When I was looking for a home security camera I wanted one that didn't have a subscription
fee for video storage or monitoring.
After doing some research I ended up choosing the Netgear Arlo Pro 2 wireless security camera
system.
The Arlo Pro 2 offers 7 days of free cloud storage on the free plan with the ability
to download and save videos for use later.
I saw that the 2 camera kit was on sale so that's what I ended up buying.
The Arlo Pro 2 camera is compact, waterproof and has 1080p resolution and night vision
built in.
Mounting is super easy with the magnetic nub.
It's really strong so there's risk of it falling off.
But on the back there's an optional quarter inch mounting hole and USB port for charging
and full-time powered operation.
As mentioned before, the Arlo Pro 2 cameras are IP65 certified waterproof and has a rubber
seal around the door.
And rechargeable batteries last 3-6 months between charges depending on usage.
But you can also have these cameras plugged in all the time.
There's a speaker and microphone on the bottom of the camera as well as a rubberized pad
if you want to sit this on a shelf.
The Arlo Pro 2 system uses a central hub which connects up to 5 cameras on the free basic
plan.
The hub needs to be plugged into your internet router with an ethernet cable for it to work.
And anytime when you first power up the hub it can take up to 3 minutes before the hub
boots up and connects to the internet.
So be patient and wait until the center LED glows solid green.
Everything is then run through the Arlo app which is available for iOS or Android.
To set up the hub, tap the Plus button in the app and then select the type of Arlo product
to connect to.
I'm going to be setting up a wire-free camera and this is where the app will help you set
up your Arlo account and hub.
When the hub is set up the Arlo camera can be connected by pressing the Sync button on
the top of the hub for 2 seconds and the Sync LED will start blinking.
Now press the Sync button on top of the camera and a blue LED will blink slowly.
The Arlo camera needs to be within one to three feet of the hub before starting the
synching process.
But this is how to sync the included cameras with the Arlo kit as well as any additional
cameras that are added to the system.
Again up to 5 wireless cameras can be added with the free Arlo account.
When the camera is connected, the blue LED will flash quickly.
Both of the cameras I have needed updating right away so I'll do that now.
When it's updating don't remove the battery.
After the update, I already got my first notification of movement from the Arlo app because I'm
sitting right in front of the camera.
And here I can quickly show you a live view from the Arlo camera here in my office.
To mount the camera, use one of the included screws.
You only need one for the magnetic nub.
Then simply slip the nub over the screw and slide down.
The camera then just sticks on and can be mounted in 45 degree angles at the max with
this mount.
Now in Live View in the Arlo app, I can take a picture, manually start recording video
and also speak through the microphone.
In intercom mode just hold the microphone button down to talk.
"This is the speaker through the Arlo Pro 2 app.
I'm speaking into the phone and you can hear what the speaker sounds like.
It's not the best quality but hopefully you can get an idea of what the intercom will
sound like when you're speaking to someone at the door.
There is a bit of a lag or delay when you speak so it's kinda hard to have a real-time
conversation so when you speak in here there's probably a 3 second, 2 or 3 second delay before
the other person will hear you."
When motion is detected on the camera, the system starts recording until the motion stops
and the videos will be stored in the Library in the Arlo app.
Here it shows the past 7 days of activity and there's a green dot under the date where
there is video content.
It's all really organized by date and time.
Stored videos can easily be viewed by tapping on a thumbnail.
If there's a video that needs to be saved for more than 7 days it can be downloaded
to the phone where you can share it or transfer it to your computer.
Here's an actual video I recorded testing out the night vision in my garage.
When I turn out the lights it's completely dark in here.
I'm using my phone to see where I'm at so I won't bump into anything.
But as you can see it works quite well in complete darkness.
Overall I'm really enjoying the Arlo Pro 2 security camera system.
The free cloud recording is what attracted me but the Arlo system is one of the more
expensive systems on the market.
You can start with a two camera kit like I did and then add more cameras as needed.
Additional cameras are about $180 each.
And if the cameras are plugged in you can have 24/7 video recording with a premium subscription
plan.
But for me, the free basic plan is exactly what I need.
There are a few disadvantages that I found with the Arlo Pro 2 system.
It's expensive and doesn't include basic accessories that I'd want.
Like the longer power cables or a mounts that are more flexible or secure.
So be prepared to spend even a bit more to be able to build the system that fits you!
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