Netgear Arlo Pro 2

Good product overall – We had the first wireless Arlo system and have now upgraded to the Arlo Pro 2. It's good in that we can still use the old cameras (well a few) and after seeing the new camera performance there is a noticeable difference between the two. Having the sound and talk back function is brilliant. The new cameras also have a wider view. They seem to… Read more

pick up movement quicker than the old ones but sometimes still lag in starting to record. They suit us and I'm not sure if a wired system would be any better after talking to some friends.

Arlo Pro 2 - Be Wary – I purchased two Arlo Pro 2 systems. One set up easily in 10mins. The other took weeks and ultimately needed an nbn plan upgrade and the factory reset button pushed for 10secs to get it working. (I had pushed it many times for 5secs!) I could not access the phone support as 1. It is only based on pacific time so hours are mostly overnight. 2. I… Read more

could not get through and would get cut off. I had to get support via email. The arlo 2 comes with free 7 days storage otherwise I would not have purchased. Other arlo systems do not provide this. The cameras work ok at providing an image and saving triggered footage. Image quality is poor and license plates of cars parked close to the camera are difficult to impossible to read. Motion triggering is very poor and the camera triggers every time the wind blows and leaves or a palm move. Triggering zones can only be set up if they are permanently powered. I have done this and it has also proven to be extremely poor. One of the systems faces a busy street and between approx 1 and 4 pm for some reason it triggers literally every minute a car passes despite the zone being set to only see the front yard and not the footpath/verge/street. I believe arlo state triggering performance is better with an upgraded subscription!? Why wouldn't they make the product work correctly as purchased? Overall I wouldn't buy again. Get better image quality, less false triggering and free storage elsewhere.

Bad value for money – First thing is that Arlo don't tell you about the subscription you need to sign up to for some $15 per month for software that doesn't work. The app is clunky and is a little all over the place, the connection from your device to the cameras is slow and sometimes cameras just drop offline for no apparent reason. Picture quality is OK as long as… Read more

you don't need to zoom in and the night vision is useless. I wouldn't recommend Arlo, there are better camera systems out there that are much better value for money.

Does not work when you need it to – Poor quality (cannot make out license plate numbers or any details for example). Cameras often stop working and have to be reset via the app, this is despite good reception on nbn 50mb. Basically, if you don't keep checking the app and turning your cameras off and on again, you won't get footage - (customer support actually agreed that I do this… Read more

in order to get it to work). Speaking of which - Poor customer service (similar experience to other reviewers - Arlo just offers a replacement with no solution to the issues). I've had incidents (theft) directly in front of my camera and have check the footage only to find the camera was offline and had to be reset which is incredibly frustrating and only added to the annoyance. Battery life is average - have to recharge every 2 days or so (which was never a problem for me, if it actually worked). You will be happy with the product until something actually happens and you need the footage to show police and you find that the camera was offline. I feel incredibly let down by the product and wish I could get a refund. I've stopped charging it and just use it as a dummy camera now, because what is the point? The product simply isn't worth it - purchase at your own risk because it will let you down.

Often stops working – First, good points. Has fairly decent night vision. Bad points. Rain sets it off. Cars on street set it off even when sensitivity set very low. Goes off line often. Resetting has to be done over and over to reconnect system. This time it stopped and I’ve tried the Arlo sequence probably 10 times including completely uninstalling and reinstalling… Read more

several times. That means getting the ladder out each time to reach the camera to sync it. I’m shutting it off for a day or two. If I can’t reset it, I’m done with it and looking for a new unit other than Arlo. Next time I’ll look closer at reviews and be more choosy if I decide to try a camera ever again.

Overpriced toy cameras – Because a product is the best in its category, it does not mean its worth buying. If the Arlo is the best battery security camera solution, then avoid battery security cameras. 1. The IR lights and camera are so feable when using them outdoor at night you cannot see any detail unless an object is within 1m from the camera. My backyard appears… Read more

pitch black after a 1m.

2. If however you move the camera inside when its dark, because the IR bounces off the walls and other reflective surfaces , rooms do light up in the dark and so its ok if using indoors...expensive nanny cam

3. During the day the quality is ok, but I have mains powered cheap wireless cameras that offer way better picture and work off my wifi mesh network rather than having to reach a basestation

4. The delay, oh my god the delay. When you walk in front of the camera, the feed is about 4 seconds later. If you want to experience life as it was in the past, buy an Arlo pro 2.

5. Mic and speaker are like transmissions from Mars, lots of crackle and pop. Useless.

6. If there is any giveaway this product is meant for indoors its the cheap unsecured mounts. The ball magnetic mounts guarantee people can steal them unless you place so high that you need a ladder The single telescopic mount is made from cheap plastic , easy to rip off the wall.

7. My biggest gripe is the subscription. When I buy a product I expect additional cameras to work without a cloud subscription. As the Arlo offers local recording via USB, I dont want or need cloud storage and it should not stop me from adding a 6th , 7th camera without a subscription. Also the subscription prices are nuts for what you get.

Summary, for the price, DO NOT BUY!!!!.

Get an electrician or security camera company to run power and cables to a proper security cameras.

For now I will be using the Arlo indooors when Im away from home as using it oudoors its nothing more than a gimmick. I hope they fail within a year so I can throw them it the trash and forget I bought it.

Images made too pixelated to use by Arlo firmware update. Hopeless security system – We bought two of these cameras for home security. They've never been that great but the resolution was good (not anymore!!) and you could see what there cameras were recording. We paid $800.00 for these. They're very easy to install and access. The cameras often activate for things you don't want recorded (bushes or trees swaying in the wind)… Read more

and then don't activate for what you do want (a person or a car).

We bought these because at the time the reviews were good and Arlo was offering free cloud storage with access from just about anywhere on a computer or on your phone with the Arlo Android App. Then Arlo was bought by another company, and the new management seems to not like that these older Pro 2 cameras don't come with a subscription (pay by the month) like the new models do, which means they don't make money from them and instead it probably costs Arlo to provide free storage.

Every few months the resolution of the cameras was deteriorated by a firmware update, which made it harder and harder to see what the cameras are recording. You can't stop the cameras from updating, it's automatic.

In April 2020, a firmware update completely destroyed the resolution of the cameras. The recorded videos became horribly pixelated and moving objects were streaky blocked blurs. We could just tell a person or a car was being recorded, but no other details. Telling what type of model or make the car was became almost impossible, and forget about reading a numberplate. The images were a mess. The cameras were now useless for what they were bought for (home security).

After a lot of protesting for a month on the Arlo support forum by many Arlo owners who owned the early model cameras (Arlo Pro, Arlo Pro 2, Arlo Wireless), Arlo eventually admitted that the April update has changed the bit rate on the cameras. They promised that some sort of fix would be coming.

Days later, a new update was provided, but it only improved the images very slightly. The videos are still useless for identifying people or cars because of the bit rate provided by Arlo.

See thread, 'Re: Video Pixelation after firmware update Pro/VMB4000r3 (1.16.1.1_3348_facf74c)' on the Arlo support forum.

There has been no further help or comment from Arlo, and we're now stuck with $800.00 cameras which can't be used for security (or anything else, really). We've made a complaint with Fair Trading as we now have to buy new cameras (not Arlo!) by no fault of our own.

We don't recommend Arlo products and we certainly won't be buying their products again.

Regretful. Done my homework now I know what to get – Go with Boshe. Arlo is just shocking! Consumer affairs may be involved because 1 cameras don’t respond to car entering past 1 meter. 2 batteries die too fast even on low settings. 3 the vision is not 1080p and they don’t even detect me walking from mail box. If you want good quality forget the major stores. Go with Boshe flexidome starlight or… Read more

something alike with 4K resolution (8mp) or Dahua starlight. You are better off buying cameras wired into the home. Spend more and get no hassles. If you cannot do this, remember that the sensors for alerting you, do not work through glass. If placed outside with wall mounts which you need to buy separately (or request a swap in store or decline the purchase) If placed outside they still can be unscrewed from the wall mount with a simple twist, so place them high. Batteries last a week or two then need recharging. Mine a six seconds delay through glass, and 3 seconds delay in personal contact. I tried to get a refund because they basically suck.

Product is good but in the event you have issues support is VERY POOR and hard to deal with – Had my Arlo system 6ish months and been good, however, had issues with the redemption that was offered upon purchase and it took 6 months to get this sorted. Also, I had issues with cloud storage and support did fix it but again very slow going and very hard to deal with the support that was offered. As a professional tech I deal with… Read more

organizations all the time and this is by far the worst I have had to date.

BUYER BEWARE. STAY AWAY. WOULDNT RECOMMEND AGAIN

Arlo 2 Pro. The Unreliable security system. Worse than a dog – Bought 4 camera system + 1 extra in Mid 2018. 2 solar panels. Since then 1 has died. 1 Battery has died. 2 cameras will not record movement only operate manually. 1 solar panel has died. Warranty is 12 months. Extraordinary failure rate across the board. Show details

Very expensive security system – Camera has great resolution and you can zoom in. I bought the solar panel for one of the cameras, but it barely makes a difference, as I've had to charge the battery more on the solar panel letterbox camera than the front door cam. I would not recommend this product, you don't really get what you pay for. Show details

Hmmm more cons than pros here – Positives great picture great sound. Technician installed it so that was easy for me. Negatives the USB charging point is impossible to find while perched on a ladder holding extension cord. I have to charge all cameras every two weeks. Once you perform gymnastic moves on the ladder plugging in the USB charger the camera moves sideways upside… Read more

down. To try and fix this whilst balancing on a ladder is foolish so it’s a two man job to reposition cameras in the correct spot after 4 hours of charging, The most frustrating part is that the outside camera picks up on movement of leaves on a bush or a tree so that all night my phone, computer and watch simultaneously send off alerts sometimes every 5 minutes.. would I recommend this product - I would say it poses significant risk to health and sanity.

Disappointed – I'm pretty disappointed with this product. Cost was over $1000 and i expected something great. Picture not that great. Cameras constantly pic up motion that doesn't exist. Battery runs out very fast. I need to recharge twice a week despite advertised 365 day battery life. 24/7 cloud monitoring only available if plugged in to ac power which defeats… Read more

the purpose of a wireless product. Why not spend half the money on a wired setup. Everything is an online subscription upgrade. Pay more money monthly etc. Huge buyers remorse here.

Geofencing is terrible, dont buy this product if you plan on trying to use it – The hardware side of the Arlo Pro 2 is great. the picture quality and sound is more than I expected BUT if you are going to look at buying this, I would not recommend this at all. The support from Arlo is non-existant and one of the main features I purchased this for was geofencing but this does not work at all.... BUYER BEWARE!..... Show details

After 18 months I've had 4 cameras fail and replaced – Nightmare of a system, absolutely not what you expect from a trusted brand like Netgear. The cameras basically stop detecting 'motion'. We took the trouble to hardwire them all in, the batteries just don't last very long, but every few months a camera will stop detecting motion and nothing works so it needs replacing. Video is fine in the… Read more

daytime, the night vision is really low quality (you couldn't even read a numberplate 3m away with it.

All in all, this was a dud buy, please don't make the same mistake we did and look elsewhere.

Useless support from Arlo – One of the cameras stopped working after 4 months. Contacted support via chat system who went through trouble shooting before deciding that the camera was unservicable and would organise a refund with a week. A month later received a generic email from ARLO asking if I still had the same problem or could they close the support case. Responded that… Read more

yes I was still waiting for refund, that was 3 weeks ago and no response. They have no intention of honoring refund policy. Outside cameras require charging every 2 weeks, which means getting on ladder and removing them to charge. A small solar panel sold by ARLO is exhorbitant at $130 per camera. Terrible lag (even with super fast NBN) means that even if you get the notification that someone is at door, by the time you speak into your device, the person has already gone.

Much, much better systems out there for less money.