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I’m thinking a regular Arlo to get a non-siren base station and then adding a pro camera

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PedroT99
Aspirant
Aspirant

Ok so I purchased the Pro Wireless 2 Cam system and am regretting it. I set it up (indoors) but I live in a 2 BR Apt with a dog that’s in a crate.

I know it’s unlikely but I’m paranoid about that siren. I’m leaving the country for a bit (part of the reason for the system) and if god forbid the alarm went off inadvertently, malfunctioned, I hit the wrong button, etc I’d probably be evicted plus my dog’s head might explode. I know I’m probably being crazy but having that siren freaks me out. The main reason I went with the Pro was to hear my dog and maybe talk to her....don’t laugh.

I’m pribably going to return it and Beat Buy doesn’t charge a restocking fee which is awesome. But now I don’t know what to get. I’m sticking with Arlo because I like the quality and the support from the community...you guys!

I’m thinking a regular Arlo to get a non-siren base station and then adding a pro camera. Will I still get 2 way audio? Or at least audio triggering of recording? I was also thinking an Arlo with an Arlo Q Plus so I can still get my local storage on one camera..

What if I ended up doing one of each....Arlo with base, one Arlo Pro/Pro2 cam and one Arlo Q/Q Plus.

Will they play nice together on a 3 camera hybrid system using the old Arlo base station? And I definitely would want to be on one account?

Thanks so much for all your help!

6 REPLIES 6
steve_t
Master Master
Master

I've never had the siren trigger ever. All of the rules in my recording modes all say that the siren is NOT triggered and it's never malfunctioned. I would stick with the Pro system for the 2-way audio and USB backup feature and rechargeable batteries. The original Arlo cameras with the CR123A are nowhere near as good as the pro cameras and don't have 2-way audio

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

With a slight bit of care it's hard to accidentally turn the siren on. You can use Settings, Device order to move the siren button on the Devices tab where it would be out of the way. Ensure the siren is not selected in any of your modes (it isn't selected by default).

 

I don't find the alarm to be that loud, especially outside of the room. You can go nuts and disable the speaker, voiding your warranty, or put some foam rubber over the grille.

 

Also, an original Arlo base without the siren will work fine with a Pro camera. The base has nothing to do with the 2-way audio.

PedroT99
Aspirant
Aspirant

I appreciate that.   Maybe I'm being crazy.  Even though they're both 720, is the video actually better in the pro?  I didn't realize that the regular Arlo needs 4 batts.....that's a lot.  Do I get an alert to let me know if the siren actually ever sounds?   Yeah the 2 way audio is nice although isn't think I'll use it.  The other thing I was think is that firmware will eventually be discontinued on the old Arlo.  If I can find an old Arlo base station on the cheap, my Pros wil, work well right?  Can I run an Arlo, Arlo Pro and Arlo q on one account?

 

also it's been suggested that I can put foam rubber over the speak for added security.   Will it get enough air to not overheat the ARM processor?  Lastly, is there any good instructions on how to remove/clip the speaker?  That won't affect the 2 way audio right?  I know it will kill my warranty.   Any other disadvantages?

 

I know you said there haven't been any malfunctions.   I occasionally travel out of the country and I often don't have a signal or even wifi so I want even know if my siren is going nuts which scares me.  And I've had spikes....one of which killed my Denon receiver....could that cause a siren malfunction when power returns?

 

thanks again for all your help!

PedroT99
Aspirant
Aspirant

Thanks!   Will covering the grill cause overheating?  Any idea on how to remove or clip the siren?  Other than voiding the warranty, are there any other disadvantages?

 

ive had power surges...actually fried my Denon receiver..  Could that trigger the alarm?

steve_t
Master Master
Master

Re power surges, I definitely recommend you put your Arlo base (and router etc if you can) on a UPS. This will not only attenuate surges and spikes but will also keep your Pro base recording to the USB in the event of internet and/or power loss. Since the cameras are battery powered, they're not affected by the power loss.

But to answer your question, yes, if you find a cheap original base, it will sync to Arlo, Arlo Pro, Arlo Pro 2 cameras just fine and doesn't have a siren but also won't have USB backup

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

PedroT99 wrote:

I appreciate that.   Maybe I'm being crazy.  Even though they're both 720, is the video actually better in the pro?  I didn't realize that the regular Arlo needs 4 batts.....that's a lot.  Do I get an alert to let me know if the siren actually ever sounds?   Yeah the 2 way audio is nice although isn't think I'll use it.  The other thing I was think is that firmware will eventually be discontinued on the old Arlo.  If I can find an old Arlo base station on the cheap, my Pros wil, work well right?  Can I run an Arlo, Arlo Pro and Arlo q on one account?

 


I prefer the Pro cameras to the originals for variosu reasons but mainly for the built-in rechargeable battery. No, there's no alert that the siren has sounded but, short of manual operation, it would only sound when a recording is mad IF the mode is set to allow it. And, yes,, all Arlo wireless cameras work on any base station. You can mix and match cameras on the same account although there's still the same limitation of 5 cameras total for the free account.

 


 


also it's been suggested that I can put foam rubber over the speak for added security.   Will it get enough air to not overheat the ARM processor?  Lastly, is there any good instructions on how to remove/clip the speaker?  That won't affect the 2 way audio right?  I know it will kill my warranty.   Any other disadvantages?

I doubt the speaker grill has anything to do with cooling but haven't opened the case to verify that. No, there are no directions to disable the speaker since that's not a recommended procedure. The 2-way audio uses only the camera so the base isn't involved.

 


 


I know you said there haven't been any malfunctions.   I occasionally travel out of the country and I often don't have a signal or even wifi so I want even know if my siren is going nuts which scares me.  And I've had spikes....one of which killed my Denon receiver....could that cause a siren malfunction when power returns?

As noted above, the use of a UPS will help with that. No guarantees but the UPS manufacturer may have an equipment protection warranty for their products. I've never had a siren self-initiate when power has returned but a damaged base - who knows?  I doubt it but weird things can happen.

 

Frankly, I think you're WAY overthinking this. If this were a real problem, we'd have heard about it long ago.