I bought the 4 camera kit. Trust me, don't buy the CR123A's in a store or you'll go broke. Buy 12 packs (or greater) from Amazon, Ebay. I get about 3 or 4 months out of fresh batteries. Tip: when you change the batteries, rename the cameras, appending the date to the camera name. They you know how long your batteries last. I should add that I do use custom mode but haven't implemented a schedule or geofencing. And we went through a period this summer where we had very heavy winds. The leaves blowing around on the trees CONSTANTLY set off the motion sensors. I sure this helped degrade my batteries. Overall I'm very happy with the system.
Strange. I think it's microwave motion detection instead of passive infrared (PIR, body heat detection). Don't worry about the microwaves, your phone sends and receives those all day long, the difference is that your microwave oven cooks food at hundreds of watts, your phone and those cameras send and receive at milliwatts. That's not nearly enough to even feel slightly warm.
Just for your information, you can get CR123 rechargable batteries, so having 2 sets of those that you rotate would be a far more cost effective way of running these cameras.
I'm sure they won't last 4 months unless you're pretty much never recording anything.. probably a couple weeks battery life if you take the monitoring seriously, so I'd opt for rechargeables as well.
+Charlie Jonsen - Mine lasted over four months and record several videos per day and I've increased the recording time from 10 seconds to 40. So the batteries do seem to last a long time.
We've been using these cameras at work - we placed them inside a cupboard and inside a maintenance hatch in a machine to see when an employee replaces certain consumables (it helps us keep track of stock) and since they're wireless, they're perfect. It took a full year for the batteries to die on one camera and the second camera is still going so it really depends on how much they are recording. Very happy with them and the base station has a VERY long range.
I've had the two camera system for several months now. I have two settings for my camera, High Sensitivity for non-windy days and Low Sensitivity for windy days. I had to do this otherwise I get constant notifications from my cameras that the trees moved. :) Regular use switching between the modes with 20 second, high quality clips gets me right at 4 months of battery life. I do really like these cameras and I'm about to buy a third.
Its so fun that you got all that setup just for a curious neighbour and you ended watching all nature life roaming when no one is watching, loved the tiny bird (Robin?) who sees the camera and stands up there like: 'Ello Neighbour! nice to see you!!
Hi, I showed this video to my wife, who told me to order it as soon as we could afford to. I ordered the single camera kit 2 nights ago, it arrived yesterday and I can confirm the system is awesome. Thank you for providing such a concise review - you saved me a LOT of time and work to install a cabled system to monitor the front and back of my house.
Techmoan we're going to add one for the garden and one to cover the ground floor of the house. It's an awesome system - the field of view is wide enough to cover our front door and the entire front garden pathway (the joys of having a small home, eh!) Thanks again pal.
This is a bit of brilliant kit not without caveats. The camera's batteries are of course the weak link requiring regular replacing. Though it would raise the price it might be a nice touch if the exterior case would be made to translucent with the ability to magnify light with photo voltaic recharging. It might well make the weakness of the battery life much more robust. It works for watches and I wonder if it might not be possible here too. It would be fantastic if this could be taken to another level and if you find other such devices with even better spec then please update this. Very cool and useful gadget.
Great review! I've been looking at a home security setup, but don't want to faff with batteries; I'd much rather take the extra few hours during initial installation to use a powered system. The software interface of this system looks great, as does the easy mounting system.
I went for these compact cameras a year or so ago, they are pretty good. However, the standard cameras require 4 batteries and if used at the highest resolution, with email/SMS alert messages at maximum they will require replacing every 8 weeks or so, I got 4 months from them at the lowest sensitivity at first. Those batteries are available online at half the price mentioned in this video, buy in bulk and you’ll pay half. I have the security mounts out front so they’re a bit more secure, an Amazon van damaged my front wall pillar, the cameras got that repaired with no cost from myself which paid for the whole assembly! It made the whole process of chasing up the guilty party a doddle. The Pro Model, which I added as a third camera uses a special rechargeable pack, that one lasts about 4 weeks before requiring a re-charge, I have it on it’s highest settings, the quality is true 1080 HD and it has built in 2 way sound. The camera at the back of the house only receives around half the WiFi signal despite being within the positional limit as described in the instructions but that doesn’t seem to affect quality. I’d turn off the alerts while you’re in the house as the cameras are so effective, they could be beaming messages every time an insect flies past, or someone walks past, postman arrives or the Fox poos on the lawn etc. All in all they’re the best cameras for the price.
Really enjoyed that one Matt. Especially liked the flexibility and great wild life shots. I think I may just have to pick one of these kits up for myself.
I bought one of these for a friend and installed it for them. Super easy to install! It's an amazing system and I'm not even paying for more batteries :)
Apologies if someone has already mentioned but wiring these up is fairly simple and is documented in the Arlo forums, although not officially recommended of course. It's a case of obtaining a 5V (I think) DC adaptor, couple of crocodile clips and some wire, terminating in wire thin enough to close the case afterwards. It's something I plan to set up when I can get round to it via some CAT5 cables I have set up but have already done a test run successfully.
Great review. I've had these for a year now and love them, especially being so mobile around your home. (Ontario, Canada) A couple of notes from me is that when I first got these I installed one on the inside window of my back door and couldn't get the motion detect to work when someone came to the back door. After reading the FAQ's a note said that motion detection won't work through a window, so I thought I'd add that remark. Another note is that the base station gave me incredible range as compared to my Lorex IP Cameras. The Lorex IP Camera range was limited to the Router range, whereby the Arlo Cameras have the Base Station which blew the doors of my Lorex Cameras for range. If the Cat 5 Ethernet Cable still limits your range because it's still at the same place as the router you can always run CAT 5 or 6 cable to relocate your base station to whatever location gives even better range. www.bestbuy.ca/Search/SearchResults.aspx?path=ca77b9b4beca91fe414314b86bb581f8en20&query=arlo www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=arlo Some of the negative post remarks in your review are from people that just don't get it. Yes, batteries are an extra expense so if you don't like these then get Lorex IP Cameras or equivalent & run your power cord limiting your placement or buy a Solar USB power pack for Lorex IP Cameras or equivalent, but bitching isn't the answer because these Arlo cameras have a purpose for those who need the mobility. Rather than bitch, buy a camera that fits your need(s). I love these cameras and I also love my Lorex IP Cameras where the need fits them in different cases where the Arlo doesn't meet the need(s).
I've been using mine for a year. Was great to check on my home (from another country) while on holidays. Much better value/quality than my old uniden system.
+Peter Riis - Mine lasted about 6 months. Standard settings, but increased record time from 10 seconds to 30or40. Cameras are activated every time I leave the house with geo fencing function.
Excellent review. I ordered the system yesterday (3 Wire-Free and 1 Arlo Q pkg) but later became concerned about how well they would work in "live" view. Your thorough video assuaged any doubts I had about the system and I am looking forward to receiving it tomorrow.
With out a doubt one of the best reviews I've seen for the arlo. You really answer every question and put things into terms even I can understand. Very impressive video.
It would be nice to have some sort of power connector on them, maybe in the tripod mount, and use batteries only for backup. Someone else also mentioned solar power but i guess that would encourage people to put the cameras in the sun and with a package that tight it might cause problems. The cloud service part is a little bit uncomfortable. It would be nice to have a personal server option in case the company goes out of business. Maybe those usb ports on the base station can be used with a external HDD. Overall the system seems well thought out. The best i've seen so far.
I might be wrong, but those motion sensors are designed to pick up heat. So there should be much less false alarm with these cameras than with the ones which use image recognition. I used a battery operated wildlife camera to figure out how the cats are coming in and out of my garden. I got the same result, I was very happy with it. But my Chinese IP cameras with image recognition pick up every leave and branch movement.
That is quite a neat system. Maybe they'll bring out a solar-powered/assisted version in the future. Rather than churning through a set of batteries every few months (the standby/use time certainly indicates it's pretty low-power) it'll charge up during the day or week.
I think it is pretty impressive how bright that IR illumination is! Considerung it only looks like a 3mm LED, it really is quite useful! EDIT: Also the price looks pretty decent considering the quality this system seams to offer!
Thank you for this well done review. I’ve recently bought the Arlo 6 camera system from HSN. Because of your review, I’m going to open the box and try it out.
OK. You just presented another item I want to buy, and did. I already have the DDPAI car cam ... love it! (just got a firmware update today - though I still cannot create an account) Thanks for researching these items, presenting measured and well presented videos about the capabilities all the while I trust you are doing such based on your own impressions and no outside pressure. Keep up the cool vids! :)
Great review. I've had these for a little over a year. Overall, I really like them, but of course they have their trade-offs. The 6 month battery life is pretty accurate, that is, if you don't use rechargeable batteries, and keep the default video quality with
Thanks Techmoan for that review. The Netgear Arlo is quite expensive I must say: 2 camera and base unit -> 230 bucks, also you need to grab batteries every now and then but in return.. well ya got quite the flexibility of the cameras. Night vision mode looks quite decent. The price is a bit high for me though, I could use one or two of them :/
Awesome bit of gear! Thanks for the exposure, this might be interesting to get. Very convenient, and pretty fast "on-time" in terms of motion activation. by sheer luck, I also happen to have had a hedgehog in the back garden coming out during the day. It was during the hot week last week, and it was pretty dehydrated. I set up some waterbowls, and chopped liver, and it was happy again. Such cute animals.
This review just popped up on a list of recommended videos. I was intrigued by these little cameras. Unfortunately, they have a minimum operating temp of 0 C. Where I live, winter temps regularly fall below freezing, sometimes by 5-10 degrees. Other cams are more robust in that regard.
thanks for covering the additional info on other IoT extensions like if-this-then-that. The only comnent i would have is the temp range. 0 deg Celsius may be an issue for me in the winter. Thanks. - Eddy
Very good review. I have a few questions tho; Can you have them store the data automatically on a NAS or external hard-drive instead of the cloud? Also is there any information on how safe their wifi encryption is? I wouldn't want any creeps watching me as I walk pass any cameras installed in my house. Can you connect this to a Telldus/Z-Wave system so that they are only active as I leave my home (with a magnetic door open/close sensor)? I'm asking here because I'm unable to find any information on this while googling.
Review is great, and I like everything about the cams, but not the price. I'm running 720m Zmodo cams now, which cost $49 for a TWO pack. These Arlos are pricing at $100-125 each, so from 4 to 6 times the price... too rich for me, although I do like the ability to put them anywhere.
Another, similar option with much lower running costs is the "Blink" system. It uses a set of regular, AA batteries that should last a year. What you give up is the ability to put the camera outside and a dedicated night vision mode (it turns on a little LED light if it detects motion in the dark). It otherwise works almost exactly the same way as this one does.
The most intriguing feature is that curious magnetic mount. I guess magnetism doesn't fade over time? Oh who cares, there will be a new and improved system available before that happens.
Great and informative review. I'm sold, so thanks again - I appreciate your taking the time to explain this system. Odd that the batteries are CR123 - which are the same I use in my combat rifle optics and lighting - so once I get an alarm, I'll be able to shoot the intruder using the same styled batteries! Now THAT is convenience! My CR123's are rechargeable, so I can reuse in all of my gear as well! Seriously though, thank you much!
Great review. I was thinking of getting some of these for my home automation, until i read that Smartthings still does not support them, strangely enough, smartthings still does not support some of its own cameras.
Don't know if this has been asked, the USB slots in back of base station, could you plug an external storage device into it to increase the 128mb before it is placed onto arlo cloud?
if you can find surefire brand (the flashlight company) those batteries are often much more affordable and in my limited experience are very high quality and last longer than other brands i tried in comparison.
Got three of these at home. They are brilliant but battery life is terrible tho and the batteries are expensive. 4 in each and they last about 2 months. I went through 80 batteries in 14 months. Got them wholesale at a pound a battery.80 quid for the year. The longer the distance the faster the batteries run out. Also in winter when the temp dips they run down even faster.
You might be able to expand the local storage by connecting a USB Flash drive or external HDD to the base station. So you are not forced to use the cloud and eat up bandwidth, longer videos, etc
Just went through some experiments with Arlo myself. Netgear used to sell VueZone cameras, similar function, now discontinued. They offered me a discounted refurb Arlo to replace my discontinued VueZone. My VueZone base had a hard time connecting to the internet through my home router ports, I had to set a dmz for it. Arlo was able to connect right away which was nice. I think they give open port recommendations if you need it. Netgear has locked down the Arlo base, so even though it is really just a wifi router, there is no access to it's settings. If anyone knows how to hack into it I'd like to know. If you want to use it with a static IP for instance, Netgear suggests to modify your own router and assign the MAC address to an IP in your own router. Not ideal. If I needed to use it on some else's network I'd like to be able to give it a static ip. If someone finds a way to hack into it I'd love to hear it. The cameras are also not accessible through normal wifi. The cameras connect to the base on their own network, while the base uses wired ethernet to get to the internet. The range is very good. I had the base in my basement and took the camera outside about 200 feet from my home when the image started to break up. The Arlo controls are limited. If you want a serious security camera this is not it. If you want convenience and don't mind cloud storage, or if you want to play with home automation, Arlo can be good. I'm also currently trying the Blink battery camera, but compared to Arlo, Blink is a toy. Blink, while giving a good image, is sorely limited in features making it almost unusable. As mentioned, the thing that makes the battery last is that the camera function only turns on when requested. In standby mode it is just a receiver, no transmitting. That is also what limits the security functions (no motion detector zones, no recording prior to an alert, limited recording time period). If Arlo could store video locally on the base station as an option, that would be a great addition. It has USB ports on the side so maybe they can add that in the future. I'm interested in making an easily deployed portable security system. Arlo could almost do it, but needs the cloud storage, maybe it could work with a cellular hotspot. It's true also that the Basic plan has a hard 7 day storage limit. I just logged in and found that my "library" is empty- I had a number of files there but stopped all recording over a week ago. The clips are easy to download, but you just have to remember to do that promptly if you want to save anything. Thanks for another great review, Mat.
this is exactly what I need! I need a simple cam just to check who's at the door. I hate it when I'm expecting a package, the doorbel rings, and it turns out to be a boyscout or money collectors..
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 78 | คู่เอก "ปกรณ์ vs ฟาบิโอ"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LSOmgl0Th2c/mqdefault.jpg)
I bought the 4 camera kit. Trust me, don't buy the CR123A's in a store or you'll go broke. Buy 12 packs (or greater) from Amazon, Ebay. I get about 3 or 4 months out of fresh batteries. Tip: when you change the batteries, rename the cameras, appending the date to the camera name. They you know how long your batteries last.
I should add that I do use custom mode but haven't implemented a schedule or geofencing. And we went through a period this summer where we had very heavy winds. The leaves blowing around on the trees CONSTANTLY set off the motion sensors. I sure this helped degrade my batteries.
Overall I'm very happy with the system.
Strange. I think it's microwave motion detection instead of passive infrared (PIR, body heat detection). Don't worry about the microwaves, your phone sends and receives those all day long, the difference is that your microwave oven cooks food at hundreds of watts, your phone and those cameras send and receive at milliwatts. That's not nearly enough to even feel slightly warm.
You could just turn the sensitivity of the sensor down in conditions like windy days right?
Techmoan always shows me stuff I didn't know I needed; in this case, hedgehog footage
i love the fact you do actual freaking reviews on products. in depth useful and well explained.
Great informative video as usual, and very nice of you to be concerned about and help a hedgehog, and the muppet bits never get old
Just for your information, you can get CR123 rechargable batteries, so having 2 sets of those that you rotate would be a far more cost effective way of running these cameras.
He did mention that at the beginning, he said the manufacturer did not recommend them, maybe the lower voltage?
I'm sure they won't last 4 months unless you're pretty much never recording anything.. probably a couple weeks battery life if you take the monitoring seriously, so I'd opt for rechargeables as well.
Yeah, but the rechargeable battery station has wires that plug into sockets that have wires...
+Charlie Jonsen - Mine lasted over four months and record several videos per day and I've increased the recording time from 10 seconds to 40. So the batteries do seem to last a long time.
I think the rechargable CR123's have a higher voltage so might possible damage the device
Those hedgehogs are super adorable.
had these for a year, love them still on the first set of batteries
those are really solid cameras, especially given they are 100% cordless.. Damned nice of you helping the hedgehog out :)
We've been using these cameras at work - we placed them inside a cupboard and inside a maintenance hatch in a machine to see when an employee replaces certain consumables (it helps us keep track of stock) and since they're wireless, they're perfect. It took a full year for the batteries to die on one camera and the second camera is still going so it really depends on how much they are recording. Very happy with them and the base station has a VERY long range.
"You may not see Arlo, but Arlo sees you!" creepy
I bought the Arlo 4-cam set after watching your review, and I couldn't agree more with your assessment.
TBNTX does it have a mic?
just a heads up, if u buy a 2 pack on amazon right now you can save a whole penny on the retail price of £279.99. bargaintastic!
I've had the two camera system for several months now. I have two settings for my camera, High Sensitivity for non-windy days and Low Sensitivity for windy days. I had to do this otherwise I get constant notifications from my cameras that the trees moved. :) Regular use switching between the modes with 20 second, high quality clips gets me right at 4 months of battery life. I do really like these cameras and I'm about to buy a third.
Its so fun that you got all that setup just for a curious neighbour and you ended watching all nature life roaming when no one is watching, loved the tiny bird (Robin?) who sees the camera and stands up there like: 'Ello Neighbour! nice to see you!!
I've got these things for about half a year and they are really great! :)
Wasp nest style cover would keep thief away
+urdnal wasps arent social and they will stay away.
What if it was a wasp nest thief?
Hi,
I showed this video to my wife, who told me to order it as soon as we could afford to. I ordered the single camera kit 2 nights ago, it arrived yesterday and I can confirm the system is awesome.
Thank you for providing such a concise review - you saved me a LOT of time and work to install a cabled system to monitor the front and back of my house.
Brilliant, thanks for the reply. It really is incredibly easy, I'm up to four cameras now.
Techmoan we're going to add one for the garden and one to cover the ground floor of the house. It's an awesome system - the field of view is wide enough to cover our front door and the entire front garden pathway (the joys of having a small home, eh!)
Thanks again pal.
That interface knocks spots off my Swann DVR system! Incredible how far the technology has come. Amazing fitment to the base too.
This is a bit of brilliant kit not without caveats. The camera's batteries are of course the weak link requiring regular replacing. Though it would raise the price it might be a nice touch if the exterior case would be made to translucent with the ability to magnify light with photo voltaic recharging. It might well make the weakness of the battery life much more robust. It works for watches and I wonder if it might not be possible here too. It would be fantastic if this could be taken to another level and if you find other such devices with even better spec then please update this. Very cool and useful gadget.
Great review! I've been looking at a home security setup, but don't want to faff with batteries; I'd much rather take the extra few hours during initial installation to use a powered system. The software interface of this system looks great, as does the easy mounting system.
I went for these compact cameras a year or so ago, they are pretty good. However, the standard cameras require 4 batteries and if used at the highest resolution, with email/SMS alert messages at maximum they will require replacing every 8 weeks or so, I got 4 months from them at the lowest sensitivity at first. Those batteries are available online at half the price mentioned in this video, buy in bulk and you’ll pay half.
I have the security mounts out front so they’re a bit more secure, an Amazon van damaged my front wall pillar, the cameras got that repaired with no cost from myself which paid for the whole assembly! It made the whole process of chasing up the guilty party a doddle.
The Pro Model, which I added as a third camera uses a special rechargeable pack, that one lasts about 4 weeks before requiring a re-charge, I have it on it’s highest settings, the quality is true 1080 HD and it has built in 2 way sound. The camera at the back of the house only receives around half the WiFi signal despite being within the positional limit as described in the instructions but that doesn’t seem to affect quality.
I’d turn off the alerts while you’re in the house as the cameras are so effective, they could be beaming messages every time an insect flies past, or someone walks past, postman arrives or the Fox poos on the lawn etc.
All in all they’re the best cameras for the price.
BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST AND MOST DETAILED REVIEWS ON THESE CAMERAS THANK YOU SO MUCH GREAT JOB IM DEF GONNA PICK UP A SET
Really enjoyed that one Matt. Especially liked the flexibility and great wild life shots. I think I may just have to pick one of these kits up for myself.
Nice work, David Attenborough. 😊
looks like a great temporary system, i could see this as a proof of concept for some camera locations. As I have seen poor camera locations before.
I bought one of these for a friend and installed it for them. Super easy to install! It's an amazing system and I'm not even paying for more batteries :)
Apologies if someone has already mentioned but wiring these up is fairly simple and is documented in the Arlo forums, although not officially recommended of course. It's a case of obtaining a 5V (I think) DC adaptor, couple of crocodile clips and some wire, terminating in wire thin enough to close the case afterwards. It's something I plan to set up when I can get round to it via some CAT5 cables I have set up but have already done a test run successfully.
I love it how all the animals are interested in the cameras as well.
looks like a perfect tool for wildstock observation in the garden.
I have had this system for year. I am very satisfied. I use rechargeable batteries. They last about 5 month.
I've owned these for over a year and love them. I've only changed batteries once in a couple of the cameras, and we have 5.
the ending:
".. and I bet they read the wired magazine" xD
That bit made me laugh out loud. Good job nobody else is in right now!
Great review. I've had these for a year now and love them, especially being so mobile around your home. (Ontario, Canada)
A couple of notes from me is that when I first got these I installed one on the inside window of my back door and couldn't get the motion detect to work when someone came to the back door. After reading the FAQ's a note said that motion detection won't work through a window, so I thought I'd add that remark.
Another note is that the base station gave me incredible range as compared to my Lorex IP Cameras. The Lorex IP Camera range was limited to the Router range, whereby the Arlo Cameras have the Base Station which blew the doors of my Lorex Cameras for range. If the Cat 5 Ethernet Cable still limits your range because it's still at the same place as the router you can always run CAT 5 or 6 cable to relocate your base station to whatever location gives even better range.
www.bestbuy.ca/Search/SearchResults.aspx?path=ca77b9b4beca91fe414314b86bb581f8en20&query=arlo
www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=arlo
Some of the negative post remarks in your review are from people that just don't get it. Yes, batteries are an extra expense so if you don't like these then get Lorex IP Cameras or equivalent & run your power cord limiting your placement or buy a Solar USB power pack for Lorex IP Cameras or equivalent, but bitching isn't the answer because these Arlo cameras have a purpose for those who need the mobility. Rather than bitch, buy a camera that fits your need(s). I love these cameras and I also love my Lorex IP Cameras where the need fits them in different cases where the Arlo doesn't meet the need(s).
I've been using mine for a year. Was great to check on my home (from another country) while on holidays. Much better value/quality than my old uniden system.
+Peter Riis - Mine lasted about 6 months. Standard settings, but increased record time from 10 seconds to 30or40. Cameras are activated every time I leave the house with geo fencing function.
Great video, but I think you could appeal to a younger generation if you edited in a couple of side-profile shots of you talking to the other camera.
I see what you did there.
Excellent review. I ordered the system yesterday (3 Wire-Free and 1 Arlo Q pkg) but later became concerned about how well they would work in "live" view. Your thorough video assuaged any doubts I had about the system and I am looking forward to receiving it tomorrow.
You bought the set-up to check up on a hedgehog, that is amazing
Great system. It would be nice if they had an option to connect a small solar panel to each camera to keep the batteries charged.
Isn't it strange that animals love to have their picture taken ! Love the Robin ! Really cool video. Thanks.
Do you have any more footage of the hedgehog. I can watch it all day.
With out a doubt one of the best reviews I've seen for the arlo.
You really answer every question and put things into terms even I can understand.
Very impressive video.
13:52 those cats knew that they are being watched
Great video. Best part was the visitors to your garden.
the end bit is always fantastic
It would be nice to have some sort of power connector on them, maybe in the tripod mount, and use batteries only for backup. Someone else also mentioned solar power but i guess that would encourage people to put the cameras in the sun and with a package that tight it might cause problems.
The cloud service part is a little bit uncomfortable. It would be nice to have a personal server option in case the company goes out of business. Maybe those usb ports on the base station can be used with a external HDD.
Overall the system seems well thought out. The best i've seen so far.
I might be wrong, but those motion sensors are designed to pick up heat. So there should be much less false alarm with these cameras than with the ones which use image recognition. I used a battery operated wildlife camera to figure out how the cats are coming in and out of my garden. I got the same result, I was very happy with it. But my Chinese IP cameras with image recognition pick up every leave and branch movement.
That is quite a neat system. Maybe they'll bring out a solar-powered/assisted version in the future. Rather than churning through a set of batteries every few months (the standby/use time certainly indicates it's pretty low-power) it'll charge up during the day or week.
I think it is pretty impressive how bright that IR illumination is! Considerung it only looks like a 3mm LED, it really is quite useful!
EDIT: Also the price looks pretty decent considering the quality this system seams to offer!
It's not a single IR LED. The camera uses a cluster of IR LED's above the lens. What he points out is not the IR LED.
About to score some of these off Facebook, 4 cameras and the base for 50 bucks. I'll get a good set of rechargable batteries and I'll be happy with it
Thank you for this well done review. I’ve recently bought the Arlo 6 camera system from HSN. Because of your review, I’m going to open the box and try it out.
Fantastic bit of kit there.
Thank you for mentioning the distance that the camera can be from the base station. No one ever talks about that.
You should bring back some new 808 keychain camera's. It was so relaxing to watch you talk about them and they look so cool
OK. You just presented another item I want to buy, and did.
I already have the DDPAI car cam ... love it! (just got a firmware update today - though I still cannot create an account)
Thanks for researching these items, presenting measured and well presented videos about the capabilities all the while I trust you are doing such based on your own impressions and no outside pressure.
Keep up the cool vids! :)
That's a nice house. Mind if I come in when you're not at home?
Cute hedgehog though.
Great review. I've had these for a little over a year. Overall, I really like them, but of course they have their trade-offs. The 6 month battery life is pretty accurate, that is, if you don't use rechargeable batteries, and keep the default video quality with
Thanks Techmoan for that review. The Netgear Arlo is quite expensive I must say: 2 camera and base unit -> 230 bucks, also you need to grab batteries every now and then but in return.. well ya got quite the flexibility of the cameras.
Night vision mode looks quite decent.
The price is a bit high for me though, I could use one or two of them :/
Awesome bit of gear! Thanks for the exposure, this might be interesting to get. Very convenient, and pretty fast "on-time" in terms of motion activation.
by sheer luck, I also happen to have had a hedgehog in the back garden coming out during the day. It was during the hot week last week, and it was pretty dehydrated. I set up some waterbowls, and chopped liver, and it was happy again. Such cute animals.
...thank goodness Mrs Tiggywinkle is OK...great video as usual
This review just popped up on a list of recommended videos. I was intrigued by these little cameras. Unfortunately, they have a minimum operating temp of 0 C. Where I live, winter temps regularly fall below freezing, sometimes by 5-10 degrees. Other cams are more robust in that regard.
That's a nice yard you've got there.
thanks for covering the additional info on other IoT extensions like if-this-then-that.
The only comnent i would have is the temp range. 0 deg Celsius may be an issue for me in the winter.
Thanks.
- Eddy
It goes well below freezing. I think -10 C.
That Hedgehog is SANIC FAST!
I ACTUALLY GOT AN ARLO AD BEFORE THIS VIDEO!
Very good review. I have a few questions tho; Can you have them store the data automatically on a NAS or external hard-drive instead of the cloud? Also is there any information on how safe their wifi encryption is? I wouldn't want any creeps watching me as I walk pass any cameras installed in my house. Can you connect this to a Telldus/Z-Wave system so that they are only active as I leave my home (with a magnetic door open/close sensor)?
I'm asking here because I'm unable to find any information on this while googling.
Brilliant review, very thorough, thanks
Review is great, and I like everything about the cams, but not the price. I'm running 720m Zmodo cams now, which cost $49 for a TWO pack. These Arlos are pricing at $100-125 each, so from 4 to 6 times the price... too rich for me, although I do like the ability to put them anywhere.
Goodness - they should be brilliantly wonderful for the price!
Very informative and objective. I've bought a one camera system as an initial trial. So far so good.
Looks like a great camera system to me. I already have a wired system; had it not been for that though, I'd give this serious consideration.
You should review the Blink Home Monitoring cameras, they run on 2 AA batteries and supposedly run for up to a year!
Thanks for the review, John Oliver. :)
You have some of the best review videos on the Internet, very professional. Thank you very much.
I was really hanging out for that second wave and was disappointed. Other than that, great review.
Another, similar option with much lower running costs is the "Blink" system. It uses a set of regular, AA batteries that should last a year.
What you give up is the ability to put the camera outside and a dedicated night vision mode (it turns on a little LED light if it detects motion in the dark). It otherwise works almost exactly the same way as this one does.
I love the part with the wild animals and Muppets of course.
So cute Matt wanted to record the hedgehog :3
The most intriguing feature is that curious magnetic mount. I guess magnetism doesn't fade over time? Oh who cares, there will be a new and improved system available before that happens.
Great and informative review. I'm sold, so thanks again - I appreciate your taking the time to explain this system. Odd that the batteries are CR123 - which are the same I use in my combat rifle optics and lighting - so once I get an alarm, I'll be able to shoot the intruder using the same styled batteries! Now THAT is convenience! My CR123's are rechargeable, so I can reuse in all of my gear as well! Seriously though, thank you much!
im not really into tech but i watch all your videos because i love your voice! Great vids keep it up!!!
Great review. I was thinking of getting some of these for my home automation, until i read that Smartthings still does not support them, strangely enough, smartthings still does not support some of its own cameras.
Don't know if this has been asked, the USB slots in back of base station, could you plug an external storage device into it to increase the 128mb before it is placed onto arlo cloud?
Pembs2007 touched a nerve there mate you might be onto something.
if you can find surefire brand (the flashlight company) those batteries are often much more affordable and in my limited experience are very high quality and last longer than other brands i tried in comparison.
The basestation runs a MIPS processor, never actually seen anything run MIPS before, though i did study it in university
So you've never seen a Playstation 1 or 2, Nintendo 64 etc? :P
Got three of these at home. They are brilliant but battery life is terrible tho and the batteries are expensive. 4 in each and they last about 2 months. I went through 80 batteries in 14 months. Got them wholesale at a pound a battery.80 quid for the year. The longer the distance the faster the batteries run out. Also in winter when the temp dips they run down even faster.
i liked it for the hedgehog, also good review!
Is that a blood sugar monitor on your arm at 6:30 or did you glue the camera mount there so you don't have to fetch it from your pockets?
The former. He did a video on it a while ago.
+stonent more like a year ago :)
Just bought a two pack thanks to this review!
The outro is pure gold. Haha!
You have a lovely garden.
Great video! Please do a follow up video regarding the battery life.
Love it 'A large pair of ladders.'
You might be able to expand the local storage by connecting a USB Flash drive or external HDD to the base station. So you are not forced to use the cloud and eat up bandwidth, longer videos, etc
Nope, doesn't work. The USB ports have no function. It's the cloud only with these.
There is a rearview mirror replacement unit in China called "keshi A900", highly recommended you get some info of that new sick tech.
great review dave :)
thanks dave
Thanks Frank for the interesting video. I like Mat the hedgehog too.
I see what you did there, George.
Just went through some experiments with Arlo myself. Netgear used to sell VueZone cameras, similar function, now discontinued. They offered me a discounted refurb Arlo to replace my discontinued VueZone.
My VueZone base had a hard time connecting to the internet through my home router ports, I had to set a dmz for it. Arlo was able to connect right away which was nice. I think they give open port recommendations if you need it.
Netgear has locked down the Arlo base, so even though it is really just a wifi router, there is no access to it's settings. If anyone knows how to hack into it I'd like to know. If you want to use it with a static IP for instance, Netgear suggests to modify your own router and assign the MAC address to an IP in your own router. Not ideal. If I needed to use it on some else's network I'd like to be able to give it a static ip.
If someone finds a way to hack into it I'd love to hear it.
The cameras are also not accessible through normal wifi. The cameras connect to the base on their own network, while the base uses wired ethernet to get to the internet.
The range is very good. I had the base in my basement and took the camera outside about 200 feet from my home when the image started to break up.
The Arlo controls are limited. If you want a serious security camera this is not it. If you want convenience and don't mind cloud storage, or if you want to play with home automation, Arlo can be good. I'm also currently trying the Blink battery camera, but compared to Arlo, Blink is a toy. Blink, while giving a good image, is sorely limited in features making it almost unusable.
As mentioned, the thing that makes the battery last is that the camera function only turns on when requested. In standby mode it is just a receiver, no transmitting. That is also what limits the security functions (no motion detector zones, no recording prior to an alert, limited recording time period).
If Arlo could store video locally on the base station as an option, that would be a great addition. It has USB ports on the side so maybe they can add that in the future. I'm interested in making an easily deployed portable security system. Arlo could almost do it, but needs the cloud storage, maybe it could work with a cellular hotspot.
It's true also that the Basic plan has a hard 7 day storage limit. I just logged in and found that my "library" is empty- I had a number of files there but stopped all recording over a week ago. The clips are easy to download, but you just have to remember to do that promptly if you want to save anything.
Thanks for another great review, Mat.
Hedgehogs. They mostly come out at night. Mostly.
My mommy always said there were no hedgehogs - no real ones - but there are.
Ha, lot of "ALIENS" fans on here ....
Game over man!
This puppet survived months of videos with those hedgehogs around. "Well, why don't you put them in charge?"
My names Newt
At 6:29 you can see some really impressive life improving tech.
this is exactly what I need! I need a simple cam just to check who's at the door. I hate it when I'm expecting a package, the doorbel rings, and it turns out to be a boyscout or money collectors..
Ring is probably a better choice for you, because it has audio.
oh! I'll look into it. Thanks!
Good to see your thumb is healing well :).