Arlo - which one?

[Tayla24]

I am trying to decide which model I should buy, and with no knowledge of these type of products and some of the lingo, finding it hard to decide!

My wishlist:

Wireless

Weatherproof

Alerts to phone

No on-going charges - happy with 7 day storage of video

pet proof

Activity zones - when it states plugged in - does that means that particular camera? Or if not plugged in, any activation        from any of the cameras will send an alert?

Appreciate any advice - preferably in technophobe language lol!

Sandy

[brh]

@Tayla24

You have not indicated if you are intend to use the camera/cameras inside or outside. The Arlo Q Plus has zones if the power adapter is plugged into AC power, (wall socket) and it is primariy designed for indoor use. The Arlo Pro 2 has the same features as long as the camera is plugged into AC power but is designed primarily as an outdoor camera. One difference is the Q Plus is a stand alone unit while the Pro 2 requires a base unit. The Pro 2 cameras do not need to be plugged into any power source, they can be powered by battery only, (you will need to charge the batteries from time to time and the zone feature will not work),, battery with the Arlo solar panel, (again the zone feature will not work), battery with power adapter plugged into a wall socket. (to use the zone feature), or AC power only with no battery, ( agiain to use the zone feature).

A combination of camera placement, motion detection sensitivity and the zone feature will need to be optimized to make the system pet proof.

Brian

[Tayla24]

Hi

I want to be able to use inside and outdoors, so want wireless availability. I am happy for the main unit to be connected to the power, but the camera to be able to be moved around if wanted?

[brh]

@Tayla24

You definitely don't want to use the Arlo Q Plus outside.

Unfortunately, Arlo recalled its outdoor power adapter for the Pro and Pro 2, so until the new one arrives, you won't be able to use the zone feature of the Pro 2 outside.

But in any case, moving the cameras around is not the best way to do things. You will have to setup motion sensitivity and possibility modes and rules especially if you were moving the cameras back and forth from inside to outside.

Is the main purpose of the camera for security or for checking in on the pets from time to time?

Brian

[brh]

@Tayla24

I don't think one camera will do all you want at this time. It would take me a long time to explain everything in detail, so I am being slightly vague.

If you wish to use a camera to look outside through a window, the Q Plus would be an acceptable solution for indoor mounting. It has a 3 second look back feature plus the ability to set activity zones if the camera is plugged into AC power..

If you want to check in on your pets from time to time the Arlo Q, (no 3 second look back feature or activity zones), the Q Plus or Arlo Baby would be suitable.

If you are using the camera for security outside either the Arlo Pro (no 3 second look back feature or activity zones), or the Pro 2 (with 3 second look back feature and activity zones when plugged into AC power), would work. I explained about the temporary recall of the outside power adapter so temporarily you would not be able to use the 3 second look back feature or activity zones, unless you went with third party power adapters and cables which Arlo does not approve of and could void your warranty if anything happened to your camera.

If you do not need the 3 second look back feature or activity zones, the Pro is a great choice for outside use. A lot of people are saying that the night image of the Pro 2 is inferior to that of the Pro.

Hopefully I am not confusing you too much,

Brian

[Tayla24]

It is for security so want to be able to not be activated by the dog.

I will probably get 3 cameras, 1 inside and 2 out - in which case I wouldn't move them if not easy.

Can you please explain the 'zone' feature? 

Also, can you specify certain times you want a particular camera to be on or are they all on/off at the same time - or is that the zone function?

thanks

[brh]

@Tayla24

The activity zone is a way to block out certain portions of your camera's view for motion detectionpurposes. For example, pointing out a window to see your driveway, you could set up a zone so that the cars passying by on the street do not trigger false notifications and recordings.

Yes, you can set up schedules to activate the cameras at certain times.

The 3 second lookback feature allows one to see what happened 3 seconds before the video started recording.

I personally have 3 Arlo Pros outside to keep an eye on my front porch, my back porch and the area where I park my cars. I have them all powered by solar panels so that the batteries stay charged and I am hoping not to have to climb up the ladder again for many moons to come.

Brian

[brh]

@Tayla24

I also have taken my 3 original Arlo cameras inside so that they are easy to get to the batteries when they need changing, 

I have mounted them so that the top 3/4 of the doorway is visible thus making them pretty much pet proof.

Brian

[Tayla24]

Many thanks - I will now get my head around it all 🙂

[DaveWoj]

I have 3 Arlo Pro's for outdoor. I have 3 Arlo Q's also for outdoor (but indoor viewing through windows)

Honestly, If you don't need a base station and alarm, I would go with the Arlo Q. Less worry about batteries (if you end up using them, and easier setup in my opinion.

The Arlo Q will however be set off more when viewing through windows and may give you more false triggering, (lights, water dripping down glass etc.) and you would need to shut off the night vision for it to work through the glass but in my opinion it's easier to place, mount near window and you can easily use as an indoor camera.

The most work will be you having to go through all the settings the way you like them and waht works for you. Either camera will take you a good couple of weeks (trial and error) for your preference and surroundings. Don't expect to pull out of the box, plug them in and have them work to your liking. There are MANY options and you could be getting alerts every 2 minutes (or no alerts) if you don't tweek the settings.

By the way, ALL my Arlo Pro outoor cameras are wired for power all the time. No batteries. For my application I prefer it that way.

[DaveWoj]

"It has a 3 second look back feature plus the ability to set activity zones if the camera is plugged into AC power.."

Tayla, I'm also a little confused with some of Brian's posts (like above).

I'm not sure what the 3 second lookback feature is but I believe it is on the Arlo Q since I get recording earlier than when the object actually appears in my video.

I also have the ability to setr up activity zones on the Q

I also believe that the Q plus is only powered by ethernet cable no AC power

Be aware that if you click on the product page on the Arlo site that the Arlo Q and Arlo Q plus links are reversed for the product description (at least when I did it is was)

The only difference I know of between the Q and Q plus is the Q plus is powered by ethernet only and has a micro card storage.

But I could have all of this wrong : )

[DaveWoj]

The Q Plus can apparently be powered by either AC or Ethernet.

So I believe the only other difference between Q and Q plus is local storage.

You can pick up a 2 pack of the Q's for $279 on Amazon which is a pretty good deal.

[brh]

@DaveWoj

I'm sorry if I confused you, but selecting the right camera and where to place them is critical for your security, especially if your budget only allows you to buy two or three cameras to start out. One must do a lot of research to get the features that you really need so that you do not waste your money on the wrong thing and be disappointed later. Secondly, you must think like a burglar. Where is the most likely place is he going to come in? Where is he going to spend the most time breaking into the house so that I get the longest video's of him? Where do I have the best opportunity ot get a good video of his face or the clothes he is wearing. etc.? 

If you or the original poster would like any advice on placement, etc. let me know. The answers are too long and too complicated to post in one post.

Secondly, not to confuse the issue more, I have integrated my Arlo system with Samsung Smartthings as Smartthings allows one to do so much more than just the Arlo system by itself.

Brian

[DaveWoj]

Hi Brian,

I personally don't need help with setup or placement of my 6 cameras, I was just attempting to get clarification from your description of the Arlo Q vs Q Plus for her.

You stated that there is no no 3 second look back feature or activity zones on the Q, but I have the Q and both features are on there. If she wants ethernet power (which I doubt) or internal storage (she's happy with 7 day cloud storage) then there is no reason for her to spend the extra $60 per camera.

I'm wondering why you would recommend the QPlus over the Q to her?

[brh]

@DaveWoj

Sorry, my bad. I did not realize the Q had the 3 second lookback feature like the Q Plus. The OP was asking so many things that I was trying to answer quickly without doing the proper research.

Also since your cameras are already mounted, I did not figure you would need help in where the best place to mount them would be. Just thought I would throw that in ther just in case.

Brian

[brh]

@DaveWoj, just one othe explanation of what I was trying to say. When my home was burglarized a couple of years ago, (probably local punks and I had no alarm systems or cameras), they used a chisel to cut away the door frame so that they could manipulate the tongues of the door locks. Although that fact is in itself not too important, the fact that whoever tries to come in again will either have to break a window or spend some time breaking the door or locks. Therefore, I decided to mount the cameras under the eaves of my house pointing so that the whole front and back of my house are in full view of the cameras, so that anyone trying to enter through either a window or door, would give me time to get some good videos of them and give me a little time to see if the alarm was false or not before I called the police. I have three of the original cameras inside and since the distance is much closer, I should get closer images of them.

I am debating adding a couple of Q or Q plus cameras for looking out the windows to see the front and back yards. If you are using yours this way are the zones adequate to stop most false alarms? I purchased a couple of EZVIZ cameras for $35 each and while they do a good job, I get tons of false alarms and their sensitivity settings are too broad. They have 110 degrees field of view which is too much for me, and the Q cameras have 130 degrees I believe. Therefore, the zones would be critical for my use. Are you happy with that feature?

Brian

[DaveWoj]

Hey Brian,

I am using the Q's (not Q Plus) at a different location. A seasonal camp on a lake.

There isn't a lot of activity there, but I do notice that it will get triggered by headlights easily (which may or may not be a good thing) if it is constant.

However it also has sensed motion from about 100 feet away through a window, which I found very impressive because it senses pixel change and not infrared.

I needed to attach a piece of black foam (from craft store) to the front and cut out a hole for the lens. This was to cut down on the camera reflecting itself in the window (not a huge deal).

I like the response time better than the Pro and I like not having to have the base station.

I have the activity zone narrow from top to bottom which does help and I also believe that the field of view will change slightly depending on the resolution you set. The Q's are better than expected viewing out a window.

[DaveWoj]

I've attached a couple of images from the front and back of the camp.

Snowmobiles on the lake from 300 feet away will also trigger the camera if the light hits the lens just right. But it's not constant so it doesn't bother me