(Intentional) Offline Capability

[ct_Arlo]

So I have a somewhat specific scenario I'm shopping for, but I have no experience with Arlo products, so I need to build up some confidence that this scenario will work before I make the investment.

Here's the context:

• HOA President of a small community (31 homes total)
• 2x sets of townhomes wrapped around separate 2 parking lots, each attached to the main road
• Somewhat sketchy neighborhood - car break-ins and overnight damage aren't uncommon
• Privacy is an important point - residents don't want to feel like the HOA is watching everything they do

My goal is to create a functional deterrent by placing a camera at the entrance to each parking lot - cameras there should be able to capture license plates on the way in and faces on the way out. To respect privacy, I'd like it to be isolated from the internet, looping storage on a local SD card, which would be accessed by our Community Manager by request if an incident occurs and we need to pull footage. However, local storage on the camera itself isn't ideal, in case a hooligan has the bright idea to steal or damage the camera, so I'd love a system that locates its storage to a paired base station (SmartHub), which -- again -- I'd prefer not to have connected to the internet.
I don't mind connecting to the internet for initial setup or firmware updates, but I have to respect that some residents don't want to feel like Big Brother is watching them at all times.

I understand there are plenty of CCTV-type solutions out there, but those systems are either wildly overpriced and/or have terrible picture quality, especially at night. I feel confident that the quality for the price is much, much better on the high-end consumer-level camera.

So, here's the setup I'm hoping to build with Arlo equipment (1x bundle for each driveway):

• Arlo Ultra 2
• Security mount
• Solar panel
• Base station + SD card

I envision setting everything up while connected to the wifi, and then kicking the camera & base station off the network to run solo until they're needed. The base station will need to stay connected to the camera on its own while recording footage nearby (from a less prominent location). The login credentials will be documented and accessible to the Board and the Community Manager; if we need to pull footage, we'll pop the SD card out or connect the base station to a hotspot long enough to accomplish whatever is needed.

Is this scenario feasible?

Is there a better combination of equipment?
Is the equipment reliable enough to trust that it's working like it should without having to bring it online every few weeks to check on it?

Are there any subscriptions or licenses required to make this setup work the way I want it to?

I know Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 + base station + sd card + solar can accomplish exactly what I'm looking for from my experience setting up a system for my parents after a security incident, but I haven't been impressed with the nighttime quality on this camera even though it's their best model that accepts a solar power source. If there are any other non-Arlo solutions you guys can come up with, throw them out here! I'm willing to do some homework if there's a better option available.

Thanks!!

[DannyBearAgain]

The arlo cameras require constant internet access to function.

https://kb.arlo.com/000062043/What-are-the-minimum-requirements-for-installing-and-using-my-Arlo-sys...

[ct_Arlo]

You have to remember that Arlo's definition of "function" is not going to match my own here.

For Arlo, "function" means videos are being uploaded to the cloud and they're accessible by your phone for review and live streaming. Those are not features that I need for my scenario - quite the opposite, really.

The primary function I need to work is local storage via the SmartHub. You can rephrase my whole post thusly - "Will the Arlo Ultra 2 continue to store footage locally via the Smarthub Ultra even when the internet is down?" If it can do that reliably and for an extended period of time (even tho that's not what it was intentionally designed for) then it will fulfill my needs.

Gotta think like an engineer here and get creative 🧐 

[StephenB]

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@ct_Arlo wrote:

My goal is to create a functional deterrent by placing a camera at the entrance to each parking lot - cameras there should be able to capture license plates on the way in. 

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Capturing license plates consistently is actually quite difficult:

• Arlo cameras have a very wide field of view, so pixels per foot usually isn't enough to read the plates (even with the Ultra).
• glare from headlights often make the plates not visible at all at night
• motion blur (since the car is moving) also will reduce resolution.
• weather also affects capture quality

There are cctv cameras expressly designed for this, you'd be better off getting one of those.  Most of the companies making them also provide some guidance for camera placement (which also matters for this).

Personally I'd try putting in empty camera shells first, and see if they have any deterrence effect.  Ideally big and easily visible fakes.  Much cheaper to try, and no privacy backlash from homeowners.

[ct_Arlo]

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@StephenB wrote:

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@ct_Arlo wrote:

My goal is to create a functional deterrent by placing a camera at the entrance to each parking lot - cameras there should be able to capture license plates on the way in. 

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Capturing license plates consistently is actually quite difficult:

• Arlo cameras have a very wide field of view, so pixels per foot usually isn't enough to read the plates (even with the Ultra).
• glare from headlights often make the plates not visible at all at night
• motion blur (since the car is moving) also will reduce resolution.
• weather also affects capture quality

There are cctv cameras expressly designed for this, you'd be better off getting one of those.  Most of the companies making them also provide some guidance for camera placement (which also matters for this).

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Ah, this is useful insight - I'll definitely do some more research then.

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@StephenB wrote:

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Personally I'd try putting in empty camera shells first, and see if they have any deterrence effect.  Ideally big and easily visible fakes.  Much cheaper to try, and no privacy backlash from homeowners.

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Definitely considered this, but the Board decided that a bulky old-school style dummy camera would cheapen the look of the neighborhood too much to justify it, especially if it's not even functional. We're leaning towards a functional but modern, more subtle look for the camera, and then we'll supplement with a security sign posted just beneath it.

Thanks for the comment! I appreciate the insight - I hadn't considered that those dedicated purpose cameras are specifically tuned for license plates and motion. I was counting on buying Arlo's best model and assuming it would be good enough.