{"id":51543,"date":"2015-03-03T18:44:15","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T02:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/?p=51543"},"modified":"2017-10-09T13:24:12","modified_gmt":"2017-10-09T20:24:12","slug":"arlo-smart-home-security-camera-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookiesandclogs.com\/arlo-smart-home-security-camera-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Safe w\/ Arlo Smart Home Security Camera System"},"content":{"rendered":"
I received this product for free, as a NETGEAR ambassador<\/a>, in exchange for my\u00a0honest, unbiased opinion.<\/em> <\/p>\n Arlo by NETGEAR<\/a>\u00a0is a smart home security camera system which\u00a0you need to buy, install, and monitor everything yourself. The sound of having to install it might\u00a0scare some people but there\u2019s no need to worry about that. Other\u00a0systems\u00a0I\u2019ve used make you go through crazy hoops just to establish\u00a0a wireless connection to your Internet. At first I thought it was kind of old-fashioned that\u00a0Arlo uses\u00a0a wired connection\u00a0but, actually, it ended up\u00a0making\u00a0it a whole lot easier to set up and gives added benefits.<\/p>\n The Arlo system comes standard with a base station and two cameras. I like\u00a0the\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re on Camera!\u201d window sticker that comes with this\u00a0to deter potential burglars. The base station is the device that needs a wired connection to either the gateway from your Internet provider or, as in my case, an Internet router. The benefits of a wired connection are that it\u2019s more reliable and extremely easy to connect. It\u2019s just a matter of plugging in the cable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I am using a power supply with battery backup for my Internet modem and router. That\u2019s because even if there\u2019s a power outage, the Internet connection may still work. An additional benefit of having the Arlo base station so close to these devices is that it\u2019s also connected to that same power supply. So to any bad guy or girl reading this article\u00a0\u2013\u00a0even if you disconnect our power, our Arlo is still working and we will be able to see you! I might sound a bit paranoid, but hey, it\u2019s pretty reassuring\u00a0to have an uninterrupted security system, right?<\/p>\n The other DIY-systems I\u2019ve worked with need to have a power supply for each camera. So, if\u00a0I wanted to get uninterrupted security, I\u2019d have to get a battery backup for each and every camera. The Arlo cameras are battery powered, so they don\u2019t have that issue. Each camera holds two batteries, which seem to last pretty long. The size of the batteries are a bit odd, so you may want to get a\u00a0few extras from Amazon<\/a>\u00a0because you probably won’t be able to find them at the local store AND you need four batteries for each camera.<\/p>\n Monitoring can be done either through an Apple iOS or Android app, or through the NETGEAR\u00a0Arlo website. Getting everything up and running was just a matter of following the clearly outlined instructions. After installing the Arlo app on my phone, it immediately started receiving alerts.\u00a0I had to adjust my phone\u2019s notification settings since I was getting way too many though. Now it just shows one notification and, if I want to see what\u2019s going on, I just fire up the Arlo app and check the videos it took.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Videos are securely stored in the cloud, away from your house. That means it\u2019s not possible for someone to simply delete any recorded material. I was surprised to find out that the system comes with one gigabyte of free data. Most other DYI-systems give this on a trial basis. That 1 GB\u00a0has turned out to be plenty for us but you can pay for extra storage if needed.<\/p>\n Another pleasant surprise is the quality of the video. The high\u00a0resolution almost looks\u00a0HD, which means that faces can be easily recognized. Built-in infrared works well at night\u00a0and, since the cameras are\u00a0splash proof, they can also be\u00a0mounted outside (hardware and instructions included).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n
\nOver the past few years, I have tried several home security\u00a0cameras and\u00a0video monitoring systems. These are different than the full-service ones from your cable or phone company\u00a0that\u00a0take care of both the installation and monitoring part. I\u2019ve never used one of those systems\u00a0but I kind of like being able to do it myself and\u00a0in full control of who is able to see it. Who wants to wait for the cable guy or have someone “accidentally” peek inside your house?<\/p>\nNETGEAR Arlo Smart Home Security Camera System<\/h3>\n
Uninterrupted Home Security<\/h3>\n
Arlo Home Security Camera System Review<\/h3>\n