I’ve been seriously intrigued by wireless security solutions for quite some time now, and despite the obvious drawbacks of needing to routinely charge batteries, the idea of being able to place independent cameras just about anywhere, all without the need to consider outlet locations for power, has remained way too compelling to ignore.
That said, the kind folks at Arlo were nice enough to send me a representative sample of their premium wireless security system to test out for review. The package they sent over is a Costco-exclusive (MSRP $800) that includes 5 cameras, a base station, an assortment of indoor and outdoor wall mounts, an AC adapter and a charging dock. Pricey? Absolutely. Worth the cash? Without a doubt. Read on to find out why.
Setup
If there’s anything that Arlo Pro 2 totally excels at (and it goes way beyond this), it’s basic out-of-the-box setup. Minus any kind of permanent wall mounting that you might want to install, you’ll easily be up and running within an hour or so, and that includes connecting the base station to your router, pairing the cameras to it and installing the free Arlo app on your mobile device. It might even be less time, actually, depending on how long it takes you to charge each camera’s removable battery—in my case, it was around an hour per unit, and you can do two at a time using the dedicated dual charger.
Here’s the basic outline: You first download the Arlo app and create an account. The wireless base station, which looks like a little extraterrestrial router and sports a 100 decibel (!) house alarm/siren function, connects to your Earthly router via the provided ethernet cable. Once that’s taken care of, you press a button on the base station and pair the cameras to it one at a time. Once that’s done, you’ll never need to pair them again. Then you plunk down the cameras wherever you want them. And that’s basically it. It’s really that simple. You’re already up and running.
Placement
Arlo Pro 2 cameras have a strange, otherworldly oblong shape, which might lead you to believe that you couldn’t stand them upright on, say, a piece of furniture. While you can mount them securely to a wall with the included hardware, each device is outfitted with a flat-bottom footprint. In other words, there’s no rolling or toppling over to speak of. That’s what’s so great about these cameras—you can place them just about anywhere. Bookcase, coffee table, fireplace mantle, counter, dresser, nightstand, you name it. Any flat surface will do, as long as it provides a good view of what you need to monitor.
Because Arlo Pro 2 cameras are magnetic (mostly to secure to the rounded indoor wall mounts), you can stick them to various metal appliances, which has turned out to be quite useful. I smacked one onto my fridge door without the need to screw anything in, so if your decor allows for it, this is a great way to avoid messing up your walls or poking holes in your ceilings. Of course, you can also place Arlo cameras outside and cover them with the black waterproof silicone sleeves. The drawback to this setup is that you’ll still need to take them inside for charging every month or so. That is, unless you buy the special outdoor AC adapter, which would provide constant power. There are also solar panels you can purchase.
Arlo App
Essentially, the Arlo app gives you instant access to all of your cameras. Any time motion is detected, a short video clip will get uploaded to the cloud, you’ll get an alert on your phone, and then you can watch it with a simple tap of a button. You can also choose to activate a live feed on any of your cameras at any given time, take screenshots, activate your own recording clips or initiate real-time voice communication. This last option was the only feature that was a bit hit and miss for me, as the timing was finicky between pressing the ‘talk’ button and speaking so my phone captured and correctly transmitted my voice. The speakers on the Arlo Pro 2 cameras are okay and get the job done.
My only complaint with the app is something that should come as no surprise to anyone who has used a system like this: Fale notifications. Sure, you can adjust both person and object detection, as well as set motion zones if you have the right subscription plan. But early on when I was just using the Basic plan, I had a bunch of trouble with annoying, excess push notifications. I also kind of wish there was a setting that allowed me to choose a timeframe that I wanted the cameras to be on, so if I’m home and don’t want alerts going off, I could just automate when the system starts and stops monitoring. As far as I know, you have to manually turn the cameras off if you don’t want them recording.
Subscriptions
Here’s a tip: You don’t need to pay for any kind of service to use the Arlo Pro 2 package on the simplest level (Basic plan), which supports up to 5 cameras and a rolling 7 days of cloud recording storage. It’s completely free, and if you don’t need anything past that, you can use your entire Arlo setup through this Basic plan forever. The next step up is the Arlo Smart Add-On ($30/year) which gives you lock screen notifications, adjustable camera motion zones that help reduce false alerts, and person detection. That last one, while it can be a tad imperfect, is worth the price alone, as it prevents your cameras from sending alerts for stuff like falling leaves or passing cars.
If you really want to up your security game, you can pay for Arlo Smart Premier ($100/year), which adds 30 days of rolling could recordings, support for up to 10 Arlo cameras, everything in the Smart Add-On, as well as an emergency feature that can direct personnel to your house. Arlo Smart Elite ($150/year) is the cream of the crop, with 60 days of cloud recordings and support for 20 Arlo cameras. I think for the average home user, the Basic or Basic plus Smart Add-On will more than suffice, but the bigger options are there should you choose to indulge.
It’s important to note that none of these plans include CVR, or continuous video recording. That’s a luxury that you’ll need to pay for, unfortunately, and it can be purchased in either 14-day or 30-day cloud storage yearly plans. In other words, the previous plans and their cloud storage only hold motion-triggered video clips, not 24/7 video feeds. I tried out the CVR function and it worked just fine, though you do need to keep the assigned camera plugged in via AC so it doesn’t die after a few days.
Batteries
In my experience, it usually takes somewhere between one and two hours to fully charge an Arlo Pro 2 battery, and that’s if it’s starting with absolutely no juice. Obviously, that timing goes way down if you can catch the battery before it completely dies, and conveniently, the app (plus an email alert) will notify you when power percentages are getting low. This eliminates any guesswork and ensures that your security system never falls victim to dead batteries.
You can charge the removable batteries either inside the cameras themselves, where you’re just plugging in the included AC adapter to a covered back port. Or (and this is my favorite way to charge) you can pop the batteries out and plug them directly into the official charging dock. This handy device, which looks like a tiny Bluetooth speaker, can charge two Arlo batteries at once, saving tons of time in the process. You just push the blocks into either side and they lock into place via a satisfying spring mechanism. LED lights on top indicate whether a battery is charging (orange) or if it’s done (green).
So now for the big question: How long do the batteries last? Well, that entirely depends on how often a particular camera is getting triggered into recording, which could be a whole lot depending on location. Units placed in rooms or areas that experience a lot of traffic (pets, delivery people, cars, general moving around) won’t last nearly as long as cameras situated in less busy places. Even so, Arlo units getting the most use still tend to last for around a month on a single charge, while the cameras that barely see any movement on a daily basis will routinely last for about a month and a half, give or take a week. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with battery life, and if that still doesn’t seem like enough, you could always keep your cameras plugged into a wall outlet, completely eliminating the need to charge.
Everyday Use
At this point, I’ve been able to use this security system for around 4 months, so I think I’ve acquired a pretty decent impression of what works and what doesn’t. As far as day-to-day usability, the Arlo Pro 2 system is excellent. And by excellent, I mean it’s super easy and convenient to check in on things while you’re out and about. Whether you’re in a different room or a different state, your entire monitored life is just an app tap away. Package getting delivered at the front door? An alert will push to your phone. Pets getting into trouble? You can reprimand them through the two-way intercom (don’t yell too loud, they’re just being pets, of course).
I went out of town a few times during this review period and was able to experience the system and app on LTE rather than Wi-Fi, and besides some expected delays in initiating live feeds via cellular data, everything worked flawlessly. There’s an awesome peace of mind that comes with being able to see live footage of your living room or your cat while standing in line for Space Mountain at Disney World. And it can become somewhat addicting, all the checking in and video clip perusing. You just have to be careful, because all that app usage can put a sizable dent in your cell phone bill.
The Final Verdict
Arlo Pro 2 cameras, these beautiful little alien-pod-esque high-tech recording devices, are a home (and business, I’d imagine) security dream. They’re wireless, magnetic, ultra portable, design-conscious and weather resistant. And, because of their unique shape, they can easily be placed on just about any flat surface or mounted outside for front door, garage or backyard surveillance. They produce excellent 1080p HD video, both in the daytime and at night (night vision is surprisingly clear), then everything is synced seamlessly to an easy-to-operate mobile app/website that allows for straightforward device management, on-demand live feeds and two-way intercom communication that is perfect for calling out intruders. Or, in my case, really messing with someone who’s housesitting for you (just get your best ghost voice going and it’s Paranormal Activity heaven).
The biggest drawback to Arlo Pro 2 is the somewhat prohibitive cost of entry, but when the tech is this good, you’re simply getting what you pay for.
Disclosure: Arlo provided review product for coverage purposes.
