Apple HomeKit Secure Video

[Edron]

Apple announced a new service called Homekit Secure Video...they announced three companies that will start implementing it but unfortunately arlo was not amongst them...I hope arlo announces and enables this service in addition to the promised by not yet seen Homekit integration.

[damdude03]

Cleenton if you are getting lot of camera drop /connectivity problem. I am sure its because of n/w interference which could be due to :1) your Router and ARLO working on same freq 2) your neighbor's router working on same freq 3) your neighbors also have ARLO and its interfering with yours.  Try these solutions 1) change router band/power level or freq.  2) move ARLO to different locations. 

[Cleenton]

Thanks @damdude03. After a year of issues, I’m over it. It’s not just connectivity. The cameras were green and purpled stripped for a long time. Since replacing the smart hub  I’ve not seen that happen again, but as for connectivity, it’s hit and miss. The smallest lot around me is 5 acres. Saturation/interference isn’t the culprit. I also get a lot of 1-4 second recordings pretty often. The minimum is 15 seconds so not even sure how to explain that. I’ve been in IT for over 15 years, and between my own efforts and that of their internal tech support, it’s still a crippled system. I’ve got a WiFi enabled chicken door (runs fans and lights as well) and a WiFi connected gate that are 150+ feet away from the nearest AP (I’m running the Orbi WiFi 6 setup) and they connect flawlessly every time. 

I hate to sound like a quitter, but honestly, at the end of the day the fact that HSV is not going to be supported is what lead me to give up. It was the only thing worth holding out for at this point. I get that ArloSmart is a big part of Arlo’s business model and it’s not my place to try and relegate them to just being a hardware company, but frankly their software is not up to what I would expect from premium priced equipment. I was willing to work with the hardware, but video playback from within the app is terrible. Scrubbing is remarkably difficult, and many times when I try and scrub it, it either moves to the next video clip or it creates unusual lag. It’s slow to load, and I’ve never been able to actually talk to anyone on my doorbell as they are walking off before I can connect. I could go on, but I think you get the idea. 

I gave it the college try, but at some point you gotta admit that your time isn’t free and there are better solutions out there. Apple is a heck of a software company with a proven history of privacy-forward focus. I can’t say the same of Arlo.  So all in all, I’m off to new solutions and won’t be recommending Arlo until something significant changes. 

I appreciate you reaching out. Thanks again and be well!

[kinder]

Finally, I'm so happy and excited that I've placed an order for the Eufy cameras that support HSV!

Will probably sell my Arlo Ultra 4 cam kit on Ebay 🙂

Starting a new area with my new HSV cameras and hopefully HSV doorbell soon!

[yiluroy]

I am a Pro 2 user and I want to buy more Arlo’s newer wire free cameras but I am hesitant. In fact, I am even considering buying one of your competitors’ products.

I am worried to see where this company is headed. You seem to have no interest in supporting Homekit Secure Video. There is no 7-day free cloud recording for newer cameras. The products are extremely user unfriendly towards users who don’t pay for your monthly subscription.

Please wake up and look at what your competitors are doing! The primary drive behind your software design is trying to suck more money from your customers, not making it more convenient to use. You need to change this mindset or you will be beaten to death by your competitors like eufy. Bring back 7-day (even 1-day would be a huge appeal) free plan or support homekit secure video! Customers will leave if you keep hijacking basic features in your paid subscription!

[Raghu01]

I just purchased 3 Pro3 2K cameras and a smart hub, I read that Arlo supported HomeKit so I thought secure video was supposed as well, I was wrong, I am returning these cameras soon, it takes like 30 seconds for video to load, by the time I see the video the person has left my home, it is huge deal breaker, how is this a security camera when it takes 30 seconds to load a video.

[Jamesk811]

@Raghu01 What’s your internet download and upload speed? Mine load instantly so maybe your internet ?

[Raghu01]

70 Down/15 up.

video download is slow even when I am standing right next to my router.

[Jamesk811]

@Raghu01 when it comes to security cameras it’s all about the upload speed. I didn’t notice an improvement in how long it took to activate a feed until I upgraded to 40mbps upload speed. Each camera needs like 4mbps upload each. 

[illuminous]

@Raghu01 

No matter what you upload speed is you are always going to experience a delay with Arlo because of cloud processing for Arlo Smart. I'm on Verzion Fios 1Gbps, and still had delays.

I recently moved to a new system with local processing. Alerts and video streams are now near instantaneous.

[Jamesk811]

@illuminous 
I agree that this is a flaw with cloud processing but high upload speed has made this issue negligible for me.
For me, once I’m in the Arlo up, as soon as I press the play button on a camera I have a live feed within 1 second.

One thing that annoys me is audio stutter when the feed begins on live 4K streaming. This issue stops when 4K is off.