Arlo recently introduced a new generation of Essential products consisting of a new Arlo doorbell and cameras. Arlo’s essential line offers essential features at an affordable price, but there is a catch.
Compared to the Arlo Ultra and Pro products, the essential products are cheaper, but contain considerably less advanced features. For this review, we use the Arlo Essential Outdoor Camera (2nd generation) package that consists of two cameras, the package has a suggested retail price of 229.99 euros.
Second Generation Essential Outdoor Camera
The Essential Outdoor Camera 2K is part of a series of four new essential products. In addition to this camera, a new Outdoor Camera XL, Indoor Camera and Video Doorbell have been introduced. The compact camera is made of weatherproof matte polycarbonate, which means the camera can be used in rain, sun, wind and snow without any problems. At first glance, this new Arlo camera shows quite a few similarities with the Eufycam 2C series from Eufy. The build quality is, as always with Arlo, excellent and everything is very neatly finished.
The Essential Outdoor Camera 2K has a rechargeable built-in battery, which cannot be replaced. There is a USB-C connection available with which the camera can be charged. In the box you will find a USB-A to USB-C charging cable for this. Handy if you do not have a charger with USB-C at your disposal.
The camera has a built-in spotlight that allows you to record in color at night (Color Night Vision). Thanks to the two-way audio with noise and echo suppression, important details in the recordings are clearly audible. In addition, you can deter intruders with the built-in siren that produces a maximum of 80 dB of sound.
To use the camera, you do not need an Arlo base station, the camera can simply be registered on your own WiFi network “stand-alone”.
As far as local storage is concerned, this camera is certainly not up to date. It is still not possible to store images locally, for recordings you have to take out an Arlo Secure subscription. With this subscription you receive a number of extra “bonus features” such as custom privacy zones, various AI functions, cloud storage and replacement in case of theft. If you want to watch recordings, you always have to purchase an Arlo Secure subscription, otherwise you simply have no recordings and you can only watch live images.
Installing the Arlo Essential Outdoor Camera
Before you place and install the camera, it is wise to fully charge it first. In the packaging you will find mounting material to hang the cameras. The camera can be placed at any random angle.
Adding the camera to the Arlo app is quite simple. Tap the ‘+’ button and select the camera you want to add (Essential series). In the next screen, select the 2nd generation essential cameras. Using the pairing button and bluetooth, adding the camera is quick and easy. After selecting the desired wifi network, the camera is connected to the wireless network. Once registered, the camera checks if a software update is available and installs it.
Arlo Secure Subscription
Recording storage is included in the Arlo Secure subscription. This subscription costs €4.99 per month for one camera or €11.99 (up to €16.99) per month for multiple devices.
The subscription is required if you want to continue using recordings after the 30-day free trial period. Without a subscription, you can only view the live feed from the camera. An Arlo Secure subscription gives you 30 days of cloud storage and customizable activity zones.
So a subscription is not actually optional, but a necessity if you want to be able to watch recordings of an event.
Arlo Essential Outdoor Camera 2K in practice
The Arlo Essential Outdoor Camera 2nd generation records with 2K resolution (2560×1440), which makes people and objects clearly visible and recognizable. Images are only saved when movement is detected by the camera. So you can’t watch the images from any random time, only the recordings that were made during a movement are available in the ‘feed’. Of course, it is possible to watch live images.
The special night mode makes reasonably good recordings in the dark. When movement is detected, the built-in LED lamp can be automatically switched on, which also allows recordings to be made in color.
The security camera has a viewing angle of 130º, which allows you to capture a reasonable portion of your surroundings. For example, if the lens is aimed at a landscape, it can capture a wide area, including the sky, horizon and ground. In a home, the camera can capture a large portion of a room, including the walls, ceilings and floor. Most Dutch gardens and driveways can therefore be fully captured with this camera without any problems.
Arlo Secure App
Last year, the Arlo Secure app was completely revamped and to be honest, it still takes some getting used to. In the previous version of the app, it was often searching for certain settings, in the new version that is no different.
In the Arlo app, there are five tabs: Dashboard (the home page), Feed (recordings and events), Emergency (activate the siren or call an emergency contact), Devices, and Routines (Automations, Security Mode, and Geofencing).
The dashboard tab allows you to place widgets, which in practice means you can add cameras to it. This makes this dashboard look like the devices tab and is perhaps a bit redundant.
When you tap on a camera on both tabs, you can start the live view and you will also see all saved recordings directly below. You can access the camera settings via the gear icon.
You can adjust various settings here such as: Power management, video settings, Night vision, Sound settings, Spotlight, Activity zones, motion detection and siren settings.
There is still plenty of room for improvement in the Arlo app. Especially the new “Routines” tab where you can adjust security mode and add routines is simply not convenient to use.
You have the standard mode Switch on when away, Switch on at home and Standby. Even a new mode like in the previous version of the app is no longer possible. You can adjust a mode, but that is limited to adding Planning and Arrival/departure in combination with Geofencing. Adjusting is difficult and there is no clear explanation of the functions.
For most standard users, the standard Modes will be sufficient, but if you want to get more out of the system, that is a difficult task. Not all functions work as you initially think. Arlo should definitely pay extra attention to making everything more user-friendly. For example, we are still in the dark about how the geofencing function works exactly.
Conclusion: Arlo Essential Outdoor Camera (2nd Generation)
REVIEW SCORE
The Arlo Essential Outdoor Camera 2nd generation is equipped with a 4MP camera that delivers excellent images in 2K resolution. Placing and setting up the camera is simple and can be done by everyone. In the Arlo app you have to find your way around the camera settings, not everything is divided logically. The new Modes and Routines function is very complicated to understand.
The supplied mounting system ensures that you can place the camera in any desired position. Because the camera is UV and rain resistant, it can be hung outdoors without any problems.
Please note that the camera will only work if it is activated by a mode. There is a possibility to set a combination of geofencing during the day and the time-controlled mode at night.
The camera itself is reasonably priced, but the biggest disadvantage of Arlo is that you are always tied to a subscription when you want to be able to view images. The essence of a camera is that you want to be able to see what happened at a certain moment, something that is only possible with Arlo if you take out an Arlo secure subscription for this (from € 4.99 per month for 1 camera).
- Easy installation and configuration via Arlo app
- Good weather resistant build quality and finish
- Good quality 2K images/recordings
- Wide viewing angle of 130º
- Standalone WiFi camera, no Arlo smart hub needed
- Subscription required for cloud recording and advanced features
- Poor usability of the Arlo app
- No Homekit and Siri Shortcuts support
Where to buy?
The Arlo Essential Outdoor Camera (2nd generation) can be purchased in the webshops below. The camera is sold individually as well as in a 2 or 3 pack. The prices below are based on the 3 pack.
