Looking to upgrade to Arlo Ultra or Pro 3. Work without subscription, differences, 2k vs 4k, etc.?

[AusKee]

Hey Everyone,

Currently, I own a 4 Camera "Arlo Pro - 1st Gen" Camera System with Siren in base station.

I am looking to upgrade in the next week or two to either a Arlo Ultra or Arlo Pro 3 (4 Camera System). I had some questions that I am finding mixed answers on or, no answers at all.

1: Can Arlo Ultra / Arlo 3 work without a subscription plan? I do not currently pay for one with my Pro (Gen 1) System.

2: If, it can work without a subscription and I plug in a external hard-drive or USB drive to the base station can I view these videos stored locally remotely (away from the base station/or home) i.e: watch the local recorded videos at work?

3: What are the differences in Arlo Ultra and Arlo Pro 3? Besides just the 4K recording. Do they have the same battery capacity, baseband support(2.4 / 5ghz)?, Weather resistance e.t.c.?

4: Is 4K worth it or is 2K sufficient? 

5: Explain Arlo Color-NightVision. Does it function the same as the regular-Nightvision? Some old thread I saw related just said it turns on the spotlight & IR illumination. If this is the case it is I won't be using it- as I won't use the spotlights.

6: I heard Arlo 3 & Arlo Ultra they moved away from having a Siren in the base station. and, instead put it in the cameras. Is there a separate station I can buy solely for the Siren? or, is the the Sirens loud enough for neighbors to hear in the cameras?

7: In your personal opinion: Which one would you pick and why?

8: Any closing remarks, or comments about the system that I may need to take into account or may help that I did not currently think of a question for?

Thank you everyone in advance for your answers!

[jguerdat]

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@AusKee wrote:

1: Can Arlo Ultra / Arlo 3 work without a subscription plan? I do not currently pay for one with my Pro (Gen 1) System.

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In a sense, yes. Not subscribing to a plan means only local recordings so you would need a drive/card installed and the latest app to be able able to view the videos. No cloud recordings will occur.

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2: If, it can work without a subscription and I plug in a external hard-drive or USB drive to the base station can I view these videos stored locally remotely (away from the base station/or home) i.e: watch the local recorded videos at work?

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As above BUT - you'd need to use a VPN or use port forwarding on your router to allow access to the videos. The VPN may well be problematic from work unless you turn off WiFi on your phone and use cell service. Opening ports would get around that but also opens potential security issues into your home network. The short answer - "It depends." (TM)

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3: What are the differences in Arlo Ultra and Arlo Pro 3? Besides just the 4K recording. Do they have the same battery capacity, baseband support(2.4 / 5ghz)?, Weather resistance e.t.c.?

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Essentially, the difference is in the resolution and the spotlight on the Pro 3.

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4: Is 4K worth it or is 2K sufficient? 

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Depends on your usage and need. With the extreme angle of view (180 degrees) more pixels help but only to a point, especially considering the compression used to minimize bandwidth and disk space.

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5: Explain Arlo Color-NightVision. Does it function the same as the regular-Nightvision? Some old thread I saw related just said it turns on the spotlight & IR illumination. If this is the case it is I won't be using it- as I won't use the spotlights.

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Night vision uses the IR LEDs while color night vision uses the spotlight. They operate independently according to your settings. Disabling color still leaves the IR LEDs.

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6: I heard Arlo 3 & Arlo Ultra they moved away from having a Siren in the base station. and, instead put it in the cameras. Is there a separate station I can buy solely for the Siren? or, is the the Sirens loud enough for neighbors to hear in the cameras?

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You could add a Pro base for the siren if you really need it. No, unless the neighbors have their windows open in a quiet neighborhood, they likely wouldn't be alerted.

[michaelkenward]

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@AusKee wrote:

6: I heard Arlo 3 & Arlo Ultra they moved away from having a Siren in the base station. and, instead put it in the cameras. Is there a separate station I can buy solely for the Siren?

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You may be able to add your existing hub to your account and use that simply as an alarm.

I have added an Pro 2 base station to an Ultra hub for this purpose.