Today, with the accessibility and availability of home monitoring and security options, anyone with a child at home (or a pet even) would have at least considered getting a Wi-Fi camera. The Arlo Ultra is a dream gadget for parents.
With a son that’s old enough to be independent, but too young to be alone for an extended period of time, Wi-Fi cameras definitely help with keeping an eye on things. I compared specs, read reviews, figured out the right placement areas within the home.
I have since ended up testing and trying several options over the last couple of years. Especially since the time I spend travelling has gone up significantly and I find myself away from home a lot more than I used to.
The Arlo Ultra came to me at the perfect time – a couple of days before I was headed for another business trip. Of course, I waited till the last minute to get it set up – exactly 57 minutes before I had to be out of the door and into the taxi.
This, I thought was the perfect set-up test for the Arlo Ultra. Granted, it wasn’t a test by design – yes, I procrastinated getting to the set-up, but unboxing the unit and setting up the wireless camera system under the added pressure of being late for a flight fely like a good challenge.
The Arlo Ultra was extremely easy to set-up. Unbox, download the app and you’re off and running. It took slightly over 30 minutes with some time to spare before the taxi arrived. I took that time to set-up another phone to access the cameras as well. I actually spent more time trying to figure out how the battery fit into the unit rater than anything else.
The Arlo Ultra looks really sleek and modern and would not look out of place in an Apple store with its white and black scheme that will easily fit the design and decor of most homes. The base station stays out of sight and the cameras link wire-free.
The magnetic mount that comes with the cameras are extremely easy to place and provide the flexibility of placing the cameras almost anywhere in the home without being an eyesore.
Featuring advanced 4K HDR video quality with color night vision and a 180-degree diagonal field-of-view, an integrated spotlight and two-way audio, the Ultra is a small camera that packs quite the punch.
Unlike other cameras that swivel and turn, the Ultra covers an extremely wide view that you can then simply pinch and zoom. The powerful integrated LED spotlight can also be activated and controlled remotely via the app, effectively lights up the surrounding area.
Thinking of using the Arlo Ultra outdoors? That’s extremely easy as the cameras won’t need additional wiring and they are weather resistant as well. The cameras can be installed nearly anywhere outdoors or indoors.
The Arlo Ultra is powered by a newly designed rechargeable battery and magnetic charging cable. Out of the box, the cameras lasted a full week before I needed to charge them. Using the magnetic mounts, it’s just a matter of pulling the camera of the mount and setting it aside to charge before you simply hold it to the mount for the magnet to attach itself again.
My one big gripe though is that you only get one magnetic mount with the 2 camera system and another swivel mount. Yes it does provide an additional level of flexibility, but the magnetic mount is King for me.
Arlo Ultra also features a built-in siren that can be automatically triggered by motion, audio detection, or manually activated remotely from the Arlo app for added protection.
Each Arlo Ultra system includes a one-year Arlo Smart Premier subscription (a $143.88 value), to provide users with a more personalised, intelligent smart home security experience.
The subscription service utilises powerful AI and computer vision technology to deliver customised notifications regarding people, animal, vehicle and package detection. Arlo Smart Premier also includes cloud recordings of video clips at 1080p or lower resolution for up to 30 days.
Premium video recording for cloud storage of 4K clips is available as an add-on subscription, or users can store 4K clips locally at no added cost using the SmartHub’s microSD card slot.
With all its features, the Arlo Ultra is definitely a premium product that does come at a (premium) price – $1,199 for the 2-camera system.
The Arlo Ultra is an exceptional addition to home security and monitoring. It’s easy to install and simply works.