Arlo Pro vs Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra Best Wireless Security System in 2024

Arlo is an exciting product that lets you protect your entire house with surveillance cameras. The best part about these cameras is that they can work on pretty much any weather, including during rains or snow. As you may know, Arlo has multiple surveillance camera systems. So it’s natural that a prospective customer will be confused between three of its most popular offerings, which include the Arlo Pro, Pro 2, and the Arlo Ultra.

Taking this into account, we decided to have a closer look at the three cameras to ascertain the best model available in the market today.

Arlo Pro vs. Arlo Pro 2 vs. Arlo Ultra Best Wireless Security System in 2024

 

 

Arlo Pro

Design

The Arlo Pro comes with a pretty basic design, consisting of a single camera. It’s weatherproof and bears a resemblance to other Arlo cameras on this list.

Features

Among the most notable features of the Arlo Pro is the camera, which supports night vision, among other features. Further, the camera also comes with 2-way audio, which allows you to interact with people around the camera. This can be done using the Arlo app, which pretty much acts as your viewfinder for the camera. Interestingly, the camera also features two 850 nm LEDs that can illuminate at a distance of up to 25 feet and carries a 130-degree field of view.

The best part about a product like the Arlo Pro is that it comes with 7-days of free cloud storage for every user. If you need to store camera data for more than a week, you will have to subscribe to Arlo’s cloud subscription plans. In addition to this, the Arlo Pro is also compatible with smart home services like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, although you may need a separate device to enable these features. The Arlo Pro is also compatible with services like Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, and more.

Users can customize alerts on their device to detect people, specific zones or even contact emergency responders right from your smartphone’s lock screen

This camera works at a range of up to 300 feet, which makes this suitable for most homes. Naturally, you can combine three or four cameras to extend range without any additional wiring. This is among the many features that make the Arlo Pro an exciting prospect among smart cameras.

Availability

The Arlo Pro can be bought through a variety of online retailers, including Amazon. Since the pricing is always varying, it depends heavily on the timing of your purchase. We recommend waiting for deals or promotions before buying the Arlo Pro. However, this is the cheapest Arlo among the three that we’re going to discuss today.

 

Arlo Pro 2

Design

As we mentioned above, the design of all three Arlo cameras is indistinguishable. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that there are no changes internally.

Features

For starters, the Arlo Pro 2 adds an upgraded 1080p camera with digital zoom. The company claims that it has sharper and brighter details compared to the predecessor. There are no upgrades in terms of field of view as well as the 25-feet night vision. There are motion sensors as well as sound sensors on the Arlo Pro 2 with the ability to assign specific activity zones (up to 3).

The major caveat here, however, is that most of these plans require users to subscribe to Arlo’s monthly plans, of which there are multiple to choose from. The best part here is that Arlo offers a 1 month free trial to new customers. The Arlo Pro 2 also lets you customize the sound detection levels to avoid the number of false alarms. As with the standard Arlo Pro, this one can detect certain people or contact emergency responders.

All Arlo Pro models are compatible with the Arlo 2,440 mAh rechargeable battery, which comes included with every Arlo camera, but can also be bought separately for added convenience. It can operate at a temperature of 32 degrees to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, covering pretty much any weather. The Arlo Pro 2 is Alexa compatible, and you can pair this with a device like the Amazon Echo Show to control the cameras using just your voice. You can simply use the Echo Show to use a command like “show me the front camera,” and the camera will appear on the device in an instant. This gives users an alternative to managing the camera using the smartphone app.

Availability

You can find the Arlo Pro 2 on most online retail sites, including Amazon. While the pricing is significantly higher than the Arlo Pro, it’s definitely worth the upgrade, given the number of features it has onboard.

 

Arlo Ultra

Features

The Arlo Ultra is by far the best of the three here. It brings together a 4K camera in pretty much the same design, while also adding a few other features to the mix. The camera also supports HDR recording by default, which makes this a competent surveillance camera for your home. It also offers a decent color night vision along with a 180-degree field of view, which is significantly improved compared to the Altro Pro and the Pro 2. Users also get auto zoom and tracking on objects within the camera’s view. This is done through motion sensors built into the camera.

The best part about Arlo cameras is that they come with built-in sirens that can sound off an alarm at about 200 decibels, immediately grabbing the attention of anyone in the vicinity. Also familiar with all Arlo cameras is the ability to offload some of the native storage onto a microSD or USB storage device. This means the users are not forced to pay hefty fees for cloud storage services.

But one feature that separates the Ultra from the remaining two cameras is the inclusion of a spotlight, which can shine bright in dimly lit areas. The camera also includes an auto image correction feature, which significantly cuts down the fisheye effect. This camera also supports two-way audio and includes alerts and notifications whenever you’ve enabled motion detection.

Pricing and Availability

As you probably guessed, this is the most expensive variant of the three and can be purchased from a wide range of retailers. Amazon also sells them on its website.

Subscription Plans

The first plan is free and is known as Arlo Smart Basic. It offers up to 7 days of video recording as well. As you would expect, some of the features here are quite limited, which is where the paid plans come into the equation.

The Arlo Smart Premier plan, in addition to offering all the features of the aforementioned Smart plan, also includes an emergency call service that will helps customers receive help directly from the experts. Users can have up to 30 days of recording stored on Arlo’s cloud service (up from 7 on the basic plan). This plan also covers up to 10 cameras, offering you a wide range of visibility without spending too much money. It’s clear that this is Arlo’s most attractive plan. This plan also allows customers to receive notifications on their lock screen without having to unlock the phone or even open the app.

There’s a third plan as well, known as Smart Elite, although it doesn’t bring too many additions to the table and increases cloud storage capacity. A plan like this would be ideally suited for businesses and corporations. This includes up to 60 days of video recording, up from 30 days on the Smart Premiere plan.

Conclusion

As you can see, all three cameras are quite capable in their own right. Given the differences between the three cameras, it can be particularly hard to judge which one to buy. However, the critical differentiator between the three models is camera quality. While the Arlo Pro offers a 720p display, the Arlo Pro 2 and the Arlo Ultra come with a 1080p and 4K resolution camera, respectively.

While Arlo cameras are excellent for home surveillance, it can also be beneficial for offices to keep an eye on your belongings safe. Keeping this in mind, Arlo expects users to jump over to its subscription service, which offers plenty of benefits over non-paying customers.

For all the features that these cameras offer, from a customer’s standpoint, it’s hard to pick the Arlo Pro. It only provides HD video recording, while the Pro 2 and the Ultra are significantly better in this area. Given that video quality is also an essential aspect of surveillance, it makes sense to invest in a better product.

But the choice gets more robust when we try to choose between the Pro 2 and the Ultra. This is because both cameras serve a different set of customers, with 4K video recording preferred by those in the corporate world, while the 1080p video recording capabilities of the Arlo Pro 2 should be sufficient for home surveillance use. Combining both motion detection and night vision features, these two cameras are undoubtedly the best you can get today.

Do you have any other alternatives for these cameras? Share them below.