Review: Arlo Ultra 2 Spotlight Camera

When it comes to smart home security, there’s Arlo – and then there are all the others. Originally part of Netgear, Arlo has been making security cameras longer than most and has a huge range.

The Arlo Ultra 2 is the top model for home use. Which is also reflected in the price. You can buy several wireless cameras for what a single Ultra 2 camera costs. But not with the same technical specifications.

On the outside, however, the Arlo Ultra 2 looks similar to the company’s other cameras: a rounded unit in white or black high-gloss plastic that can be attached magnetically or with the screw mount included in the package. The package contains two, three or four cameras (the price listed is for a two-camera package). The package also includes a hub. Arlo Ultra 2 is wireless, but cannot be used directly on the wireless network.

The hub as a collection centre may seem a bit cumbersome (Arlo also has cameras that can be used directly on Wi-Fi, such as the Arlo Essential 2K Outdoor Camera). However, the advantage of the hub can be that the cameras have their own network and don’t rely on good coverage from the router in every corner of the home.

You can also insert a microSD card into the hub, which can store recordings from all cameras. The hub can be used with all Arlo devices in the household – even those that can go directly to Wi-Fi.

The camera is weatherproof with an IP65 certification, which is plenty as long as you don’t directly hose it down with a garden hose. The rechargeable battery is rated to last six months of normal use.

With 4K resolution, the Arlo Ultra 2 can record in the same resolution as the best TV shows. But it’s not just about watching your dog’s pastime on the big screen in the same quality as Squid Game while you’re away. The resolution also allows for up to 12x digital zoom without the close-up image becoming (severely) pixelated. In the Arlo app, you can choose whether each camera should record in full aspect ratio or zoom and pan to follow movement.

Setup is relatively straightforward and is done via the Arlo mobile app. Once the hub is connected to the network, each camera is recognised and assigned a location in the home. The app also includes help functions for setting the camera angle and for each camera you can define which part of the field of view should be monitored.

Recognises people, animals and packages

The camera is able to recognise people, animals and vehicles. You can set each camera to react to one or more of these things – as well as other movements. A scenario could be that the camera in the living room should react to people, but not to animals or other movements, which would typically be branches outside the window. If you have a camera at the front door, it can also be set to recognise packages that have been delivered.

In practice, the recognition works perfectly. The camera instantly recognises that there is a person lurking in the room (and thus that the author of this article is neither an animal nor a vehicle), and the camera’s zoom and pan follow the target around the room. At the same time, messages tick in on the phone from each camera. The recordings can be viewed in the app, from where they can also be downloaded and used as evidence.

However, Arlo Ultra 2 does not offer the ability for the cameras to learn to recognise household residents in the same way that Google Nest Cam can. If you want to avoid becoming the star of your own TV show, you have to remember to switch the cameras off when you get home – and switch them on when you leave. To make things easier, the app has a Geofencing feature that activates the cameras when the mobile phone is removed from the address. Multiple mobile devices can be registered so that the cameras are only active when all residents are out.

Security comes at a cost

You don’t get anything for free – especially not peace of mind. To use the cameras for effective surveillance, you need a subscription.

You can technically use the cameras without a subscription, but without online storage and without the AI-based recognition features. Which means you’re a passive spectator to a live feed from your home. And without being able to save the evidence.

When you buy the subscription, you get three months free trial – so you can slowly get used to the idea of the fixed cost.