Learn More about Arlo Security Cameras

Arlo has been a fairly consistent but quiet player in the Canadian Smart Home game, and now they’ve expanded into a lot of new available products. They don’t tend to be as flashy or noisy as some of their competitors, but they deliver a great experience each time. With some of the most comprehensive smart security systems on the market already, they’ve looked at the pain points of products of the past and strived to improve.

Arlo was one of the first companies to offer wire-free, battery powered security cameras, and they’ve just kept growing and expanding what their security systems are capable of. Through Arlo’s app, you can keep an eye on what’s happening around your home when you aren’t there, and all Arlo security systems come with loud sirens to deter any intruders away from your home.

Here are some of the other things you can expect with Arlo’s security systems.

Arlo Offers Powerful Recording Solutions

Arlo Home Security Systems offer some really beefy recording options and have a lot of different options to choose from, both indoors and out. The majority of Arlo systems are capable of recording in 1080p (though if you don’t need something that high, there are still some 720p options), but within the past couple of months they’ve announced that they’re introducing a full range of 4K UHD recording options, including some available in wire-free options for easier installation. Here are some of the different options available:

• Arlo and the original Arlo Pro – Their traditional line of home security cameras that capture footage at 720p
• Arlo Pro 2 – The beefier (and I’d say more common at this point) series that captures at 1080p
• Arlo Go – A 3G / LTE connected camera
• Arlo Ultra – The recently announced 4K Security System that will also feature spotlights on each camera to capture the clearest possible footage
• Arlo Q – A series of IP cameras meant for indoor use only. While not necessarily part of the Q line, Arlo also has an indoor baby monitor camera which will be helpful if you already have a security system and are setting up a nursery.
• A ton of accessories (which I’ll discuss near the end of the blog), including a doorbell and solar panels

Through the use of the Arlo Base, you can create an entire ecosystem of cameras providing total coverage of your home both inside and out (you can even expand to add more cameras as you need them). Further down in this blog I’ll discuss how you can record and keep all of the footage these cameras will capture and whether you can mix and match different camera types. While the 4K security systems aren’t out yet, you can expect them to be on shelves by the end of Q1, 2019.

Getting Wire-Free with Arlo

Arlo was one of the first companies out there to offer wire-free options with the convenience of not running wires around the outside of your home. Through these wireless options, you can use rechargeable batteries to keep your cameras powered, and you’ll receive notifications every time one of your cameras is close to losing its charge. For added peace of mind, you can pick up extra batteries and a charge station for them so that you don’t run the risk of being too long without an active camera.

If you’re also not going to need to go wire-free (or will have cameras close to the base), you can still wire those cameras directly to it if you wish.

Arlo Free Cloud Storage and More

Depending on what sort of smart security setup you have, you’ve probably seen a cloud storage subscription or two. Arlo is perhaps the only company out there that gives its customer base free rolling 7 day cloud storage for up to 5 different cameras. If you have more cameras and want more coverage, they also have paid plans. However, the 7 day option should take care of most home users. Business users have their own plans available too, but Arlo also offers them up to 7 days of free rolling cloud storage as well. Arlo Plans support up to 15 cameras in the cloud for home, and up to 40 for businesses (depending on the plan).

If you still like the idea of a backup at home too, no problem! You can pop a USB Drive onto the Arlo Base to ensure you automatically save your data locally.

Arlo Cameras Come Equipped for Canadian Weather

One of the things that most Canadians have to worry about with their smart home security is whether the cameras will stand up to extreme weather. All Arlo, Arlo Go, and Alro Pro cameras come out of the box ready for the harsh winters we’re ready to test them with.

The cameras are weatherproof and have been tested with an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of 65. What does that mean? In order for something to receive an IP65 rating, it has to have been proven to have undergone lengthy testing to keep dust and dirt out, and has been soaked directly with 6.3mm water jets for minutes at a time. A few raindrops definitely won’t hurt these things. Arlo cameras can sit outside and endure temperatures as low as -20 and as high as just over 50 degrees celsius.

If you’re at all worried about the weather battering and wearing on the camera unit itself, Arlo does offer silicone skins that you can apply to the cameras to help protect them, and even to camouflage them if you need to. A bright white security camera can be fairly obvious to would-be intruders, and while some will be deterred, some will also see it and try to disable it. The camo skins can make it so that you can nestle it safely into tree cover or keep it hidden from view while capturing footage.

Arlo Offers Backwards Compatibility

One of the most annoying things about older smart home gadgets is that it has been hard for some of those legacy products to meet the needs of current tech. Once Apple HomeKit and voice assistants hit the market, it essentially made a lot of older gen things obsolete since they could not easily adapt. Granted, a small handful of companies put out plugins or additional hardware to help make old tech compatible, but it was the exception to the rule.

Arlo ensured that backwards compatibility was a reality. When they started announcing their Pro systems, they made sure to tell their existing customers that there were ways to incorporate their existing devices into new ones without having to re-invest all over again. If you have older Arlo tech, you should be able to add it to your new security system without missing a beat. This also means that you should be able to mix and match different camera types as you see fit to upgrade or add around your home.

What Else Does Arlo Have to offer?

Since I started blogging about Arlo’s products a couple years ago, they’ve done a lot to expand their suite of products and accessories. There are currently over 50 different offerings available on Best Buy’s website, including 27 different camera options. Whether you want a full security system for your home, or perhaps just a baby monitor, there are many different things to choose from.

One of my personal favourite accessories that Arlo has started offering is a solar panel charging option for its battery powered cameras. If you’re mounting a wire-free camera high up where it will be inconvenient to change batteries, why not add a solar panel to sit beside it so that you don’t have to climb up when the battery dies? This is just one of many functional options, along with battery charging stations, doorbell chimes, different mount types, and even cosmetic things like silicone dressup pieces for the baby monitor and skin options for their standard cameras.

Arlo has one of the most comprehensive lines of offerings and accessories there is, and you can check them out and bring your new security options home by clicking here to get started!