Netgear introduces couple of models wireless outdoor security system and one of them is Arlo Pro with siren in addition of original Arlo wire-free outdoor security system.
What this product does
The first generation of the original Arlo wire-free camera didn’t come with rich features as the new Arlo Pro. The concept is still the same which is wire-free outdoor security camera. We know that most home users demand the easiness in installing such a home security camera system for their home, no hassle of running network and power cable from the camera to the base station, router or POE switch.
Wire-free
Arlo is a wire-free outdoor camera ideal for home users with lack of tech savvy about home security system. See also comparison between Amcrest and Arlo outdoor camera system to help you understand the first generation of wire-free Arlo and Amcrest which requires you to spend an effort for hassle of power installation at outdoor.
Arlo wire-free is powered by battery so you don’t need to provide power outlet outdoor and even you can install the camera on a tree easily with magnetic base.
720p resolution
Resolution is HD 720p video recording and you can view the view and the footage anywhere using your mobile device, local or remotely. For business purposes, you may find this 720p resolution is not good enough, less detail and small image file. We’ll compare it later Arlo vs Amcrest and Arlo vs Laview to let you decide which module is suitable to meet your business need.
For businesses you may also consider outdoor PTZ camera with auto tracking feature such as Sunba and GW Security auto tracking PTZ camera.
Arlo features wire-free is ideal for outdoor placement, no hassle of running data and power cables. Easy to install with magnetic base, even you can easily place the Arlo Pro in a tree to get the ideal field of view angle.
Main features
- Wire-free camera, no hassle of running both data and power cables
- 130 degree super wide field of view angle
- 720p HD video resolution
- Two way audio
- Weatherproof housing, silicon housing is available
- Rechargeable battery
- Advanced motion detection
- Night vision up to 25 ft.
- Local backup storage and free cloud storage
Are there any differences between original Arlo and the Pro version? Yes, will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
Arlo Pro Vs Arlo 1st Generation
The original version, the first version or Arlo is not as rich as the Arlo Pro version. Both are wireless outdoor camera, while Arlo Q is the specific indoor camera with higher resolution 1080p. See comparison Arlo Q, Amcrest and Vimtag.
There are couple of differences between the two outdoor models. Both model is actually have the same concept of wire-free, the wireless outdoor security camera. To help you understand the differences, take a look at handful spec comparison table as shown in the following table 1.
FOV
You can see that both version have the same video resolution of 720p (1280 x 720 pixels). However the Pro version come with wider field of view angle (FOV). The Pro version comes with super wide 130 degree field of view angle as opposed to only 110 degree in 1st G Arlo. 130 degree is wide enough, however it not comparable with most front dash cams which typically come with 150 ~ 170 degree wide angle front view camera such as Dbpower and Ottertooth front dash cams.
Both Arlo versions come with fixed lens, meaning that you have single fixed field of view angle, you cannot customize it like other models of camera with Varifocal lens camera such as GW Security and USG.
Audio
The 1st G Arlo is not equipped with Audio, but the Pro version comes with two way audio with built-in mic and speaker to allow you speak and listen in two way talking directions via your mobile devices, Android or iOS Smartphones.
Battery
The other improvement is the battery to power the camera. With rechargeable battery it is very advantageous, you can recharge the battery when you see low bat on battery indicator. The first Arlo you have to change the battery when the battery is low bat, it comes with four CR123 Lithium battery.
You know that most business class security camera come with POE feature that allows you to run a single network cable to accommodate both power and reliable data cable to the camera such as Lorex, Hikvision and GW Security cameras. We’ll see later comparison Arlo vs Amcrest and Arlo vs Laview.
The last difference is the hardware performance, the processor and speed performance is different while the memory space both flash and RAM capacity are the same.
Table 1 Arlo vs Arlo Pro
| Arlo Pro | Arlo 1st generation | |
| Resolution | Up to 1280 x 720 pixels | Up to 1280 x 720 pixels |
| Field of angle | 130 degree | 110 degree |
| Audio | Two way | N/A |
| Battery | 2440mAh rechargeable battery with battery level indicator | 4x Lithium CR123 with battery level indicator |
| Processor performance | 900MHz ARM Cortex A7 128MB Flash, 128MB RAM | 500 Mhz MIPS 74 K processor 128 MB Flash, 128 MB RAM |
The new Arlo Pro kits come with base station with smart siren, very loud 100 decibel siren you can control remotely via your Smartphone, and it comes with various number of Arlo wire-free cameras and this bundle it comes with 3pcs Arlo Pro cameras and tagged with price around $500.
We’ll see later how suitable Arlo Pro is compared with LaView and Amcrest 4k security system.
Arlo Vs LaView Vs Amcrest
With budget under $900 you have lots of option to purchase such as 8 channel LaView 4k security NVR system with four bullet model 4k outdoor security camera and 8 channel Amcrest with 4pcs 4k dome outdoor POE cameras. Both bundle security systems come with higher resolution camera systems compared with Arlo, however they are not wireless outdoor security camera system but POE outdoor camera systems that require you to run network cable from each of the camera to the recording unit.
See also comparison Amcrest and Lorex 2K cameras high resolution 2K outdoor POE cameras.
The following two spec comparison tables show you how the three products, the Arlo v Amcrest and Arlo vs LaView are compared to help you decide which module is suitable to meet your business.
NVR and base station
Both Amcrest and Laview come with built-in 8-port POE switch to allow you to connect up to 8 POE cameras.
Both Amcrest and Laview NVR systems are Onvif compliant meaning that you can connect any third party IP cameras with Onvif compliant to the system. Arlo wireless base station is dedicated for Arlo wire-free cameras, you cannot connect any other cameras from different vendors to the base station.
Recording resolution
Arlo base station is limited up to 720p resolution of Arlo cameras. 720p resolution may not high resolution enough to support your business need. See that if you compare Arlo vs Amcrest or Arlo vs Laview you can find that both Amcrest and Laview offer recording resolution cameras up to 8mp (aka 4k Ultra HD) resolution. 4k resolution is four times as large image detail as 1080p cameras. When you are satisfied with sharp result of 1080p resolution cameras, 4k resolution camera system will be magnificent result.
Camera
Arlo Pro with siren base station unit in this kit comes with three Arlo Pro cameras with 720p resolution, HD resolution that is enough for viewing the camera via mobile devices either Android or iOS. This module is ideal for homes or small businesses.
However if you require large image details to support your businesses, 720p is not adequate resolution. Both Amcrest and Laview cameras record up to 8mp (4k) resolution, very sharp detail even you perform all the way zoom in for varifocal lens cameras, much less noise especially for optical zoom cameras.
Take a look at the following two comparison tables to help you choose which bundle is ideal to meet your need.
Table 2. Arlo Vs LaView
| Model | Arlo vms-330-100nas | Laview |
| NVR / Base Station | ||
| Recording resolution | 1mp (1280x720p) HD | 4k / 8mp (3840x2160p) |
| Camera connection | Wireless standard 802.11n | Built-in 8-port POE switch with incoming bandwidth up to 80Mbps |
| Storage | USB Disk connect to base station Free 7 days cloud recording – loop recording | 2 SATA HDD interface up to 12TB with included 2TB disk storage |
| Channel # | 4 channels | 8 channel |
| Audio | 100 decibel Siren | Audio output: 1-ch, RCA (Linear, 1 kΩ) |
| Onvif | No, Arlo cameras only | Yes |
| Included cameras | ||
| Included # cameras | 3pcs Arlo Pro cameras | 4pcs Laview 4k outdoor poe cameras |
| Camera resolution | 720p | 4k (3840x2160p) |
| Field of view (FOV) | 130 degree | 79 degree |
| Night vision | Yes, range up to 25 ft | Yes, range up to 98ft (30m) |
| Network | Wireless 802.11n | POE |
| Weatherproof | Yes, IP65 weatherproof rated | Yes, |
| Power | Rechargeable battery | POE |
| Onvif | No | Yes |
| Price in Amazon (sep 2018) | $430.00 with 3 Arlo cameras | $700.00 with 4pcs 4k cameras |
Table 3 Arlo vs Amcrest
| Model | Arlo vms-330-100nas | Amcrest 8 channel nv4108-e-hs kit |
| NVR / Base Station | ||
| Recording resolution | 1mp (1280x720p) HD | 8mp / 4k (3840x2160p) with input bandwidth ~56Mbp |
| Camera connection | Wireless standard 802.11n | Built-in 8-port POE switch |
| Storage | USB Disk connect to base station Free 7 days cloud recording – loop recording | 1xSATA port up to 6TB (HD not included) |
| Channel # | 4 channels | 8 channels |
| Audio | 100 decibel Siren | Audio input: 1-ch bidirectional talk input; Audio-output: 1-ch bidirectional talk input |
| Onvif | No, Arlo cameras only | Yes |
| Included cameras | ||
| Included # cameras | 3pcs Arlo Pro cameras | 4pcs Amcrest ip8m-2493ew |
| Camera resolution | 720p | 4k / 8mp @15 fps |
| Field of view (FOV) | 130 degree | 69~112 degree with intelligent 16x digital zoom |
| Night vision | Yes, range up to 25 ft | Yes, IR LEDs range up to 98 ft |
| Network | Wireless 802.11n | POE |
| Weatherproof | Yes, IP65 weatherproof rated | Yes, IP67 weatherproof and IK10 vandal resistant with heavy duty metal housing |
| Power | Rechargeable battery | POE |
| Onvif | No | Yes |
| Price in Amazon (sep 2018) | $430.00 | $760.00 |
Click the following links to learn more details about the products including current price in Amazon, rating and manufacturer’s description.
- Click here for Arlo vms4330-100nas
- Click here for Laview 8 channel 4k kit
- Click here for Amcrest 8 channel 4k kit
Arlo Pro is ideal for homes environment, easy to setup with wire-free cameras no power outlet you need to provide where the camera is installed. For business purposes that demand high resolution camera system, both Amcrest and Laview are ideal solution with 4k resolution camera systems.
Note that Arlo introduces new third generation of Arlo Pro 3 wire-free camera system.
