Arlo Pro 2 review
Our Verdict
The Arlo Pro 2 dwelling house security camera provides a great combination of software, free cloud storage and video quality.
For
- Simple installation
- Clean, intelligent interface
- Flexible and piece of cake scheduling
- Geofencing turns system on/off depending on phone's location
- Very skillful daylight video quality
- Gratis seven-twenty-four hours rolling cloud storage
Confronting
- Can login from but ane device at a fourth dimension
- No machine-rotate of live or playback videos on mobile devices
- Motion detection tools divide from setup section.
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Arlo Pro 2 dwelling security camera provides a great combination of software, costless cloud storage and video quality.
Pros
- +
Simple installation
- +
Clean, intelligent interface
- +
Flexible and like shooting fish in a barrel scheduling
- +
Geofencing turns system on/off depending on phone's location
- +
Very good daylight video quality
- +
Gratuitous seven-day rolling cloud storage
Cons
- -
Can login from only one device at a time
- -
No car-rotate of live or playback videos on mobile devices
- -
Motion detection tools separate from setup department.
The Arlo Pro 2 is the successor to the company's original Arlo Pro home security camera, and brings with information technology a number of improvements: Its resolution is 1080p, compared to 720p for the original; in addition, the Pro 2 tin can be used either every bit a wired or wireless camera (the original Pro was wireless but). That makes it possible for users to subscribe to Arlo'southward continuous video recording (CVR) cloud pick, as well as to employ an optional solar console.
Other advances include additional smart home compatibility, in detail support for Amazon Alexa remote voice commands. Also, the Arlo Pro 2 is the final of the visitor's wireless habitation security cameras that offers 7 days of free cloud storage; all newer models crave you lot to pay for a subscription.
As you'll see in this Arlo Pro 2 review, it's nevertheless ane of the best dwelling house security cameras you tin get if you're looking for a model that tin can work both indoors and out.
Editor'southward note: This review was originally published in 2017, but has been updated since so.
Arlo Pro ii review: Price and availability
Arlo Pro 2 specs
Video Resolution: 1080p
Field of View: 130 degrees
Night Vision: Eight 850nm LEDs
Wireless: 802.11n, two.iv GHz
Smart Home Connectivity: Amazon Alexa, Google Banana IFTTT, SmartThings and Stringify
Audio: 2-manner
Mobile Devices Supported: iOS, Android, Amazon Burn Spider web Deject Storage & Monitoring: Gratis rolling seven-days cloud storage of result videos for upwardly to five cameras. Continuous video recording (CVR) and storage available, starting at $99/year/camera (or $9.99/calendar month) for xiv days of recording. Local Storage: External USB drive (non included) attaches to the base of operations station
The Arlo Pro 2 was originally launched in 2017; while not currently available on Arlo's site — it'southward being phased out — you lot tin can observe it at Amazon and other retailers in a variety of multi-photographic camera packages.
More recently, Arlo launched the Arlo Pro iii in 2019, which can record video at a 2K resolution, has color night vision, a born spotlight, and a few other features non establish in the Arlo Pro two.
Nevertheless, the Arlo Pro 2 notwithstanding comes with seven days of free cloud storage, a characteristic that's not been offered on whatever Arlo photographic camera since; for more data, see how the Arlo Pro 2 compares to the Arlo Pro 3 and Arlo Ultra.
Arlo Pro ii review: Design
The 3.1 x 1.9 10 ii.viii-inch Arlo Pro 2 is virtually identical physically to the original Arlo Pro. Both exemplify Arlo'due south signature design of a smooth, curved, ovoid body with a black lens and face. The compact camera, which has no legs or stand up, presents a comparatively unobtrusive low profile. A small-scale round magnetic mountain that screws into the wall is included with the photographic camera. Other mounting options are bachelor from Arlo and third-party vendors.
Like the Arlo Pro, the Pro ii has 8 night-vision infrared LEDs that surround the lens. An indicator LED (besides on the lens bevel) blinks and changes colors to betoken battery charge, syncing and firmware updating.
This iv.8-ounce indoor/outdoor camera is IP65-certified weather resistant. You can utilize it plugged in or wire-free (powered past the included 2440 mAh rechargeable battery). The 76-inch power cord plugs into a mini-USB port on the back and into a insufficiently small USB/Air conditioning converter brick. An extra rechargeable bombardment with charger costs $49.99, and the new solar power panel is $79.99.
The Arlo Pro 2 requires the 2.3 x vi.9 x 5.0-inch white trapezoidal base station, which is included in most packages. (Information technology's not necessary for the Arlo Q, which makes the Q a better buy.) Hardwired into your local network, the base of operations station provides a steady depression-ability Wi-Fi (802.11n two.4GHz) connexion for upward to 15 cameras (though only five can be streamed at once).
You lot can plan the base of operations station's 100+ decibel siren to be triggered by motion or sound, or you tin can activate it from your phone. While none of the Arlo cameras accept a slot for a memory bill of fare, an (optional) USB external hard drive may exist plugged into the base station.
Arlo Pro 2 review: Video and Sound Quality
The Pro ii's 1080p video, 130-degree field of view and glass lens captured very good, well-baked daylight video, in both wired and wireless modes. Details were piece of cake to discern, with good colour and exposure when viewed on our iPhone and Android phone. However, when viewed through the web portal on a large estimator screen, highlights were diddled out and pixelated. By comparison, the original Pro's daylight video was smaller (due to the lower resolution), only had ameliorate contrast and exposure on all screens — equally did the 1080p Arlo Q.
The Pro two'south dark vision uses the same eight 850 nm LEDs for night vision equally the Pro. All the same, nosotros saw some of import differences. Like the daylight videos, the Pro 2's nighttime videos when viewed on our examination phones were well-baked with very good contrast and item, and better distribution of low-cal toward the edges of the frame than the Pro. Nevertheless, when viewed on our large computer screen, our Pro 2 night videos had difficulty with fine details and were more pixelated than the Pro'due south, especially when tracking movement. By comparison, the Arlo Q'southward night vision had similarly very good dissimilarity, item and exposure, though motion looked blurred.
Microphone and speakers are on the bottom of the camera on a slightly elevated incline, and so they aren't blocked by whatever horizontal surface on which the camera sits. The audio on our recorded Pro 2 videos was soft, though very articulate and easy to sympathize. When using the two-way audio, sound coming from the photographic camera to a remote phone was very clear, clean and with better volume than the recordings. However, sound coming through the camera to a phone, while loud and clear, tended to break up, with intermittent dropping of words.
Arlo Pro two review: Motion and Audio Detection
Both the mobile apps and the spider web portal have splendid, near identical controls (chosen Modes) for setting up customized motion and audio detection. The default Modes are Armed, Disarmed, Schedule and Geofencing.
The Schedule Mode is very flexible, allowing you lot to create dissimilar time periods for each day, and easily repeat them on specific days. Therefore, dissimilar many other cameras, the Arlo system can be turned on or off throughout the night from one 24-hour interval's evening to the next day's morning. Geofencing, which tin can be set up simply through the mobile app, turns your arrangement on when you (and your phone) leave the belongings and then off when you return.
Editing the Armed Fashion, or defining a new i, is very easy while providing a prissy depth of user control. For instance, when you choose the trigger (motion and/or audio detected), sliders ascertain the sensitivity levels for both. The motion or sound detected by i camera tin can be set to be the trigger of another camera. This is useful, for example, if your driveway camera detects motion or sound, simply the important video recording would be of anyone approaching your front door.
The recording may be for a fixed length of time (from 10 to 120 seconds) or until the activity ends (up to 300 seconds). In add-on, recordings now include the 3 seconds before the triggering event, which can exist helpful in determining what or who acquired the trigger.
When defining the mode, you too decide whether you want the base station siren to sound when activity is detected, how loud you desire it to be and how long you want it to last (up to 5 minutes).
The software has a very useful Move Detection Examination to help determine the optimum sensitivity setting. Unfortunately, the test is in the Camera Settings and not the Mode area of the software. Nor is there an pick to have the exam event change the motion sensitivity settings in the Modes. Similarly, the three rectangular action zones (which are bachelor only if the camera is wired) are prepare in Camera Settings, not in Modes.
Arlo Pro two review: Cloud Storage
The Arlo Pro 2 has a nice selection of options for saving your recordings that includes both local and deject storage.
Arlo has a generous free cloud storage programme that is included in your purchase of the Pro 2: seven days (rolling) of triggered events for upwardly to five cameras with limited back up for three months. For virtually users, the seven-24-hour interval program should be all that's necessary. That's because downloading individual recordings to your phone or computer is a simple tap or click. While the Arlo Pro ii doesn't include a slot for a retention card, the base of operations station tin accommodate an external USB hard drive.
If you demand a longer cloud storage catamenia, you get 30 days of deject recordings for up to 10 cameras, and unlimited support for $99.99/yr (or $9.99/month). A $149.99/twelvemonth programme ($14.99/month) provides 60 days of recordings for up to 15 cameras and unlimited support. Other plans are available for upwards to sixteen, 24 or 40 cameras.
The optional 24/7 continuous video recording (CVR) is a bit pricey and available only when the photographic camera is plugged into an electric outlet. Fourteen days of CVR costs $99/year/camera or $nine.99/calendar month. Thirty days is $199/twelvemonth/camera (or $19.99/calendar month), and 60 days is $299/twelvemonth/camera (or $29.99/calendar month). This is reduced by 50 percent for additional cameras on the CVR plan.
Arlo Pro 2 review: Library and Playback
Arlo'southward Cloud Library is well-organized and piece of cake to navigate, while providing a skillful depth of user access and control.
Cull a date from the linear calendar at the elevation of the screen (of both the mobile apps and spider web portal) to brandish thumbnails of the event videos captured by all the cameras attached to the organisation. Convenient captions indicate the fourth dimension-recorded length of the video and type of alert.
Y'all can filter the thumbnail brandish by photographic camera, blazon of upshot captured (motility or audio detection, manual recording or IFTTT), and/or favorites. The library has quick links to download or share a video, marking it as favorite, delete it and share information technology. While the spider web portal share options are via email or link only, the mobile apps also have sharing to Facebook or YouTube.
Click or tap on a thumbnail to play the video. In the spider web portal, a small window pops upwards. Similarly, in the mobile apps, the initial play window is a small vertically oriented brandish with no auto-rotate. For both interfaces, yous have to click/tap the total-screen icon to enlarge (on the Web) or to rotate the image to fill up the screen (on your mobile devices).
The optional (actress charge) continuous video recording (CVR) is accessed not from the Library, just from an icon on the Home folio. The CVR timeline may exist viewed in 24-hour, i-hour or 5-minute segments, and can be played from whatsoever signal inside the timeline.
Arlo Pro 2 review: Mobile Apps and Web Portal
The Arlo mobile apps and spider web portal are nearly identical, with tabbed interfaces that are make clean, intelligent and powerful, however like shooting fish in a barrel to use. Getting to whatever fundamental area of the software involves a minimum of clicks or taps.
We had only three bothersome problems with the software. You can have only one interface agile at a fourth dimension. And so, when yous (or a family member) log into the app or web portal on a device, it will automatically log others out on whatever device they're using. 2nd, the mobile app doesn't auto-rotate the Live or Playback videos. Instead, you have to tap on the total-screen icon.
Finally, while the modes for setting up motion and sound detection are powerful and simple to master, two cardinal related tools — Motion Detection Test and Activeness Zones — are in completely split areas of the software.
Despite these 3 issues, the Arlo software is our favorite amidst all the security cameras we tested, for the depth of its features, bang-up command over the functioning of the camera, skilful library organization and access, and intuitive icons.
Arlo Pro 2 review: Smart dwelling integration
The Pro ii, the Pro and the Arlo Q integrates with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Wink and Stringify. If yous want a photographic camera that works with HomeKit and offers similar operation, check out our EufyCam two security camera review.
IFTTT, SmartThings, Stringify and Wink are smart-dwelling house apps that coordinate your security cameras with other smart appliances around the house. For instance, if one of your cameras detects motion, the app can plough on a light. On the other manus, at present the simply affair you tin can practise with Alexa is use voice commands to view your cameras' live views on your telephone, Echo Testify or Fire Goggle box.
Arlo Pro 2 review: Installation
Arlo'southward very easy and quick installation is different from most other security cameras, considering you need to showtime connect the base station to the Internet. And then, you download the Arlo app and add the base of operations station to it. In our tests, the app immediately found the device and displayed its series number for confirmation.
Connecting a camera to the base station is even easier. All we had to do was press the sync button on the peak of the base station and then the sync button on the camera. That was information technology. The app and then prompted usa to sync additional cameras or to tap end.
According to the organization's specifications, cameras need to be within 300 anxiety of the base station, but that maximum distance is simply if at that place are no intervening walls or other physical obstructions (which is unlikely in most homes or businesses). Of our two test cameras, ane was outside almost 75 feet from the base station; we had a steady, reliable signal, though it had to travel through four thick exterior walls and 2 rooms (one filled with storage).
Arlo Pro ii review: Verdict
College-paradigm resolution is simply a measure of the volume of information, not the quality of that information. Therefore, while the Arlo Pro 2 is a higher-resolution photographic camera than the Arlo Pro, nosotros plant the video quality of the Pro to be a bit ameliorate than that of the Pro ii. In addition, the Pro'southward sound was amend.
All of the above Arlo security cameras take the aforementioned excellent software, complimentary deject storage, and Smart Home integration. The 1 big deviation is that both the Pro and Pro 2 require a base of operations station. Those looking for a budget option among the best outdoor security cameras should check out the Blink Outdoor and the Wyze Cam Outdoor, merely the Arlo Pro 2 is still an fantabulous option.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/netgear-arlo-pro-2,review-4974.html
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