Small Shop Set-up

[tbhholland]

Hi, I am trying to figure out a basic security system for my small 'temporary' shop.  The things that I am looking for in a system are wireless ( I can't hard wire anything in the shop) and live view.  I would primarily be using to watch for shoplifting in my shop.  Are most cameras motion driven or can they be set in live view for the day?  Or is it possible to turn on from my laptop or phone when someone comes in?  What else should I be looking for in a system?  I'd like to control costs so would only need 1-2 cameras (20 sm shop).  Thanks and open to any suggestions/recommendations.  

[StephenB]

---

@tbhholland wrote:

Hi, I am trying to figure out a basic security system for my small 'temporary' shop.  The things that I am looking for in a system are wireless ( I can't hard wire anything in the shop) and live view.  

---

The Essential Indoor model you put in your original post is wired, the others can all be run on battery. None of the Arlo cameras have motors.

You can set them to record when they detect motion, though if the shop is busy you will frequently need to recharge the batteries.  You can livestream the cameras from a PC (my.arlo.com) or the phone app (though there too,  the battery life will depend on the amount of activity.

It's be good to use a camera with a replaceable battery, and get a spare battery (and an external charger) - then you could quickly swap in a new battery as needed.  The Pro and Ultra models in your earlier post all have have replaceable batteries.  The Pro 5s is the newest camera and generally has the best battery life.

If you want recordings (whether motion triggered, or made manually from the laptop), you will need a subscription for the camera(s).

[tbhholland]

Thanks StevenB,  I am definitely not tech savvy so wondered when looking at these cameras, it says the cameras can connect to wifi directly.  If I have a subscription, I'm guessing footage will be stored by Arlo?  And what would a base station be used for (and do I need)?  Thanks

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

---

@tbhholland wrote:

If I have a subscription, I'm guessing footage will be stored by Arlo? 

---

Yes.

---

@tbhholland wrote:

 And what would a base station be used for (and do I need)?  

---

You wouldn't need a base.  The main value of the base is that it would let you record locally without a subscription.  However, viewing that footage from your laptop is a bit hard - you'd need to remove the storage from the base, and connect it to your laptop.  It would be possible to see if from the phone app though.

Generally if you want something simpler, you'd be better off without the base, and just going with the subscription.

[tbhholland]

Perfect and your help is appreciated.