Arlo Introduces Pro 4 Security Camera With Easier Wi-Fi Setup, But Lacks HomeKit at Launch [Updated]

[macduke]

For me, the HomeBridge server on a Raspberry Pi 4 is really solid nowadays and the Ring plugin is very stable. That wasn’t so much the case when I first tried it out. I use HomeKit with it and have alerts pop up with video feeds on my Apple TV. A few months ago I added a few of the latest wired Ring Stick Up Cams for only $85/each when they were on sale. Seems to be lacking HDR compared to my Floodlight Cam but the image quality looks sharper. It all works pretty smoothly and even the setup process on the Pi, in 2020, is pretty easy. Recommended if you know how to copy and paste some commands into the terminal. The UI for updating and checking status is all in the browser so it’s really user friendly. If you’re advanced enough you can even set it to a local URL so it’s easy to punch in.

 

[masteroflondon]

This is the thing that Netgear doesn't make particularly clear with the Arlo system that users NEED to know: most of the Arlo systems use their own Wi-Fi network, even if you don't want that. I have clients who have spend big $$ on Ubiquiti and mesh Wi-Fi networks who decide they want to use Arlo cams (their end-user advertising obviously works!), and I was aghast to find the first time I unboxed them that they wouldn't use the well-built-out UniFi network that I had just so painstakingly built out. Instead, you're supposed to patch-quilt base stations all over the place and create interference for your main Wi-Fi network. It's absurd. (Even if you have Netgear networking hardware, like Orbi!)

I'm glad to hear that Netgear has finally backtracked on that. But I'd not recommend Arlo gear. I can't speak to Eufy, though I like Anker hardware in general; I just also don't generally trust sending data to other companies' clouds, esp if they operate outside the US. (No, not "xenophobia", "law and order" and the "reach of the 'long arm of the law'".) Security cams are a wasteland of garbage in general (starting with Hikvision and Dahua), and IMHO Arlo hasn't added much. None of the other vendors—including Amazon/Nest/Ring/Blink and Ubiquiti Protect—impress me much though either. AFAIC, nobody has it "right" yet.

But the assumption that an available client Wi-Fi network is so deficient as to require another independent Wi-Fi network should just be a deal-breaker.

And so it was for me. The astounding refusal to use existing wifi is the reason I did not get Arlo.

 

[masteroflondon]

I'm trying the Netatmo... Doesn't have all the bells and whistles but has the basics and no subscriptions/cloud. Supports HomeKit. And yes it is a French company so I don't want to hear about freedom fries...

edit - and this is to replace Arlo Ultra...

The promised Secure Video is yet to materialise though. In fact the promise seems to have disappeared. Now they promise it for their nee doorbell. Coming soon. Honest guv.

 

[ds2000]

Have their baby monitor and its alexa skill is dire. Will swap out for ring, given their stuff just works well.

 

[jsmitty]

After the fiasco that is Arlo Video Doorbell I will never buy another Arlo product. Technical services is slow to respond with empty promises and you literally cannot contact customer service. I replaced the doorbell with Eufy and the activity zone actually works to ignore passing traffic and no monthly fees.

 

[Flight Plan]

You won’t hear back from Arlo for at least a few months, if that. Their attention to the customer and issues is horrible... I bought a 4 pack of Arlo Ultras and it’s just been one issue after another. I’m slowly going to phase them out for something by Eufy or any other company.

I had as many as 11 Arlo cameras at one point, but kept getting false movement alerts with no actual movement. I could be sitting there looking out the window, then receive an alert that the camera with the SAME VIEW as I was seeing was alerting me.

Totally forgot that. Add to my experience batteries that last NO WHERE near where Arlo claims in my setup.

It's like you need your camera pointed at an empty field to get the battery length they claim.

But even the empty field would generate movement. Are the cameras sensing ghosts moving across the land?

The Eufy stand alone (powered) desktop cameras are great! i am very happy with them.

I am using the swivel one and set it to use Homekit, I am watching it now. super happy.


Still can't believe how much money I wasted on Arlo.

I've got some Eufy cams now and I love them so far, especially the floodlights which I had an electrician wire up for me to house power. House power prevents the delayed filming and with the flood motion sensor, I can see color. And each camera, flood or battery, also has a microphone and the ability to warn off intruders. Plus, all the neighbors now know that if they walk up my driveway, that floodlight could allow a helicopter to land on them! Going to add some indoor cameras too.

 

[Tech198]

I guess the real nervousness would be "I need 4K in my security camera" .. Probably haven't gotten there yet, but the time will come.

 

[GIZBUG]

For the 50-60% ? of the world that have Androids.

So you are saying you can't release a product,t that works on both APPLE and ANDROID, and has HomeKit support?

 

[AncientGeek802]

I have Axis, Nest, Arlo (Original, Q, Q+, Pro, Pro2, Pro3), Ring, EufyCam2 & Pan, Wyze, Logi Circle, Netatmo, TP-Link, Ubiquiti Protect...all of them have strengths and weaknesses. Some are better suited for certain situations than others. Sometimes cloud recording is handy...sometimes it is a pain. In my experience, Arlo has the best architecture for behavior control. I can use geofencing with schedules, modes and rules to create very flexible camera behavior. Yet Arlo lacks a simple snooze feature that will let me turn off one or more cameras when unique conditions make that desirable (landscapers or weather conditions for example). The Nest Outdoor IQ has the best two way audio of any camera system I have used so far... Great volume and low latency. Axis has an amazing product portfolio from under $200 to over $2,000. Arlo battery operated cameras with solar panels work Very well for me if the solar panel gets direct sunlight.

One thing I dislike intensely is a setup process that uses loud beeps or voice. It is totally annoying and limits when a setup can be performed, based on conditions in the house. Eufy fails that this royally. Way to loud and verbose. I just need to see a few LEDs flash and the screen on my mobile device to reflect progress. Some other cameras do this also. Please Stop!