Arlo Pro 3 security camera review: A step back
Our Verdict
The Arlo Pro 3 is a good security camera, but less-expensive cameras offer better video quality.
For
- Quality daylight video
- Optional color nighttime videos
- Clear sound
- Comprehensive, easy-to-use software
- Rich set up of movement-and-sound-detection tools
Against
- Subscriber-exclusive features
- No ongoing free cloud program
- High price
- Blurry nighttime videos
- Login that's express to one device at a time
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Arlo Pro 3 is a good security camera, but less-expensive cameras offering better video quality.
Pros
- +
Quality daylight video
- +
Optional color dark videos
- +
Clear audio
- +
Comprehensive, easy-to-use software
- +
Rich ready of move-and-sound-detection tools
Cons
- -
Subscriber-exclusive features
- -
No ongoing free cloud program
- -
High price
- -
Blurry night videos
- -
Login that's limited to one device at a fourth dimension
Arlo has fabricated some of the best habitation security cameras. Though pricey, they've consistently delivered excellent video, a robust feature set, and a generous seven-day free cloud storage programme. Yet, the $200 Arlo Pro 3 doesn't quite live up to its predecessors. It's nevertheless good; in fact, some features, such every bit the 2K resolution, are improve than those of most other Arlo cameras.
Even so, the Pro 3 struggles to compete in an manufacture in which less-expensive cameras take been upping the stakes in quality, features and performance. But as important, Arlo fabricated a poor strategic decision when it decided not to offer Pro 3 (and Arlo Ultra) buyers its usual gratuitous basic cloud storage programme. That means that not but is the Pro 3 pricey, but the cost of ownership has increased. While it'due south ane of the all-time outdoor security cameras, you should store around.
Arlo Pro 3: Toll and availability
The Arlo Pro iii was introduced in the fall of 2019, when this review first appeared. Every bit of March 2021, you can go a two-camera kit plus the base of operations station for $299.
Arlo launched its successor, the Arlo Pro 4 in late 2020, which is similar in most respects to the Arlo Pro 3, except that the Pro 4 tin connect directly to your Wi-Fi, rather than requiring a base station. Individual cameras are $179 each.
Arlo Pro 3: Design
Following the usual Arlo form factor, the Pro 3 is a white, ovoid device measuring approximately 3.25 x 3.25 x 2 inches, with a flat, black faceplate. The speaker is on the forepart, below the lens, and the microphone is above the lens. As with previous Arlo cameras, the Pro 3 has no legs. When it'south attached to the magnetic mount (which measures 2 inches in bore and i.v inches tall), the Pro three can exist positioned in whatever orientation.
A motility-activated 6500K spotlight higher up the lens and microphone enables colour night videos. (The Arlo Ultra has two such spotlights.) Or, you can turn it off and capture dark videos in traditional infrared gray scale. The camera too has an 80-decibel siren that you can set to be triggered by motion and/or sound, or manually activated remotely.
The Pro three is a wireless device that's IP65 weather resistant, then it tin be used outdoors likewise. Arlo claims that the rechargeable bombardment tin concluding up to 6 months. Or, you lot can power the camera with the included skimpy, 3-pes charging cable that connects magnetically to the base of the photographic camera. The cable's USB ability block is about 1.75 x 1.75 x 1 inches and doesn't obscure next outlets. An optional 8-foot indoor cable costs $24.99, and a 25-foot outdoor cable is $49.99. You can also purchase an external dual-battery charging station ($49.99), extra batteries($49.99 each) and a solar panel for outdoor power ($79.99).
Like the Pro 2 and Ultra cameras, the Pro 3 requires a base of operations station. The 5 10 vi x 1.5-inch SmartHub that'south sold in many Pro 3 packages can support upwards to 20 cameras and other Arlo security devices depending on your network'south bandwidth. Iii ports on the dorsum connect to the included 79-inch Ethernet cable and 70-inch power cable, and at that place'south also a port that supports a USB 2.0 external storage device up to 2TB (not included).
Arlo Pro 3: Specs
Video Resolution: 2K
Field of View: 160 degrees
Night Vision: Spotlight for color, two infrared LEDs for black and white
Network Connectivity: 802.11bgn Wi-Fi (two.four GHz merely) for the camera-to-hub connectedness, plus Ethernet for the hub-to-network connection.
Smart Abode Connectivity: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT
Audio: Full duplex two-way audio
Mobile Devices Supported: Android 4.1 and higher (v.0 or higher is recommended), iOS x.3 to iOS thirteen.
Web Browsers Supported: Firefox 3.5 and higher up, Safari three and above, any version of Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer 10 and above
Cloud Storage and Monitoring: Arlo Smart plan is $two.99/calendar month/camera for 30-24-hour interval video history. Smart Premier is $9.99/calendar month for up to 10 cameras. Smart Elite is $14/calendar month for up to 20 cameras for a sixty-day video history.
Local Storage: via a USB storage device (not included)
Security: 128-bit SSL, AES-128, TSL, two-factor hallmark
MSRP: Pro iii camera systems start at $499.99 for ii cameras and the required SmartHub. Add together-on Pro 3 cameras starting time at $199.99.
Arlo Pro iii review: Video quality
The Pro 3'south 2K (1440p) resolution is significantly higher than the Pro ii's (1080p) but not every bit loftier as the Arlo Ultra's (4K). In my tests, I used the total 160-caste field of view, rather than stepping information technology downward to 125 or 110 degrees.
My daylight videos were well exposed, with good color, but the details were not crisp. The outdoor daylight videos had acceptable exposure, even on cloudy days. Motion blur was insignificant.
The Pro 3 (similar the Ultra) tin capture color night videos when the spotlight feature is enabled. The photographic camera volition turn on this feature in low lite when it senses move. You can fix it to be constant, wink or pulsate. I preferred the constant-light setting then the entire period of move would be illuminated and in colour. You can also plough on the spotlight manually from the Live View to better come across who or what is in the frame, as well as use a slider to arrange the effulgence.
- Best Abode Security Cameras
My colour dark videos were hazy, with blurred details. In the indoor videos, faces were more than easily recognizable than they were outdoors (due to the distance involved outside). Too, in the outdoor videos, reflections from the spotlight fabricated the license plate completely illegible. Withal, if the license plate were angled differently, information technology might be readable.
If you turn off the spotlight, the Pro 3 will utilize two infrared LEDs to capture greyness-scale nighttime videos. I was disappointed in the quality of the infrared nighttime videos. They were soft and often blurry, with few details and depression contrast. Every bit with the spotlight, the LEDs reflected on the license plate, making it impossible to read. The infrared videos from the Ezviz C1C ($39.99) were far better.
Arlo Pro 3 review: Audio quality
The Pro 3's two-way audio is full duplex, which means it works like a telephone rather than the one-half duplex of a walkie-talkie-similar device. When I spoke to someone standing in front of the camera through the Arlo app on my telephone, the audio wasn't loud, but information technology was audible and clean. Sound from the camera to the phone was very soft, but it was clear when I held the phone close.
The biggest problem I had with the ii-mode audio was that, whenever the phone received a notification that a person was in the room, it turned off the two-style audio. Considering I was talking to someone in the room, the alerts pinged oft, forcing me to restart the 2-way audio and thereby disrupt our conversation.
Recorded sound was clear and had adept book within nigh 20 feet.
Arlo Pro 3 review: Move and sound detection
Arlo uses modes to define what happens when motion or sound is detected. The default modes are Armed, Disarmed, Schedule and Geofencing. Y'all can also create custom modes.
The app gives you the flexibility to schedule when the camera volition respond to move or sound, and then you can set several fourth dimension periods per solar day and easily repeat them for specific days of the week.
Arlo guides y'all through the process of editing the Armed way or creating a custom mode. First, you lot select which attached camera will exist the trigger and decide whether the trigger should be motion and/or sound. So, you can set the move and sound sensitivity level. The side by side screen directs you to decide what will happen: aught, record video (until activity stops upwardly to 300 seconds or for a customized length of time), sound the siren on the SmartHub, send push notifications to your mobile device and/or ship alert emails to one or several recipients.
I was unable to select sound as a trigger in either the edit or custom mode definition on my Android test phones, though it worked on my iOS examination phone. Arlo says information technology hasn't encountered any like problems.
Arlo's Motility Detection test is more than useful at present. As with previous Arlo cameras, I was able to test the camera's responsiveness to motion (and establish that a sensitivity of 37 out of 100 worked well). In addition, the app now automatically sets the camera'due south movement sensitivity to the setting on the slider that I chose during my tests. (Before, I had to go to the video settings screen and manually adjust the slider.)
Arlo Pro 3 review: Activity zones
The Arlo app allows you to define up to five rectangular Activity Zones that the camera will monitor for motion. I would have preferred to create irregular, polygonal zones, every bit you tin with Ring security cameras. Ezviz and Wyze cameras also have an innovative approach that lets you select numerous minor squares on a filigree.
Unfortunately, Arlo'south modes all the same don't utilize the data the Activeness Zones provide. So I couldn't, for instance, set unlike Zones to be agile at diverse times or trigger different kinds of responses.
Arlo Pro 3 review: Smart alerts
If you subscribe to a deject plan (starting at $2.99/month), you will have access to the Arlo AI, which tin can distinguish amid people, vehicles and animals. In addition, information technology will transport alerts if your smoke or carbon monoxide detectors audio, provided they accommodate to the following manufacture standard alarms: T3 for smoke detectors (three intermittent beeps, followed by a flow of silence) and T4 for CO detectors (four intermittent beeps, followed by a period of silence).
However, with homo and brute detection turned on, the Pro 3 periodically identified my 45-pound mixed-brood domestic dog as a person. I found the not-premium Activity Zone tool more constructive. When I created an Activity Zone that didn't include the lower portion of the frame (where my dog wanders), I significantly reduced the number of false "person" alerts.
Arlo Pro 3 review: Track and zoom
Like the Arlo Ultra, the Pro 3 has a feature called Auto Zoom and Tracking. When it is turned on, it automatically zooms into and follows moving objects (digitally rather than physically). It works best outdoors, where the camera'south view covers more ground. When Zoom and Tracking is activated, the Pro 3 records in 1080p, reducing its resolution advantage over the cameras that physically pan, such as the Wyze Cam Pan and the Ezviz C6CN.
Arlo Pro iii review: Smart dwelling house integration
You tin can view the Pro 3's video feeds using vocalisation commands on Alexa or Google Banana devices with built-in displays. With IFTTT, you tin can gear up custom routines based on events or actions.
Arlo Pro 3 review: Cloud storage
With almost of its cameras, Arlo includes an ongoing gratuitous seven-day rolling cloud storage programme. Unfortunately, the company has chosen not to make that bachelor for the Pro iii (or the Ultra), which increases the cost of buying.
If y'all take a USB 2.0 device (upwardly to 2TB) attached to the SmartHub, you can record your alert videos even if yous don't subscribe to a cloud programme. Nonetheless, all manually recorded videos and pictures are recorded to the deject only. What'due south more, you won't exist able to view the videos saved to the USB device while it is connected to the hub. Instead, you lot'll need to remove information technology from the hub and attach information technology to a computer or tablet. That means you won't have remote access to your video history.
Besides, a number of the advanced features are available only if you lot subscribe to a cloud plan. Subscribers have remote admission to videos, as well as AI-assisted person, animal, vehicle and parcel detection. Likewise, if you have a cloud plan, notifications on your phone'south lock screen will include thumbnails, and you'll be able to respond to notifications by sounding the siren, calling a friend or dialing 911 without unlocking your telephone. Given that the homo-versus-animal detection didn't piece of work likewise as just defining an appropriate Activity Zone, I'one thousand not convinced that the Smart Alerts add much value.
- Which Security Camera Has the Best Storage Plan?
Arlo's deject plans are reasonably priced. The basic Arlo Smart program costs $2.99/month per camera for a 30-day video history. Arlo Smart Premier is $nine.99/calendar month and includes cloud storage for upwards to 10 cameras for the aforementioned thirty-day plan. Arlo Smart Elite is $14/month for up to 20 cameras and includes a 60-day video history. Here's how Arlo's cloud plans compare to Ring's and Nest's.
Arlo Pro 3 review: Mobile apps and web portal
The Arlo app (both mobile and the spider web portal) is 1 of my favorite camera apps. Information technology'south intelligently organized, more often than not uses standard icons, and is easy to navigate while providing a good range of options. However, the web portal even so requires Adobe Wink, which is a security risk.
Both the mobile app and the web portal provide full control over the camera and its features. That includes a convenient thumbnail library of alarm videos; settings for video, sound, motion and sound detection; and smart notifications. Recent updates to the mobile app accept added the ability to mute notifications and implement two-step verification to assist prevent unauthorized logins.
One of my pet peeves nearly the Arlo software still hasn't been addressed: You tin't have more one interface agile at a time. And then if yous are checking out a camera or editing a setting on your telephone or computer and a family member logs in from another device, you lot will be logged out immediately.
Arlo Pro iii review: Bottom line
Arlo has enjoyed industry-leader status for some time, only it missed the mark with the Pro 3. First, the company discontinued the ongoing, gratuitous 7-24-hour interval cloud storage plan for the Pro iii and the Ultra — a feature that several much-less-expensive cameras offering. What'southward more, Arlo hasn't kept up with improvements in infrared dark videos.
If you want the cracking Arlo app, I recommend looking at the company'south earlier cameras, such every bit the Arlo Pro ii, which still come with a free basic cloud plan. If you lot're looking for another strong option, read our EufyCam 2 review, which also has some trouble with nighttime videos, merely is effectually the aforementioned price, and sometimes a bit less expensive than the Arlo Pro iii.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/arlo-pro-3
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