Arlo Doorbell for just audio

[ncudmore]

I have 8 Arlo cameras (mix of Arlo and Arlo Pro 2) at the moment and have been using a Ring Doorbell 2 which has died (2nd one to do this).  Due to the design of the frontage, there isn't any sensible place to mount a separate Arlo camera (hence the previous choice of Ring), so I'm wondering if the Arlo Doorbell can be used on its own and not have to be paired with a camera. 

If so, will it allow me to get a notification and talk to the caller via my Amazon Echo(s), and will the Arlo Base Station record the conversation?

[jguerdat]

No camera is required. You could use it for voice only.

Can't speak for the rest.

[bowserb46]

If it's not to late to let you know...you cannot speak to the doorbell visitor via Amazon Echo devices.  The doorbell is supposed to call your smartphone, but more and more users are finding that this function fails also.  Not that it matters, as the speaker volume on the doorbell is so low your visitor likely won't hear you anyway.  Also worth noting many people find it does not work with an existing door chime, so you have to buy a $50 Arlo chime.  All in all, I suggest some alternative.  I've got an Arlo doorbell, base station, and chime.  What a huge waste of money.  The doorbell button only works when it detects motion.  Mine detects a car passing in the street but not someone at the door, so most of the time, even the button doesn't work.  This is a new development.  The list of doorbell defects just keeps growing.

[ncudmore]

Thanks for that.  After much moaning at Ring, they replaced my doorbell FOC.  Hopefully this will last for the time being, till Arlo release a ‘propper’ solution.

Still think Arlo need a decent version of the Ring doorbell and not just a voice only doorbell.  For those of us who already have Arlo cameras it’s silly that we have to get something else to do the job, or even a audio only version that works with other products such as the Echo, Google whatever and Apple whatever.  There must be a big enough market out there for that, given the user base of these devices.  A simple audio doorbell that works with existing devices to announce a visitor and you can then talk to them without needing an app on your phone....

[bowserb46]

Agreed.  When the doorbell button works, I get an announcement on all five of our Echo devices:  "Someone is at the front door."  The logical, functional feature then should be that you can reply from any Echo device--even if you have to first say, "Alexa answer the front door"--and then you can speak to the visitor.  The doorbell is supposed to call the designated phone or phones, but that feature stopped working a couple months ago, with an hour and a half on the phone with tech support producing no results other than a case number.  Now the motion sensor has changed to only picking up passing cars and not someone walking up to the door.  Since the doorbell button only works when it picks up motion, people press the button and nothing happens.  My only hope is that they follow up with a knock on the door, although some like UPS won't spend that extra time.  I suspect Amazon has the tech ability to get a doorbell for Echo, but since Amazon owns Ring, they don't want to risk cannablizing Ring sales.  Amazon also owns Blink door/game cameras.  I guess they just need to buy a better company, eh?

[bowserb46]

Oh, I forgot to mention.  Even if you could answer the door through the Arlo doorbell, unless it is deadly quiet outside your front door, you visitor might not hear you anyway.  The Arlo doorbell is volume-impaired.