Arlo Pro 5 2K Spotlight Security Camera review – step up in quality and protection

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• Design

The Arlo Pro 5 2K Wire-free Spotlight Security Camera offers a lot of bang for your buck and provide a complete security system that’s easy to install and easy to manage within an excellent ecosystem.

The new Arlo Pro 5 2K Wire-free Spotlight Security Camera is a real step up in quality and additional features for those looking to improve their security and keep an eye on their home from anywhere.

We replaced two of our older Arlo cameras with the Pro 5 2K and could immediately tell the difference.

For one, the improved 2K resolution with HDR (High Dynamic Range) offers a much clearer view with a lot more added detail even in bright and dark areas of the coverage area.

That added detail can allow you to see faces, objects and car number plates even clearer.

This could be really important in the event of an incident and make it easier to identify a person or vehicle on your property.

You can also zoom in up to 12x to see things even more clearly.

Arlo’s Pro 5 2K camera has a huge 160-degree viewing angle as well so it can cover an area that might require two regular cameras.

What really impressed us was how much faster we were able to see the live view from the camera.

What helps here is the fact the camera supports dual band wi-fi – 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz – which means less buffering and speedier response times.

Each camera also has a built-in spotlight and a smart siren which can be triggered after motion is detected or activated manually.

Colour night vision is impressive – it lets you see full colour rather than black and white.

Another excellent improvement is the full duplex two-way audio quality which is more like a phone call than a walkie talkie with both people able to talk at the same time.

We were also pleased to see the improved battery which Arlo says is up to 30 per cent longer than previous models.

What helps here is Pro 5 2K’s low power mode which results in longer times between charges. This means additional weeks of use before the battery needs recharging.

Set up is pretty simple – and the app does all the work.

Users can choose to connect to an Arlo bases station, if they already have Arlo cameras, or directly to their wi-fi.

The advantage of having a base station is the ability to store your videos locally on a microSD card.

If you are using the current app and add the Pro 5 2K camera, the app will be upgraded with a slightly different look and a few new features and shortcuts.

The basics are the same but it’s easier to find the different arm modes – Arm Away, Arm Home and Standby.

Arm Away is for when you’re not home and you can set the motion notifications you want to receive.

Arm Home will still detect motion but with reduced notifications depending on the rules you set.

And Standby is basically all cameras working but all notifications off.

Users can also set rules around when notifications are sent and who receives them.

And with Arlo Secure (you get three months free when you install any new Arlo camera) you’re able to receive separate notifications for people, vehicles, animals and packages.

Of course the Arlo Pro 5 2K camera is weatherproof and comes with a mount and the screws and plugs to attach them.

Users can also add on accessories including a solar panel charger, waterproof outdoor charging cable, and XL capacity battery/housing.

The camera also works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT for easy interaction, automation, and voice control.

The Arlo Pro 5 2K is priced at $329 for a single camera, $599 for a two camera kit and $1,099 for a four camera kit.

www.arlo.com

VERDICT

The Arlo Pro 5 2K Wire-free Spotlight Security Camera offers a lot of bang for your buck and provide a complete security system that’s easy to install and easy to manage within an excellent ecosystem.