No 24/7 Recording....very misleading marketing

[NtGrHd]

I guess 40 years an electrician/electrical contractor who did a LOT of specialty work including CCTV I should have known better. While I was extremely impressed with the cameras themselves any camera system whether wireless or not that is incapable of 24/7 recording even locally storing is essentially useless. PIR motion detection isn't as reliable a technology as one might think, if a dedicated PIR unit yes they work well, if intrinsic to a camera not so much unless you're willing to spend big $$$ on the cameras.

I had hoped to purchase another 4-camera system today after successfully testing a 1-camera system yesterday. However after determining that a great deal of the marketing was deceptive I cannot in good faith recommend this system to anyone seeking 24/7 video protection and coverage. I actually believed that such deceptive marketing practices were illegal in the US, I will have my attorney niece look into this matter.

In the future it would be wise of NetGear to be completely forthcoming with its system's limitations to do otherwise will tarnish a very good reputation. Now I have to tell five friends and neighbors not to waste their money. Thanks, for a whole lot of nothing!!!

[jguerdat]

You're right - to a point. Your experience is like a pro race car driver telling everyone that he can't recommend low-end cars because they're not up to his standards. The price point and target market makes the difference. Certainly arlonisnt suitable for high-end surveillance but that's not what they're for.

Everyone has to make a decision as to what they need and can afford. Any particular person may choose Arlo or a completely different camera or type of system.

[NtGrHd]

Correct, however it is within reason to ask a manufacturer to provide full disclosure in their marketing material so a consumer can make an educated decision. Not so much as referencing the "true" recording capabilities of an otherwise great system is wrong. As it turns out, after a long phone conversation with the Florida state agency (ACS) that deals with such matters NetGear's marketing practice is illegal. They'll soon have some explaining to do if they wish to continure to sell the Arlo product line in this state. I generally do not play games nor will I ever accept deceptive advertising as the norm, you either provide full disclosure or you don't sell, simple as that.

[jwilliams08]

I understand what OP is saying. At first, I was confused by this post - I thought, "What? NetGear doesn't market this as a 24/7 recording system. It's clearly motion-activated." So I went to look at my box to confirm. Sure enough, no mention of 24/7 recording - just that you get a rolling 7 days of cloud recording for free.  Fair enough. I knew this when I went to buy it.  But then I really inspected the box.  Nowhere on the box does it explicitly mention that recordings are motion-activated.  It does give specs on "Motion Detection", but it does not note that the system is motion-activated. That's when it hit me. I purchased my Arlo cameras knowing full well what it did after watching lots of videos and reading reviews. Not everyone shops like that or knows exactly what they are supposed to be looking for. So for someone who sees these cameras on-sale at their local brick-and-mortar near other security cameras, one may think "Wireless? Sweet! That's exactly what I need," not bothering to question how it can magically record EVERYTHING on battery power alone.

[NtGrHd]

Actually there are plenty of battery powered all wireless cameras that DO record 24/7 it wouldn't be decent of me to post links to them on Arlo's website. Again, the marketing is misleading and should be corrected, I've read too many things negative about these cameras but found the cameras to be superb. My issue is with recording and NetGear not making it perfectly clear the recording capabilities and clearly Florida's ACS agrees with me.

[manfredz]

the view from here .... you're blaming your lack of proper research on netgear.

i don't see how anyone who has researched this system can expect the system will record continuoiusly 24/7.

and to then threaten legal action against netgear takes the cake.

like i said, thats the view from here.

[NtGrHd]

I made a phone call to the state and expressed what I discovered and provided the information so they too could read what I read. It is not I who is threatening anything the state agreed the marketing is misleading therefore per their rules deceptive and illegal. I'm out of the picture now, I filed my complaint and honestly would have prefered to be able to use the Arlo cameras since I have repeatedly stated they are superb. If consumers cannot rely on manufacturers to provide clear and concise information about their products who does the consumer turn to? You have to dig deep to determine you cannot record 24/7 where all advertising leads a consumer to believe you can record 24/7. That's not right no matter how you slice or spin it. Such an easy fix too, allow an end user to record 24/7 using the two provided USB ports choosing their own storage media. Contrary to what NetGear believes a lithium-ion battery of the mAH size provided actually does provide enough electricity to record 24/7 without the need for inconvenient recharging. It shoud be the consumer who makes the determination of what is or what isn't convenient if you cannot see that, I don't know what to say. 

I was absolutely thrilled with how well this system worked and how easy it was to setup and get started. It was a disappointment to find out no, it simply won't work for my application. Then again what I should have done was indepth research here in this forum and on the internet itself where there are so many complaints about the 24/7 recording ability and hundreds of consumers deeply dissatisfied with the same lack of or deceptive advertsing I am. I might be the only consumer who has taken action although I seriously doubt that, hopefully NetGear addresses the confusion and amends their marketing verbiage.

In general terms, most folks associate security cameras with 24/7 recording therefore and again it is NOT unreasonable to ask a manufacturer to make a systems capabilities in that regard abundantly clear.

[manfredz]

don't think many would expect the Arlo and any battery powered cam to record 24/7, especially when it isn't designed to record onto an sd card.  Cams I've used that record onto a battery exhaust the battery in about 2-3 hours. And you can start the Arlo cams recording manually, and they'll keep recording til the batteries run out i guees, in 120 sec clips

[NtGrHd]

Again, there are plenty of battery powered cameras that DO in fact record 24/7. As a contractor I have installed them for customers, are they as inexpensive as Arlo, no, do they run a battery flat in 2 - 3 hours, no. Will they operate for days, yes, will you have to change the battery often, yes. Did my customers care, no!

It's all in what you are willing to spend or do to get the performance you seek. Once again, the Arlo Pro is a superb camera and I thoroughly tested it yesterday and last night running it through more than your average consumer ever would even consider. The camera itself never failed and performed beyond my expectations which are higher than the average consumer due to my background. And again it is a huge diappointment to discover the recording features and capabilities are lacking and no pertinent information was provided detailing recording limitations.

It is common knowledge that a CCTV system records 24/7 that is the whole point of its deterent attribute. Again, again, again, PIR motion sensing technology is far from perfect which is why even bargain security system motion detectors will compliment PIR with either ultrasonic or microwave or both. Google the PIR capability of these cameras you will see it too is wholly lacking and it triggers record it or audio or again both. So the battery is being run flat by an inferior design although the camera is superb. NetGear needs to get their act together or higher folks with significant security/cctv system backgrounds.

You do realize you're arguing with someone who has a four decade background in the design, sales, installation and service of CCTV systems along with every other type electrical system? Some times you just can't reason with certain people. NetGear has an issue with the State of Florida now, they can choose to address it or pay the consequence of it. I simply do not care, I will purchase the CCTV that I need at considerable expense but it will work as a CCTV system is supposed to, 24/7/365 without fail all the time.

[jwilliams08]

I agree with you that NetGear should do a better job of clearly stating that the cameras do "Motion-Enabled Recording".  However, I have to ask - what were your reasons for purchasing the Arlos?  Mine were the balance of smarthome integration, recording quality, and convenience - not 24/7 recording.  I set my cameras up in critical areas where people shouldn't be or I need to keep an eye on (porch and mailbox for deliveries, carport, deck).  Motion detection ensures that you see all the important stuff and don't waste power/bandwidth/space recording "noise".  Are the sensors perfect?  Nope. Is the quality perfect? Absolutely not - there's no way you're going to positively identify a person or license plate unless they're within 5 feet facing the camera (perhaps a video compression issue NetGear could resolve in the future?).  In my opinion, the point of these cameras is to let you know that things are going on and act as a semi-deterrent. They are also super convenient if you don't have the accessibility for running a bunch of cable and don't want to get taken to the cleaners having someone do it for you.

[NtGrHd]

I was attempting to cover the entire exterior of my house by covertly mounting them in three trees. Using the black silicone hood/covers and using the material from an old Mossy Oak camouflage shirt I have and gluing it to those covers then painting the mount you would have never even known they were there. They were also going to be mounted high enough off the ground you wouldn't be able to damage them if you did see them. The distance from the base was clearly not an issue as the WiFi signal never dropped a bar but, their location would have meant neither the audio or motion triggers would work, the PIR is only good to 23' - 25'. I needed 24/7 continuous recording for these three cameras to be effective, I have hardwired cameras at other covert locations that will catch even the smartest criminal, that and if you did discover them it would be too late.

I tested the one camera I bought and it worked flawlessly even with very powerful LED uplights shining on some of the trees. I was beyond impressed with the camera, it rivaled $1000+ cameras I have installed over the years. I could not have been happier with the camera itself and I've made that clear. However, if it won't record 24/7 it is useless to me in fact any security camera that can't record 24/7 is utterly useless and defeats the purpose of having them. I was equally impressed with USB backup until I found that too isn't 24/7, the Arlo is useless to me unless it will record 24/7. The whole concept of a lithium-ion battery running flat in a few short hours or days while continuously recording is patently absurd, any modern camera uses a minute amount of electricity to operate. NetGear is well known for quality products and I have good experiences with all except the Arlo's recording capabilities which is a joke. Trust me, Florida's ACS is no joke so NetGear will get it right and/or amend their product description verbiage or they will never sell one of these systems in Florida again.

[manfredz]

name me just one system that is battery operated and wirelessly records to a cloud or pve 24/7 whose battery life is more than just hours.

[TomMac]

let it drop... both are wasting breath and space and will never come to agreement

[JustMe1234]

I'm extremely disappointed in my purchase as well.  The motion sensor isn't anywhere near "touchy" enough to put high in the corner of my house and record someone walking in.

When it does record... it's 10 seconds at a time.  

I would strongly not recommend this set up for anyone who is serious about protecting their home.  This maybe an OK system if you want to appear like you have security.

[JustMe1234]

My research consisted of standing in Wal-Mart and comparing boxes for what felt like forever.

I was impressed how it saved your video for 7 days for free, but it hardly shoots any video and if it does... it's 10 seconds worth of recroding... I was mislead by their marketing to say the least as well.

Thank god I can return them.

[manfredz]

Doesn't sound like you explored your system very well.  Recording length can be adjusted to as long as 120 sec

[steve_t]

---

JustMe1234 wrote:

I'm extremely disappointed in my purchase as well.  The motion sensor isn't anywhere near "touchy" enough to put high in the corner of my house and record someone walking in.

When it does record... it's 10 seconds at a time.  

I would strongly not recommend this set up for anyone who is serious about protecting their home.  This maybe an OK system if you want to appear like you have security.

---

I think it would pay for you to read the manual for the cameras. No doubt  if you think it can only record 10 second video clips, you also have your motion sensitivity setting still at 80. How can you 'strongly not recommend' something you have limited knowledge about?

[JustMe1234]

SteveT:  There is no manual in the box.  Just a "Quick Start" booklet, a battery warning paper, some stuff trying to sell your more Arlo products and some stickers....  

This is everything in the box minus the camera & guts.

[JustMe1234]

Here is my distance of not being recorded with the sensitivity turned up to 100% (it doesn't seem to pick up even a car moving at this distance, but I'm still playing with it... I've looked high and low for upping the 10 second recording and have read the forums, but still no luck finding it.)

Edit: Found how you up the recording time.  Mode > Armed > Edit > Record Video > Adjust bar as needed

[manfredz]

like so many items nowadays the manual is online

https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/article.../arlo_pro_user_manual_en.pdf

[JustMe1234]

Thanks fred, I'll review and update this thread.

[manfredz]

accidentally posted link to the arlo and not arlo pro but justed edited and inserted link for the arlo pro

[JustMe1234]

Fred, I edited a post above as well with instructions on how to edit the time it records.

Now if I could just find how to turn on 2 factor authentication... doesn't seem to exists, which is a bit scary, but I'm still searching.

Note: I'm using the $150 base Arlo model.

[manfredz]

we may be beating a dead horse here, the Arlo/Arlo Pro is not for everybody and every application.

Battery driven cams have more limitations than line powered ones and require more tweaking and attention.

btw, the name is Manfred not Fred.

[manfredz]

You posted in the Arlo Pro forum.  Both Arlos are fundamentally the same in most operating matters, there are some differences.