Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera review
Our Verdict
The Arlo Essential is an affordable outdoor security camera that works well and has a powerful spotlight, but it has a brusque battery life compared to the Blink Outdoor.
For
- Skilful video
- Bright spotlight
- Easy to install
Confronting
- Shorter battery life than competition
- Large
- Requires subscription for many features
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Arlo Essential is an affordable outdoor security camera that works well and has a powerful spotlight, but it has a short battery life compared to the Glimmer Outdoor.
Pros
- +
Good video
- +
Bright spotlight
- +
Easy to install
Cons
- -
Shorter battery life than competition
- -
Large
- -
Requires subscription for many features
Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera: Specs
Size: 3.five x 2.0 ten iii.0 inches
Video resolution: 1080p/30 fps
Wireless: Wi-Fi
Battery life: Up to 6 months
Works with: Alexa, Google Home, HomeKit
Arlo's home security cameras have been known for their video quality, but they've also been known for their high cost relative to other cameras. The $129 Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera looks to capture consumers looking for something that'due south more affordable and easier to set up upwardly.
The Arlo Essential largely achieves that, delivering a clean, crisp image, and information technology has a bright spotlight that tin illuminate things on the darkest of nights. However, there are a few compromises at this price. Read the rest of our Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera review to find out if this is the best outdoor security camera for you.
Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera: Price and availability
On Arlo'south site, the Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera is priced at $129, although you lot can ofttimes find it on auction at other retailers. Arlo also offers discounts if you purchase iii cameras at the aforementioned time ($349).
The Arlo Essential Forty ($149) is the same camera, simply with a larger battery that the company says will last upward to a year before needing to be recharged. Both versions are available with either a white or a blackness case.
Arlo Essential Wireless Security Photographic camera: Design
The Arlo Essential looks similar Arlo'southward other outdoor wireless cameras, only larger. Information technology has a trapezoidal shape with the rounded rear slightly larger than the flat front end. Measuring 3.5 inches long by three inches broad and 2 inches thick, it's a lot larger than many other wireless outdoor cameras, such equally the Blink Outdoor and even some of Arlo's other cameras. Information technology'south definitely more than noticeable.
At the back of the Arlo Essential is a small spiral hole which y'all can utilise to attach the photographic camera to the included mounting bracket. On the bottom is a small rubber flap that protects the microUSB charging port equally well as a small power button.
Equally should be the case with all outdoor cameras, the Arlo Essential is weatherproof. It withstood plenty of inclement conditions exterior my home.
Like most of Arlo's more than contempo security cameras, the Arlo Essential can connect directly to your Wi-Fi (2.4GHz only).
Every bit part of the installation process, Arlo requires all users to set up two-step authentication to help preclude hackers from accessing your camera.
Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera: Video quality
Like the company's other home security cameras, the Arlo Essential's camera recorded videos that were fairly sharp, both solar day and nighttime. I mounted the camera nigh my front door and was able to easily make out features of visitors from 5 to 10 feet away.
At dark, the Essential'southward spotlight was especially effective, illuminating a subject from about ten feet away. Not only were the reds and yellows on his shirt authentic, but so were the surrounding features such as the trees.
Fifty-fifty without the spotlight, the Arlo Essential's infrared camera was able to capture plenty details at dark to recognize people in front end of the photographic camera.
Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera: Battery life
Arlo says that the Essential Wireless Security Camera's battery should last upwardly to six months without needing a recharge, but this is very dependent on how oftentimes the camera and its LED lite turn on.
I set mine up in a spot in my grand that gets a lot of traffic from hirsuite critters at night. The Arlo's bombardment drained in a matter of weeks, whereas the Blink (which doesn't have an LED light) kept going with very picayune impact on its bombardment. Unlike the company'due south higher-terminate Arlo Pro 4, which has a removable battery, the Arlo Essential's bombardment is built in, and then you lot take to take down the entire unit to recharge it.
If y'all similar the Arlo but don't like the idea of having to take it down to recharge all the time, you have ii options. The Arlo Essential Wireless Security Photographic camera XL ($149) is the aforementioned size just offers double the battery life. Otherwise, y'all can purchase a uniform solar panel ($49) that will keep the photographic camera's battery topped off.
Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera: Smart home compatibility
One dainty affair almost Arlo's cameras in general is that they not simply work with Alexa and Google Assistant, but they're also HomeKit-compatible so that fans of Apple's smart home ecosystem aren't left out in the common cold. However, for an Arlo to piece of work with HomeKit (also as SmartThings), yous'll also demand the Arlo Base of operations Station ($99, sold separately).
That ways that you tin can non merely control the cameras using the smart assistant of your option, but if yous take a smart display (such as the Amazon Echo Show or Google Nest Hub Max) or a streaming device such every bit the Apple Tv, Burn down Stick, or Chromecast with Android, yous can view a stream from the camera on those devices.
Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera: Cloud storage fees
Equally is the example with many security cameras, if you lot want to use all of the Arlo Essential's features (such as customizable motion detection zones, person, package, and vehicle detection, Smoke/CO Alarm Detection, and e911) likewise as save video in the cloud, you'll have to subscribe to one of Arlo's plans.
Arlo Secure costs $2.99/month for an private camera and $10/month for an unlimited number of cameras. There'southward no discount if you opt for a yearly subscription.
Arlo Secure Plus costs $14.99/calendar month for an unlimited number of cameras (in that location's no single-camera selection). This plan gives you everything with Arlo Secure, but besides lets you store up to 30 days of recordings in 4K.
In addition, you get Emergency Response, which connects y'all to a professional person call center and lets you contact fire and police with a single push button press. Unless you lot have the Arlo Ultra or Arlo Ultra 2, this plan wouldn't make sense for an Arlo Essential owner unless you wanted the emergency-response feature.
Arlo's plans are competitive when compared to other security cameras' cloud storage plans; Glimmer and Band'southward plans, for example, start at $3/month for a single photographic camera and include 60 days of rolling cloud storage. For $10/month, you get an unlimited number of cameras at a single location. However, Nest offers three hours of storage, likewise equally person, package, and animal detection for free.
Arlo Essential Wireless Security Photographic camera: Verdict
The Arlo Essential Wireless Security Photographic camera is a good option for those who desire a sub-$100 outdoor security photographic camera with a built-in spotlight. It has great video quality and a comprehensive app.
Withal, because of its spotlight, the Arlo Essential is much larger and its battery life is far shorter than other outdoor security cameras such as the Blink Outdoor. And, to recharge the Arlo Essential, you lot have to remove the entire camera from its perch, which can be a pain. But the Arlo does have a spotlight — something the Blink tin can't lucifer.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/arlo-essential-wireless-security-camera
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