Arlo Pro2 - Yes or No

[Vincent52]

Aboiut 6 months ago I was considering getting a home security camera set up amd it seemed like the Arlo pro 2 was going to be my best option. I finally am ready to move forward, but from reading reviews on Amazon, BestBuy and this site I am hesitant to consider the Arlo Pro2 4 camera system. Netgear typically has a good reputation and quality products, but the amount of negativity is scaring me off.

My question to the community is, would you buy it again, knowing what you know now? What other product would you also be considering? How confident are you that Netgear will resolve the issues (night vision, outdoor cable, advanced features on battery power, etc.)?

It's a big investment.

[RChobby]

I bought the 5 camera bundle from Costco, and I’m happy. The performance is good, range is good. The geofencing option is broken at the moment, but since the system is “open” there is a solution until Netgear fixes the app. I’d buy it again.

[Vincent52]

Thanks RCHobby for your reply. I'm a bit surprised that not many people were willing to vouch for the Arlo Pro2 like you. I'm glad you experience has been a good one.

I will probably hold off, or see what else is out there. It doesn't seem like Netgear is agressively working the issues and I wonder if they will eventually have a fix for the Pro2, or just come out with a Pro3 that works.

I hope they come out with something soon becasue the bad press is widespread (reviews on BestBuy, Amazon, this forum, etc) and driving people to other products. It's a shame because the Pro was a decent product and the Pro2 should have been the next step.

[RChobby]

I could not find another option that is totally battery powered and wireless. And Costco has a great return policy. The main gripes folks have now involve geofencing, and like I said it works with a couple of side apps. I bought the external charger with two spare batteries from Costco as well, makes charging extremely easy. Netgears customer support is pathetic, however.

[Vincent52]

I think a lot has to do with Netgear spinning off Arlo. They probably don't want to invest in fixing the issues if the spin-off is imminent. It will be interesting to see how the new units are branded and if the current Arlo products remain supported.

[jguerdat]

That's a whole lot of supposing and guessing without having any details or inside knowledge.

My guess is that Netgear isn't spinning off Arlo so it doesn't have to fix things. That's a business/money-losing proposition in any way it could be seen.

[Vincent52]

It's public information that's been well reported that Arlo is being spun off to a seperate company.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/8/16990894/netgear-arlo-camera-spinoff-company

https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/06/netgear-is-spinning-off-its-arlo-security-camera-business/

https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3026383/netgear-is-to-spin-off-arlo-into-direct-competitio...

Arlo pro was a decent product. The Arlo Pro2 has numerous issues and Netgear is taking a long time to step up with fixes. No guessing or supposing. Facts. I want to buy the product but dropping $1,000.00 at this time doesn't make sense. If I owned the system already I'd deal with it, but can't justify buying at this time. I hope they get things straightened out quickly.

[jguerdat]

I didn't say Arlo wasn't being spun off. I was simply saying that conjecture gets us noplace.

[Vincent52]

They probably don't want to invest in fixing the issues if the spin-off is imminent. Although maybe there's a better reason why they're dragging there feet. Just a guess.

[steve_t]

For my current money and applications, I still find the Arlo Pro the best value. The additional features available under AC power aren't that appealing to me since I bought them specifically for the wire-free installation. In saying that, I do find the 1080 resolution that little bit clearer so run the Pro 2 cameras in my driveway and at the front door just so the faces and vehicle licence plates are as clear as possible. The older Pros and Arlo HD cameras now cover down the sides of the house and around the back. 

I still find the Pro the best bang for your buck camera of the range. Not sure how the pricing structure is currently but if I was starting now, I would be looking at whether a smaller kit plus some add on cameras worked out better value whether it's a Pro 2 kit and Pro add-ons or a Pro kit with a Pro 2 add on. I bought a new Pro camera the other day for US$148, which I think is a bargain

[michaelkenward]

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@Vincent52 wrote:

They probably don't want to invest in fixing the issues if the spin-off is imminent. It will be interesting to see how the new units are branded and if the current Arlo products remain supported.

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This makes no business sense. If you are setting up a new standalone business – be it to float as a separate company or to sell it to someone else – the last thing you do is run it in to the ground. Do that and your valuation will plummet.

The whole point about creating a separate Arlo business means that it can continue on the same path, with the same models and the same branding. Why would anyone do anything else?

As @jguerdat says, "conjecture gets us noplace". I am just drawing on my knowledge of how business works.

[Vincent52]

Netgear makes a wide variety of products, not just Arlo. They have to choose where to invest their resources. Do they invest in a "spin-off", which is the creation of an independent company? Or do they invest in their other core products and new technology?

And why are my thoughts "conjecture that gets us nowhere" , but yours are obvious facts?

I don't mean to start a debate over why Netgear has launched a 3rd gen product that is inferior to gen 2 and is not taking immediate action to rectify its shortfalls. Your guess is as good as mine, but in light of the spin-off maybe they'll just let the new company deal with it. Time will tell.

I know it's difficult to invest in a product, only to find out that it's less than you expected, but it shouldn't be defended either.

I'm not bashing Arlo. I still think it's one of the best out there at this time, but Arlo 2's deficiencies are certainly allowing others to catch up quickly. As a consumer, do I buy Arlo2 and keep my fingers crossed? Do I buy Arlo, which is currently close to the same price as Arlo2? Do I consider Nest, Circle 2 and the multitudes of other products enering the market?

It's very frustrating that Netgear is making this a difficult choice when it could be easy if they'd just fix the damn issues.

[steve_t]

Besides a darker image in extremely low light, how is the Arlo Pro 2 inferior to the Arlo Pro?

[Vincent52]

Besides the poorer camera image quality in low light, and the new features requiring the camera to be plugged in, which can't be done outside because the weatherproof cable was recalled months ago, I guess it's an improvement and worth more money. 

The expectation should be that it is better, not proving that it's not worse.

[michaelkenward]

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@Vincent52 wrote:

Netgear makes a wide variety of products, not just Arlo. They have to choose where to invest their resources. Do they invest in a "spin-off", which is the creation of an independent company? Or do they invest in their other core products and new technology?

I think you have missed the point.

Arlo is not a spinoff, or "an independent company". It is a division of Netgear. It has operated as an independent business for quite some time, much to the annoyance of those of us who thought that the different bits should talk to each other.

If you are really interested in understanding how business works, you might like to read up on Google, or Alphabet as we must now call it. A whole raft of individual businesses, it too has divisions that get on with their own activities.

Other examples of this model include GE. (You may have heard of them.) Then there is Chrysler. It may be news to you, but it is part of a global business with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as the parent company. It also makes Maseratis and Alfa Romeos, our current wheels.

Each of these major conglomerates has separate companies that quietly get on with investing in "core products and new technology" without much thought about what the other businesses in the group get up to.

So it is a bit pointless trying to dig into the entrails of Netgear's business strategy for reasons why your new camera does not meet your expectations.

That is why "conjecture gets us noplace". Unless you have evidence that Netgear has withdrawn funding for development and support from its Arlo division.

[Vincent52]

Maybe you should take the time to click the links I provided in post #7. Every press announcement states that Arlo is being spun off into a seperate business. Not a division. A spin-off by definition is an independent company.

The point I was making about the new company is that Arlo may be rebranded. Maybe not, but if they're going up against Google and Amazon that may make sense. Go on the BestBuy and Amazon websites and read the Arlo2 reviews. Not good, and a reason to rebrand. Yes, that's speculation but I'm not aware of that being against any forum rules.

No need to get emotional. It's just a discussion. 

[RChobby]

I hope the current hiccup in geofencing gets fixed, but honestly I’m thrilled with the Arlo Pro 2 performance. Night vision? Good, to me. Sensitivity? Spot on. Every squirrel can trigger. Range? Shockingly good. I had no idea it would be so far, diagonally across our 3/4 acre lot through the many walls of the house to our separate garage. I’m happy, the ifttt and life360 geofencing is 100% effective, for me.

[Vincent52]

Steve_T and RCHobby - that's the kind of references I was looking for. Thank you. I'm not sure if I'm ready to pull the trigger yet, but it sounds like if/when I do I won't be disappointed.

[michaelkenward]

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@Vincent52 wrote:

Maybe you should take the time to click the links I provided in post #7. Every press announcement states that Arlo is being spun off into a seperate business. Not a division. A spin-off by definition is an independent company.

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Yes, but an independent company is not necessarily a spinoff. That is a label deployed by lazy journalists. The links you give are not to the most business savvy news outlets. They are for tech heads, not business readers.

I refer you to the Netgear announcement:

NETGEAR, Inc. - NETGEAR® Announces Planned Separation of its Arlo Business

No mention of spinoff, merely of an IPO.

Read the business press and you will see a very different story from that churned out b y the tech heads. For example:

Netgear's Planned IPO for Arlo Sounds Like GoPro or Fitbit Flameouts | Fortune

Here's how it works.

A company decides that it has got bits that don't work together perhaps as well as they might.This can happen when it comes along with a new product that takes off and grows rapidly.

Sometimes the company looks at its share price and wonder why it is lower than it might be. Perhaps they make things that are very different. They make whizzy go-fast stuff (Arlo cameras) and a separate line of tedious old consumer products (Netgear routers).

Investors like whizzy go-fast stuff and pay a premium for shares in businesses that make them. The old consumer products are a drag on that share price. Two separate businesses would be good news for investors. Their shares in the go-fast bit would be more valuable.

So the business separates internal functions so that the two operations can stand alone. The way to do this is to that is to create two separate businesses. Then, some time in the future, the owners of both those businesses have the option to either create two separate quoted companies or to sell one of the companies to a buyer with deep pockets. In this case. Netgear says there will be an IPO, probably later this year.
 

In the case of Arlo, no one needs to do any rebranding. Arlo is already a brand. I bet there are plenty of people who have no idea that it is a bit of Netgear. (Do Chrysler buyers know that they are buying a "Fiat"?)

[Vincent52]

Thank you for making my point. Glad to see you came around.

Arlo will be a seperate company. They will make security cameras. What will the camera product be called? Who knows?

Maybe, Widget Cam by Arlo? That would be rebranding.

Like I said in post #5, "I think a lot has to do with Netgear spinning off Arlo. They probably don't want to invest in fixing the issues if the spin-off is imminent."

You claim to know how business works, so I'm sure even you can understand that a company will hold back on investing in something it will only partially own and may sell-off shortly.

Anyway, I'm done with this topic. I got what I needed to know. If I already owned an Arlo Pro or Pro2, I'd be happy with it but be hopefull that some of the issues got fixed. As a prospective buyer, I don't think it would make sense to invest in the system with the pending uncertainty and direction of the company.

[michaelkenward]

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@Vincent52 wrote:

Thank you for making my point. Glad to see you came around.

Your are deluding yourself.

Your point was that Netgear's plan to do an IPO on Arlo was why your Arlos 2 Pro camera was not as wonderful as you expected.

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@Vincent52 wrote:
...so I'm sure even you can understand that a company will hold back on investing in something it will only partially own and may sell-off shortly.

You clearly have not read, or understood, what has gone before.

[RChobby]

A new version of Arlo is available in the App Store.

[Vincent52]

Interview - Netgear CEO Patrick Lo

You’re now spinning off Arlo into its own company. Can you talk about why you’re doing that and what that means both for Arlo customers and your own trajectory? Does this mean that you’re backing away from consumer smart home products?

“No. Netgear will definitely continue playing in other end-point devices. It will continue to play in the plumbing and also in the intelligence space, but will not play the current Arlo line of products - which is primarily surrounded around the cameras, the lights, things that related primarily to security.” 

[steve_t]

Source for that quote? Plumbing?

[michaelkenward]

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@steve_t wrote:

Source for that quote? Plumbing?

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Weren't "the plumbers" something to do with Watergate?