Arlo Q review: The security camera to beat
Our Verdict
The Arlo Q is an splendid security camera with corking video quality, stiff move and sound detection and a generous gratis cloud-storage plan.
For
- Simple, trouble-gratis setup
- Intuitive, flexible scheduling
- Unusual level of control over move detection, scheduling
- First-class video quality
- Generous free deject plan
- Easy social sharing of videos
Against
- Single-user mobile app
- Difficult Custom Mode setup
- Action Zones not function of motion-detection controls
- Timeline requires expensive subscription
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Arlo Q is an splendid security camera with bang-up video quality, potent move and sound detection and a generous costless deject-storage plan.
Pros
- +
Simple, problem-free setup
- +
Intuitive, flexible scheduling
- +
Unusual level of control over motion detection, scheduling
- +
Splendid video quality
- +
Generous free cloud plan
- +
Easy social sharing of videos
Cons
- -
Single-user mobile app
- -
Difficult Custom Fashion setup
- -
Activity Zones not function of motion-detection controls
- -
Timeline requires expensive subscription
The Arlo Q is a reliable abode security security that yous can buy for less than $100. It isn't waterproof or fully wireless, so it tin can't be set up outdoors. Simply this photographic camera has high video resolution, doesn't crave a base of operations station and tin work continuously because it doesn't run on batteries.
More importantly, the Arlo Q offers some of the best video quality and software of many of the security cameras we tested. It's not as cost-efficient every bit the Wyze Cam, but the powerful options for motion and audio detection, as well as a generous free cloud programme, arrive worth your consideration.
The Arlo Q's scheduling is deeper and more than versatile, and the software richer, than even those of the Nest Cam, the best-known model in this category. For all of these reasons, the Arlo Q is our superlative option for best dwelling house security cameras.
Arlo Q review: Design
The downright cute Arlo Q is mostly white, except for the black lens and bevel. The three x 3 ten 1.five-inch diamond-shaped camera pivots and rotates freely on a ballhead. The slim, 1.5-inch leg juts out at an angle from the sturdy 3-inch-square magnetic base, which anchors onto a metal surface such equally a refrigerator. A square metal bracket and iv screws are included for wall mounting.
Surrounding the lens is an inner diamond of translucent white containing 10 infrared LED lights. Below, in the solid-white bezel, are a tiny microphone and a condition light that shines bright blue when the camera is connected and live. The photographic camera has no stand-lone light sensors; instead, Netgear says the Arlo Q takes its lite readings through the lens.
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The virtually 10-foot ability cable connects to the camera via a very accessible mini-USB port on the back. The other end can exist powered by a computer via USB, or by Ac electrical current. The USB/AC converter brick blocks whatever side by side electrical outlet.
Arlo Q review: Installation
The printed Quick Offset Guide provides very clear, easy-to-follow instructions, merely they aren't necessary. When we used our exam iPhone for our setup, the same level of guidance was right there on the screen.
The Arlo Q has the most comprehensive move- and sound-detection tools amidst the security cameras we've tested.
As with most webcams, the Arlo Q connects to its mobile app via a QR code, but first, we pressed the photographic camera's Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button to speedily connect to our home Wi-Fi network. Later on plugging the photographic camera into an electrical outlet, we downloaded the app and created an account. We were then prompted to "merits your camera" past inputting our e-mail, password, name and security question.
It was a nice, problem-free setup. Every stride in the process worked exactly as it was supposed to. When we moved the camera from its installation location almost our Wi-Fi router to its monitoring location in our dining room, it immediately reconnected and continued to piece of work correctly throughout the testing flow.
An optional Arlo Q installation stride is integrating into to your smart home. The Arlo Q is one of the best Google Home compatible devices and best Alexa compatible devices, meaning you tin connect the cam to Alexa or Google Assistant to control it with your vocalisation.
Arlo Q review: Mobile apps
The Arlo app (iOS, Android and Amazon FireOS) uses unproblematic, direct navigation. Nearly every screen has iv labeled icons (on the iPhone) or three named tabs plus an icon (on Android), providing direct access to the home page, library of recordings, notification mode and settings.
On the home folio, icons in a higher place the preview epitome of each camera indicate whether motility detection, sound detection or Wi-Fi are enabled. A clock icon triggers the Timeline view; clicking a number indicating new alerts takes yous to the Library. Each preview image has a large, bright Play icon with the word Live on information technology, and so at that place's no ambivalence nearly how to go to the Alive view.
MORE: Netgear Arlo Home Security Camera Review
Other habitation-page icons permit you lot tape video, take snapshots, use the push-to-talk function or arrange brightness, audio and image size. Interactive zoom and pan are immediately responsive to finger taps and drags in both the Live view and Playback.
The Arlo app is a single-user interface. When you log into the account from a mobile device or figurer, you automatically log out of the Arlo interface on whatever other device. If you lot want to share admission with family members or friends, they'll need their own Arlo accounts.
Arlo Q review: Web portal
The Arlo web portal is nearly identical to the mobile app, with the same functionality and navigation. The biggest difference is that the icons motility from the bottom to the top of the screen.
The web portal has helpful instructional videos that guide y'all through installation and the more than of import settings, such as movement-detection controls. The portal has no interactive finger-controlled zoom and pan — instead, a zoom push opens up a slider that controls the magnification of the Live view.
Arlo Q review: Motility detection and sound detection
The Arlo makes no distinction between people and pets, simply it has the most comprehensive motion- and sound-detection tools of the security cameras we recently tested. Unfortunately, these powerful tools are complicated to fix, and in the iPhone app and spider web portal, a key element (Activeness Zones) is squirreled away in a separate section.
You access detection-notification controls in the "Modes" tab. Initially, the options seem limited to Armed, Disarmed or Schedule, but you lot tin can tap on the pencil icon for Armed or Schedule to see more options.
You can also create Custom Modes, but that can take upward to eleven steps, depending on the platform. We first had to go into Device Settings to prepare to three Activity Zones, areas of detection in our camera frame. Each zone gets a separate color, using a single sizable/movable rectangle.
We designed our start Custom Mode to automatically take a snapshot when audio or motion was detected, which should have been simple to prepare up. Only we had to manually proper name the mode; select the photographic camera to use it; choose Activity Zones ; set motion and sound sensitivity; choose actions upon detection (Record Video, Have a Snapshot or Practise Null); cull whether to receive Push Notifications and/or Electronic mail Alerts; enter which email addresses should receive the alerts; and, finally, salvage the whole thing.
Unfortunately, you tin can't gear up more than than i activeness per mode, such equally to both record video and to accept a snapshot. Nor can more than 1 mode be active at a fourth dimension. Nevertheless, you tin schedule different modes to run at different times, though two tin can't be active within a single fourth dimension slot.
The Arlo Q delivered the fastest text and email alerts of any of the cameras we tested, often within just a few seconds, although the speed varied by device. It seemed that motility and sound detections weren't filtered through server algorithms, as nosotros got many of false and unnecessary alerts.
On the other hand, the rapid speed ways you might catch a infiltrator in the act. Other cameras' alerts took several minutes to get in, by which time a professional person housebreaker might exist long gone.
MORE: Nest Cam Review
Each alert'southward subject line distinguishes betwixt audio and motion detection. If the agile Custom Manner is set up to take a snapshot, the email message will display the image.
Arlo Q review: Video quality and sound quality
The Arlo's 1/3–inch, iv-megapixel image sensor and drinking glass lens captured very proficient 1080p video. In full light, the colors were rich and close to reality, with splendid contrast. The night mode produced crisp and bright footage, with good dissimilarity. However, on the web portal, a person walking through the room at a good footstep tended to mistiness or pixelate, particularly in night way.
The Arlo Q'southward sound quality was uneven. Sounds on video clips were clear and distinct, with plenty volume for you to understand speech. When nosotros listened remotely to alive feeds, we had expert amplification from nigh anywhere in the room. Still, the words were sometimes indistinct, and there were frequent delays and dropouts.
The Arlo besides has ii-way audio. You lot press the Push-to-Talk icon on your mobile device to speak, and release information technology to listen, the way you lot would with any intercom.
The overall quality the sound emitted past the camera'due south speaker was good. When we were close to the photographic camera, words were aural with little background noise or artifacting. The Arlo's small-scale speaker is soft and underpowered. It pointed down onto our counter top, which dispersed and reflected the sound in all directions.
Arlo Q review: Scheduling
Arlo's Schedule feature is powerful, flexible and efficient. Its functionality and processes are identical on Android, iPhone and the web portal, though the screens are slightly different.
You add or edit the parameters for a time slot on a single window, in which you select the mode y'all want activated, the days of the week and the first and terminate times. Click or tap Save, and it shows up in the filigree.
Y'all tin can have several active time slots per day, but only one Mode per period. Nosotros had to cull between capturing a video clip or a snapshot when the camera detected sound or move. Information technology would have been better if we could have recorded motion, but taken a snapshot of a sound, in the same time period.
Arlo Q review: Cloud storage
The Arlo Q comes with a Basic Cloud Service Plan for the life of the camera, which includes 1 gigabyte of storage or seven days of cloud recording of events for up to five cameras, and "standard back up." This is much more generous than competing cameras' free plans, and it's all that many users will ever need.
If you exceed 1GB of deject storage within the seven days, you lot must manually delete files before you can store additional videos. Whatsoever recording that's more seven days old is automatically deleted.
The Arlo Q delivered the fastest text and email alerts of whatever of the cameras nosotros tested.
30 days, or 10GB, of cloud storage for up to 10 cameras costs $nine.99 per calendar month or $99 per year, and 60 days or 100GB, for up to fifteen cameras is $14.99 per month or $149 per year. Both the 30- and 60-day plans include "unlimited support," which Arlo reps told us entitled subscribers to "total phone back up."
If you desire to employ the Timeline view, you have to pay for a continuous video recording, or CVR, plan, which may be best for modest businesses. For 14 days of CVR, y'all'll pay $nine.99 per month or $99.99 per twelvemonth, merely that's for each camera you may have. For 30 days, it'southward $19.99 per month or $199 per year.
Arlo Q review: Library and playback
Arlo has ii areas for viewing your history videos: the Library and the Timeline.
The Library is accessible and intuitive. On the iPhone app, it's an icon on the bottom of key screens. On the web portal and the Android app, it'due south a tab on the navigation bar at the top of the page.
The Library includes thumbnails of alarm videos, plus video snippets and snapshots. You can cheque specific dates from the linear "calendar" at the top of the screen, or search using filters such as Motion, Sound, Transmission, Favorites and Non-Favorites. Each video may be marked as a favorite, or tin can be shared, downloaded or deleted. On the spider web portal (simply not the mobile app) you tin batch-select videos and apply options to a grouping.
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To employ the Timeline, you must buy a CVR program, in which the camera volition record continuously. The Timeline can be viewed in 24-hour, 1-hr or v-minute segments. You tin can play continuous video from any starting point, and pinch and zoom/pan inside the Playback window.
Arlo Q review: Sharing
Arlo's sharing has zip to practise with giving a friend or family fellow member access to your feed for security purposes. Instead, information technology'southward all nigh embedding video and social networks, every bit Netgear expects some users would rather share video selfies than catch intruders.
The Arlo's Schedule feature is powerful, flexible and efficient.
In the web portal, the Share options (found in the video Playback screen of the Library) are express to "email link" or "copy link." The Android app adds the ability to postal service video clips on Facebook. On iOS, you lot can also share clips via Messages, Mail, Twitter, YouTube and iCloud Photo Sharing.
Arlo Q review: Verdict
Although there are newest and more than affordable security cameras, the Arlo Q remains a dandy value for the level of video quality, power and flexibility it offers — and because most users won't demand to pay annihilation for cloud storage.
Past contrast, the Nest Cam, which costs $twenty less out of the box, is bedridden without a Nest Aware subscription that costs at least $ten per month. The Wyze Cam has depression storage fees and costs just $xx, simply the Arlo Q has more software options, more intuitive scheduling and more versatile motion and audio detection.
The Arlo Q is as well a geek's camera, because y'all'll get the most out of information technology if you use the powerful Custom modes effectively. Nevertheless, whatever user will appreciate the Arlo Q's unproblematic setup, flexible features and excellent paradigm quality.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/netgear-arlo-q,review-3622.html
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