Netgear’s Arlo Security Cameras are convenient, work well, and can be put just about anywhere. There are numerous advantages to this setup, but there are a few disadvantages as well, so I though I would finally write a review about this camera system.
Go Wireless
In August 2015, I decided to buy some cameras that I could put outside. I mainly wanted to add a camera to the front porch, but I also wanted more coverage in the backyard near our shed. The wireless, “weatherproof” construction (14° to 122° F (-10° C to 50° C)) is ideal for outdoor use. In fact, in the last year the cameras have held up like a champ.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Batteries
The downside to any wireless gear is that they require batteries. Depending on how you set up your cameras, batteries may need to be changed out often or not very often at all. It really just depends on how much recording they actually perform. The app, which I will discuss later, has settings that make it easy to set how sensitive to motion the cameras are and how long they record after detecting motion. Because of the location of my cameras, I have gotten an average of around 5 months of battery power per camera. Keep in mind that they cameras takes 4 batteries, so I essentially change out 4 batteries at a time. The batteries I buy cost less than $17 for 10 batteries.
Wired
I just got the opportunity to review thewired (needs to be plugged into an outlet, but still uses wifi for easy placement) Arlo Q camera. I already had 5 wireless Arlo cameras and I was taking advantage of the free plan that offers 7 days of video coverage. When I added the 6th camera, I went over their free plan limit, so I opted for their $99 coverage for a year. (See USA pricing tiers below)
The Arlo Q camera also has a plan for recording around the clock footage. Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to record to a storage device/NAS on your home network, so I couldn’t go this route. The problem is that my Comcast internet account is capped at 300GB, so I would easily go over that cap with CVR (Constant Video Recording).
It makes some sense that the cameras store footage in the cloud. If you store recordings on a home network, the storage device could be stolen and you would be left without any footage of what happened. Of course, a criminal could cut the cable line before entering, so that is an issue with cloud only storage (though you could put a camera near your cable entry point), so there are downsides with either approach. I wish there was a way to make that decision myself and have separate options available. Record continuously to a NAS and only motion to the cloud would be ideal or record to both places simultaneously.
The Arlo Q camera also has a plan for recording around the clock footage. Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to record to a storage device/NAS on your home network, so I couldn’t go this route. The problem is that my Comcast internet account is capped at 300GB, so I would easily go over that cap with CVR (Constant Video Recording).
It makes some sense that the cameras store footage in the cloud. If you store recordings on a home network, the storage device could be stolen and you would be left without any footage of what happened. Of course, a criminal could cut the cable line before entering, so that is an issue with cloud only storage (though you could put a camera near your cable entry point), so there are downsides with either approach. I wish there was a way to make that decision myself and have separate options available. Record continuously to a NAS and only motion to the cloud would be ideal or record to both places simultaneously.
The Arlo Qs will allow you to capture audio via the built in mic or you can send audio through the device's speaker while on the road. In addition to recording when it senses motion, you can also set it up to record audio and motion when it “hears” something. We probably won’t set it up to record when it hears audio on a daily basis, but it may be something to turn on when we are out of town. Since we have dogs, I wouldn’t want to have it send me a motion alert every time my dogs bark during the day. I guess I could use the speaker to talk to the dogs when I am not home, but I don’t expect that I will use that very often, either.
When I tested the camera using the audio sensor, it did work, but I noticed that the audio and video that were recorded weren’t in sync. Probably won’t matter if you are listening in on criminals that have broken into your home, but I would stick with FaceTime or Skype if I just wanted to video chat with someone in my living room. The speaker that you can access via the Arlo app works great, too.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
When I tested the camera using the audio sensor, it did work, but I noticed that the audio and video that were recorded weren’t in sync. Probably won’t matter if you are listening in on criminals that have broken into your home, but I would stick with FaceTime or Skype if I just wanted to video chat with someone in my living room. The speaker that you can access via the Arlo app works great, too.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Privacy
As you know, anything on a network or in the Cloud has the possibility of being hacked. NetGear has addressed some of those concerns (see below).
However, despite this layer of security, I still don’t want security cameras in areas that I wouldn’t want seen by the public. For example, if I wanted to keep my bedroom secure, I might put a camera outside the window and in the hallway. This is just my own preference, but others will have to decide how comfortable they are with cameras showing their private areas (no pun intended).
However, despite this layer of security, I still don’t want security cameras in areas that I wouldn’t want seen by the public. For example, if I wanted to keep my bedroom secure, I might put a camera outside the window and in the hallway. This is just my own preference, but others will have to decide how comfortable they are with cameras showing their private areas (no pun intended).
The Setup
The initial setup is a breeze and adding more cameras is also a breeze. You just need to download the app then it walks you through the process. You also need to setup an account, but NetGear has made the whole setup process easy.
Below is a video related to setting up the wireless Arlos. ( I am not associated with the video, but it details the entire process). The Arlo Q is even easier to setup because it does not use the base station.
Below is a video related to setting up the wireless Arlos. ( I am not associated with the video, but it details the entire process). The Arlo Q is even easier to setup because it does not use the base station.
The App
The app has numerous options for setting up everything. My preference is for different “modes”. For example, I have a “Night” mode that I use when I get home from work. It essentially leaves every camera on, with the exception of the living room (which is where I spend most of my time). I have an “All Motion On” mode that turns every camera on (including the living room). I have a "Front only" mode for when we have people over in the summer and we will be in and out of the backyard. Of course, the app has a live button so that you can see what is going on with any area the cameras cover at any time.
Each mode has individual settings that let you decide how each camera will notify you of motion ( Email/ Notification) and how sensitive each camera will be to motion. They also let you decide how long you want to record motion. For the wireless cameras you can record up to 120s.
One thing that disappointed me was that the Arlo Q counted as my sixth camera, but it cannot be grouped with the wireless Arlo cameras. This means you will need separate modes and settings for wired and wireless Arlos.
Since I am usually the last person to leave the house and the first to arrive, I setup my Arlo Q with "geofencing". This essentially uses your Smartphone's location service to determine if you are home or away and can turn on or off the cameras automatically using this information. I have read that leaving this feature on with the wireless Arlo cameras will eat through batteries a lot faster than normal, but I haven't tried it. It is the best reason to get the Arlo Q cameras for placement in areas that have a power outlet.
The app will also allow you to schedule times that the cameras turn on and off. My schedule isn't consistent enough from day to day to be able to use the feature, but it might come in handy for some people.
One thing I really like about the app is the fact that it has the option to use TouchID. This is more secure than just telling it to remember the password and much more convenient than typing in the password each time I check my cameras.
The app will also allow you to schedule times that the cameras turn on and off. My schedule isn't consistent enough from day to day to be able to use the feature, but it might come in handy for some people.
One thing I really like about the app is the fact that it has the option to use TouchID. This is more secure than just telling it to remember the password and much more convenient than typing in the password each time I check my cameras.
IFTT - Automation
Of course, the Arlo app has numerous features, but IF ( "if this then that" automation app) takes everything to another level and gives you even more options.
For example, if you have Hue bulbs, you can have them blink rapidly or come on when a camera senses motion. I like to listen to headphones in my office, so I have my office lights blink when the cameras on the porch sense motion. You can also have it turn on a Wemo switch when a camera senses motion, so you can use the feature even if you don't want to spend a lot of money on Hue lights.
Another cool feature is where you can set one camera to record when another camera senses motion. One of the issues with the cameras is that they sense motion faster when they are setup perpendicular to the pathway. My porch placement wasn't ideal, so I was often capturing motion too late and only seeing people walk away.
By putting another (A) camera in the pathway outside the porch and then telling the (B) porch camera to start recording when (A) camera sensed motion, it is now much better at recording people approaching the porch.
There are Alexa controls, sprinkler controls, and more in the IF app. I expect the list to grow as more connected devices are added.
For example, if you have Hue bulbs, you can have them blink rapidly or come on when a camera senses motion. I like to listen to headphones in my office, so I have my office lights blink when the cameras on the porch sense motion. You can also have it turn on a Wemo switch when a camera senses motion, so you can use the feature even if you don't want to spend a lot of money on Hue lights.
Another cool feature is where you can set one camera to record when another camera senses motion. One of the issues with the cameras is that they sense motion faster when they are setup perpendicular to the pathway. My porch placement wasn't ideal, so I was often capturing motion too late and only seeing people walk away.
By putting another (A) camera in the pathway outside the porch and then telling the (B) porch camera to start recording when (A) camera sensed motion, it is now much better at recording people approaching the porch.
There are Alexa controls, sprinkler controls, and more in the IF app. I expect the list to grow as more connected devices are added.
Some of my complaints
As I mentioned, I would like the option to pick where I store recordings. The fact that we are required to use NetGear servers makes me worry about what would happen if NetGear ever discontinues the service or goes out of business. I have some ordinary IP cameras and they aren't tied to a service, so I can record to a drive and have that drive backed up via Crashplan to the web. This means I can have years of archives if I want. For me, this is the number one issue with these cameras and makes it hard to recommend them without any reservations.
My second issue is how the wireless Arlos sense motion. It often starts recording too late if they aren't in the ideal location. The other issue is that the wireless Arlo can't sense motion through windows like my IP cameras. They use small changes in heat to record, so insulated windows make that impossible. The wired Arlo Q uses changes in video frames to sense motion, but I still had issues recording through glass. I have read that it works if you put it right up against the window and you do not have night vision enabled, but that would defeat the ability to record at night, which I don't want to give up. Also, we have double windows, which may make it harder to capture motion.
Another small issue is the notifications aren't very informative compared to other options. My IP camera app has the option to send a photo to my watch with frames that are captured. This gives me the option to take a quick look at the notification, see that it is just a FedEx delivery, and go back to what I was doing. The Arlo notification tells you that there is motion on a camera, but you have to open the app to see what is happening. If it is currently recording, you have to go to the live camera, wait for it to start running, and then see what is happening. If the action is over, you need to wait for video to stop recording, then look at the video to see what set it off. Not ideal compared to a free IP camera app I use for my old cameras. Though, my IP app doesn't record video, it simply takes a bunch of photos, so it has its own set of issues.
My second issue is how the wireless Arlos sense motion. It often starts recording too late if they aren't in the ideal location. The other issue is that the wireless Arlo can't sense motion through windows like my IP cameras. They use small changes in heat to record, so insulated windows make that impossible. The wired Arlo Q uses changes in video frames to sense motion, but I still had issues recording through glass. I have read that it works if you put it right up against the window and you do not have night vision enabled, but that would defeat the ability to record at night, which I don't want to give up. Also, we have double windows, which may make it harder to capture motion.
Another small issue is the notifications aren't very informative compared to other options. My IP camera app has the option to send a photo to my watch with frames that are captured. This gives me the option to take a quick look at the notification, see that it is just a FedEx delivery, and go back to what I was doing. The Arlo notification tells you that there is motion on a camera, but you have to open the app to see what is happening. If it is currently recording, you have to go to the live camera, wait for it to start running, and then see what is happening. If the action is over, you need to wait for video to stop recording, then look at the video to see what set it off. Not ideal compared to a free IP camera app I use for my old cameras. Though, my IP app doesn't record video, it simply takes a bunch of photos, so it has its own set of issues.
The Wrap Up
The Arlo wireless cameras are small, weatherproof cameras with great picture quality that can be put pretty much anywhere. The Arlo Q has even better picture quality and can be put anywhere with a power plug. The cameras are extremely versatile and their ability to work with IFTT automation makes them even better.
Personally, I plan to add a few more cameras, but I still can't recommend them without reservations due to the requirement of using only Netgear's servers for all recordings. However, for my own use, that downside isn't enough to deter me from using them on my property.
Upsides:
Easy setup
Wireless option means they can be put anywhere
Full featured app
Wired Arlos can be controlled from the same app
If This Then That automation
Great picture quality
Free limited cloud storage up to 5 cameras
Geofencing option
Downsides
NetGear cloud is only storage option
Wireless Arlos can't sense motion through glass
Battery costs for wireless cameras
Monthly charge for going over 6 cameras
Personally, I plan to add a few more cameras, but I still can't recommend them without reservations due to the requirement of using only Netgear's servers for all recordings. However, for my own use, that downside isn't enough to deter me from using them on my property.
Upsides:
Easy setup
Wireless option means they can be put anywhere
Full featured app
Wired Arlos can be controlled from the same app
If This Then That automation
Great picture quality
Free limited cloud storage up to 5 cameras
Geofencing option
Downsides
NetGear cloud is only storage option
Wireless Arlos can't sense motion through glass
Battery costs for wireless cameras
Monthly charge for going over 6 cameras
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