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Customer reviews

Rating 4.6 out of 5 stars with 46 reviews

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  • Value

    Rating 5.0 out of 5 stars

  • Quality

    Rating 4.9 out of 5 stars

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    Rating 4.9 out of 5 stars

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91%would recommend to a friend

Customers are saying

Customers have good things to say about the Pro 1-Camera Wireless 2K HDR Security Camera. Reviewers are impressed with the camera's image quality, both during the day and at night. The setup process is also considered simple and straightforward. Additionally, users appreciate the improvements made to the 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 46 reviews
  • Pros mentioned:
    Connectivity, Video quality

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Excellent Quality and Easy to Use

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

    I’m very happy with this product! The quality is great, installation was super easy, and it works exactly as described. The image is clear, and the connection is stable. Definitely worth the price — I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable option!

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

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Love our Arlo cameras

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

    We have multiple Arlo cameras. We wanted this one because it’s an upgrade from the essential. The 160° view and crisp picture is worth it. The camera was super simple to set up and the Arlo app guides you right through the process. I highly recommend this camera.

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

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Arlo security camera

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

    My entire home security system is Arlo brand, all the cameras work very well and are of good quality, I love the image from this one and it looks great, I can use it inside and outside the house.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Connectivity, Field of view
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Solid, Weather Ready, Compact and Powerful Camera

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

    Solidly built, weather-resistant, compact, and powerful, the Arlo Outdoor Battery-Operated Camera (6th Gen Pro) is a great buy. Easy to set up, it comes practically charged and ready to pair with your phone’s Bluetooth to connect to the internet. To set up the camera, download the Arlo App. Using the included USB-C cable, charge the battery until the light on the camera's face remains a solid blue. When fully charged, connect it to the app by enabling both your phone’s Bluetooth and internet connections. The camera will connect and check for any general or firmware updates. Once connected, you can proceed to visit the app’s device settings. This will allow you to view the Wi-Fi connection, check the battery status, and make other adjustments to the video settings, night vision, lighting, and audio settings. In this section of the app, you can define zones around your entry points, motor vehicles, outdoor structures, and any other area you wish to secure. You can also set the camera to activate a spotlight when motion is detected. In the modes section, and in addition to the motion spotlight, you can configure the siren to activate automatically. The camera is relatively easy to connect to your Wi-Fi, partly due to its Dual-Band Wi-Fi capability. The camera is also equipped with a 2-way audio feature that can be adjusted in the audio settings, which provides clear audio quality comparable to a phone call. You can also configure auto-zoom and tracking, but doing so will result in a loss of 2K HDR and the clarity of the night vision. One of the essential features of this camera is its AI capability, which enables the camera to learn faces, specific vehicles, and everyday routines. The 160-degree field of view is impressive, and the video it delivers is crystal clear, with brilliant colors and excellent night vision. Other battery-operated cameras that I have owned have difficulty holding a charge. With this camera, you can set it to enter a low-power mode when it reaches a specific battery charge level, which can be set to any level you choose. There is also an XL version of this Arlo Pro camera that features a battery capable of lasting up to 8 months on a single charge. ARLO is an American company that takes pride in personal security and is a leader in the industry for data privacy. Two subscription plans offer different features. A 30-day trial is included with either one that you choose. One is enhanced to even alert emergency authorities. It is the Premium plan, priced at $29.99 per month. The other is the Plus Single plan, which costs $9.99 a month. I have several security cameras, both wired and battery-operated. This is of very high quality and seems to work exceptionally well. I have not had it long enough to fully evaluate the battery's lifespan, but if it is good, I will probably purchase more of the same camera and replace some of the others I currently have.

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

    Surveillance camera

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

    The Arlo Surveillance Camera is an excellent choice for home security. It’s smart, durable, and dependable, with features that make monitoring effortless. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a simple yet powerful way to protect their home or business.”

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

    Safety place

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

    This is a good product. And helps you to takes care of your space.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Field of view, Video quality
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Clear, sharp colorful, but still to late

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

    One thing I always have an issue with on wireless cameras is that they always seem to miss the initial action. I typically recommend a powered or wired camera system to friends because the initial event can be recorded, or you can get 24/7 coverage and not rely on motion detection and the delay of the camera powering on. However, there are situations where you can’t use a wired system and wireless is the only way you are going to have any sense of peace. I have been using the Arlo Pro (6th Gen) and the Arlo Essential (3rd Gen) for the past week and with them side by side, I can really see the differences in the Pro. The video looks clearer, more vibrant with the HDR and you can see the little bit of extra field of view. Plus, the battery is removable, but it is a strange way of removing it and you have to be pretty cautious on reinstalling it as the most obvious spots to push you are to avoid pushing on. But, to take advantage of this, you either keep the whole camera with your USB power source, or buy the extra battery and charger set. As you can’t just plug in the battery directly without the camera or charger that is not included. With the battery, it is all dependent on the traffic in the area, the use of the LED spotlight, audio, and other actions that drain the battery. I had it in a fairly active area and it was draining about 2% a day. At that rate, in about 45-50 I would need to pull it out to charge, This is where having the extra batteries and charger would be very beneficial. Especially if you have multiple cameras. Not listed as a feature difference, I feel the Pro was catching motion more often, at further distance, than the Essential. Where I literally had them side by side, there were vehicles passing by that the Pro captured. Well, at least the last fleeting seconds as the vehicle left the frame, that the Essential did not. The Pro also has an optional video setting for “auto zoom and tracking”. It is interesting, so long as there isn’t anything else in the image that might be moving. I have a tree and a flag in my front yard. I got an alert for a vehicle and the only thing I see is the tree blowing. However, I checked the other camera, since it did not zoom, and I can see that a vehicle did indeed pass by. Arlo’s newer cameras now feature using either 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz, which can help reduce some traffic and increase speeds. However, 5Ghz is not the best for range and wall penetration. So, depending on the placement of your cameras, you might need to decide between the two. However, on another note, with an additional purchase, you can also get the Arlo Smart Hub and put the traffic to that device instead. This also gives the option for local storage, which leads to my next point. You have to have a subscription to make any real use of these cameras. If you do not have a subscription, or the Smart Hub, you will ONLY get motion notifications and the ability to watch the camera live. If you don’t watch it live at the moment of the notification, you may have no indication of what really happened, let alone the delay from the video in the first place. The subscriptions can be seen on their site or through the app and you do get a 30 day trial to try out the features. With all that said, I personally still recommend a wired or powered system so that you get the faster reaction times, you don’t have to take the camera out of commission to charge, and you typically don’t have to have a subscription. However, for a wireless system, Arlo has been pretty decent over the years and the Pro version really brings all the features. You can place them practically anywhere within range of your WiFi and even with the short delay of initial recording, if the camera angle is placed well, you can usually see all the details. Overall, if I were looking for a wireless camera, I’d probably recommend going with the Pro for the clarity of the HDR, the added FOV and the replaceable battery. Even with both versions of the camera having the same resolution, the Pro version just looks sharper. Having a wider FOV also means it will see the motion quicker and hopefully capture all the information needed.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Setup ease, Video quality
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    The 6th Generation in Outstanding Quality

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

    The Arlo Pro 2K HDR wireless camera is the 6th generation of its kind. Boasting glorious image quality (both day and night), as well as quick alerts. Where the Pro 2K camera shines the most is in the quality of video recordings. Pros: Easy setup Quality recordings Alerts/Monitoring Cons: Wind noise still a factor Out of the box, the Pro 2K 6th generation was (like most of their cameras) easy to set up. The shrink wrap explains (in case nobody else knew this) to fully charge the camera before setup (this takes approximately 1-2 hours). Once charged, and after you have downloaded the Arlo app (you must create an account as well), you can add your new camera. What impressed me with the 6th generation version the most was the idea of a removable battery (which you are asked to insert before the setup process). Older generations did not have a removable battery. However, Arlo incorporated this to allow users to quickly charge and switch between batteries when wireless cameras need a charge (again, I inserted the battery and charged it before setup). The app will walk you through the steps for syncing and setting up the camera. Once set up/paired to your Arlo account, other settings I would suggest (which are not part of the setup process) are the video optimization settings, as well as recording areas that you can set up. I wish Arlo would add these in the setup process, but this is really meant for you to pair quickly and set the camera up (ready to go). The Pro 2K (right out of the box) provides excellent video quality recordings. Again, I would suggest (to get the best video quality) changing the "video optimization" settings to "best video" from the camera's menu (this will effect battery life, but it's a worth-while sacrifice). Additionally, because this is an HDR wireless camera, the colors are also more vibrant (especially during daytime recordings; I noticed the grass and background "pop" more). Lastly, nighttime video is clear and consistent with daytime recordings (you also have the option to set up night vision video, or not). My suggestion is to keep the color night vision settings, as the video looks the best (even with HDR and the spotlight functionality of this camera). HDR provides a smoother and better quality video at night. I found that the black and white night vision setting looks a lot more "blurry" than the color (which is a testament to Arlo; this is the best I have seen it look, and I own a few Arlo cameras). In addition to the standard settings, under the "default settings" menu, you can further set up "motion detection" settings (medium to low is good, only because the "high" setting can drain your battery quicker, due to more events being recorded). I would also suggest keeping (or setting) the "recording length" to "record activity when it stops." If you choose the "record for a fixed length" time setting and set your designated seconds (to minutes) of recording, you could potentially lose event video (especially if something is happening at the current moment). More so, alerts and monitoring are excellent. I have my camera installed in a tree outside of my home (approximately 30 feet from the Arlo home base and my WiFi router), and I still receive excellent (quick) event notifications, as well as video quality and connection quality. Although this is more or less dependent on your internet speeds and obviously placement, I have not had any issues with notifications with any of my Arlo cameras (they are all installed in roughly the same area away from my router and home base station). The only issue so far that I have encountered is noise. Since mounting the Pro 2K 6th generation camera, on the occasional wind we experience, the noise may be subtle or loud. Unfortunately, there is no wind reduction noise setting with the Pro cameras (only in the Ultra cameras). Hopefully, Arlo can provide this function with future generations of pro cameras, because honestly, it is difficult to go back and listen to audio (especially if people are outside your home and it's windy, thus rendering audio inaudible). Overall, the Arlo Pro 2K 6th generation provides vibrant video event recordings, as well as Live views, in stunning HDR quality. The camera was easy to set up out of the box, including mounting (there is a well-done video that you can watch within the app that explains how to properly mount the camera, but this is self-explanatory). The alert-monitoring system is quick, and there are little to no delays I experienced during events that were being recorded. However, future generations of the camera from Arlo should consider adding wind reduction to the settings options.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Field of view, Video quality
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great video quality and.

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

    Really nice security camera. It came with everything needed to get it mounted and started. I was very surprised to see they included a nice wall mount. I've had older gen pro cameras and they had just okay mounting systems (like just a magnetic one) and you had to buy the permanent theft proof one. Its included with this one (see my pic). The camera has a removable battery and charges via a Type C USB port on the bottom. The whole camera insides come out, the outer white part is just a plastic cover shell. Installing it was easy following the instructions on the Arlo secure app. However I ran into a problem. No matter what I did, it will not pair with my phone (android, Motorola brand). Don't know why. I did have the app also installed and logged with my same account on my iPad and I was able to add it this way. Maybe was some Bluetooth incompatibility with my phone, if you encounter this issue, try with another mobile device, just FYI. Once added, it showed fine on my phone. It needs their subscription for cloud storage and they give you a 30 day trial. However, if you want to not use their subscription and keep it with local storage, you have to get one of their smart hubs and it will record locally. I was surprised at how "intelligent" the alerts are, I guess they are using Ai for everything nowadays. It was able to tell me things I was not excepting, like describing the situation. IE. "man with a gray shirt on the front", "there was a package" etc, really nice but I think is part of the subscription these more detailed alerts. Video quality is great and its a nice upgrade from my older gen Arlo pro. The spotlight is super bright. Video quality at night is good too and it can keep color night vision and supports HDR. It can see very wide, without getting into fish eye territory, I love it can see practically my whole yard. The app will also let you create routines, so you can arm and disarm your cams at certain times. Great upgrade if you are on an older gen!

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Field of view, Video quality
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 3 out of 5 stars

    Good Performance, But Features Come at a Cost

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

    Located firmly between the Arlo Essential 3rd Generation and The Arlo Ultra is the Arlo Pro 6th Gen. Delivering a wide 160-degree field of view with excellent HDR picture enhancements, the general image quality is quite good during the day and passable at night. Battery life is good. Live notifications and customizable A.I. alerts are an excellent feature. Unfortunately, A.I. features and cloud-based storage are locked behind an Arlo subscription package. However, if you are already invested in Arlo camera plans or are interested in cloud-based back-up starting at $7.99 for a solo camera ($95.88 billed yearly), then the Arlo Pro 6th Gen may be for you. Unboxing: You get a camera, a rechargeable battery, indoor USB-C to USB-A charging cable, wall mount kit, and security decal. Experience: I had naively thought I could pair this camera with my VMB4000 base station for offline storage. That assumption was incorrect. Arlo has a website you can find with a simple Google search that will tell you which cameras are compatible with which base station. From what I can tell, you need a VMB5000 for this camera if you wish to store footage offline. But I am not entirely sure if that is accurate. Be sure to check out Arlo’s website if offline storage via a base station is important to you. This camera took several hours to charge. On the plus side, battery life has been good. Over five days, I only dropped two percent of my available battery. The battery is also removeable so you could hot swap the battery with a charged one if you chose. The entire camera separates via a button on the bottom of the camera that ejects the lens and battery compartment from the camera’s casing. It is a bit clunky, but it works. Video quality is generally good. I struggle to make out license plates in the street. The field of view is useful. The entire image has more of a blue hue to it than I was expecting. But nighttime shots did an excellent job with black levels thanks in part to the HDR. I do not entirely understand the emphasis on color nighttime shots as I only got those colors if the camera’s lights came on. I really like the notification alerts that show clips of the video inside the notification. The customizable A.I. notifications are useful. But you need an Arlo subscription plan for smart activity zones, A.I. detection, and cloud-based video storage. Without a subscription, all you can get is a basic movement notification and then view the feed live from your phone. I do not find that especially useful. Half of what I am getting from this camera is hidden behind a paywall. Either I must pony up for a base station for local storage, or I need to pay a subscription to get the best features advertised on the box. $9.99 per month is not terrible, but it feels ridiculous when other camera manufacturers include these features with their device without a subscription. If you wish to have a plan with multiple cameras, you could be looking at $20 a month. In terms of smart home integration, I got the cameras to work within Alexa, but not Google Home or Apple HomeKit. Conclusion: I like the image quality and battery life of the Pro 6th Gen camera. Nighttime footage is okay, but I have seen better footage from similarly priced cameras. Hiding some of the camera’s best features behind a paywall feels like a tease. For that reason, I can only recommend the camera to users with an existing Arlo subscription. For everyone else, there are better options. 3/5

    I would recommend this to a friend
    • Brand response from Arlo Team
      Posted .

      Hello,

      Thank you for taking the time to write your experience. Your feedback helps us to improve our services. We'll share your feedback with the relevant team. We appreciate your understanding.

      Best regards,
      Arlo Team arlo_us

  • Pros mentioned:
    Field of view, Video quality
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Premium video quality and easy installation. 

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

    This is an addition to our security system around our home and having this upgrade and new camera has been a great experience.  The Arlo Pro 6th Gen 1 Camera 2K Security Camera came nicely packaged and right out the box it asks to fully charge the battery so while I installed it I fully charged it. The camera itself is small, yet it is visible to everyone, and it might deter burglars.  It has a very nice gloss finish and the accessories match very well with it, best of all it can be installed inside as well as outside.  This camera is replacing another one because I wanted to keep an eye on an empty lot that it is next door to our home and having higher resolution shows better detail, from close and far.  And speaking of the resolution, the 2K resolution ensures a crisp, detailed video, with a significant improvement over the 1080p. The colors look great all day long, with great contrast.  And when it comes to night vision, it looks great too, much better than the 1080p, and the color night vision is not necessary, but it helps out a lot to know what is going on in front of the camera. And since the camera is capturing the empty lot and part of our home, it covers the area we wanted to cover due to the 160-degree field of view, no blind spots and if I were to put another camera on the other end of our home it would cover everything.  The motion and sound detection is great, and it gets trigger correctly, best of all we can adjust the sensitivity.   The two-way audio works well, it is useful and we can interact with friends, family, pets or intruders right from the Arlo app. The battery does last a long time, and of course if there is a lot of things going on and the motion gets triggered often then the battery will last less than if there is not a lot of things going on, and I think we will install their solar panel so we do not have to change the batteries at all.  When it comes to setting it up, it is easy, Arlo provides a step-by-step instruction to do so and since it is not our first camera, I did not need to see the instructions, just setup with the application. Arlo offers secure plans to consider cloud storage.  We do like our Arlo system and that includes this latest addition of the Arlo Pro 1-Camera 6th Gen, since it provides a reliable, great quality video with smart alerts to keep our home safe. 

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

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Arlo Pro: All Great, No HUB

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

    Arlo is quite possibly my favorite security camera system. Not because of the obvious reason, the peace of mind given from the network of security that come with the plans that they provide. Mind you, that'sa great featureand they are top-notch. Not because of the live two-way communication that is pretty much standard on most, if not all home security cameras of the odern era. Though, that too, is a great feature. No. Arlo has my vote because of the longevity of their batteries. Those cameras can sometime, go for almost two months before I have to recharge them. And it takes them no-time to recharge.( Not actually No Time. It is just much more quicky than otherwireless cameras that I'm using or have used in the past.) The build quality on their camera casing, must be built for combat, because it can take a few falls and still come up nearly unscathed, plus, they can stand up all of the elements( Rain, sleet, or snow, Arlo's on the go. This is the first Arlo cam that I've used that don't require a HUB, so I was really excited to get my hands on it. If you know anything about my reviews, you'll know that I like easy. This camera is so easy to get set-up and running I almost felt like it did everything itself. The box has everything you need to get started and out the door, except the drill( Get yourself a drill, if you don't have one. It makes life so much easier.). That being said. Before doing anything, make sure that you install the app and follow the instructions. More importantly, you'll need to fullyy charge the camera's battery before even getting it connected. The instructions will not tell you that the blue light will go out while the battery is charging. Don't worry. That's normal. When it is fully charged, the blue light will ignite, prompting you to continue your set-up. While it's charging, you can take that time to figure out where you truly want this thing to go. The instructions willalso say that there is a round mounting disk in the package. This didn't comein my box, and it isn't at all, necessary. Just drill in the base, then oyu'r all set. Once you're battery is charged and you're connected to wifi,you'll get you'r feed and be able to properly place your new Arlo Pro right where you'd like it. Now, after all of that you may have noticed that I only gave ita 4 star rating, and not a 5. Well,it's simple. there's a 5 second delay in the feed when you're using the non-paid service. And those 5 seconds can be very vital, when your Doo-Dash is on the doorsteps, or when the neighbor's dog is coming to defacate your begonias, or worse. Remember that when you're using the mic to talk to poeple. Other than those minor issues, this is another all-star camera system from Arlo. And, they're affordable. It's hard to say no to that.

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

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Ultimate 2K HDR Battery Powered Security Camera

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

    Arlo is a world renowned manufacturer of wireless security cameras & video doorbells. Arlo just released the 6th Generation battery powered Pro 1-Camera Wireless 2K with HDR. Since I utilize a number of Arlo security cameras in my home, I jumped at the opportunity to check out this 6th Generation Pro 1-Camera. The most noticeable improvement (and there are many!) of this 6th Generation is the stunning video quality captured by the improved 2K sensor. Images are much sharper, clearer & the colors are magnificent with HDR. The second improvement that jumps out at you is the almost instantaneous alert when movement is detected. The camera notifies you much faster & more reliably than the previous generation. The detection description is also greatly improved, accurately identifying people, vehicles & package deliveries. Battery life is greatly improved over the previous generation. During Setup, you choose between Best Video, Optimized, Best Battery Life & Low Power Mode. I chose Best Video, although Optimized is an excellent option, balancing between video quality & battery life. For the first time, the battery is removable. You can purchase a spare battery, charge it & you have backup power. CONCLUSION: Arlo - Pro 1-Camera is an amazing security device that will WOW you with quality images & responsiveness. It earns my highest recommendation.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Video quality
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 3 out of 5 stars

    Distortion and seemingly weak battery so far

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

    Unboxing was simple, but the plastic wrap on the camera was a real pain to remove. I've used Arlo in the past, I have three Arlo Essential XL outdoor cams that have sat in the box after the initial testing since they didn't outperform my Tapo cameras. Thus I already had the app on my phone to set this new camera up. But the app still seems as flaky as it was for me back when I was trying the other ones. The initial setup after pressing the sync button, the app saw the camera, then hung and couldn't do anything - was totally unresponsive. So I had to force end the app, then start again. This time it got past that part, let me select the wireless network it still remembered from my previous use, and when it came time to name my device, the app hung one more time. Another force close, reopen, and all it did was dump me into the dashboard showing the three old cameras sitting in a box here. I could see the new device under the devices tab though, and could get into the settings of the device and name it finally here. In the first few minutes I've already lost patience with the app yet again. In size this is smaller a bit than the XL's I had. I always liked their form factors, and the mount point in the back - there are SO many third party mounts you can get for this, there is no reason you can't mount it pretty much anywhere you could imagine. That's a bonus over some other brands of cameras that lack this universal type of mount. Picture quality - never an issue with even the ones I chose not to use. This is no different. Very clear image. But when I first got it charged and began testing indoors, I noted that it's really distorted at the left and right edges. To a distracting amount. I put it on a storage box on my front porch to let it work outside for a bit, and I've uploaded a photo of the distortion. And while doing that, then stopping the playback, once again the app froze. It's not a wireless issue, everything is full signal, and while the app freezes everything else still has network connectivity. And since I was working with this, I figured I would fire up the other three XL's and charge and check for firmware. I will say I was impressed; it's been years since I tested them and put them in the box. And it took a while to get them out of zero charge, I had expected them to just be toast now, but all three charged up fine, one even had a firmware update. So that says something for their longevity and toughness. While I have it sitting on the patio outside, it's consistently dinging me and informing me of vehicles on the street every time one goes, so the vehicle detection is spot on. But even though I have all the options for the light turned off, it kept turning on with detection. Night vision is set to IR only, black and white. Spotlight itself has that option turned OFF. But every time a car went past, the spotlight turned on. After turning things on and off a few times, eventually it followed the setting, and it no longer had the spotlight turning on at vehicle detection. Power management has options to optimize for battery life or video or keep it in the middle. You can also do a low power mode that does snapshots instead of video, and you can enable that to be automatically switched to between 10 and 30% of battery life to extend things when the battery gets low. Video settings are basic, you can flip it 180 degrees if you have it mounted upside down, but considering the mount point on this, it's not like some bullet cam that can only be mounted upside down in some situations. But the option is there. You can also enable or disable HDR and set the brightness of the video. There is an auto zoom and tracking option as well. The night vision option is where you can enable or disable the IR lights, since IR lights, if you place this facing a window looking outside, can cause issues. There is the spotlight setting to turn it on and off, but that doesn't seem to cover everything. I have it set to off, and it does NOT go on when I walk past it, but it still turned it on for vehicle detection initially, although eventually it became consistent. You can enable or disable the audio recording, and enable or disable the speaker if you want to use your device to talk through to someone in front of the camera. It's not the greatest quality, but it's easily understood as long as there's not too much loud ambient noise nearby. You can set up to 5 zones to watch for activity, which if you're using this outside, is handy to set it to ONLY act with things in certain areas, so the battery life doesn't get eaten up too quick. And unlike some systems, it's quite flexible for the shapes of those zones. This is one thing that despite my issues with Arlo and the cameras and app, they do excel at. There is only a siren duration option in the app when you're at the settings for the camera, but the on/off option is part of the security modes you set, where you can enable or disable it. There is no camera direct setting to disable the siren only set the duration. The claim is 8 months of battery life. Unfortunately, I don't have that much time to write this review, so I can't prove it out to the extreme. But what I can do is state that in the 38 hours I've had it so far (since I got it 48 hours ago and let it charge to 100%), battery life is already down to 96%. This is sitting in a place that has very little activity so it would have only triggered less than a dozen times those two days to notify me of motion. 38 hours, 4%. Extrapolate that, that would be less than 40 days of battery, not even a month and a half. And this was with the camera inside in a part of the house that gets little activity. On top of that, I spent almost no time streaming the video, just enough to test it for a minute here and there when I placed it in testing spots. So, I'm guessing their 8 month battery life is going to be on the most extreme battery setting with no video capture, just photos, and very little activity area to monitor. My testing was on the default optimized setting, which is supposed to balance out video quality and battery life. If the app wasn't so flakey, I might have given this 4 stars, since while I don't like the distortion of the lens or the battery life, the center of the view is crisp and clear and it's a solidly built camera. Having it go a month and a half between charges wouldn't be the end of the world... But the issues with the app are frustrating, and this is just with me testing. If I was using this daily, I'd lose patience. And seeing how long my Tapo cameras go between charges out in the yard in all weather with activity nearby, this just seems too little. And with a real-life test using 4% of the battery in 38 hours, I'm just not feeling any confidence in this.

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

      Hello JD,

      Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Your feedback helps us improve our services. We will share your feedback with the relevant team. If you would like to discuss how to optimize your battery life and the use of the Arlo Secure app, we highly recommend reaching out to one of our experts for further assistance in customizing your Arlo System to meet your specific needs.

      We appreciate your understanding.

      Best regards,
      Arlo Team arlo_us

  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Setup ease
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great Camera, Great Experience

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

    Convenience and ease of use come at price and certain limitations ***Pros*** -Extremely easy to install -Pop out mechanism -Rechargeable Battery -Long Battery Life -Set up is extremely easy -App is easy to navigate ***Cons*** -No local storage -installation location for battery access -Subscription based services -sharpness loss at around 15ft Wireless cameras are a great alternative for people that want security but do not want to go through the hassle of running wires, or paying a lucrative amount of money for someone to come install the system. They also offer the opportunity to place said cameras in weird off angles that people would not expect, like mine I placed mine in a tree branch. Anyways, me personally I'm not the biggest fan of these types of cameras for a reason I will mention later, but I will not let that bias stop me from praising the good things. Arlo has done a phenomenal job at making things so easy and simple to use and navigate. Packing... simple, they cut the bluff. Insid the box you get your camera, Type C cable, battery and mount. Without giving it much thought, even someone that is not tech savvy can figure out what goes where. That same concept applies to the set up on the phone. You download the app, set up an account, a few clicks here and there, let the software do its thing and done. All of that took me less than 5 minutes by the way. There are other options in the app as well like arming, disarming, setting up certain commands for both (you do not have to code), and also emergency services for the elderly. Coming from a place where the UI is just the barebones, it's definitely a nice experience. BUT personally for me personally, not providing a physical storage slot to sell me a cloud service rubs me the wrong way. Not everything has to be a subscription service, but that is just me, people will consume, and earning expectations get higher I guess. Since I wanted this camera to be in an off angle away from the wires, I am alright without all the features. Oh also the camera is ok, runs at about 20-30 ish frames at 2k and things lose shape at around 10-15 ft. So if you want to use footage to catch the bad guys, you will only see the color of the car they get away with if you have a big property. Anyways the UI, set up, ease of use, all great and definitely recommend it as long as you place it at a distance where it doesn’t lose sharpness, i would also recommend the bundles if you plan on dropping a penny on these

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Field of view, Video quality
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great Security Camera with Decent Night Vision

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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 security cameras for over 5 years now and have been pleased with the service and quality of the videos. I am always up for an upgrade and will replace one of my aging cameras with this Arlo Pro 2K (6th gen) battery operated camera. I have an area, outside my garage doors, which does not have an outlet nearby. So, I need a camera with a battery to help keep an eye on received packages. Right out of the box, I found a lot of improvements from my older one. Arlo has redesigned the camera to allow USB-C charging and easier battery removal, from a mount, for charging. Since I already have the Arlo app, paring was easy and the camera was ready to go within minutes after charging. The included screw mount was a nice addition instead of relying on magnet mounts. I was very happy with the night vision (photo was taken from camera without any other lights on). It is nice to be able to have color to help provide better identification, if needed. The fish-eye lens helps catch images my older camera could not reach. However, I noticed there was a slight delay in recording movement when the object was further from the center of the frame. Otherwise, I was amazed with how fast the recording when objects where closer to the center of the recording frame. Overall, I am pleased with this upgraded camera and would recommend. The price is reasonable, the quality of the camera and videos are great, and I believe Arlo will stay around for many years to come.

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

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Connectivity and battery life have improved

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

    This Arlo 6th gen camera is an addition to my Arlo Pro set, making it my number 8 camera in the collection. From my quick physical inspection, I cannot tell if the 6 is different than the 5 version. However, the 6th gen has a USB-C charging port, unlike the proprietary magnetic port on the older generations. It’s welcome plus. What else is different is the color of the battery housing; now it is red. The new Arlo Pro 6th Gen is built on the already excellent 5S Gen, with a few welcome refinements. At first glance and physical inspection, it’s hard to tell the difference between 6 and 5S. However, one noticeable change is the USB-C charging port, unlike the proprietary magnetic connector on older models. Additionally, part of the camera’s interior housing now has a red color to create a distinctive design that identifies it as Gen 6. As usual, the camera comes with everything needed: the camera itself, one battery, USB-C charging cable, wall mounting bracket, and screws. I put the camera on charge before setup. While the overall design is identical to the 5S, the battery life has improved by 15%, which is great to have compared to its predecessor model. Even though I typically use a solar panel, for this model, I must buy a separate USB-C compatible solar panel. For now. I will just use it with a cable and leave it plugged in. Setup was straightforward via the Arlo app, and the camera was added even faster than I used to, due to the Bluetooth capability that is added to the Arlo camera to assist in installation. The Arlo app found the camera in a matter of seconds, which is awesome. The camera supports a dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz) network. The camera can be connected either directly to the Wi-Fi or base station, but it works only with the new models (VMB5000/VMB4540). I also have noticed that the life feed loads faster than the 5S, even though they are connected to the same Arlo base station. I opted to connect the camera to the base station because I prefer having my own secure network, as well as adding the camera to Apple HomeKit, even though on HomeKit, the resolution is reduced to 1080P, and the live feed takes longer to load. In addition, the camera has custom detection and event captions powered by Alro’s intelligent (still in beta), and they are part of the Arlo security plan. In terms of image quality, the camera features 2K, and it’s super crisp and high quality. After using the camera for several days and placed it in a spot where traffic is kind of high. I noticed that the detection has improved in this model 6. The detection description is accurate and able to identify people, packages, or vehicles more accurately. Overall, the Arlo Pro 6th Gen delivers excellent performance, smoother operation, and a fully wire-free installation experience, making it a solid upgrade over its predecessor, especially in connectivity and battery life.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Setup ease, Video quality

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Very easy to use

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

    I like the camera a lot. I like that I can change the battery and easily recharge it. I like the night view and wide angle of the video and it was very easy to install and set up

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Setup ease, Video quality

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great camera!

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

    This camera delivers clear, high-quality video and is very easy to set up.

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

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great for home security

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

    This is a really nice camera. It films in very high quality, it’s easy to set up and so convenient to watch every move from your phone. Highly recommend.

    I would recommend this to a friend
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