Arlo Pro 2 Review: Testing Arlo Pro vs Arlo Pro 2

[@SmartHomeSolver]

UPDATE: Arlo just released their new outdoor power cord for the Arlo Pro 2. Affiliate link: amzn.to/2O9E5no This means that CVR, 3 second look back, and motion zones are now available outdoors if you plug the Arlo Pro 2 into AC power using this cord. Updated video review coming soon. 👍

[@aidenmiddleton]

Are you having this issue on the Pro 2's. For example, a car is driving down the road, the thumbnail shows the car at the start of the video frame, then when the video starts it freezes for about 2-4 seconds, then the video resumes with the car on the opposite side of the road or even out of the frame in some cases. Another example is a person is walking up to my front porch. The thumbnail of the video shows the person walking up, The video is frozen at the beginning of the video, then with the video starts the person is either already standing on the porch or turning around to walk away from my door. Please respond, It would be really helpful because nobody on the Arlo support team seems to care. Also, another issue I'm having is with notifications. I have all settings on for notifications on my phones settings for the app (iPhone) and in the Arlo app, push and email alerts for motion are on. The problem is notifications are very inconsistent, sometimes I get notifications for motion detection and sometimes I don't. This issue is also on the Pro 2.

[@sassylady2001]

Cord is too short

[@Samarian499]

That said the solar panel is a great addition.

[@aidenmiddleton]

@@Johnny-mv8jd My Pro 2's (Ive had every Arlo Wire Free camera) seem to still suffer from that same issue. I can tell you that i think they recently got a firmware update which drastically improved the start time, but I believe they still have the delay in between the two recordings.

[@jeepsaround]

Beware that these systems, like the old one, likely have lots of lag time before recording actually starts. In this video, at 2:46 the video starts with the woman in blue pants with the package already standing on the porch. For this situation where she has to stand and wait it records her well. My experience with the Arlo original showed this same recording delay where an intruder could look away and hide his face before recording started. Notice the same delay with the video of the dog running away from the camera at about 2:59. As I said, if it was an intruder you never would have seen it's face. As this review mentions, your alternative to the delay is to install electrical outlets for each camera and run them non-stop but, that is expensive to do. I forget, is the new model able to record 1080p on battery power or, does it have to be wired?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Hi jeepsaround, the Arlo Pro 2 can record in 1080p on battery power. And there can be a slight delay when the Arlo Pro 2 starts recording, it's not as bad as it used to be. The original Arlos and the Arlo Pro when it first came out had this issue but they have since fixed it with firmware updates. We have been using the cameras for a while now and haven't run into the delay issues. There still is the 3 second live delay that we show in our Arlo Pro video.

[@kaymartin7822]

Helpful video, except that the background music is unnecessary and distracting. Otherwise, great comparison.

[@howtotruckdriver101]

I got around the glare by putting a light inside in the area I wanted it to record and not using night vision

[@shielduniversity419]

Where did you put the light? Inside ? Or outside? And was it a small light

[@charlestonhambrick1365]

Not sure if you hiked up the volume on this video for the arlo speaker but mine is absolute garbage!! Which makes the push to talk feature worthless!! I've seen lots of people experience this issue and it seems like such an easy fix but it was the biggest let down of this product.

[@edgarescobar8107]

I personally have the arlo pro 2 and if you can’t see in the night and you have the arlo at the window try it with night mode off it looked even clearer for me and it did the trick without the glare.

[@johnboyte]

Thanks for the info! One question, I have a Pro 2 set up and wanted to add cameras... Will the Pro version work the same as far as no subscription needed? -Thanks!

[@CR3DT]

Hi there, how "close" does the base station need to be to the cameras ? Can you record to an SSD drive? What is the purpose the base station?

[@godfather1116]

Good review, to the point with all it's features and comparisons, thank you!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks +Fred Delrosario!

[@brendafal]

Thanks for your review! Could I mix Arlo pro and arlo pro 2? My base station is from arlo pro, I’d like to add extra cameras. Thanks!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

I appreciate it! Yes that's no problem.

[@FM-um5cm]

Great review. You were thorough and got to the points right away. Just subscribed.

[@guidosartucci3316]

Just installed my Arlo Pro 720i everything went very well. I'm technology challenged! No complaints until I compared it to my outdoor Kuna camera.My outdoor Kuna camera cost $120.00. The definition, clarity, sharpness and color on the Kuna is not just better it's superior! This is a real disappointment! It's going back! Should I try the Arlo Pro 2 ?????

[@feliciahall849]

So, you have to a pay monthly fee to use the Arlo Pro 2? Do both come in 1080P or only the Arlo 2? Does it have to be plugged in for them to work?

[@KenHudson]

I have 2 Arlo Pros. Had them for about 3 months now. I am impressed with battery life. After 3 months, still have about 50% left. I wish the audio(speaking through to cameras) was a little bit louder. Can be hard to hear with traffic noise background. Most of the newer features you outlined, I could not use because I have them in places where only battery would work. But based on this video and the good examples you showed, I may opt to buy the Arlo Pro 2's just for the 1080p and the sharper picture you demonstrated. I do use the geofencing and this is a nice feature over other systems. I do wish that I could set both geofencing and scheduled at the same time(unfortunately you can not). The geofencing turn cameras on when I leave the house, but I also would like to have them go on at night on a schedule. Can't do both without having to manually reset it every night. Thanks for this video. It was very helpful for me to see the difference.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks K. Bayquoi. And I 100% agree with you that Arlo needs to add the ability to have geofencing and scheduled modes to work together. I will let you know if I can find a workaround because that has bothered me as well.

[@mariathomas4815]

An awesome review as always!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks, I appreciate that!

[@UttRConcrete]

I’ve been looking at this and the Canary. I think I’ll get this because of there free plan. I saw how Canary has a pay wall for night vision.

[@Ojeramup12]

What height did you have the camera at 2:47 when you got the package delivered?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

It's about 9 feet high. I had to mount the cameras a little higher than I would have liked due to bricks on the front of the house so I mounted it to the front porch ceiling.

[@Ojeramup12]

Thanks, I am planning on getting the Arlo Pro 2 and installing them at 8 feet and 6inches. 8 would be better but I am concerned that people will tamper/steal them

[@WorldWaveMusic]

Is the mounting magnet inside the camera rear or on the 'half ball' mounts themselves? The ball mounts themselves have no magnetic charge.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

The Arlo Pro 2 has the magnet inside the back of the camera so you could stick the camera to something metal. As for the Arlo Ultra, that has the opposite, the mount is a magnet.

[@selimcannalci4929]

How can i take the records and doing memorizing ?, should ı have sucscribtion. What does base station do ?

[@billkex]

I found a 5 pack at Costco for $769. I also bought a secure mount for the front door area, and the charging station. I hope that's all I need? They sell skins for the cameras...are they needed?

[@andybub45]

Not really cause they are obvious as they are

[@alvertosb.p.9424]

I wonder, Why the Arlo does not have a monitoring services similar to that offered by Ring?

[@Peewee1134]

Will the 1st generation cameras link with the Pro 2 base station?

[@staygulf83]

Is the sound quality good enough to communicate with Alexa? I'm thinking of using that method to control my smart bulbs when away on vacation. Would I need to be on wifi or does the app work on 4G?

[@billkex]

Good review.Well done. Does the battery need to be removed for recharging? Also,... if I buy the 6 camera pack, would I need to pay the annual subscription to view all 6 cameras?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks! You can remove the battery and charge it using the battery charging dock that is sold separately. Or you can charge the battery by removing the camera and plugging in the camera with the micro USB charger. I believe so that even if you buy the 6 camera pack it will require a subscription to add all 6.

[@riverbenddrummer]

Can you review the TP link Kasa Outdoor cam, I recently got one and love it, but there is only maybe one video out there currently

[@jeepsaround]

Also, I forget if the cameras can record without an internet connection to the server/cloud. I think I remember they did not. Have you tried multiple cameras in busy areas (to get coming and going video)? The original could only record one camera at a time so I could not get both coming and going video. I also believe the base station or internet system check caused some lag as it had to connect to the internet to record and send notifications. It's been a year since I had my original Arlos. The constant push notifications kept me on my phone all day and night checking triggered recordings for my business and deleting all of them. It required too much micromanaging and was a huge time waster enslaving me and annoying me on my phone with all the notifications.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

As you can see in our video we have multiple cameras recording at the same time for testing and it worked fine. So they must have updated it since then. Also, you can have a USB flash drive connected to the base station to record if there isn't an internet connection which is only available on the Arlo Pro or Pro 2 base station. We have also had lots of notifications from Arlo as well. We just spoke with the Arlo engineers at CES and they showed us how they are planning on fixing this issue. One is the notifications will show an image of what was recorded so if it's an animal or something you can just ignore it. But they will also have zone detection for all cameras and person detection. So those updates coming out this year should help with those issues.

[@MALITHA8]

So does it need to be pluged in for the 3 secons prior recording as well?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Yes it has to be plugged into power for the 3 second look back.

[@SeanOzz]

have you had any issues on the pro 2 with batteries disconnecting or the sound not working?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Haven't run into any of those problems. Batteries and sound are working good.

[@SeanOzz]

Smart Home Solver thanks

[@Cjblue24]

Which Arlo Pro is best for outdoor usage in cold / hot weather???

[@naptamisprime]

Does the solar panel upgrade allow you to use the options that require the camera to be plugged in?

[@Games.Gadgets.Sports]

No

[@naptamisprime]

@@Games.Gadgets.Sports thx

[@carlosv5966]

Nice review. Assuming you connect an Arlo Pro2 camera to the Arlo Solar Panel instead of an actual power outlet, would the new features work?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks Carlos! That would be a good alternative but unfortunately, the solar panel only trickle charges the camera and will not allow the new features to work.

[@rbdenham]

I do have a question. I got my arlo pro 2 cameras yesterday and when working with the app on the Samsung S10, the talk to camera volume is low and unusable. Do you know of any fix for that? I have read that the Samsung S10, S9, and S8 talk features to the camera have a low volume at the actual camera. Do you have a fix?

[@tonyp5122]

Thanks for the video....i am considering buying the pro 2 and you filled in a lot of areas that i read in product desc0ription. I have a large lot so i was interested in finding out the range between camera and base station. Considering walls, what was the longest distance you achieved with the pro 2?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

The furthest I have tested it was about 100 feet including walls and it worked fine.

[@Irenelogue69]

Will the arlo Pro work with the first base station.

[@archiebruce1172]

I got a question I am trying to connect to My Arlo Pro I have it plugged into my WIFI router an I downloaded the app on my phone an when trying to connect my phone an the Arlo it doesn't seem to want to connect what sorta issues could be causing that? I also downloaded the app on my Ipad mini just to try it on another device an same issue wont connect, what do you think the issue could be?

[@didiermorelletPUI]

Very usefull video, thank you. In case of electricity cut when the power is back, will the camera automatically re synchronize with the station?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

+didier morellet thanks. Yes it will connect automatically. Also if you charge the battery in the camera you don't have to re-sync. It will also connect right away when the battery is back in.

[@didiermorelletPUI]

Many thanks++++. Best review so far!

[@Samarian499]

The biggest selling point for Arlo Pro was wireless! Introducing outdoor power cord is a bit of a disappointment.

[@fred3037]

how can i extend wireless signal from my Arlo pro 2 cameras

[@trojansky2348]

can you watch live (while plugged in) on original pro?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Yes you can watch live on both the Arlo Pro and Arlo Pro 2. They also don't have to be plugged in to watch live.

[@30minforasn]

I cannot get pass the weak battery life. I am not getting on a ladder every few months to change the batteries. Therefore i chose the blink xt.

[@christopherjeffc]

So the pro 2 will recorded 24/7 but you have to pay 10$ a month??

[@muwaizriq8]

what about mah on pro 2 camera?

[@Kwendawapi]

Looks like new software coming out in spring 2018, this has some good new features

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Hi Richard, yes we spoke with the Arlo team here at CES and there will be some new features coming out this Spring. Activity zones that currently can only be setup on Arlo Pro 2 while plugged into power will be available to all cameras, even while running on battery power. This will all be done through the cloud. Also person detection and better notifications. We will be covering these in our CES video coming out shortly. Here is Arlo talking a little bit about it at CES kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKiwYpiHbcyBipYh7m22s

[@AJCoReTV]

Smart Home Solver well.... reading this is music to my ears!! (Battery powered features), will they require a subscription fee? Will they release Pro 3? Should I buy now & wait for software update? Or wait to see if they release refreshed hardware this year?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

+adrian97c the new features will be a part of their subscription plan so it won't be free. We asked them about new devices coming out and they hinted that there might be something realeased this year but who knows for sure. If you need a camera now then I wouldn't wait. These cameras are pretty dang good.

[@Kwendawapi]

For more on the changes to Arlo see the first ten minutes of this video; kzbin.info/www/bejne/laSQmKuXer-VetE which recorded at CES earlier this month. In summary software changes, and we suspect added subscription costs if you choose to go with it.

[@mary-jowoodcox8788]

I am having an issue with the cost and how often I have to change batteries. I will see if any power cord will plug into it. I didn’t know that was an option.

[@thomasstatham8246]

For the 3 second recording before an event I know u said the camera has to be plugged in. Does the 3 sec recording work with the solar panel?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

No unfortunately it doesn't. The solar panel just trickle charges the camera so the three second look back must use more power than the solar panel provides

[@MichaelHollandOne]

Great video. I'm I understanding that the three features of the Arlo Pro 2 that require the hardwired power are the 3 second look back, the zoning and the CVR? My wife bought me there single camera system Arlo Pro but I want to get one Arlo Pro 2 camera for my front door. Lucky for me I have an external outlet right beside my front door. Can I NOT use the power cable that came with it, do I need a special outdoor power cord? Just looked at the cord that came with it and guess I would need an outdoor cord and a longer cord to go up and over my door frame to where I want to mount the camera. Thanks for your info and I'm about to subscribe so keep the good stuff coming. I'm trying to grow my smart home and so far I have standard Phillips Hue system with 4 white bulbs (may add a couple of the full color ones soon), two Google Assistant speakers (Mini and Sony LF-S50G) and the Arlo Pro camera. Thinking of getting a hub but still not convinced which one, Smart Things or Wink (whatever the newest version of each is, v2 and 2, I think). Also deciding to do door locks and/or Thermostats (Nest or Echobee v3, don't need the Alexa in v4). I guess with the door locks I would need a hub since they zwave or zigbee (is that right). Any way sorry for the long comment but any help/suggestions I can get are appreciated. Thanks again for you comparison.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Hi Michael, thanks for your comment. Yes that's correct you need to be plugged into power for those 3 features. From what I understand is that if your front door is covered well so rain won't get on the power cord then you can use the cord that came with it or a longer cord in your case. Thanks for subscribing we are going to be making a lot more videos that should help build up your smart home. We made a video Wink vs SmartThings kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHy7poyspcxlnqc that might help figure out which one to get. It's true that most of the door locks require a zwave or zigbee hub but it's been worth it. One tip for the hub, if you plan on getting a Nest thermostat or you can set it up using SmartThings but it's easier to setup with Wink. Ecobee will work out of the box with both hubs. Good luck continuing to build up your smart home!

[@aevoss]

Just bought AP2 yesterday and the motion doesn’t work through windows. That’s a major drawback. Will be returning.

[@jackramsey6936]

Will this work with android phones?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

+Jack Ramsey yes the app work on Android. We use it daily on our Android phones and it works well.

[@cesarp6761]

i cannot understand why zones won't work if unplugged.. :( one of the features I would like to have..

[@MrThiefHater]

Cesar P the reason is because that feature is very power hungry. It would drain your battery in one day if they allowed that feature without the camera being plugged in.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

We spoke with the Arlo engineers at CES and we asked them about this issue. They said this year they will be adding the feature to have zones for all cameras. This will be set up in the cloud and if the Arlo detects motion it will send the images to the cloud and will alert you if it's in the zone.

[@piloghund]

@@SmartHomeSolver did they do it by now? im looking at pro2 and ultra

[@TheCryptoSmit]

Top video 👍

[@pangetko8]

Id like to know if arlo paid you to do this review.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

We actually did not get paid by Arlo. Like it says in the description we got a free sample of the Arlo Pro 2 to review but since we don't get paid by Arlo we can give our honest opinion.

[@tpb2665]

I may be recorded on these when I’m at work as a nanny. But not in the bathrooms… maybe something else is in the those.

[@gshrummy]

Go Devils!

[@jamesosborne543]

It’s pretty sad when you pay 100 some dollars for it in three months you have to pay a monthly fee

[@KawaRider13]

annoyed that the black skins on the arlo pro2 show the white.

[@unclesnappy6541]

STAY CLEAR OR WIRELESS AND WIFI CAMERAS FOR GUARDING YOU HIGH DOLLAR VALUABLES! Any WiFi or wireless cameras suck, plain n simple. You might be mesmerized at first but, when the poor reliability hammers your ass, you'll be the dummy and the sales developers at Netgear did a grand job selling garbage PLUS made bonuses off your negligence purchases. kNOWLEDGE IS POWER, use it first! Choosing cost over quality leads one to the lowsey systems. Choosing quality over cost nets you the best money can buy and not cutting corners from a mere novelty gimmick.

[@josemelendez8058]

Don’t believe hype

[@jeffbaer6667]

Great review. Only thing that I didn't care for is the dog poop part. My cameras are for serious issues that may arise. What dogs do is natural. Just hope that you are a tolerant neighbor and not one that makes people's lives miserable. In other words, Don't be a dick :0)

[@SmartHomeSolver]

+Jeff Baer thanks for watching. We caught some people looking through our front window on our Arlo Pro 2 a few weeks ago so we take it seriously too. The dog poop was just to lighten the mood. I have always treated my neighbors well and they have done the same.

[@kaymartin7822]

How about the neighbors not letting their dogs run loose around the neighborhood, where they can get hit by cars? Problem solved.

[@purrungas2012]

Just got mine and so far am not impressed, fish eye" effect is horrible, and night vision is as good as my $30 dollar cam from Ebay... not good enough quality for the price lacks features

[@pangetko8]

purrungas2012 whats the $30 cam you bought from ebay?

[@warnerleonard2649]

We purchased this piece of junk a few months ago. Worked fine for the first few weeks. Around week eight we had to recharge the battery in one of cameras and it hasn’t functioned properly since. Yes we did a reset. DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY.

[@andybub45]

Seems like your not doing something right