Customers are pleased with the Arlo Ultra 2's excellent video quality, ease of use, and long battery life, frequently praising its impressive night vision and wide field of view. The spotlight feature also receives positive feedback for its brightness and motion activation. While some users express concerns about cloud storage costs, the overall sentiment towards the camera's performance is highly favorable.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 2 Showing 21-40 of 591 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great devices
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great quality and durability. Also the mic anc audio is amazing.spot light is small but super bright and night vision sensor is top notch.it’s water proof and heat resistant!
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great deal
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Posted . Owned for 1.5 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Amazing cameras, great range and battery life, and the app is easy to use.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
Only customer service is email or chat in India
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
In one photo you can see their CS state that formatting is not an option, and in the other at the bottom, you can see it is an option. Wasted three hours on hold and going back and forth. No escalation options, no phone. If they don't like your question or ask for a manager they repeatedly respond with a blank email. On setup it took an average of five tries to pair each camera before being successful. Truly wish it was better because the 180 degree view is nice.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Arlo Team
Posted .
Hi Markus,
We want to work with you to address the concern you shared. Please send us an e-mail at [email protected] with a screenshot of this review, your case number, the email address associated with your Arlo account, and your phone number so our team can follow up with you. We appreciate your understanding.
Best regards, Arlo Team
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Arlo ultra
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Kinda feel tricked that the 4k only works over wifi..... 2k over your phone service smh the foolery.. but other then that great cameras, very easy to use, no issues to report at the moment
This review is from Arlo - Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, Black - VMS5240B-20000S - Black
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Video quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Owner
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
East setup, great picture and video quality. User friendly app.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Simply the Best
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Will start by acknowledging that I have been big fan of the Arlo system since 2017 and continue to appreciate the new advancements in strengthening their camera security system, gives me peace of mind at home.
Arlo’s latest the Ultra 2 continues its development of their cameras with 4K & HDR technology while enhancing the night vision range with color. The camera views and the video are excellent, in the systems that I have reviewed I have not seen better.
Have completed an addition of two Arlo Ultra 2 cameras into my existing Arlo system which now consist of Arlo Ultra 2, Arlo Pro 2, and Ultra cameras and two Ultra Base Stations. The Arlo system covers my home and detached garage with the two base stations being installed approximately 150’ apart and connected via a hard-wired network extending from my office on the far side of my home to the detached garage. Previously my garage equipment was linked into my home network via Mesh Wi-Fi which works fine.
Having two base stations situated near the installed cameras in the two separate buildings delivers exceptional Wi-Fi signal throughout the system for all cameras. Love it.
Even with reconfiguring my Arlo system with the addition of the two new Ultra 2’s and an additional Ultra Base Station the setup went smoothly. When installing the first step is to load the Arlo App to either your Android or Apple device, the app will walk you completely through the setup.
That Arlo continues to support Windows based management is a Big Plus, allowing you to go to any PC and login into your account to view and manage your system.
Short history on my developing Arlo system:
• Two Pro 2 Cameras installed November 2017 – Home and Garage
• Ultra Camera and upgraded Ultra Base installed April 2019 – Garage Exterior – durability A+
• Ultra 2 Cameras and additional Base Station installed December 2020
Happy to report that all cameras have been operating 24/7 without incident.
Good Stuff:
• App has been continually improved
• Wi-Fi camera connectivity 2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz – So much easier than wires and simple to relocate
• Resolution 3840 X 2160
• Cloud and Memory Card storage
• Field of view 180 degrees
• Two-Way Audio – startled my friend years ago while checking my home while I was away
• Powerful Spotlight lights up the night
• Minimum Operating Temperature -4 degrees Fahrenheit – Makes a difference in cold climes
• Six Month Battery Charge
• Smart Siren
• Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit
I have experience with home and commercial camera security system installations of other equipment and I have chosen to Protect my Home and Family with Arlo.
Bottom-Line is Security, and for three years Arlo has been delivering Peace of Mind for us.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great starter pack!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
All in all this spotlight camera has much to offer with 4K video and Color Night Vision as some of its enhanced features. I have been searching for a home security system that I could place both outside and wire free due to the distance and location of install. The install process was smooth and painless while working efficiently with our wireless system.
Some of the added benefits of this system includes native 4K recording which overall has been of very good quality. Color night vision helps light up the wild life in my backyard and give me great pictures I can see through my phone, 180 degree wide view to capture all the details in our back and front yard along with activity zones to avoid unwanted movement too. This allows me to set hotspots or dead zones to assure I am capturing what I want, when I want it.
Simple packaging and installation made beginning using the camera easy as it detected my movement after immediate installation. Using
it was easy too with the ability to record and not wear down the batteries due to continuously recording. The batteries are long lasting and very easy to charge using their magnetic charging cable that snaps into place without removal of the camera once in place. This made install a breeze.
Overall, the companion App is easy to use, but beware there could be some lag time when loading videos and connecting to the camera. I have noticed this feature with other products as well, which seems to be something that will become more refined and up to date as new versions come out, according to the manufacturer.
In summary, I would recommend this camera security system to anyone who is looking for clear and easy to use capabilities and easy wireless installation without needing to drill holes in the house. I have been very satisfied with my new purchase and look forward to additional add on products in the future from this same manufacturer.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great for home security
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’ve always liked to keep my property safe by monitoring it with local Wi-Fi security cameras. Over the years, I’ve tried many different types and brands, but I keep coming back to Arlo. They make solid cameras with easily integrated systems. So, when Arlo released new cameras, I jumped at the chance to add them to my system. One of the best features of these cameras is that if you have an existing SmartHub, you can add up to 15 cameras to one hub. So, when these recent additions arrived, I was able to just add them to our existing hub. That said, if you are new to the Arlo ecosystem, getting started couldn’t be easier.
You plug the SmartHub into your router and power, download the app, and get your account set-up. Adding devices is quite easy as well. You simply select ‘add a new device’ at the bottom of the home screen. The SmartHub and app will automatically detect any cameras. If it doesn’t, then you can press the sync button on the bottom of the camera and then the hub will pick it up. The app will direct you to name the camera - I suggest you name it according to the location of where the camera will live once it’s installed - and then you can start viewing the video feed.
The Ultra 2 cameras feature 4K video. Before now, the highest quality security video we had was 2K. We were pretty happy with that quality, but the 4K video feed completely blows the other camera video feeds away. Even though these cameras can be used indoors or outdoors, we opted to keep them as outdoor cameras due to the spotlight feature on them. The integrated spotlight is helping to brighten our darkened patio at night and it has even captured some of our critters (possum, cats, etc.) wandering around. In fact, my fiancé took our dog outside, and right when the door from our garage opened onto the patio, the spotlight kicked on. Even if they didn’t have the spotlight feature, these cameras have color night vision, too.
The viewing angle of these cameras is also quite impressive. There is a 180-degree viewing angle which is a 20-degree increase from other Arlo cameras. With it, we can see our entire patio - from our screen door to the edge of our backyard. It’s very helpful because it allows us to see all the entry points to that area without needing multiple cameras. Another great safety feature of this camera is the custom mode option. While there are preset options for motion and audio detection (armed, disarmed, and schedule), you can also create your own modes based on your camera coverage. For example, I created a mode called ‘outdoor motion’ that includes our doorbell camera and the two outside Ultra 2 cameras. Anytime motion is detected from any of those cameras, I get a push notification from the camera. You do have the option of setting the built-in alarm siren to trigger if you wish. I’ve found that the motion detection is fairly accurate and mostly responsive. There have been times that the camera was triggered easily with a human walking through the selected area for the camera (you can map out the area in the app), but not an animal. And other times, it caught the motion from the animal just fine.
We were slightly concerned about the placement of our Ultra 2 camera because it had the potential of being in direct sunlight part of the day and in our area, it can get quite hot during the summer. Thankfully, these cameras are designed to withstand heat, cold, rain, or sun. They can handle temperatures between -4 F and 113 F. And, since they are wire-free and have an enhanced range, they are perfect to mount around your property. I love the Arlo brand so these are an awesome improvement that makes the system even better.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Arlo keeps getting better and better
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
WOW, am I impressed with the field of view. I already had 2 Arlo Pro and 2 Arlo Pro2 Cameras and WOW.... this is a major improvement over those.
I really like the better design for charging (it has a magnetic charger) and how easy it is to swap out the battery if needed. When you open the box the batteries are separate so be sure you place them in the camera unit and FULLY charge them before use.
Setting up the base station was very easy. I just plugged the ethernet and power cord in to the back of the unit and then the other end of the ethernet cable to my wifi router. I already had the Arlo app on my iOS device so I just went through the steps to add a new base station.
Once the base station was connected I went back and added the new cameras. Once they were setup I also went back and moved my old cameras over to the new base station. EASY!
I included pictures from the same view. One is with the Arlo Pro 2 camera and the second image is with the new Arlo Ultra 2. You can see the wider field of view. Amazing. And the 4K image is crystal clear when viewing on my phone. WOW.
I really like the 2 mounts that come with this as well. One is magnetic and really allows me to angle the camera just where I want it. And the other is to screw into the wall. It is very secure and I do not worry about the device falling off or being stolen.
The range for these cameras is awesome. I can get much further away from the base station now and still have a very strong signal.
There are many great features you can set up once installed, such as activity zones and object following. You can subscribe to a monthly package to save your recordings as well. I also invite others in the family to view the camera feeds as needed.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Almost Perfect Arlo Upgrade
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I was looking to upgrade our Gen 1 Arlo Pro cameras that cover our backyard with the newer Arlo Ultra's due to the inclusion of the spotlight LED on the Ultras. We also recently added the new Arlo Floodlight to our side yard, so I was hoping that the Ultra's would have the same features as the Floodlight camera, but I was wrong.
In terms of what you get with this kit, you get 2 Arlo Ultra cameras, the newer Smart Hub Base Station, one charging cable, one charging brick, and 2 different types of mounts: one that relies on the magnetic connection, like the Pro bases and another that screws into the Ultra's bottom to let you angle it the way you want.
Set up is a breeze if you already have an Arlo set up, which I did. I was able to easily pair the new Ultras with my existing base station that came with my Gen 1 Pros. I didn't use the Smart Hub base for several reasons:
1) No alarm feature like the VMB4000 base that came with the Gen 1 Pros.
2) No USB port for using an external hard drive to keep recordings.
3) There's a microSD card slot - but can't beat the 4TB external I currently have setup.
No big deal though, because I have an extra base now in case the VMB4000 ever poops out on me. Luckily, pairing the new Ultras to the VMB4000 base doesn't cost me any functionality in the cameras. They still record and stream in 4K with no issues.
My biggest complaint about the Ultras comes from having the new Floodlight camera first. The Floodlight camera has a setting that triggers the LED floodlights without arming the entire system. Since the Ultras have LED spotlights, I assumed they'd have the same feature set. I was wrong. The Ultras have the same basic settings as the Pros I replaced. In order for the spotlight to trigger, the camera has to be armed. Not a big deal, but sometimes I want to be able to have the lights trigger on their own without having to manually trigger them from the Arlo app.
The other interesting "feature" lost in the Ultras is using the micro-USB cables to charge the batteries. Arlo has gone full magnetic charging cables for the Ultras. This is nice if you want to hardwire the camera in a sense to you're not relying on the battery, but even the Floodlight camera has the option to use micro-USB or the magnetic charging port. It would've been nice to have an option.
That's enough of my griping, I actually really like the build quality of the Ultras compared to the Pros. The Ultras are noticeably bigger, come with a bigger battery, and have the option of using a screw-based mounting solution in addition to the magnetic base option like the Pros. Just keep in mind, the magnetic mounting solution is different between the Pros and the Ultras - you cannot use the existing magnetic mounts that the Pros use with the Ultras because the cameras are designed differently.
The video quality is also noticeably better because now, locally, I can stream video up to 4k resolution compared to the 720p of the Gen 1 Pros.
If you're looking to upgrade from an existing Arlo Gen 1 Pro or Gen 2 Pro, or if you're looking for a simple to install and easy to use home monitoring solution, then the Arlo Ultras might be worth a look.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
Jonk cámaras
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Not good cámaras not recommended recorder poor bad vicion
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Arlo Team
Posted .
Hi Maurilio,
Thanks for your review. Please refer to this article if you're not seeing any recordings: https://kb.arlo.com/000062661. For further assistance, please navigate to Settings > Support in the Arlo App for service options available to you.
We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Best regards, Arlo Team
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best outdoor camera I ever had!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is one of the new product that Arlo came out with. I already own a indoor 2 camera hub system that is couple years old and upgraded my outdoor security camera's with this wireless Arlo Ultra 2 4k camera's. The new hub automatically detected the old Arlo camera and I didn't had to bother about adding/migrating those to my new Arlo hub.
Installation - Installation was a breeze, took less than 5 mins to have them connected and configured to my new Arlo hub. The app recognized the new hub and I was able to add and configure the new camera's. The kit came with 2 camera's + 2 batteries ,fancy charger cable, the hub, a mag wall mount and a screw wall mount. I like the mag mounts as it's easy to get the cameras off the mounts to charge them.
Features and Functions - I am impressed with Arlo's feature innovation on its different generation products. I do have few other brands but nothing comes close to Arlo in terms of the camera resolution, functionality, features, etc. These camera's are amazing for outdoor use and have a spot light that turns on when it detects motion in the activity zone. Few things that I particularly like about Arlo are
• Activity Zone feature: The activity zone program is pretty straight forward on the app and you can have multiple activity zones. Haven't completely explored if I can customize notifications based on motions in different zones, i.e. activating siren if there is motion to close to the camera in my backyard, etc. The camera comes with a spot light that turns on (can be configured to stay off) if it detects motion in the activity zone and gives you an option to turn on the siren, call 911 or call a friend.
• Detection: The perception on the camera is amazing, it send notification to your phone and also records a clip, the minute it detects motion in the activity zone. The camera does distinguish between a car animal or person's movement in the activity zone. You can also customize in the app to turn off animal detection if you have to many squirrels or bunnies running in your yard ;-)
• Camera resolution: It’s a 4k camera and has an amazing resolution. I was able to zoom in, to read the tags on the shipments outside my front door. It has 180 deg field of view and covers a lot of area, so one camera is good enough for a house with big front yard. The amazing part is you can still clearly see the colors with its enhanced night vision which I didn't have in my older outdoor camera that costed me the same price.
• Mic and Speaker: It does have a mic and a speaker so you can converse with someone outside the door, did get to test the quality of mic by speaking to myself and watching it on the recording.
• Battery life: This is big differentiator from other camera's that are out in the market. Arlo's spec says 6 months battery life, and I had my front yard camera for 4 days and still has 96% charge with quite a bit of activity over the last 4 days and am guessing I will not have worry about charging the camera for atleast 4 months.
• Ecosystem integration: I haven't integrated this into my google smart home hub yet, but the manual said it is compatible with Alexa, Google Home, Apple homekit, and IFTT.
Overall I am happy with Arlo products and this is definitely a great addition to my outdoor security system as its built to withstand the extreme weather conditions. Got a 3 month trial to cloud services and might subscribe to save the recording to cloud once I start to travel on work. It only offers a 7 day cloud storage of the recorded activity but there is always the option to store the recordings on the SD card that you can plug into the hub.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Security At Its Best
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Packaging:
In the package you get: a base station, 2 cameras, 2 different mounts (a magnetic one and a screw in type), screws and drywall plugs, 2 rechargeable batteries, a power cord, Ethernet cable, a magnetic charging cable, a decal and very basic instructions (further instructions for setup will be in the app).
Setup:
Setup for the base station and cameras is not difficult. Plug the base station into an outlet, the Ethernet cable into the router and base station, then download the Arlo app to your phone. For further set up you will need an account and follow the instructions. If you go with the free service, you are only allowed up to 5 cameras per account. For a fee you can subscribe for more cameras to be added on.
Features:
These cameras have 2-way audio – Go to the Devices tab in your Arlo app. Click on the play button for the camera you chose to go into live mode with. You then, click on the picture of the microphone. You can now talk to whoever is on the other end. There is delay in hearing the person talk. The person on the other end may think you are very slow to respond to them, because of the few seconds delay between you. Don’t expect to carry on a conversation, but you can do things like say, “Leave the package on the bench” or “Put that package down, you are on video”.
Another great feature is that these work well with Google and Alexa. You will need to enable the skills for these. If you have the display type on either of these, you can actually view each camera on them by saying “Alexa, show me front door”, etc. Within a few seconds I see a live view on the screen.
Personal Review:
I really like the idea of the magnetic charging cable because you don’t need to plug the charger into the camera. The downfall to this is if you lose the cable you will need to buy a new one. The older cameras had a micro USB plug and if you lost it, you could use any other micro USB cable to charge them until you bought another one.
This base station, compared to the older versions, has a smaller footprint which is good for limited space. Since you need to have this hooked up to your router, you will need to keep the base station close to your router.
The cameras themselves are of high quality and the video is extremely clear. However, don’t expect the perfect color picture for night as you get during the day, because you are using the spotlight versus the natural light. The spotlight turns on at night with motion and would scare away intruders. There is also a siren that can be turned on to activate when motion is detected which is another plus against an intruder. You cannot have these on 24/7, as it would drain the battery extremely fast.
The range that these cameras have with the base station is amazingly. I have one camera set up on my shed which is about 100 feet away and it works great. You can set up activity zones with the app, so that you aren’t getting falling leaves, etc with their motion. Since I have trees near one of the cameras, I omit that area with the activity zone and the camera will not go off every time there is a breeze or leaves fall. This can also be adjusted with the sensitivity range to motion.
There is so much you can do with these that I could go on and on, but I highly recommend these even if just for the basics because of the high quality.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
I love them, and you will too.
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
These are the best cameras, and I have other brands to prove it. These are on the pricey side, but totally worth it. I have 4 Arlo 4K cameras, and they have the best quality of all the brands and cameras I’ve purchased.
These are easy to setup (the app is simple to use)
Easy to install (I have them mounted up high)
Have great quality (4K live streaming is awesome)
Long battery life (I use the best battery life setting)
Bright spotlights (I have mine set at 73% brightness)
Only con I’d say is the size of the cameras, they are a little big. Price of each camera or packages they offer, is higher than some others. But if you want a quality setup for your house, just buy these. Don’t waste your time or money with others. I’ve uploaded some night shots, with and without the spotlight. It’s super clear.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Battery life, Subscription
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Poor performance and value
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Posted . Owned for 11 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The "4K" quality is not true in any way the recordings are done. You can stick a MicroSD card in there and the quality is still not good enough. Can't pick up details at a distance which brings up the question of why have it in the first place.
The setup process is terrible. Two of the cameras had trouble syncing to the base when I placed them next to the base itself.
When inserting the MicroSD card into the base, I get a message saying I need to format the card. I follow the instructions to format it from the app itself and the button to do it disabled.
Battery life is terrible and should be expected since you can see how small they are and see the "4K" video from it. Don't place them somewhere where you are not ok with shutting down the camera to change/charge the battery and don't have the patience with it not re-syncing to the base. Tangentially, I bought a solar panel to avoid this and have stopped working just a year later.
The range needed between the base and the cameras is abysmal. The shortest distance between one connection is like 20 feet with a single wall to the outside of the house and I get only 2 bars out of 3, whatever that means. This meant have to get another base where one MicroSD card worked and the other didn't like I mentioned previously.
Worst of all, the actually important features that you want to have to protect yourself and anyone else living with you is behind a subscription service. Let me explain what I wanted: I set up the camera to look at the grass in the front yard exclusively where no human beings should be there between Midnight and 5 AM. I know that there are apps approved from Apple that allow for notifications that disregard the Do Not Disturb mode of your phone and still blare out a noise push notification. I wanted to have that happen in that situation so that I can personally check the feed and then make the judgment call to use the Camera's siren or call the police, but they instead want to charge $9.99/mo and the option is to automatically call the police for some reason. Plus some other stuff like storing the videos in the cloud, but they got in trouble before about how that is done so you can look up yourself since I'm tired of writing about this terrible system.
Don't know of any good alternative since I am not in a position to spend more money on some other system, but I would guess that a Eufy system is better since you can more camera per dollar, some have built-in solar panels for battery, and let you use an actual hard drive so that you can actually record more.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Video quality
Cons mentioned:
Battery life, Motion detection
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Arlo Ultra 2
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Image quality is improved with no doubt but I'm a bit disappointed with motion detection and battery life. And one more important thing - there is no contact to Arlo Tech Support - all links send you to forum discussions - NOT REAL SOLUTION !!!!
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great camera, OK spotlight.
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
These cameras are full of features and have a very user friendly mobile app which does not have any glitches so far. They are easy to set up and have internal memory which is not found in other models or brands. The picture quality is excellent during daylight... night time needs is a not so good. Needs a dedicated spotlight because the light that comes incorporated does not reach far enough.
They have a small footprint and are easy to mount, though only one fixed mount is included in this set.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
4k camera
Cons mentioned:
Subscription
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Reliable, high quality surveillance system
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Posted . Owned for more than 2 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Pros: Excellent video quality, reliable motion detection (although see below), and great mobile app.
Cons: Monthly subscription required for the most important features like video playback, and object detection is sometimes inaccurate (i.e., a swaying branch sends me a "person" or "vehicle" in the backyard alert, which causes unnecessary panic)
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Vast improvement from previous Arlo generations
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
When choosing a camera system, ease of use, set-up, power, networking, cost and smart home integration with existing ecosystems were all major considerations.
I'll fast forward and summarize up front with the areas this Arlo Ultra 2 Spotlight Camera system really impressed or surprised me:
1) Set up was super easy and convenient. Much of this is due to the fact the Arlo hub must connect via Rj-45 network cable directly to your router, so its not competing with other wireless devices on your network for bandwidth or priority. The downside of course is that you need your cameras to be in range of the hub since they are on their own private network.
2) The hardware quality is excellent, however, these devices are not as secure as dedicated mounted hard-wired devices since one mount is only magnetic and the other is a simple screw on base plate. Furthermore, Arlo only has a 12-month theft replacement policy while the system I use does not have a time limit for stolen cameras.
3) Battery life. Arlo claims 6 months of battery life, but given the size of the battery, the LED, the quality of 4K streaming video I am skeptical this number is accurate. Obviously this will be variable based on your motion sensitivity and recording areas, but I highly doubt this battery is going to last 6 months. Additionally, to secure your camera from theft you will want to put it away from normal access but this also makes it harder to charge it. You can run an extension or you can use a USB charging brick. I don't know how long it takes to charge a battery as I haven't been able to use it that much, but a wired option would be great. The hardware would allow it since the housing of the camera goes into a housing that could just as easily have a 5A USB or PoE plug.
After using the Cam in my garage and working in there constantly, the battery lasted for roughly 3 weeks and 1120 notifications/events (from the app) and it now needs to be charged.
As for the positives, the set-up and the App on the Arlo system were fantastic. I ran into a small bug trying to rename my two cameras from the set-up page, but I skipped out of that and I was able to name each independently after that without issue. The pairing, setup and all that was super fast since they are on their own network. The firmware updates took awhile but that's understandable for any devices of this nature.
I loved how the history of the notifications was laid out in the app, calendar days on the top, followed by events for that day. Competitors just have it as a stream which can be a burden to navigate.
There is a 3 month free trial after which there is a fee which is published on the Arlo site.
I didn't love how they only provided one type of mounting hardware for each camera. The magnet mount is super slick but the least secure. The screw in version is more secure, but less visually appealing. Wish they included one mount for both cameras.
As for the LED spotlight....honestly a bit underwhelming. Great for the size of the camera but its not going to work well for an outdoor spotlight cam, which is what I use now. Even for my garage it didn't really illuminate the space. It looks impressive when you look at it directly but it won't really light up a space.
The camera features also added a bunch of additional detection features like people, cars, animals to help filter out unwanted notifications.
Overall this is an excellent camera security system. My main concerns are theft protection, hardware cost and spotlight cam is underwhelming but overall this is an excellent system with great software, great interface, great hardware and very responsive given it is completely wire-free for both power and networking.
This review is from Arlo Ultra 2 Camera, 2 Pack, White - VMS5240-20000S - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Excellent camera package. Very pleased.
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
My wife and I purchased Arlo Ultra 2 package because thieves stole the tires from our truck in our apartment complex parking lot. That should tell you a lot of about the apartment, but this review is about Arlo Ultra 2 camera package.
Cameras are easy to install. Three screws secure the camera mount. Fit the camera on the mount with small twist and it's on.
Easy to adjust. Once the camera is on the mount you can loosen or tighten the camera orientation (or where the camera is pointed and will view).
Use the provided security key (like a tiny allen wrench) and open the camera. Slide the camera from its plastic chassis. Put in or take out a battery. Easy.
Easy to use via Arlo Security App. Install the app. Get an account setup. Plug in your Arlo Security Hub. It will find your router. Add each camera to your Arlo Hub. See all your cameras working at once or select one camera and view. Viewing one camera at a time while adjusting the camera for the perfect view is suggested. I use my Samsung Tablet.
Picture quality is great. In daytime you get color. At nighttime you get black and white night vision. You click on a spotlight icon on a camera and get color at night. Turn off the spotlight and go back to night vision.
You could purchase extra batteries and recharge stations so that you can a full battery rotation, but otherwise the batteries do have a good endurance and I rotate them out one at a time for the time being.
You never realize your apartment complex is a Den of Thieves until someone steals from you. The Den of Thieves comes to life at night. My wife and I were stunned at the amount of activity that goes between midnight and 5 am, especially between 2 am and 4 am. Its like there is a nocturnal sub culture that sleeps during the day and hunts at night. Non residents driving slowly casing the area. People you don’t recognize walking up to doors or snooping around. People taking pictures with their smartphones of cars the parking lot. They are subtle about it too. They just don’t stand there, aim the camera and click. No, they walk by your vehicle and in a quick movement hold camera up and click like a drive by shooting. They have no problem walking around and scouting your community. You begin to know them: Typically, they drive old pickup trucks with junk in the cargo back. The make and model are not on the truck. There may be only one license plate. No stickers on the windshield. Or they drive nice cars and you can tell because the rims are high end. In this category, it could be a well kept up car with nice rims and the rims don’t match the style of the car. It looks off, but they think its cool. Or you have the “fast and the furious wanna-bees" who drive the smaller cars where the nice rims match the style of the car. They could also be in a street princess, (nice truck, nice rims), but not as frequent as the other cars. Then there is everybody else, just a nice car, purchased from the dealership with no (or little) modifications. There is difference is how normal people drive and how the thieves drive. You learn a lot studying the behavior recorded on the video from your camera.
Make your cameras visible when setting them up, yet inaccessible so that the cameras can’t be stolen or molested. When "shady people" see your cameras, you’d be surprised just how many people make an effort to alter their walk path and avoid detection. They wear heats, hoodies, pull their shirts up over their face and other evasive means to avoid being seen or recognized. Then you have the few who are bold and laugh at your camera setup and use "sign language" demonstrating their displeasure and defiance that you have a camera overlooking the area. Normal people don’t mind. They walk at a normal pace and get to where they are going and don’t care that you have a camera.
Anyway, if you need to protect yourself and/or shine the light on evil, these cameras will do the job.