Accessory maker Arlo today introduced the Pro 4, a new version of its security camera that connects directly to Wi-Fi for easier setup as a standalone security solution, eliminating the need for a separate base station.
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Like its Pro 3 predecessor, the Pro 4 features 2K video resolution with HDR, a 160-degree viewing angle, an integrated spotlight and siren, color night vision, two-way audio, and a wire-free, weather-resistant design. A removable, rechargeable battery continues to provide up to six months of battery life per charge.
Unfortunately, the Pro 4 is not compatible with HomeKit at launch, according to the Arlo website. The Pro 3 gained HomeKit support five months after it launched, so it is possible that the Pro 4 will receive HomeKit in a future software update. We've reached out to Arlo for comment on their HomeKit plans and we'll update this story if we hear back.
Arlo also introduced the Ultra 2, a new HomeKit-enabled security camera with improved range and connectivity compared to the original Ultra, expanding placement options beyond traditional cameras that require an outlet.
The Pro 4 is available for pre-order at Arlo.com and Best Buy starting today for $199.99, while Ultra 2 one- and two-camera kits start at $299.99 and are available for pre-order at Arlo.com, Best Buy, and Amazon. Each camera comes with a complimentary three-month Arlo Smart trial, providing extended 30-day rolling cloud storage for video recordings.
Update: Arlo informed MacRumors that it is "working to have Apple HomeKit available on products," but it has no updates to share regarding the Pro 4 at this time.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)The worst consumer electronics experience in quite a while. So slow to start. so many base station issues.
I have great internet and great routers.
I gave up on them and went Eufy Pro 2 cams.
A dream compared to Arlo.
A dream......
Love to Eufy!
connects directly to Wi-Fi for easier setup as a standalone security solution, eliminating the need for a separate base station.
This is the thing that Netgear doesn't make particularly clear with the Arlo system that users NEED to know: most of the Arlo systems use their own Wi-Fi network, even if you don't want that. I have clients who have spend big $$ on Ubiquiti and mesh Wi-Fi networks who decide they want to use Arlo cams (their end-user advertising obviously works!), and I was aghast to find the first time I unboxed them that they wouldn't use the well-built-out UniFi network that I had just so painstakingly built out. Instead, you're supposed to patch-quilt base stations all over the place and create interference for your main Wi-Fi network. It's absurd. (Even if you have Netgear networking hardware, like Orbi!)I went 4K arlo this past january.
The worst consumer electronics experience in quite a while. So slow to start. so many base station issues.
I have great internet and great routers.
I gave up on them and went Eufy Pro 2 cams.
A dream compared to Arlo.
I'm glad to hear that Netgear has finally backtracked on that. But I'd not recommend Arlo gear. I can't speak to Eufy, though I like Anker hardware in general; I just also don't generally trust sending data to other companies' clouds, esp if they operate outside the US. (No, not "xenophobia", "law and order" and the "reach of the 'long arm of the law'".) Security cams are a wasteland of garbage in general (starting with Hikvision and Dahua), and IMHO Arlo hasn't added much. None of the other vendors—including Amazon/Nest/Ring/Blink and Ubiquiti Protect—impress me much though either. AFAIC, nobody has it "right" yet.
But the assumption that an available client Wi-Fi network is so deficient as to require another independent Wi-Fi network should just be a deal-breaker.