Review on Arlo Ultra 2 Spotlight Camera System - 2 Wireless Cameras, 4K Video & HDR, Color Night Vision, 2 Way Audio, Wire-Free, 180º View, White - VMS5240-200NAS by Chris Edgerton

I was very excited about the recently introduced Arlo Ultra 2 Spotlight Kit (two cameras and stand). I thought it was finally a security camera kit that I can conveniently use with my Apple TV 4K, iPhone, Mac and Windows computers. However, I returned the kit today after a frustrating two day experience with these security cameras, at least for the Apple HomeKit environment (which is why I bought them in the first place). Pros * 180 degree field of view is really amazing (great color); Fisheye correction is well done * Night vision is really good (but resolution issue, see cons) * Automatic spotlight for night vision motion triggers really helps - it also includes color which is also captured in the shot * Can run on batteries for a while or with continuous current from the wall. One of my cameras went from 100% to 85% after two days of testing (my only data point is there).* Capable of local recording to SD card* Relatively easy to mount/install* Web access to home cameras via Arlo account is great (approx real-time view, only a few seconds delay) *Camera and base setup can theoretically be done via the Arlo website (after registration) *The clip-on magnetic power connector is great (very secure and easily attaches to the bottom of the camera) Cons *Touted as 4K pixel resolution, but I'm pretty sure Arlo needs to compress the video enough that it looks *no better* than a 1080P resolution (can't see faces or license plates clearly that's 20 feet away are from the camera) * I'm not sure how well wireless works with cameras; Before I installed my first camera, I found that the video on the Records/Arlo website got unacceptably choppy when I was only 25-30 feet from the base unit (not nearly the recommended 300 feet in their marketing materials). From my limited experience it seems to me that each camera requires a separate base unit (I had one for the front yard and the second for the back yard) * Relatively poor system setup documentation (surprising). Some images weren't as clear as they should be (e.g. where are the "sync" buttons on the base station and camera unit)* A camera failed to pair with the Arlo base unit *at all* (after 5 visits with tech support, no luck). Tech support wasn't very helpful (maybe spent more than 4 hours on the phone with them). I offered to send me a replacement camera, but they wouldn't (their 'boss' said so)* - on the sidewalk, I was still getting numerous notifications on my Apple Watch and iPhone (via Homekit). When I looked at the recorded videos, they weren't there! I'm guessing (?) Homekit alerts aren't filtered by Arlo in their software since it seemed to be doing the right thing by not recording video for people on the sidewalk or passing cars, but I'm guessing the area marked with traffic alerts was all transferred to Homekit (and therefore to me). This happened many times over the course of 2 days using a camera that worked. Too many false positives basically mean a lack of credibility.* I seriously doubt battery-powered cameras will last the claimed "six months". Based on my limited experience I would suggest no more than 10-20 days. Make sure you have a 25ft charging cable to charge your cameras. The short power cord that comes with it wouldn't work for me (and I suspect most people). stable). For outdoor installations, Arlo recommends using cameras with hardware that securely attaches (screws) the camera to the mounting base. The magnetic base can only be used when the camera is on soft materials like a sofa or carpet as I almost dropped the camera off the base (not very secure as it is held in place with magnets). I'd have to buy another mount for the external one *if* my second camera works (never have). displayed there). I never went far enough to solve this problem. Maybe this is an Apple issue (not sure if that's fair). * It's not clear how secure Arlo's video streams are (I didn't get that far in my analysis). Arlo doesn't advertise whether the video is encrypted or not (I'm assuming it isn't, so I don't think it would be considered private)* From what I recall, the ingestion fee was $9.99 per Camera (not a good price IMO after spending nearly $650 on the kit). ) * A web post about Arlo Ultra cameras states that if you disable the pay-for-storage subscription on the Arlo website and select local video storage on the SD card in the base, you will not receive Apple Homekit alerts . If true, would it be a deal breaker for me too (what kind of security would it be without traffic alerts)? So maybe for those who aren't into HomeKit this could be a pretty good home security solution, but for me the cons far outweigh the pros!