Long Term Review: 8 Months With Arlo Pro 4 Cameras | My Biggest Issues
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- 8 months ago I bought these pricey home security cameras to keep an eye on our cottage when we’re weren’t around. Well, fast forward, and after some sub zero winters, snow, ice, rain, and even some heat, I’m ready to tell you my thoughts.
Some good, some not so good, all hopefully to help you decide on whether to pull the trigger on these little cameras.
Video Breakdown
0:00 Video Intro
0:55 System Overview
1:39 How long did the batteries last?
3:59 Durability How'd they hold up?
5:10 Arlo app experience
6:20 Issue #1 Cold Camera Issue
7:40 Issue #2 Random Disconnect
8:55 Issue #3 Motion Detection
10:06 Biggest Issue #4 Arlo Smart Scam
12:31Pros and Cons summary
14:43 Closing
Hope you enjoy and thanks for watching!
When I was a kid, the biggest "mystery" [when it comes to security cameras], was the fact that the camera was able to start recording BEFORE you walked into the frame. Well, needless say, I now know why that is. Obviously because it records ALL the time and simply jumps back 10s, to right before the movement was detected.
Having said this, you need to keep this in mind when setting up ARLO cameras. Not sure what the best way is for me to explain it, but imagine the camera is in a room, pointing towards an open door. If someone walks by, the motion detection is triggered, but by the time it starts recording, you are already past the open door. On the other hand, imagine placing the camera 10 feet away from the door, facing it. If someone now approaches the door, the camera has more time to see the person coming from further away. Obviously. : )
I know that all of this is pretty obvious, but you never know if someone might not know... Just saying. Nice video.
I was looking for an outdoor camera to keep an eye on my dogs in the yard when I'm not home. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxOXxsTZ3ptV_Pk0fFl8bNZvVqeoqBQFwe Tried a different one that was absolutely terrible, so I got these instead. They work perfectly! With 3 of these cameras I can see every corner of the yard, and they were very easy to set up. The best part is I only get the footage I want to see, not hours of videos of the bird feeder swaying in the breeze.
I loved this review, honest and thorough. You project such a tender kindness with no obvious agenda to sell a product, thank you for that!
I so love Wilbur ... and relocating from Maine (can't wait to get back), I totally understand your honesty about the weather conditions. You did a PERFECT presentation of the Arlo camera's ... seeing that I have utilized them in my present home for ten years in my new urban environment. Keep up your great work ... You are absolutely presenting Perfectly!
Thank you for your clear evaluation. Same issue here, the cold winter temperatures. Arlo4 would meet my needs but need continuous recording to the cloud. Will be looking at other camera systems. Nicely done. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing after you've had a nice bit of time to evaluate them. Since I plan to use them for close-up surveillance of small mammals, I'm interested in the closest focal distance they are capable of? For example, if a small mammal were within 6 inches of the camera lens, would it be IN, or OUT of focus? We have the same car! I'm sorry they were discontinued. With that low temp shutoff, I'm thinking that the black housings "could" help them warm in the sun earlier? Nicely done overall. Thank you!
Thanks for the candid review! Very much appreciated. The country side around your house is beautiful!!
You can use the Pro 4 with or without a base station. If you use a base station along with a 16 GB flash drive, you can download your videos yourself, but if you don’t use a base station, you have to pay the subscription. Call the company fo further information. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR A SUBSCRIPTION.
But you do have to pay subscription to get the smart features and cloud service, otherwise they become just basic cameras.
Well, using a smart hub and a flash drive will allow you to record footage, however, if someone breaks in, they could still the smart hub and now your footage is gone. Same goes for any kind of event that would destroy your smart hub, such as flood, fire, storm and what not. The other thing to keep in mind is that even though you have the footage on your flash drive, you can only watch it if you plug it into a computer. Unless they change that. So there is no way to check what had happened when you are not home...
@@fc1133 with my arlo pro 3 its possible to see local storage from home network or from outside network. To be reachable from outside you need to activate port forwarding in arlo software/app and in the router. Relatively straighforward to configure that
What if you changed the base station to say the 4000 unit? Couldn't you say you updated the cameras from what came with the base station, pro2's. And replaced them with these Pro 4's?
I don’t know if your cameras record in 4K ultra HD or not but if they are more than just 1080i HD and for a camera that is pretty busy, five months is still pretty good if just only having to go up there, grab your camera and bring it inside to charge it. I would say that’s pretty good.
As far as the cold winter shutting your camera off like that, I can understand that as well as I don’t think there’s really a battery out there that’s affordable any ways that would withstand 0° temperatures. But look at the bright side, I highly doubt anybody at that temperature is going to be meddling around your house.
The camera that got disconnected while you were on vacation; yeah, that does suck but that could’ve been just something that wasn’t quite right when you synced the camera. The same thing can happen with Bluetooth devices where sometimes you have to make sure other Bluetooth devices are turned off in order to get a good connection. I’ve had to deal with that myself on Bluetooth stuff so who knows. I’m just glad that was the only time you ever had an issue.
As far as the free cloud service, that is a bunch of crap going from offering it for free to all of a sudden charging for it but then again, every company does that at one point and two, it’s going to eventually get to a point to where they’re gonna have to start charging with all the customers they have and with all the servers and stuff they have to constantly be adding that stores all that information but with that said, I’m glad that the last two cameras I bought to add to my other one came with the smart hub so that I won’t have to have their cloud service in order to do the same thing.
As far as the delay you were talking about when you talked about the package that was dropped off, I believe that’s just due to the sensitivity setting being set to low and the fact that I don’t think these cameras can really detect motion from a long ways away. One of my cameras I have mounted on the top of the garage door that’s having a hard time detecting movement on the street for when the postal truck comes by and whenever UPS or FedEx comes by and our driveway is probably no more than 40 or 50 feet between the street in our house. I was, however, able to correct some of that by not only just sliding the sensitivity bar all the way to 100 but it also seemed to help by scribing out an activity zone for that camera where the street is and where the mailbox is because like today, even though it didn’t see when the post office came, it did detect when the garbage truck came to empty the trashcan so I’m probably just going to have to play with it some more, may even have to re-aim it or find a different location to put it.
GREAT review, thanks. Recently purchased Arlo Pro 4 XL 3 Camera System With SmartHub. These new models claim a 1 year battery life. We shall see. Since our bundle came with the hub (we'll connect to usb) we're not going to pay extra for the Arlo Smart Plan.
I LOVE Wilbur ❤
Good morning to you guys. 💑🐕Thanks for the update. Sending blessings, good energy, and love your way...!!!! 🙏🏻🙌🏻❤
Thanks Barbara!
Thanks for the information, I really appreciate it!
Glad it was informative!
Great rundown of these cameras.
Jesus Christ.....it can't even capture a delivery person pulling up, getting out, walking up to the house, dropping off a package, walking back to the truck and pulling off? WTF lol Almost completely useless. Thanks, you saved me a lot of money.
Great review. Very informative made my decision to buy based off this video.
Really enjoyed your honest presentation of the Pro 4 cameras. I went & bought the 2 pack and 2 solar panels. Arlo is also giving me 3 months of cloud storage (I think). Thanks for your info.
Thank you for the reviews. I have the second thought on buying this product after viewing your video especially on the fact they charge $10 for recording. Thank you very much.
Thx for your experience. Delayed recording (your concern #3) is perplexing. As to #4, well, it's money time!
Couple of things.... Battery life varies with temperature and the health of the battery varies based on use and temperature. I've also read that the battery life is 3-6 months depending on use and conditions. Also, you are supposed to be able to buy the Arlo base station which you can use local file storage. Glad I found this review because I live in VT and I'm looking for a security camera... I'm thinking about getting a wireless but has a corded power camera.
Very helpful. Thanks!
Thank you you are right I have the ARLOS FOR ABOUT A YEAR .
Very good and honest review. I just started looking at the Arlo cameras. I did not see a follow up video on your channel so I just want to mention two things. 1. You can get the Arlo Smart Hub for offline video storage and 2. It's hard to tell but the distance your cameras are from the house may cause a lack of triggering on motion events. How about a follow up after what should be about two years of ownership. Thanks and take care...Pat
Thanks for doing this. A lot of online reviews rank the Arlo Pro 4 as a top-rated outdoor security camera despite their high price, but very few of them actually acknowledge that you can't record ANYTHING without a subscription service, which makes an already expensive product even more expensive. We live outside of town and I'd like to set up some cameras for security, especially at night... but it's beyond frustrating how many of these businesses go out of their way to game extra money out of their customers. I don't mind paying good money for a good product, but it offends me when the company I want to deal with is rigging their product to squeeze me for extra dollars. Looks like I'll have to search elsewhere for a reliable and practical security camera solution.
Not recording anything unless I pay subscription, is an automatic NO GO. I'll avoid these for sure, I don't care how good they are.
@@twoweeledsoto6072 Just an FYI... I've settled on Eufy Cameras. They have models that support local or NAS recording at no additional fee. They have battery or powered models. They do have a subscription service, but I haven't found any need for it. They're not perfect but at least they aren't gouging me for money!
You can record locally if you add a smart hub. It's not written very clear on their product page, it's under the faq section.
But I doubt you can make use of the extra funxtion this device has, but only work with q subscription. That's utterly be if you ask me. Why make the product quite expensive and then still ask for more money?!
Seems like a very decent genuine bloke with no agenda whatsoever except to give his opinions on the product he purchased.
Thankyou for the honest run down.
Such a shame Arlo can't provide their customers a high level of value on the sale alone and instead have to push for more.
After watching this, there is no way will I now purchase an Arlo system solely due to this brand locking you into monthly subscriptions with no choice in the matter.
Listen and learn Arlo!
And Wilbur's a great dog btw!
What did you decide to go with instead?
Yeah, pretty much all the ones I've seen charge for cloud storage. Did you find a good one that doesn't? 🤔
Great video, good info, I I live out in the sticks and was looking for a wireless unit that didn't eat a lot of internet up, because it's hard to get a lot of internet out here.
I have a lot of cell game cameras, I guessing your motion sensitivity is not the greatest because of your distance. If it were on the front of your house, you might have gotten it. Do the night videos look good ?
Great video, I’m needing 2 of them..
Hi. Thanks for the review! Quick question. How far away can the camera pick up and record motion? I would like to mount one on our house which would point to a barn doors approximately 170’ feet away. Thoughts? Thanks!
Great review! Love the cabin location as well. I just purchased the Arlo 3 camera Pro 4 bundle from Best Buy for $499.99. I assumed it came with a base station to plug in an external HD and record video. The base station was NOT included. I feel the same as you. Don’t wish to pay $120 a year or and extra +$20 per month for 24/7 continue recording storage.
For 24/7 continued recording storage I would use something else. The cameras will be dead in a week unless you connect them to a power source
10/10 video would watch the good dog nap again. :)
Nice review. I would have definitely gone for it if I could use it for CVR (plugged-in) with out a base station .
Great video as I just started my little UA-cam channel this is very good information. Thank you for the information and inspiration as well. Good video vibes my friend. ✨🐎✨🐎🐎🐎
Thank you! Happy to help!
Pro 4 has a Motion Detection Range of 25 feet. So being on a tree would be why you don't get the delivery guy showing up.
Thanks for the great 8 month review. Arlo was one of the systems I am considering for my rural dwelling, and will take this into account.
Glad I could help out!
Arlo is a terrible system. If you want to see what's happening in real time...you can't.
@@boblablah Thanks
@@dougtravins9624 Plus, there's been many times when I want to see a camera view and I can't. Arlo decided it want to implement 'TWO-STEP VERIFICATION." So you have to jump through Arlo hoops before it will let you see your camera(s). I can see where I don't own the system...Arlo does.
@@boblablah that is absolutely not true. Of course you can see real time.
They just changed their services. Leave any battery operated device in the cold and it drains faster than if not exposed to the cold. 5 months life with winter conditions should be considered outstanding..
Cheryl says give Wilbur a pat for us. Nice thorough video.
Great video. If you sync your cameras to a arlo Base Station with Siren VMB4500 and VMB4000, you can insert a usb memory stick or hard drive in it to record videos. A SmartHub model VMB5000 will work too. The SmartHub model VMB5000 records to a sd card. No monthly fees.
Does SmartHub VMB5000 work with Pro 4, though?
I only installed my system yesterday. I have (4) Pro 4 Cameras, Spotlight Camera, Wireless Doorbell and Chimes 2. I purchased directly from Arlo and was provided 3 months free subscription. Maybe the reason you didn't get the trial offer was that you purchased the system from someone who did not provide this free trial. Having purchased directly from Arlo I did get that free trial period. I will be accepting the Unlimited 2k Subscription when my trial period ends in January. So far I like the system very much but I think installing the cameras under the roof overhangs and pointing out to on-coming motion makes more sense than mounting in trees and focusing on the house. This mounting provides some additional protection from the elements and probably will be less affected by cold winds than being in trees. Also the stable position of being mounted on the house structure is most likely more stable than even the biggest tree. I also am located in a wooded setting on a creek with many deer, turkeys, wild birds, foxes and squirrels. Selectivity is working well as to what to record and what to filter out. I do not see a problem with recording lag as I position the focus of each camera on a point to initiate motion detection slightly before the action I wish to record. So far I find this system to be excellent as I am monitoring today the completed installation the day after the install from my office location 3 miles from my home. It is proving to be very good, sensitivity set properly and video resolution is outstanding. I will make a slight adjustment on the Driveway camera tonight as it is recording any car that drives by my home and that can be corrected by making a minor adjustment to move the focus point slightly lower.
Thank you for your review. It is very informative. I have the very first Arlo cameras and I have been happy with them for 6 years. But, it is time for an upgrade. Mostly I am upgrading so I can use the magnetic charger and run the wire inside the house so I no longer have to get on a ladder to change batteries. This is my main concern. But, I have one question. Sometimes I notice my current cameras go off-line even if they don't need a battery change. When this happens, I still have to climb the ladder to open the battery compartment and close it again to reset the camera. With the cameras I have it is the only way to reset it. How often do these new cameras go offline?
Thanks for watching! Happy the video was informative. I have only experienced 1 camera going offline once in the 8 or so months I have owned the cameras. Hope this helps
@@CottageandCompany It helps a lot. Thank you for your reply.
Very informative
Not cheap, so this was very helpful. Have you reached out to Arlo with any of your problems and if so did you get quick and good response?
Good review, I was considering buying those cameras, considering their price and your review, I don't think I will now. Thanks.
I have the arlo pro 4 paired with the wasserstein solar panels and it has been great!
Great review. Thank you. I’m wondering if they can connect to the apple home kit and use apple iCloud for video storage?
Yes, compatible with Home Kit.....
Thanks for the Video and the Great Content. We've been ARLO customers for a Long time now with some Older Cameras that seem to work better than these New ARLO PRO4's. I and a TON of other have had the CRACKLING Issue with these Pro4 Units, MAN o MAN what a PAIN!!! To put it lightly! And we just bought the Pro4 05/15/2023 and the APP so far SUCK'S! The Battery Life at this point is..... Well it's PISS POOR to put it Lightly. Granted, we got a Learning curve that appears (ON US), due to the Arlo App on Line is just Terrible to "Attempt" to get any support at ALL???? We purchased the SOLAR Panel so I don't have tho CLIMB A LADDER, (which is the FIRST thing I had to do) Due to a DEAD BATTERY overnight??? (we're learning) this Pro4 painfully as it were. Adjusting the Camera will Fix some Issues, However, the COLOR NIGHT VISION apparently only works with the Camera's LED in the "ON" position? and it ate the Battery in a Matter of Hours??? We are just have (Hopefully) Learning Pains with this Pro4 Unit, and NEED More Battery Life!!!!???? Looking at the VMA5601C-100NAS 25' Magnetic Charging Cable (Thinking) that it will help and Keep me "OFF" of a Ladder??? That said, the Arlo Site don't show SQUAT on this cable other than the Cable and a short Blurb on it. Do you Leave the Battery "IN" the CAMERA and Plug this Into the Mag Charge Port? Will it actually WORK? And keep the Battery Charged??? Sorry for the Long Rant, but I/We can't seem to get Any Support or Help so far and ARLO Support is Just Horrific at best. This Video has been helpful but we still have Questions on this Newer PRO 4 Camera. Did we make the Right or Wrong decision?
Thanks!
I bought the Arlo Pro 4 Security 3 pack from Best Buy $399 The Mounts it comes with (Sticks out of the back with a ball and a round tightening device that you turn clockwise to tighten to the piece that connects to the 3 hole drill wall mount) does not appear to be compatible with the Gutter mounts because there does not seem to be a way to remove that piece with the ball that sticks out 2 inches from the back of the shell (Sold Seperately) Is there a Black shell only that comes with the Arlo Pro 4 camera. Where can you buy a standard Arlo Pro 4 Black shell? Also Arlo messed up and didn't put the Security Key (Used to remove the camera and or battery from the Security Shell mount that it comes with) in the package is a replacement Arlo key sold anywhere? (LUCKILY YOU CAN USE A CERTAIN #2 SECURITY BIT FROM A SECURITY BIT SET IN PLACE OF THE ARLO SECURITY KEY IF NEED BE).
How is your cameras receiving wifi that from the house?? What type of router do you use to send out that strong of wifi signal
thank you for sharing1
Sounds like battery life is definitely better than I would have thought. 5 months out of 6 months? Very good. Not being able to record without a subscription automatically excludes these cameras from any consideration.
Yes, I’m pretty impressed with the battery life too. I was thinking 1 month in VT would be the best you can get in the winter.
Great review!
I think Arlo snuck in 8 months battery life to enhance their sales & thought you & anyone else wouldn't notice but "Oops"...surprise surprise! But still not particularly troubling for me as I like the idea of wireless & ease of installation!!
But @08:57 the issue of sensitivity & slow responce to recording (a motion/action) is 'very' concerning!
@10:09 there is the issue of cloud storage for which Arlo requires a subscription fee. Security camera recordings are a vital part of the security system & (recordings) must be immediately accessible when there is an 'intrusion' whether you're at home or away for extended periods! You need to know who is the "Intruder"!
Arlo's initial 10 day download was acceptable...somewhat(?) BUT to pay Arlo $10/mt. subscription is absolutely ridiculous...customer gouging! It all adds up over time! Perhaps Arlo should consider equipping their cameras with SD cards as a smart upgrade!
No Arlo cameras (also Nest) are not for me!
By the way...my home has CCTV night vision/ethernet with NVR. Perhaps a more involved installation (for some) but trouble free & works great in all types of weather...Canadian weather! Recommended!
Hello Wilbur!
Good job
good review, my issue is my arlo pro 4 does not have that button to release the battery. My issue is my xfinity connect goes out every morning. I reset the internet but have to reset the camera...from what I have read. I cant take the battery out to get to the Sync button. I am about to take this system back to the store to get my money back.
Thanks for the video. 2 years since your video and they haven't created a video recording system. I looked at the Orlo Pro 4 and the Orlo Pro 5S 2K and still no recording capabilities unless the Cloud feature in purchased giving 30 days free. As much as the system cost it should have a devise that gives 1T or 2T storage giving you control to delete unnecessary things for adequate storage. I'll choose another brands. Thanks again.
Great video . I have mixed feelings on the night vision mode tho. Maybe you can let me know your take on it. With my arlo pro 2 the night vision is very Clear . Black and white and with the arlo Pro 4 its just dark. Not white and black. Yes the light turns on and i can see whats going on. But when the auto light doesnt turn on its very dark compared to the Arlo pro 2 . Thinking about returning it. Whats ur opinion ?.
I don't have much to compare the night vision to, but I would say it is adequate for my use. When you turn the light on it doesn't necessarily improve visibility, it just makes things colorized instead of black and white. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful!
Great property! Did you ever get a subscription "promo" from Arlo?
Questions for you: Have you used the spotlight feature on the cameras? Can you use it manually or is it just automatic when motion is detected? Is there something on the Arlo app that allows you to keep the spotlight from going on at all? Thank you! Great review by the way!
I just bought this setup yesterday and have tested it overnight. It's worth mounting up. Yes to EACH question. The motion sensor setting allows you to arm the spot light manual in "Live view", it also allows you to adjust the brightness. Spot light has 3 automatic settings; Constant, Pulse and Flash. You can turn the spotlight function off too. The spotlight itself doesn't emit much visible light, but when used at night the camera goes from a black and white image to a color image. It won't be necessary on a well lit street. I live off of a cinder road in Hawai'i with barely any visible light in my area. I'm going to buy motion sensor lights amd place them on my perimeter to improve the low light situation and allow the cameras to capture more useable information as cars, animals and people pass by.
@@gero4708 any update? How you liking it? Have you bought the solar panel accessory to keep batteries charged
@@ethannaka1822 I like the cameras. Haven't gotten the solar panels yet. The only downsides to these cameras are the monthly subscription fees and they pick up EVERYTHING so I get a lot of notifications on my cell phone. Image quality is good, audio quality is good too. I will probably get a few more Arlo cameras
Love the video, but the dog is the best part. ❤️❤️❤️
I bought the Hub for local video storage. I know the $149 and the $50 for the storage card is 2 years service but I hate when companies squeeze you on the back end for more money.
Motion detection issues (and recording video after the fact) is the biggest issue for me. Looking to replace my cameras with continuous recording system / CCTV (with DVR/NVR local storage in addition to cloud storage.) Looking into AvertX, Swann, and a few others; let me know if any recommendations?
I used to have a Swann system, and now an Arlo Pro 3 system. I regret not continuing on with Swann. It wasn't perfect, however, I was much more satisfied with it vs Arlo.
I have victure indoor camera wich cost 30 dollars and its continues recording with sd card and deleting old videos and motion recording its perfect i hope they have outdoor cameras and better resolution
You got a beautiful house 😍😍😍
I use Eufy they are pretty reliable especially my camera with the spotlight and the best is no monthly cost.
Thanks I’ll have to check it out!
do you get more features in the Eufy camera without subscription compared to the arlo pro 4?
Thanks for this. I just bought a Pro 4 from Costco and comes with a base. The base has a USB port so I assume I can buy a say 1TB external drive for about $80 and store my video recordings. Just another option to avoid the $15/mo service.
I Do no recommend this purchase.. Arlo limits features to local storage options (Primary account only has access to recordings) in favor or Cloud subscriptions.. Don't get sucked in. Their Customer service is terrible. Arlo has not intent on changing the current business model.. So if you want to run your system on local storage.. you will lose the features that made the Arlo ecosystem appealing... I do not recommend!
How do you like this? I'm thinking of getting this kit from Costco
@@ehd1990 very Happy easy wireless installation and works like a charm. No issues. Good 2k image quality also great at night vision.
There is no such thing as a 1tb hard external drive. You're being lied to. I have yet to see or find a REAL 1 TERABYTE drive. If you know where I can find REAL ONE if it exist point me in that direction and the link
Ring dose that too on some thing on some deliveries I'm thinking Wifi connection drop or offline due to everything used by satalite such as cable TV and Wifi that life today compared to hard line connection in past
When you subscribe, can you set them so certain cameras will only show realtime and not record/notify? If you don’t subscribe, none of the cameras will record and all will only activate when asked?
Thanks Wilbur, a good review.
What range could u get out of these cameras? How far from ur house?
I literally have to charge all three of mine once a month! Power went out and I’ve spent hours and every blog trying to reconnect them to network, no luck. I didn’t realize you pretty much needed to pay the $10 a month too. Feel like $500 down drain. Great videos bro!
Yep, lots of people saying the sane thing online. Plus the lag for live view is a joke.
@@shanew7361 there is no lag unless you have crap wifi
There is no lag that I can see. Position your camera so that the motion is detected sooner. As for battery life. You might want to reduce the sensitivity and what all you wish to record. Battery life can improve greatly if you are not recording everything like Leaf Movement or birds flying into view or squirrels and chipmunks. I live in a wooded environment with much wildlife. Deer, Turkeys, birds, foxes etc. After you get a general idea of which cameras are most important to be recording and what you want to record you can go into the app and deselect things like animals or reduce the sensitivity. After all most of us are interested in monitoring package delivery and people coming onto our property. The rest is merely entertainment.
Just got these camera's..had to buy the base station so i could record locally to my HD..
I think I read somewhere that these have lights that can with on automatically. If you covered it in the review I missed it. Maybe I stepped away to grab a beer. LOL
The lights on the cameras are small and their purpose is to provide enough light for recording the video. The Spotlight throws considerably more light of course and does act as a strong warning to those entering the area.
Do you know how to install them to Tv?
My issue is that the phone is not finding the camera. Same Wi-Fi 2.4 connection, trying to set up right next to the router...
Wooded area - are you growing something? To need that many camera
Did you ever call and get a deal. Thank you.
Do you have to use a base station or does it connect to wifi directly
Connects to wifi directly but base station would provide holding videos for longer term access.
I own arlo for 5 years.its an ok... It has delay you cant see what happening in real time lag behind . And it doesn't all the time catch what happened.Sometimes you only see the person leaving you can't see what he did beforehand . Now they require subscription. I am staying here trying to fix one of them that got hot 🔥 and won't work right...I ll try to upgrade or get real sucurety system.
Dudes got them in the trees like snipers haha thats next level
Not wise location though...... I question how wise it is to place cameras in trees pointing at the house rather than under the protective overhang of your roofline and pointing the cameras toward the incoming motion. The camera activates at the trigger point you set up for (front gate) Rear Patio, Side Door etc. and is also much more protected from the elements in that configuration under the roof overhang.
Thanks for pointing out that you can't get any storage at all unless you get a subscription. As an owner of an older system looking to upgrade... this is disappointing.
Most security systems are designed to have a back up of the recordings @ $10 / mo. I see this as well worth the subscription or maybe you really don't need a security system.
@@dmarque the earlier versions of the Arlo system saved video for free...
@@dmarque as Sean pointed out the older version allowed you to keep videos for free, that was the agreement. But now Arlo sent an EOL (end of life) basically saying that they will stop giving support in April 2023. This goes against their original promise so many people are unhappy.
Show us your wildlife, that would be a good video
I was comparing this camera with the new nest battery and the fact that it doesn’t start recording the event on time makes the system useless to me. I found that the nest camera doesn’t have that issue
Arlo sneaked out the cloud storage deal huh? I was going to buy their product, but I won't anymore. Great review. Thanks.
you can buy a smart hub new or used for around 130,- and record on USB or micro SD
Question: Did you pay for the monthly subscription?
I did not 😅
DOES THE SPOTLIGHT TURN ON AT NIGHT? CAN U KEEP THE LIGHT OFF AND IF SO IS THE VIDEO QUALITY STILL GOOD???
Installed 4 Pro 4 cameras, wireless doorbell, Chime 2 and Spotlight Camera yesterday. All work wonderfully and the videos are retained on my cell or iPad for viewing later. To answer your question re: The Spotlight: Spotlight on our back patio comes on when motion is detected and throws light for about 20 seconds, records the action and then when motion ceases it shuts off. The videos were retrievable next morning on all of my Apple devices that were linked to the Arlo App. So Deer feeding on my wife's plants on the front lawn @ 2:30 AM was recorded. A neighbor's cat @ 4:00 AM preying on our bird feeders was recorded on the back patio, the Driveway camera recorded me this morning at 7 AM walking my dog Hogan and at 8:00 backing the car from the drive to head to the office. Now as I sit in my office 2 miles from home a package was just delivered by Amazon and recorded at 9:45 from the doorbell camera and the Chime 2 sounded to alert my wife that the package arrived and then recorded on the video system retrievable on my phone. I do not yet have the Secure Package but will gladly pay $10 per month to have all of the features beyond just the retained recordings. I think the clarity of the video is excellent and still have much to learn about the 2-way feature in speaking to anyone entering the zone of coverage but will learn soon. As I said, "I only installed this system yesterday". So far I like it very much and feel that my accumulated pieces are nicely situated to cover my property. Hoping to see if Coyotes are in our creek at night......I live in West Michigan on a 1 1/2 Acre wooded properly along a creek. The neighborhood is quiet and is composed of 20 homes that line this hilly terrain along our creek. Thinking about adding a 5th Camera to monitor the mailbox.....I have a farily strong wireless system that supports my wifi. It is the Eero 6 platform. Hope this is helpful.
Idk what he was talking about, I was just watching the dog.🎉
So how far can you go from the house to make them work? Meaning I guess picking up wifi right ?
Depends on the strength of your home wifi system. Mine is an Eero Pro 6 which is pretty strong. The house is large and the property is 1 1/2 acres and I have 5 cameras. All are generating a strong signal. When you link each camera to your app the signal strength is conveniently displayed for you. The best way to mount these cameras is on the house facing the incoming motion not on trees pointed at your home......
Good review. If I would have seen before I would not have purchased 3 bundle Arlo Pro 4. Not worth the $500 spent on Amazon. Does no local video recording. Subscription is expensive and only stores 30 days max. The snapshot timestamp sucks since does not superimpose date and time. Instead puts "3 days ago", WTF!
Battery life is fine, you should try some of the competing products, nothing like 5 months. For a highly used camera this seems normal, Arlos would just estimate battery life based on usage estimates, this is just a first world problem.
Poor Wilbur is laying there going “why am I not being petted, you are right there...”
What they madket really bad, at oeast i think they do, is that i can record without subscription by using a smart hub or base station. It is noted in the faq section.
Stuck on video bandwidth connecting screen. Camera mini display is black screen.
Avoid the motion sensing issue by having it ALWAYS recording. That’s $3 for one or $10 a month for multiple cameras.
Would having it always recording not drain the battery?
@@smurphy1977 Absolutely not. It records to a base unit. That unit is plugged in by your WiFi router. I failed to mention you gotta have the base as well. Sorry
same issue bro. One of my pro4 expired yesterday and it became disabled and only can work like a live camera, and send me the notification. No footprint can be left. Arlo wants to push us to buy the subscription to make profit.
Ya, profit is such a terrible thing isn't? Where do you think these services would come from if there was not a profit motive and a competitive environment to compete for the best system and the most competitive price? Of course you could always just choose not to have the system too. Your choice. That will show them ......
How often due you charge the batteries
Varies with amount of camera usage and temperatures but 6 months is typical. However the system sends you an alert when the battery is depleted so no worries.
You can record without a subscription but you will need to buy the base station which can use a micro sd card.
Thanks for the video, the point you made about the monthly subscription is actually much worse than you make it out to be because of the fact that they offer you two variants of this monthly subscription.
One is $1.99 a month and it is intended for ONE camera and the other is $9.99 a month and it is intended for 5 cameras.
So .... what about the people that have 2, 3 or 4 cameras? Well tough luck, it's not as if they haven't profited enough on you for buying more than one camera, NO, they then proceed to force you to pay for a service that you simply do not use, I mean who the hell comes up with this bs?
Either allow people to pay $1.99 PER camera or just don't offer the damn service because if someone does actually have 5 camera's and they pay $9.99 a month then it would boil down to $1.99 per camera, so talk about screwing your customer over under whatever shallow corporate justification they can come up with as an explanation for why it is like this.
You need to buy Arlo Spot Light Cameras
Hmm this make me wounder if this product even would work in Sweden, there Im live we have atleast (-20C) -4 degrees Fahrenheit around 2-3 month a year..
Well I question how wise it is to place cameras in trees pointing at the house rather than under the protective overhang of your roofline and pointing the cameras toward the incoming motion. The camera activates at the trigger point you set up for (front gate) Rear Patio, Side Door etc. and is much more protected from the elements in that configuration.
Pretty sure John Rambo would've had the same setup with cameras in the jungle.
You didn't talk about the quality of the picture/video!
Motion problems will come if it's not a wired set up, just the way it works
There are no problem with motion in a wireless setup that I have seen. The intention of this system is to operate efficiently wirelessly.
Same issues we have with Arlo pro 4 and now we regret buying it! arlo pro 4 products suck!