Arlo Pro 3 Questions before I purchase

[onwegkarl]

I've been looking at buying a 2 camera outdoor system for my home but my questions are:

1. How far away will it detect motion and activate recording?

2. I have two buildings on my property, one has very thick stone walls, can I have one camera on each building or does the Smart Hub living in just one building stop this being an option - is there a solution if so?

3. If I wanted to purchase additional 1st or 2nd generation Arlo cameras, for areas that are less important, will they be compatible with the Arlo 3 system?

Thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to reply.

[StephenB]

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@onwegkarl wrote:

How far away will it detect motion and activate recording?

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The spec for the Pro 3 is 25 feet.

• https://www.arlo.com/en-us/images/documents/arlopro3/Arlo_Pro3_Data_Sheet_US.pdf

This is a somewhat nominal - it depends on what the moving object is, and to some extent on the temperatures. Mine will often trigger on vehicles at a significantly further distance (but not always).  Smaller animals can be missed even at shorter distances.

The passive infrared (PIR) sensor is optimized for side to side motion, and is more sensitive at the bottom of the field of view than the top.  IMO it works best when it is covering an entryway.

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@onwegkarl wrote:

I have two buildings on my property, one has very thick stone walls, can I have one camera on each building or does the Smart Hub living in just one building stop this being an option - is there a solution if so?

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Do you have good wifi coverage at both camera locations?

If not, then you would need two smarthubs (one in each building).  You need to get ethernet to both smarthubs - that can be done by running a cable, using powerline networking, or using a wifi extender.

If you are getting good coverage with a mesh or outdoor extender, then you still might need two bases.  Alternatively consider the Pro 4, which can directly connect to your existing wifi w/o a smarthub.

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@onwegkarl wrote:

If I wanted to purchase additional 1st or 2nd generation Arlo cameras, for areas that are less important, will they be compatible with the Arlo 3 system?

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Yes, though you likely would need to get them used.  The earliest cameras use 4 CR123 batteries (which can be expensive over time).  So I don't recommend getting those.

One aspect is pricing.  The Pro and Pro 2 models are fairly expensive, because they offer 7-day cloud storage without a subscription.  Used prices are often quite similar to a new Pro 3 or Pro 4.

The essential cameras are cheaper - though their battery is not replaceable. One issue there is that sometimes it is useful to restart the camera by removing/reinserting the battery.  That can't be done with the essential.

[onwegkarl]

I've been looking at buying a 2 camera outdoor system for my home but my questions are:

1. How far away will it detect motion and activate recording?

2. I have two buildings on my property, one has very thick stone walls, can I have one camera on each building or does the Smart Hub living in just one building stop this being an option - is there a solution if so?

3. If I wanted to purchase additional 1st or 2nd generation Arlo cameras, for areas that are less important, will they be compatible with the Arlo 3 system?

Thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to reply.

I got this,..

[jguerdat]

1) The PIR  sensors are rated for UP TO 25 feet for people, which is what the cameras are designed to detect. Other objects with large IR signatures or that reflect the sun's IR can be detected farther away but that's out of spec. How the person moves also makes a difference as with any PIR sensor device - motion is best detected across the FOV, not directly at it.

2) I wouldn't put the hub in the building with thick stone walls since the signal would be attenuated much more. Mounting the cameras on the outside with the hub approximately centered between them would be the way to go but that depends on where the hub can be placed (power and Ethernet port availability) as well as exactly where the cameras end up being placed.

3) Yes. I'd suggest the Pro or Pro 2 cameras since they have rechargeable batteries.

BTW, you have a bogus link in your last post. I've notified the admins about it.