Arlo – Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Cloud-Enabled Home Security System

We don’t normally review home security systems on the Amateur Traveler but when Netgear approached me about reviewing their new Arlo system I was intrigued. I can imagine that there are some who stay at home out of worry about who will watch the house. You could put in a home security system but those systems involve thousands of dollars, monthly fees, and installers traipsing all over your house… right? Not any more.

Arlo is a new internet based home security solution from network gear company NetGear. You may already be connected to the internet via a NetGear internet router and a basic Alro system is just a specialized internet box and two (or more) wireless waterproof battery-powered HD cameras. When it is setup the cameras talk wirelessly to the Arlo box which in turn takes video from the cameras and stores it in “the cloud”. You can then access that video or the cameras from your computer, your tablet or your smartphone wherever you are in the world… as long as you have an internet connection.

Arlo waterproof camera

The cost of the introductory 2 camera Arlo system is currently only $350 on Amazon. So the price of the system was the first thing that intrigued me.

Arlo wireless security camera

Setup

I was really impressed with how simple the setup was of the Arlo system. Granted I am pretty technical but you don’t have to be to set this system up. The setup manual is small and thin with fewer words in it than this article.

• Step 1 – Get the Arlo app on your tablet or smartphone
• Step 2 – Connect the Arlo base station to the internet with an Ethernet cable, plug it in and power it on
• Step 3 – Create an Arlo account from the app on your phone or from the Arlo website
• Step 4 – Put batteries in one of your cameras, bring it near the base station and press the sync button on both the camera and the base station
• Step 5 – Place or mount the camera

It took me longer to write this article than to set up a security system… that I can access from anywhere in the world. That is pretty darn cool.

Arlo camera mount

My cameras are just sitting on flat surfaces in my office (the one room my wife approved for a test of a system that will capture video and send it to the internet), but the cameras also come with metal hemispherical mounting plates. The cameras have a magnet in the back so that they can easily be attached and detached from these mounts. Repositioning a camera is a simple thing. Repositioning the mounting bracket will require a screwdriver.

Arlo web portal

Use

At that point, you have a security system that you can access from your iPhone to check and see what is going on which might be what you want in a nanny cam. For travelers, you can also set up the system to trigger on motion detection. You can have it record video when it sees movement, including at night since it includes night vision. You can have it send you a notification. Even if a thief were to steal the whole Arlo system, the video is up on their servers not in your house so you would still have something to share with the police.

Arlo App

If you are looking for a little more security for your house while you travel, the Arlo system is a pretty cool product and one that might be what you are looking for.