Using Arlo Pro 2 for video research

[narthars]

Hi Everyone,

I recently set up a room with wired surveillance equipment to capture video and audio of groups interacting (for research purposes). I am now looking to create a portable version of this that can be quickly set up in different spaces. The Arlo 2 looks to be a suitable option.

My questions are:

1. When the cameras aren't plugged in to power, what is the maximum amount of time they record for (for example if I have groups working together continuously for 4 hours, would it capture all of this or not)?

2. How many hours of recording would you estimate being able to capture with one battery charge?

3. With a portable harddrive plugged in and the cameras running off battery, does it still save the recordings to the harddrive?

4. What features do I lose through not having the cameras plugged in?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

Kind regards,

Natasha

[TomMac]

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The Pro2 may not be sutied at all unless you are running the CVR option and on ac.  All the Arlo cameras( Arlo, arlo pro, arlo pro2) are really " motion detect , then record" type of cameras, not record 24/7

They mostly also time out on manual record at about 30 mins.( except cvr but to export you will need third party sw )

A guess is that the Pro models will exceed 4 hrs

The cameras themselves do not have a way of recording, all is cloud based... exception is the Pro /Pro2 have a usb port for backup recording on the base unit....  and it really is a back up and not directly viewable from the program.

btw, you would have to power the base unit ALSO .

If the P2 cameras are Not plugged into ac, they loose the zone feature and 3 second record before trigger ( also will not run the CVR )

The only unit that I can see working for you as mentioned may be the Baby Cam... It will record all the time, does not need a base unit, does not time out... BUT you would still need a usb power bank to run without ac for the amount of time needed ( with the internal battery - about 5-6 hrs in daytime , a 5aHr power bank would be a good amount for more time )You still will need wifi acess tho.

With so many cameras and dvr units on the market, I believe you may be better off running with a different camera plan to do what you want.

[VancouverBC]

Agree with TomMac that some other camera setup might be better for your use. With so many factors involved in setting up Arlo Pro at a new study location, you are bound to run into Arlo cameras not syncing with the base, many mode settings that may need to be tweaked, and for continuous recording to the cloud you will need a good Internet connection and a CVR subscription. It seems too many variables to worry about in addition to setting up your study environment and your subjects. Checking an alternative, I found this table of recording times for GoPro cameras which seems to meet your needs if you can accept slightly lower resolution https://gopro.com/help/articles/Question_Answer/HERO3-Recording-Time-in-Each-Video-Setting  Aim, hit record and you're rolling. In Canada the cost of a basic GoPro cameras is not much more than Arlo Pro 2 cam bought individually.