How bad is notification/recording delay?

[monkk]

Considering buying the wireless Arlo Essential (2nd gen) for starters. I’m seeing a lot of complaints that there’s so much delay that Arlo products are basically useless.

How bad is the delay for recordings, notifications, and live video? Regarding live video, is it a delay starting the feed, or is it a constant delay where video is always significantly behind, or both?

Also open to any other opinions that could guide my decision to purchase, thanks.

[jguerdat]

Lag (delay) in accessing the cameras or starting recording are typically due to poor signal strength and/or quality of the WiFi signal. 

There will always be a short delay due to the cloud-based implementation. Something triggers the need to activate the camera, it connects to the servers and then the requested activity can occur. This lag is generally 2 seconds +/-. If it's significantly longer, troubleshooting is needed to improve the connection.

Use of an appropriate AC adapter provides a 3 second look-back which helps with recordings but not with live viewing.

[Arlosucks123456]

I found this thread because I am trying to troubleshoot essential cameras I just bought. The lag is TERRIBLE. I have no issues with my wifi or other devices to include other video devices. I am going to return the cameras and throw out all of my other arlo devices. Not worth the headache and the lack of reliability when you need it.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

The delay is noticeable, unless you have your cameras connected to the mains. One of my cameras (Ultra) connected this way and events are usually captured in their entirety, but I've had a few missed events too. Your WiFi environment (how crowded it is) can make the delay even worse.