starting at $2.99/month for one camera or $9.99 for up to five cameras). If you chose not to subscribe after your initial 90-day free trial, you can only live stream and receive general motion notifications.

BEWARE! You no longer get 7 days recording history for free. I had a different ARLO camera and still get the 7 days free and thought this one would too, no longer! Would have been nice to still get a couple days history included at no charge. If you want free history, look elsewhere. Battery does not last what they claim. Otherwise the camera works well, but still disappointed.

Terrible, battery doesn't hold a charge. Really considering getting brand.

The time between the activity occurring in me getting notified lags. For instance when the mailman comes it does not even start recording until he’s already at my mailbox and then I will get notified at that point. The main issue I have is that there was a time lapse between my trial subscription and me reactivating it. No where did I see it written that the spotlight will not work without a subscription. It is advertised as a spotlight camera. I’ve looked and cannot find anywhere that says the light will not work without a subscription, only mentions some other features. I would not recommend this to anyone

So far the only good thing about this camera is that it comes with a light and you don't need a base. Other than that it's phony.