PRO
Ease of setup
Decent footage
Future expansion
Subscription
CON
Lag & delay
Black panels easily scratched
Charging issues
SPECIFICATION
130° field of view
720p video resolution
Night vision (7.6 meters)
Weatherproofing (-20° to 45°)
3 to 5 months battery life
There are not many choices when it comes to truly wireless surveillance cameras. I’m referring to those that do not even require a power outlet, probably just one name on this side of the world. Fortunately, it is one that has received more praise than criticism. What the Arlo Pro provides is something I’ve been wanting from manufacturers since forever and now that’s available, I’d be a hypocrite not to get one.
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First off, Arlo is from Netgear and is packaged in a smart manner but unboxing cannot be more frustrating. We got cuts on the forearm from removing its wireless cameras. What’s even more annoying is the amount of plastic used in packaging which will end up in the bin.
Once they are out, they look good, feel solid in the hands and sticks on its wall-mount as advertised. Unfortunately, the base station is not. It is light and springy on the inside which may topple over in an instance of accidental swings towards its direction. At least its 100 decibels alarm is loud enough to scare anyone away.
Instructions are easy to follow when it comes to setting up both the base station and the cameras. This system supports up to 15 cameras (5 for free) should you wish for future expansion. Despite only painting 720p footage, the picture quality produced is favourable. It especially is impressive in the dark given the Arlo Pro can see in complete darkness. Despite that, a strategic angle should be chosen to bring about a better range. The cherry on top is there is no need to spend additional money on a cloud subscription as the system comes with a 7-day 1GB storage.
There can be some lag here and there when instructed for live view and notably so when having a conversation through the Arlo. Having some patience prescribed for sound clarity is good but I question the frequency of use for this feature. It is very smart of Arlo to not pick up waving trees but it’s motion sensor will only trigger recording when the moving subject is already in one third of the frame. Sometimes in the middle or last quarter thanks to power saving.
After a couple of hours charging, you expect your device to be fully juiced but end up with none as its micro USB ports are hopeless.
High expectations were had for the Arlo Pro and it turned out to be one of those things that we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with. Personally, I like every bit of its small form factor, sleek design and well thought out user experience but it would have been a better product if its motion sensor were fed some caffeine.