The Arlo Pro 2 is a great bit of kit, not as good as the Arlo Ultra but then that's in a completely different price bracket. A lot of people as why I would purchase this over a wired system with a DVR and there are many reasons for this. Firstly, convenience. You can be up and running in no time at all and you don't need lots of technical knowledge as it's easy to get going. Secondly, no running of cables around your house and not having to have a DVR locally is a massive plus for me as I just can't be bothered doing this.
Yes the Arlos aren't cheap but they also don't pretend to be. The app is great and has things like geofencing, push notifications and lots of other nice little touches in there to get it how you like it to behave. The system can be accessed anywhere using a web browser and access can be designated to others if necessary. Another consideration is the ongoing cost. The basic plan that is free will give you seven days of motion-triggered recordings but then with the Arlo Pro 2, you can subscribe to a CVR (continuous video recording) which is 6.99 a month with discounts if you have multiple cameras. CVR does not work on the Arlo HD or the orignal Arlo Pro for the record. You will also need your camera powered 24/7 so you will need to run a power cable for that so it helps to know if you can do this easily before you purchase and plan on using CVR.
A big positive foe me is that this is a fully modular system which makes it easy to expand your system should you want to at a later stage. I've since purchased the Arlo doorbell and Arlo chime which work together with your cameras and the integration into the ecosystem is very good. There is integration with Google Home (Nest) and Amazon Alexa available (I believe there is more functionality available with Amazon Alexa at the moment) so these are all positives. Some of the other manufacturers at the moment are staying with either Google or Amazon, i.e. Ring and Amazon work together, so right now the Arlos are a better fit in case I ever change. There are also loads of official accessories available which tend to be a little on the expensive side although they are very good quality.
For me right now, the Arlo Pro 2 is the best of the Arlo products to buy. It has all of the functionality I require, optional CVR if I need it, better quality video and it also has 3 second 'look back' which will show you the first 3 seconds of video before a motion alert was triggered if you are not on a CVR plan which for me is important. The Arlo Pro is good but the Pro 2 isn't massively more expensive and has a lot more functionality. The ultras are too expensive right now and the original Arlos are restricted by their ongoing battery costs (they use CR123 batteries which are expensive long term) and they don't have a picture quality that comes anywhere near the Pro 2.
These are very good pieces of kit.
| Manufacturer | Arlo |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 17.4 x 12.6 x 5.8 cm; 452 g |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included) |
| Part Number | VMS4130P-100EUS |
| Size | 1 Stück (1er Pack) |
| Colour | White |
| Style | Pro 2 1080p |
| Pattern | 1 piece |
| Power Source | Battery Operated |
| Voltage | 20 Volts |
| Wattage | 4 watts |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Plug profile | Wall Mount |
| Special Features | Night Vision |
| Batteries Included? | Yes |
| Batteries Required? | Yes |
| Battery cell composition | Lithium Ion |
| Weight | 0.45 Kilograms |
| Spare part availability duration | Spare part information not available or provided |
