Review on 📹 Arlo Ultra 2 Spotlight Camera: Enhanced Security System with 4K Video, Color Night Vision, and 2-Way Audio - VMS5240B-200NAS by Malik Axmed

My dual camera Ultra 2 setup has been active for a little over a week. Very impressed with the camera quality and connectivity. Camera setup, picture quality, motion detection and communication range are excellent. Considering the cost of this camera setup you'd expect them to be good, and they are. I haven't owned any previous Arlo cameras, so I can't compare these Ultra 2 to the Pro or Essential models, but compared to other brands I've tried, they're far better across the board. Note that I can't comment on the battery life other than to say that my furthest away camera is still 96% charged after a week. The app also works well on mobile, if a little clunky. The delay between the trigger and the notifications is a bit longer than we would like (5-7 seconds), but it's not bad. I have a little problem with IFTTT cross-triggering but I'm sure it can be solved. I am deducting one star for a combination of small quibbles. First, Arlo's website is catchy but not particularly helpful. I looked through it looking for an answer and real troubleshooting methods for my startup problem, but while there is information there, it is incomplete. Second, two-factor authentication (2FA) on a PC is quite a pain as you have to go through an authorization process EVERY time you log into a computer. This is independent of OS or browser. If you have a PC/Mac, you must have your mobile device ready so that you can log into your PC. It's a known issue and Arlo says they're working on it, but I use 2FA on every other brand that supports it and it's the worst implementation I've seen. Note that the 2FA comments apply to the Arlo across the board, not just the Ultra 2. Third, given the price of this kit, wouldn't it be asking too much to include 2 kits for each mount type? Including a magnetic mount and a threaded mount will do the trick, but oh well. I would also like either a charger or at least two charging cables. The included mounts and charging cable/charging box are adequate, but at the top of the Arlo range and above $500, they could be a bit more generous. Fourth, there is no SmartThings integration on the Ultra/Ultra 2 (some other Arlo models do). We're Samsung's home and we find SmartThings to work really well with all of our connected devices. I hope Arlo/SmartThings get together on this one day. Fifth, my only comment is about the hardware. With a 180 degree diagonal field of view, these cameras show a huge area, and at 4k resolution, you can zoom in 8x with clarity and slight fisheye even in the corners. However, the downside to all that clear and wide view is that only the bottom 2/3 of the camera's field of view will see activity. If you plan on mounting these cameras very high and looking down, just be aware that the top third of what the camera sees won't detect any activity. My cameras are set up about 10 feet off the ground and that's not a problem at all. In fact, with the road-facing camera, I had to reduce the field of view because it was picking up on passing cars. I only mention this limitation for those who want the camera's entire view to be part of the field of view. for 3 months) and cancel 7 days free access to the recording so I know what I'm buying. I could have bought the original Ultras and gotten a year free but settled on 2 because of the 5GHz connectivity. However, just because I knew and accepted what I was buying doesn't mean I'm completely happy with the choice. My dissatisfaction with the plans isn't just related to the cost. What frustrates me more is how confusing the choices are; what plans you can use with the Ultra 2, how to mix and match them, etc. Overall, the quality of the Arlo Ultra 2 is impressive. So far they are fantastic. I spent more words complaining about minor issues than admiring the cameras. The hardware has a solid 5-star rating and installation couldn't be simpler. I recommend if you are looking for quality hardware and don't want to risk anything cheaper then this is great. Just do your homework on the trade-off between cost and quality and Arlo's plan offerings.