Arlo - wireless CCTV - any better alternatives?
Discussion
I'm running an arlo system which I quite like, its a mix of 4 arlo cameras and 2 arlo Q cameras. In no particular order:
Pros
Can use them outdoors
relatively easy to set up
Decent app
They're very small
Battery life is astoundingly good
Cons
Since they're not recording all the time, they can occasionally miss the action that sets them off, or shut off before action has finished
outdoor ones are magnetic, so people could nick them pretty easily (little camouflage covers are available)
On installing I noticed one of the cameras has a red tint to it, online showed this to be a common problem. Arlo are relatively good about replacing it, but need to receive my old one before sending me a new one, which is hard since I'm never there
One arlo Q has stopped being connected to my system, Im not yet sure if thats a camera problem, or if someone has accidentally turned it off
I think you can only have 5 cameras (unless you buy a 6 bundle) before you have to pay for a subscription
Arlo Q claims you can do 2-way audio, but can't get that to work, I can hear, but not talk back.
Overall, I'm relatively happy with the system. If you're doing just inside then you could look at the Piper system which is apparently excellent. I think Nest do indoor and outdoor, but I think the outdoor cameras still need power
Pros
Can use them outdoors
relatively easy to set up
Decent app
They're very small
Battery life is astoundingly good
Cons
Since they're not recording all the time, they can occasionally miss the action that sets them off, or shut off before action has finished
outdoor ones are magnetic, so people could nick them pretty easily (little camouflage covers are available)
On installing I noticed one of the cameras has a red tint to it, online showed this to be a common problem. Arlo are relatively good about replacing it, but need to receive my old one before sending me a new one, which is hard since I'm never there
One arlo Q has stopped being connected to my system, Im not yet sure if thats a camera problem, or if someone has accidentally turned it off
I think you can only have 5 cameras (unless you buy a 6 bundle) before you have to pay for a subscription
Arlo Q claims you can do 2-way audio, but can't get that to work, I can hear, but not talk back.
Overall, I'm relatively happy with the system. If you're doing just inside then you could look at the Piper system which is apparently excellent. I think Nest do indoor and outdoor, but I think the outdoor cameras still need power
Arlo Pro is due soon, it will all work together, but the new cameras have rechargeable batteries and mains power option. So you could do 24 x 7 video if you really wanted to (if you paid for that package)
I use Arlo-Q in the garage, but the function of this camera is now replaced by Arlo Pro cameras, which are better because they are also outdoor and rechargeable options whereas the Arlo-Q is indoor only, mains or USB powered. If you have trouble with 2 way audio, check the mic mute setting in the app. Its easy to miss.
The wire free are the most convenient of course, I get about 6 months between battery changes.
The latency on camera startup is down to how good the wi-fi link is to the camera and speed of broadband. Sometimes it is virtually instant, but on occasions there can be a bit of lag.
Nothing out there that beats it for convenience of install, so long as you understand the limitations of the base package. 7 day rolling cloud based storage. Recording on motion only in default package.
I use Arlo-Q in the garage, but the function of this camera is now replaced by Arlo Pro cameras, which are better because they are also outdoor and rechargeable options whereas the Arlo-Q is indoor only, mains or USB powered. If you have trouble with 2 way audio, check the mic mute setting in the app. Its easy to miss.
The wire free are the most convenient of course, I get about 6 months between battery changes.
The latency on camera startup is down to how good the wi-fi link is to the camera and speed of broadband. Sometimes it is virtually instant, but on occasions there can be a bit of lag.
Nothing out there that beats it for convenience of install, so long as you understand the limitations of the base package. 7 day rolling cloud based storage. Recording on motion only in default package.
I never did bring this thread to a close, I did end up buying a 2 camera Arlo setup, and its great!
Yes there are a couple of small niggles, and compared to my 24/7 recording system at my old house its a little limited, but for what I need it for and the flexibility it gives it's great!
Going to get a 3rd camera to add very soon
Yes there are a couple of small niggles, and compared to my 24/7 recording system at my old house its a little limited, but for what I need it for and the flexibility it gives it's great!
Going to get a 3rd camera to add very soon
I had the three camera set up but the lag was far too long. It would record the postman leaving the property - so either it didnt detect him walking towards the camera or took that long to start, only picked up when he was walking away.
As I bought it was amazon, i complained and was able to send it back.
Now have a hard wired system via POE - just over double the money (incl install) but does record 24/7 on a 2TB local hard drive.
As I bought it was amazon, i complained and was able to send it back.
Now have a hard wired system via POE - just over double the money (incl install) but does record 24/7 on a 2TB local hard drive.
Tomo1971 said:
I had the three camera set up but the lag was far too long. It would record the postman leaving the property - so either it didnt detect him walking towards the camera or took that long to start, only picked up when he was walking away.
As I bought it was amazon, i complained and was able to send it back.
Now have a hard wired system via POE - just over double the money (incl install) but does record 24/7 on a 2TB local hard drive.
What was the total cost of just the kit please?As I bought it was amazon, i complained and was able to send it back.
Now have a hard wired system via POE - just over double the money (incl install) but does record 24/7 on a 2TB local hard drive.
The big problem with Arlo and all the other similar products are the ultra wide angle cameras, 130º in the case of Arlo.
This means your pixels are spread apart rapidly as you move away from the camera to the point where they have an incredibly short effective range - think maybe a couple of metres to identify someone. At 10 metres you are a tiny spec in the middle of the screen. There's some info on optical range of CCTV cameras here on our website.
As has been mentioned you are only recording motion triggered events with a considerable lag in most instances. We recommend recording 24/7 then using motion triggered bookmarks to help search for potentially important footage.
But the biggest problem is that very short effective range. If you're fitting something inside the house and people will be walking past the camera then it might work but for anything outside the house and around your property then pretty much forget it.
Finally whilst there is a free cloud storage plan available 24/7 storage for 14 days is $99 / camera and 30 days is $199 / camera per year. So 5 cameras look like they cost you $1,000 per year in cloud fees unless I'm missing something. Even if cameras 2-5 are half price it's still $600 and how does the system cope piping constant HD video from multiple feeds up the pipe ?
On the plus side the cameras look cute and the video featuring the little girl is sickly sweet without actually telling you very much. If I was a gambling man I would suggest the photo of the dog on the bed and the front porch in the phone screen shot were taken with a DSLR camera, not an Arlo 130º camera.
Henry
This means your pixels are spread apart rapidly as you move away from the camera to the point where they have an incredibly short effective range - think maybe a couple of metres to identify someone. At 10 metres you are a tiny spec in the middle of the screen. There's some info on optical range of CCTV cameras here on our website.
As has been mentioned you are only recording motion triggered events with a considerable lag in most instances. We recommend recording 24/7 then using motion triggered bookmarks to help search for potentially important footage.
But the biggest problem is that very short effective range. If you're fitting something inside the house and people will be walking past the camera then it might work but for anything outside the house and around your property then pretty much forget it.
Finally whilst there is a free cloud storage plan available 24/7 storage for 14 days is $99 / camera and 30 days is $199 / camera per year. So 5 cameras look like they cost you $1,000 per year in cloud fees unless I'm missing something. Even if cameras 2-5 are half price it's still $600 and how does the system cope piping constant HD video from multiple feeds up the pipe ?
On the plus side the cameras look cute and the video featuring the little girl is sickly sweet without actually telling you very much. If I was a gambling man I would suggest the photo of the dog on the bed and the front porch in the phone screen shot were taken with a DSLR camera, not an Arlo 130º camera.
Henry
No, we don't have a general suggestion because everyone will need to use different cameras depending on what each location is needing to do / cover.
Always happy for people to give us a call on 01895 233311. We can chat over your requirements whilst viewing the property using internet mapping from which we can take accurate measurements.
From there we can put together a fully priced package.
There is no charge or obligation for doing this.
There is no such thing as a general purpose camera, a good or a bad camera. It's a question of using the right camera for the right job. A Toyota Yaris is great for bobbing around as a cheap holiday hire car but wouldn't be that great on the grid this weekend at Silverstone. It wouldn't be my first choice for carrying the family and all our clobber 2 hours down to the south coast this weekend either.
Henry
Always happy for people to give us a call on 01895 233311. We can chat over your requirements whilst viewing the property using internet mapping from which we can take accurate measurements.
From there we can put together a fully priced package.
There is no charge or obligation for doing this.
There is no such thing as a general purpose camera, a good or a bad camera. It's a question of using the right camera for the right job. A Toyota Yaris is great for bobbing around as a cheap holiday hire car but wouldn't be that great on the grid this weekend at Silverstone. It wouldn't be my first choice for carrying the family and all our clobber 2 hours down to the south coast this weekend either.
Henry
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