Arlo has a range of security cameras that you can use indoors and outdoors. You also have the option to go wire-less or have a camera that is constantly plugged in for more reliable power. Arlo also has a mobile camera and a baby camera.
For its wired cameras, Arlo offers the Arlo Q and the Arlo Q Plus. Which of the two is the better buy?
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Arlo Q
Arlo Q is an indoor security camera that you plug into a power source. It has a stand that allows you to place it on table tops, desktops, shelves, or any flat surface. With a minimalist yet modern design, it measures 2.75 x 2.80 x 4.50 inches. It weighs 167.8 grams.
Camera
The Arlo Q gives you a video resolution of 1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. This means that you can see everything in crisp detail. It has a speaker and microphone, allowing for two-way communication. You can check out your home from anywhere in the world. For example, your Arlo Q sends you a push notification of a possible break-in at your house, and you can check out the feed to see if there is somebody there. You can use the two-way communication feature to scare off the intruders.
The camera has full-color CMOS sensors and can zoom up to 8x into a scene, allowing you to see things up close. It also has a wide field of view of 130 degrees.
You can even see things when it is dark, thanks to the 850 nm LEDs that it uses for night vision. This is enough to see up to 25 feet in the dark. Compared to 940 nm LEDs, 850 nm bulbs have less motion blur and focus shifts, and they give you more details at greater distances.
The Arlo Q creates videos using the H.264 video format, which gives you high-quality images while requiring lower bandwidth.
Motion and sound alerts
The Arlo Q can detect movements and sound, and when it does, it will start recording a clip of what it is seeing. These clips are saved to your cloud library, and you can download and share these clips for free. Arlo gives you seven days of recorded clips for free. If you need more storage, you can pay for an Arlo Smart Premier subscription for $10 per month. This will give you 30 days of cloud recordings and support for 10 cameras (as opposed to only five cameras for the free version). You will also get Arlo Smart features activated.
If you need more, then subscribe to the Arlo Smart Elite, which gives you 60 days of cloud recordings and support for 20 cameras.
Arlo Smart
Arlo Smart is a relatively new service from Arlo and is meant to extend the features and the functionality of your Arlo camera and apps. With Arlo Smart, you get:
- Better notifications that include person detection. Enhanced notifications will tell you what the Arlo camera is seeing without having to check on the live stream or video recordings.
- Motion zones that help weed out false alerts.
- e911 service for United States residents.
Connectivity
Arlo Q connects to your Wi-Fi network. It is dual band, allowing it to transmit on both the 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz frequencies.
This allows you to use a mobile app to see a live stream of what the Arlo Q is seeing. You can also use the free Arlo app to retrieve and watch the recorded clips.
Furthermore, the Arlo app allows you to create a smart schedule, to set up geofencing options, and to create custom modes. You can also use it to set up activity zones.
Lastly, with the Arlo app, you can share your recorded clips and even the live stream to selected family and friends.
The Arlo app is available on FireOS or Apple TV, Android, and iOS. There is also a Web browser-based app, allowing you to use any device to check in on your camera.
Aside from that, the Arlo Q works with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Stringify and IFTTT recipes.
What could be better
CMOS sensors are more susceptible to noise than CCD sensors. Depending on how well-lit your home is, this might mean lower quality images than what you might get from a CCD sensor.
You might be disappointed that you would need to pay for the activity zones for its motion detection feature. Additionally, the custom mode is not that easy to set up.
Final say about the Arlo Q
The Arlo Q is one of the better-wired security cameras out there. It is very easy to set up; you just plug it in and start monitoring. You also do not need to install the camera itself. You simply place it on any flat surface with a good view of the room you want to monitor.
The camera has excellent video quality and good motion detection. It comes with a very generous seven-day cloud plan.
The custom modes allow you to get more out of your Arlo Q, such as automatically taking a snapshot when motion or sound is activated.
Arlo Q Plus
The Arlo Q Plus is another indoor security camera from the company that used to be part of Netgear. When it comes to improvements, the Arlo Q Plus does not really have a lot of additional features when compared to the Arlo Q.
The Arlo Q Plus has the same camera as the Arlo Q, with its 1080-pixel high-definition video resolution, 130 degrees field of view, and motion and sound detection. It also uses the free Arlo app, and works well with Amazon Alexa, IFTTT recipes, Stringify, and Google Assistant. Furthermore, you also get free seven-day cloud recording, with an option to upgrade to Arlo Smart subscriptions.
The Arlo Q Plus also has the same dimensions and weight as the original Arlo Q.
The Arlo Q Plus, however, is $50 more expensive than the Arlo Q. The more expensive price tag does not mean that the Arlo Q Plus has better specs, though. Rather, the Arlo Q Plus includes more options for powering the camera.
The Arlo Q Plus supports power over Ethernet, which means that you can connect your security camera and power it using just one cable. It can still connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi, but power over Ethernet allows you to use an already installed Ethernet cable to power your camera rather than running a separate power cable. What’s more, data transmission speed is faster with a wired connection than over Wi-Fi.
Another advantage of the Arlo Q Plus is local storage. You can now store your video recordings locally, rather than sending them over the cloud. Just add a microSDHC or microSDXC card and get up to 128 GB of storage more. That is more than enough to store up to 50 hours of video recordings!
Side-by-side comparison: Arlo Q vs. Arlo Q Plus
The features and functionalities of both Arlo Q and Arlo Q Plus are summed up in this table:
| Model | Arlo Q | Arlo Q Plus |
| Price | $249.99 (Check out the latest price here!) | $199.99 (Check out the latest price here!) |
| Wired | Yes | Yes |
| Indoor use | Yes | Yes |
| Outdoor use | No | No |
| 7 days free storage for recordings | Yes | Yes |
| 1080p video resolution | Yes | Yes |
| Frames per second | 30 | 30 |
| Video format | H.264 | H.264 |
| Field of view | 130° | 130° |
| Night vision | 850 nm LEDs | 850 nm LEDs |
| Night vision range | up to 25 feet | up to 25 feet |
| Imaging | Full color CMOS | Full color CMOS |
| Zoom | 8x digital | 8x digital |
| Two way audio | Yes | Yes |
| Motion detection range | up to 50 feet | up to 50 feet |
| Activity zones | Up to 3 | Up to 3 |
| E-mail alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Push notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Dual band Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi range | 300 feet line of sight | 300 feet line of sight |
| Dimensions (inches) | 2.75 x 2.80 x 4.50 | 2.75 x 2.80 x 4.50 |
| Weight (grams) | 167.8 | 167.8 |
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| FireOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Web browser app | Yes | Yes |
| Power over Ethernet | No | Yes |
| Ethernet | No | Yes |
| Local storage | No | Yes |
Arlo Q vs. Arlo Q Plus: Which one is the better buy?
At $200 and $250 respectively, the Arlo Q and the Arlo Q Plus are among the most expensive indoor security cameras available right now. However, if you consider that you get 1080 pixels of high-definition video at 30 frames per minute, motion- and sound-activated recordings, two-way communication capacity, and cloud storage, then the price is more than justifiable. Other cameras like Nest Cam have a cheaper price tag, but they do not come with free cloud storage.
If you currently have the Arlo Q, there is not much reason for you to upgrade to an Arlo Q Plus. However, if you are new to home security cameras, the Arlo Q Plus might be worth a consideration because of its power over Ethernet feature and local storage.
Want to see how Arlo compares to other security cameras? Read here!
- Arlo vs Ring – Which Security Camera is Best in 2018?
- The Ring Video Doorbell vs The Netgear Arlo Pro
- Nest IQ vs Arlo Pro 2
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