It used to be that installing security cameras involved professionals and a whole lot of money. You need to install an entire system and then run wires from the central controller to where you place your cameras.
Not anymore. With wireless security cameras, you can do all of these yourself. You no longer have to go through intermediaries and spend a lot of money. You do not even have to bother about wires and cables.
In short, products like the Arlo Pro and the Arlo Pro 2 help you take charge of your security at home. What’s more, these new camera systems offer high definition videos. You no longer have to squint at bad security footage where you cannot even make out car plate numbers. You can also choose the number of cameras you need, from a single camera system to one that has four or more.
Arlo Pro
The Arlo Pro is a wire-free security camera that delivers videos with resolutions of 720 pixels. It also has an embedded microphone and speaker that allows for two-way communication. You can talk to whoever is there even when you are half the world away.
It has night vision capabilities that allow it to record even in low light conditions. If you have a connected home, you will appreciate how the Arlo Pro can connect and work with some of the most popular smart home platforms, including Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, Google Home, Wink, and many others.
The Arlo Pro is weather-resistant, making it suitable to use as an outdoor camera. It works with a base station that handles all the connected features such as sending the video over the cloud. This base station is also where you would find the siren and the local storage, among other things.
Arlo Pro Ratings and Reviews
On TrustedReviews.com, Arlo Pro gets an average of 4.5 stars out of 5.0. They like the excellent image quality of this camera with its 720 pixels of resolution and the wide 130-degree field of view. Since it comes from NetGear, it is no surprise that you get a reliable connection with this camera. They also like the weather-proof design and the subscription plans that offer great value. Further, they mention the easy set up as another plus.
However, they do find that the base station adds to its cost and wished that there was some way to just buy the cameras and set it up without the base station. They also think that motion detection is a bit slow to react, making you miss some of the action.
Pocket-Lint also gives this security camera an average of 4.0 stars out of 5.0. They like the fact that it gives you a week’s worth of cloud storage without having to deal with subscription fees. You can also hook up a maximum of 20 cameras. You can also add more accessories if you want. However, the reviewer does not like the lower 720-pixel resolution. Plus the fact that the camera might be removed from the mount easily.
On Amazon, the Arlo Pro gets an average rating of 4.1 out of 5.0 stars from more than 14,000 reviewers. A lot of the positive reviews provided proof of how the Arlo Pro captures crisp videos, easily set it up without having to lay down wires, and the long battery life. Some people also shared their stories of how they were able to foil potential thieves from breaking into their house.
Arlo Pro 2
The Arlo Pro 2 seeks to address the complaints that people had with the first Arlo Pro. Most notably, it now has a full high definition video quality at 1080 pixels. This resolution gives you crisper details than its predecessor. Further, the Pro 2 now has a three-second lookback feature that provides a solution to the motion sensor’s slowness causing it to start recording only after some time. This feature allows you to see three seconds before the start of the recording so that you can view what happened before the motion sensor was triggered.addressed an issue with the prior model. However, the feature only works on AC power. A qualified win for the Pro 2.
You can choose to plug in the Arlo Pro 2, which will give you two additional features. First is the activity zones that allows you to highlight specific areas that will trigger the sound and motion alerts. This feature helps to lessen the number of false alarms you get by leaving out the high traffic areas in your camera’s view. More than that you can also choose to upgrade to a continuous video recording that is stored in the cloud.
The Arlo Pro 2 has a water resistance rating of IP65, meaning that it can keep moisture and dust out. You can use it both indoors and outdoors.
Ratings and Reviews for the Arlo Pro 2
On Amazon, the Arlo Pro 2 gets an average of 4.1 stars out of 5.0 from more than 3,400 reviewers. Verified buyers praise this camera system for working the way it should, as well as the easy setup and installation. Then there is the quality of the videos and the free cloud storage that they get with the product.
However, there are a lot of complaints about the company’s customer service. If you ever encounter any problem with the Arlo Pro 2, you might be in for a heartbreaking ride. There seem to be more problems about the Arlo Pro 2 frequently disconnecting, while others have issues with the battery failing to charge, or discharging faster than the rated up to six months.
PCMag.com, for their part, gives it an “excellent” rating, equivalent to 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. TechRadar also gives this camera system a high score of 4.0 out of 5.0, praising it for the strong magnetic mounts that keep it secure and allows for flexible installation. They also like the web interface that gives you a high level of control. They note, however, that some routers might find it challenging to connect to the Arlo Pro 2.
Then you have Digital Trends, which gives the Arlo Pro 2 a rating of 4.5 out of 5.0 and then proclaiming it as the best camera system that they have reviewed. They mentioned everything everybody else liked and then added the geofencing and scheduling features, the free cloud storage, and the optional local backup.
Side-by-side comparison: Arlo Pro vs. Arlo Pro 2
To have an easier time comparing the Arlo Pro and the Arlo Pro 2, we made this side-by-side comparison that should help.
| Model | Arlo Pro 2 | Arlo Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (inches) | 3.1 x 1.9 x 2.8 | 3.1 x 1.9 x 2.8 |
| Weight (ounces) | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Single camera kit price | (Check out the latest price here!) | (Check out the latest price here!) |
| Wire-free | Yes | Yes |
| HD resolution (pixels) | 1080 | 720 |
| Field of view (degrees) | 130 | 110 |
| Weather resistant? | Yes | Yes |
| Optional non-stop recording | When plugged in | No |
| Requires Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Free recordings from the past seven days | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum battery life (months) | 6 | 3 |
| Motion alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Audio alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Night vision | Yes | Yes |
| Smart siren | Yes | Yes |
| Optional local storage | Yes | Yes |
| Activity zones | When plugged in | No |
Main Differences Between the Arlo Pro and Arlo Pro 2
As you can see, these two cameras share a lot of similar characteristics but there are quite a few differences as well. What are these?
Video resolution
The full high definition video resolution you get from Arlo Pro 2 is probably its biggest advantage over the Arlo Pro, where you get only 720 pixels. This difference means that Arlo Pro 2 gives you better videos with clearer details.
Continuous video recording
Arlo offers 24/7 video recording, but it needs your cameras to be plugged in for the feature to work correctly. In this regard, the Arlo Pro 2 wins. Arlo Pro is 100-percent wire-free, but it can also be plugged in. But even then, you cannot set up activity zones with the Arlo Pro.
From a security standpoint, continuous video recording is good to have. The Arlo Pro will only start recording when it senses movements. It will stop recording after eight minutes. This limitation means that this Arlo camera will not be able to capture anything unless some motion is detected.
On the other hand, you can set the Arlo Pro 2 to record everything. Even if a potential robber does not come within the range of the motion detector, you will be able to get videos of him or her.
Battery life
The battery life is one of the areas where the Arlo Pro wins over the Arlo Pro 2. The Arlo Pro can go on operating for up to six months before you need to replace its batteries. The Arlo Pro 2 can only last for up to three months.
Night vision
While both cameras have night vision capabilities, you might find that you might not see things unless some kind of light is on in the background. For instance, if it’s pitch black, the night vision might not be much help. But if there is light coming in from the street lamp outside, or illumination getting in from another room, then you should have no problems seeing what happens even in the dark.
The Arlo Pro 2, however, does produce slightly brighter videos when night vision is on.
Problems with both the Arlo Pro and Arlo Pro 2
Both models offer geofencing, which is an excellent feature if you want the system to arm or disarm itself depending on your location automatically. However, this feature is far from accurate and you might be out of the house with the camera not running.
What’s more, both models require a base station to work. This extra hardware means that they have an additional cost. However, this might be more of a design decision that makes both Arlo Pro models simple to use when you are using multiple cameras. With a base station, the cameras will connect to the hub and only that device will connect to your Wi-Fi network, rather than having several cameras connecting individually.
That set up will also make it easier for the Arlo system to connect to other smart home platforms, as well as sound the siren. It allows the Arlo to keep the cameras small in size but still offer all the features it has now. However, the added cost will not make sense if you only need one or two security cameras.
Before You Buy: Check out Arlo Ultra
If you are choosing between the Arlo Pro and the Arlo Pro 2, you might want to spend more on the company’s new security camera: the Arlo Ultra. Arlo Ultra gives you 4K ultra high definition videos with images of up to eight megapixels. It has a 180-degree diagonal field of view, allowing you to see everything in front of the camera. Plus, it gives you a 12x digital zoom.
What’s more, the Arlo Ultra does not have the fisheye effect you see on the Arlo Pro 2, even when it has a broader field of view. It also comes with HDR that gives you the best shots no matter what the lighting condition is.
It also has sound and motion detection. Arlo added a bright spotlight that can make things easier to see at night. So there is no place for would-be burglars to hide. What’s more, say goodbye to odd-looking night vision images, and say hello to enhanced colored pictures because of the spotlight.
It uses a dual microphone array that has both wind and noise cancellation technology, plus speakers that provide crisper sounds. But the Arlo Ultra’s best feature is the automatic tracking and zooming. Once the camera detects motion, it will zoom into the moving object and follow it, allowing you to get better footage.
The Arlo Pro vs. the Arlo Pro 2
If you are coming from an old analog CCTV system, you would probably marvel at how good the Arlo Pro and the Arlo Pro 2 are. You can choose the Arlo Pro and still get high definition videos that have night vision, sound and motion detection capabilities. Plus it has some features such as cloud storage that come free with the camera. If you need more features, then you have the option to add what you need.
If you are looking for really crisp and sharp videos, then you can pay extra and get the Arlo Pro 2. This camera system can be plugged in, allowing you to record videos 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also lessen the number of false alerts by using the activity zones.
However, both of these systems pale in comparison to the Arlo Ultra. It delivers 4K UHD videos and a whole lot of other features. In short, the decision to buy Arlo Pro, Arlo Pro 2, or even the newest camera system, Arlo Ultra, largely depends on what you need. You can save with the Arlo Pro and still get an impressive Wi-Fi security camera, or you can splurge on Arlo Ultra and get all the bells and whistles that the latest camera systems have. Or you can get the best of both worlds with the Arlo Pro 2.
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