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Gabe: What's up everybody?
This is Gabe at Security Baron and today we're talking about the Arlo Pro Two HD wire-free
security cameras.
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Gabe: If you want to see a list of our favorite security cameras, just Google Security Baron
best security cameras.
If you have any questions about today's review, leave us a comment below and we'll get back
to you.
Arlo is a home security company that recently was sponsored by NETGEAR that specializes
in home security cameras.
Today, we're talking about the Arlo Pro Two.
Arlo highlights the following features on its Arlo Pro Two, 1080p HD, wireless capability,
indoor and outdoor functionality due to weather resistance, two-way audio, cloud storage,
mobile alert, geofencing, and a smart siren.
Right out of the box when you grab the Arlo Pro Two you will think, "Woo, that's kind
of heavy."
It's definitely one of the heavier cameras that we've seen, which I don't think is a
bad thing.
It's definitely got a weighty feel despite its plastic exterior.
Let's take a look at the design of the Arlo Pro Two.
What you'll note immediately is this magnetic ball.
It's a little awkward, because it doesn't allow for a full range of motion.
If you want the camera to be angled in certain directions, you may not be able to do it unless
you do it likewise.
Then you can set it flat on this surface like a bookcase or a table and get the view that
you would like.
The Arlo Pro comes with two buttons.
One on the back is for opening it up and looking at the battery.
The one in the front is for syncing it.
In the back you have this space for the magnetic mount.
You have this threading metal that allows you to mount onto a wall directly.
Here you have the USB C charging port.
For your two-way audio, you've got your microphone and speaker on the bottom side of the camera.
The front of the camera, shiny and black.
It has a recess lens and you have these two different indicator lights on each side that
tell you things like whether or not you've synced your camera correctly.
In order to know whether or not the Arlo Pro Two is right for you and your home security
needs, let's hit it with the Security Baron necessary features test.
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Gabe: Here at Security Baron, we think that every camera should have 1080p high definition
video, two-way audio, a high performing night vision, cloud and local storage, smart platform
integration, artificial intelligence, value, and convenience.
Video quality is a Security Baron necessary feature, and the Arlo Pro Two comes with what
is almost standard now of 1080p high definition video.
Of course you can enhance that vision with your eight-time digital zoom and you could
see anything within 130-degree field of view.
In terms of its video quality, we give the Arlo Pro Two full marks.
A Security Baron necessary feature is two-way audio.
Now what's cool about the two-way audio in the Arlo Pro Two, is that because it's an
indoor and outdoor camera, you can talk to people that are pretty far away.
If someone's gone to the mailbox, you can ask them to bring in your newspaper directly
to the camera.
The WiFi signal may start to lag from that type of distance, but it's still a fun thing
to be able to do.
For two-way audio, we give the Arlo Pro Two full marks.
A Security Baron necessary feature is night vision, because we still want to be able to
see what's going on if it's past bedtime.
With the Arlo Pro Two, considering its video quality in the daytime, we were a little disappointed
in how it looks at night.
While it's not the worst night vision, it definitely leaves a lot to be desired and
we noted that all of other consumers also had issues with the night vision.
However, we do say that it almost compensates for that with how well it sees in low-light
around dusk and dawn.
When it comes to the Security Baron necessary feature of night vision, we give the Arlo
Pro Two half marks.
A Security Baron necessary feature comprised of two elements is local and cloud storage.
The Arlo Pro Two does well in instavision as it comes with a local option of USB storage
which allows you to connect a hard drive directly to the hub.
This comes with seven free days of cloud storage, which with the smart premium upgrade of $999
a month, you can upgrade to a full month of cloud storage.
When it comes to the Security Baron necessary feature of local and cloud storage, we have
to give it full marks.
A Security Baron necessary feature is smart platform integration, and the Arlo Pro Two
really does a good job here with its Amazon Alexa integration and due to recent updates,
will also work well with Google Assistant.
In terms of its smart platform integration, we have to give the Arlo Pro Two full marks.
Artificial intelligence is a Security Baron necessary feature.
We're generally looking for facial recognition or some type of person versus animal detection.
Here with the Arlo Pro Two, we don't really get any of that.
When it comes to the Arlo Pro Two and artificial intelligence, we can't give it full marks.
Value is definitely a consideration and a part of the Security Baron necessary features
tests.
When you're looking at the Arlo Pro Two two-camera kit, it does seem to be a pretty good deal
because you get two cameras.
One, for example, you could place indoor, and one you can place really far away outdoor,
and the hub for around $300.
When it comes to value as a Security Baron's necessary features test, we give the Arlo
Pro Two full marks.
A Security Baron necessary feature is convenience.
Ultimately, you want to be able to set up your cameras and be ready to go in surveying
your property as quickly as possible, and painlessly as possible.
When it comes to the Arlo Pro Two, it comes with a hub.
The hub connects directly to your router through an Internet cable.
Then you press the sync button on the hub, and the sync button on your camera.
Within 30 seconds those devices pair, and you're ready to place the camera wherever
you'd like.
I think at around 150-200 feet, you may begin to run into problems of communication between
the camera and the hub.
Generally, it's super easy to set up.
When it comes to convenience for the Arlo Pro Two, we have to give it full marks.
Every feature in a camera is only as good as its app.
Let's take a peek at the Arlo Pro Two smartphone application.
Let's start out with looking at the live video.
I've set up two cameras, one called Security Baron Arlo One and the second called Security
Baron Arlo Two.
The second of which is directed directly at me, the former of which is directed towards
the living room.
There are a lot of things happening on this screen.
I'm going to try to get through them as efficiently as possible.
On the bottom row, you can pause the video, record the video, take a snapshot, microphone
for two-way audio, or listen to what's happening.
Finally, you can do a full screen image so you can landscape on your phone.
You can also add a device.
Below these devices, you have Arlo Q, Arlo Go, and Arlo Baby monitor that can all attach
to the same base station.
What I like is that if you don't want to go into the specific settings at the very top,
it lets you know what's happening in terms of your base station connections so you can
know how much WiFi you're getting or not getting.
There's a small battery charging symbol so you can know where you are in your charging.
It also has symbols for whether or not someone's in the house, or when you go away, and for
the local storage.
I click on Settings, I can turn the camera off for the purposes of privacy.
I can look at the battery.
I can even change the video settings.
I can optimize it for best video, or I can optimize it for best battery, or do something
in between the two.
If I go into Library, I can look at the actual people that have come into the room today
and see what's going on.
If you've armed the system, it will tell you what's happening and that's really useful.
Finally, by click on Mode, that takes me to a symbol of the actual base station where
I can decide where I want to be now, which is disarmed since I'm in the home, or I can
go to Schedule, Geofencing, or just straight-up arm the system.
There's a lot happening but these are all useful, and this is what it looks like inside
of the Arlo mobile application.
This is the 1080p high-definition video of the Arlo Pro Two.
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Gabe: As you can see in the daytime, it's really crisp, really clear.
It's a little bit disorienting to see the alarm and the 911 call at the very top of
the clip in a way, but that's fine.
It's interesting.
As you can see, you can also go in and see exactly how much you're zooming in.
You get to 16x digital zoom.
You can see that that's Australia right there, French Polynesia around here.
There are a lot of options.
Ultimately, the video quality in Arlo Pro Two is pretty great.
This is the view of the infrared night vision on the Arlo Pro Two.
It's definitely not the worst night vision that we've seen.
It actually may even be good to some extent.
It just does not contrast well with the really crisp and pristine daytime video quality.
Of course, you still have the digital zoom available, and the 130-degree field of view.
You can make out what's happening on the screen.
It's just not going to be as clear as one might expect from looking at the daytime video
quality.
That's night vision on the Arlo Pro Two.
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Gabe: Just to recap, when it comes to Security Baron necessary features, the Arlo Pro Two
came with stellar video quality, full marks.
We've got 1080p, 130-degree field of view and an eight-time digital zoom.
Two-way audio on the Arlo Pro Two, full marks.
Not only do you get the capacity to speak to someone, but it also has a smart siren.
For night vision, we can't give the Arlo Pro Two full marks, especially considering how
well it sees in the day, but it does compensate with how well it sees in low light.
When it comes to local and cloud storage on the Arlo Pro Two, we give it full marks because
you can connect a USB storage device and take your cloud storage from seven free days to
a whole month.
For smart platform integration we give it full marks for the way it matches with Amazon
Alexa and Google Assistant.
For artificial intelligence in Security Baron necessary features test, we don't give it
full marks because it doesn't have any facial recognition or even person detection.
The current value of the Arlo Pro Two deserves full marks because you can get the hub and
two cameras for around $300, but we do want to mention that if we had made this review
when the Arlo Pro Two first came out, we wouldn't give it full marks because it did start out
a little high.
Full marks for convenience for the Arlo Pro Two for how easy it was to set up the two
cameras and have it working in our home.
At the end of the day, we're trying to figure out if the Arlo Pro Two is right for you and
your smart home security needs.
If you're looking for a wireless indoor-outdoor, weather-resistant camera with crisp, clear
1080p and significant free cloud storage options, Arlo Pro Two might be for you.
However, if you need pristine night vision, then you may want to look in a different direction.
That's our review of the Arlo Pro Two HD wireless security camera.
If you appreciate this video, give us a like and don't forget to subscribe.
As always, this is Gabe at Security Baron.
Be secure.
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