Needs Improvement

[iHateVandals]

This is day two of my Arlo camera, and I'll need one more night to make up my mind. Right out of the box the camera is fantastic. It's easy to set up, easy to put outside in a desired location, and it's easy to manage videos in the event I need a clip or two for the police. I purchased this for it's outdoor capabilities and the flexibility provided by the base station. I hate using SD cards, and there are times I might actually need to send or download a video. I placed the camera at a location both close to the car while still being convenient when it comes time to change the batteries. When I looked at the feed after the sun went down, I was stunned to see that the leaves of a tree were perfectly visible, but my car just a few feet away was completely dark. There's only one other location I have, even closer to my car, while maintaining the right angle, but now I'll need a ladder to change the batteries. Obviously, if this isn't close enough the camera can hardly claim to have night vision capabilities. I see no reason I should have to buy additional lighting for the camera to work several feet away. I very much want to like the camera as it's quite smooth right out of the box. But, there are a few things lacking that would make this camera so much more flexible. For instance, I'm currently using an indoor camera pointed outside of a window. I can do this because there's an option to turn off the night vision/infrared. Additionally, during winter months I imagine I'd want to take the camera inside when it dips below 14 degrees, but there's no option to plug the camera into an outlet for indoor use to save on battery power. Combined with the constant infrared, the camera is only useful to me as an outdoor camera. I'm personally not affected by whether or not there's sound although most cameras do have such an option. Lastly, and I'm quite surprised by this, the only way to tweak the motion sensitivity is to increase it or decrease the sensitivity. No option to create hot spots. So I'm stuck with waving branches or people taking out their trash. Overall I'd say the camera is half way to perfection. After tonight, if I still find the night vision is inadequate, I'll have to box it up and look for an alternative. Perhaps the dreaded wired camera! If the following areas are addressed the camera will be top notch:

Suggestions:

-Improve the night vision distance

-Include the option to plug the camera into an outlet

-Allow for the creation of motion hot spots

-Allow the infrared to be turned on and off

[TomMac]

IR illuminates a max of 10m +/- in center and fall off on sides...

see pic; small 1m tree stump centered  is about 32 ft away from cam

It's not bad for a battery self contained IR illumination... about the best you'll get without an external IR flood light ( which are available )

[iHateVandals]

Hi - Thank you for your reply - I did see your photo when I was initially looking for others' experiences, and I read the specs before purchasing. My car is at most 10-12 feet away from the camera and should certainly be seen where the camera is positioned. So despite the great qualities of the camera, for me it's a bit limited in it's capabilities. The fact remains, I'd have to purchase an outdoor security light if I simply use my indoor camera that's pointing out a window, so the question becomes, is the camera good enough to justify the additional cost of a light? I'm not sure. Had the camera done the trick at the current distance during the night I would easily overlook the inability to create hot spots, the option to use a cord, and the inability to turn off the infrared. 

[TomMac]

In all honesty, It appears you need more of a light source be it from normal flood lights and/or IR illuminators. 

Even a wired camera is going to need a light source of some sort. First thing I always recommend even before cameras is a good sensor and Floods... more light that comes on, less chance the 'bad guy' wants to be in sight.

Only you can make the choice of what works best for you. Good luck.