Arlo: The Security Camera Company I'm Ditching for Something Better

I'm retiring my Arlo Pro cameras! This isn't a product review. More, we need to chat about the long term use of a product, and how companies change their support over time. Even just covering the basics, our gadgets are getting more and more expensive...

0:00 Intro
1:08 We REALLY liked Arlo
2:11 What changed?
3:33 Alternatives to Cloud?
5:27 Burnt out on Subscriptions!

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[HangingTurkey]

Fun fact: Even if you have a SmartHub connected to your Arlo for local storage, if you don't pay for a Smart plan, they lower your bitrate in recordings

[KansasCityKoop]

I just received an email from Arlo saying they will no longer be supporting/updating the model I have as of April 2023. I just purchased them in 2018 and now they are going to have limited functionality!!!  

There was no offer to turn them in for a credit, or get discounted price to upgrade to the newer models. I've subscribed to their annual plan for several years now, and I have a lot of their products. Looking at alternatives now since they clearly have zero value for their loyal customers.

[johnhardman]

I have one Arlo camera which I bought for evaluation purposes, and have been considering purchasing a number of the Arlo Pro 5, which looks like a great camera and meets my particular functional requirements. However, I am still dithering, because of the business model, including subscriptions, customer support accessibility etc. Alternatively, I like the look of eufy's local storage philosophy, but am put off because of security concerns and (during my testing) less impressive video quality. At this rate, I'm going to end up buying cameras that I isolate on their own network so that they cannot send stuff to the cloud (or to China), set up my own local storage, use a third-party tool for visual recognition of people, animals etc., and wrap it all up in Home Assistant which I use for automation. That's a lot of effort on my part, for something that a trustworthy company should be able to provide without customers getting dragged into the consequences of customer-unfriendly business models

[ravynalexander]

I have Arlo Pros all around my property. The driveway camera was aimed where it could see my daughter's car on the street. One morning, an hour after she parked out front, her car was stolen. There was a skip in the video. We could see her park the car in her usual spot out front. Approximately 20 min of tape is missing. The next video shows her car just gone. We kept rewinding thinking we missed something. Somehow the camera did not pick up who took the car nor them leaving with the car. I'm looking to get new cameras now.

[kappaman]

Thanks for posting this. I have been buying(upgrading) Arlo cameras for years. Didn't read the fine print on these Arlo 4s about the subscription. It pisses me off that I have to purchase a subscription to use the more than $1000 worth of cameras that I purchased from Arlo!! If they were still under warranty, I would take them back and go old school on them with a dedicated camera system. I say we boycott those itches until they come up with a solution that could use local storage again!!!

[darbyr]

Thanks for posting this. Due to Arlo's new EOL policy, I reached out to them to get some info on the different options and they would only direct me to India chat personnel. I told the chat guy to tell his superiors that after 10 years of a trouble free Arlo expereince, I am leaving them behind. Because of stories like yours and poor customer service. Think I'll go back to wired as well.

[Explore-Gobal]

I've bought an Arlo doorbell camera and have been relatively pleased with it. I don't subscribe to their plan and have also noticed the lag in connecting when motion is detected. Seeing that they are using this so called End of Life tactic to force users to upgrade has made me and probably many others drop Arlo products for future considerations. This is a bad business move on their part.

[adave]

I was a victim, er, customer of Arlo. I purchased a 6-cam system (4 wireless with a hub, 2 indoor plug-ins) that promised certain features and certain cloud access. I set the system up the way I wanted and enjoyed it for the less-than-perfect compromise that it is. They served their function adequately... until they did not. Over the years, Arlo changed, then reduced functionality. Technically, I still have a functioning security cam setup. However, it is hobbled by the reduced feature set that came when I chose NOT to pay them for a "subscription" to the services I had ALREADY paid for through the outrageously expensive initial purchase price.

"End of life?" The cams still work fine. Can you imagine automobile manufacturers EOL-ing your car that is already paid off? You'll get a notice that reads: "While all aspects of your car will still continue to function, in order to drive at speeds in excess of 45 MPH, you will be required to subscribe to one of our Speed Limit plans:..."

LESSON LEARNED: I will never again pay for a "cloud" based security system. I will replace this system with a system I actually own and can control, with LOCAL video storage.

[waymor]

I just returned a Eufy doorbell because it would not detect people walking up to the door. Oddly it did alert every time a car passed by our house on the road 30 feet away. Dealing with customer service was awful. All the email responses seemed to be from bad AI. So I’m now back in the doorbell cam market.

[akzoc]

I went to a lot of trouble to install 5 Arlo cameras. I did a lot of custom work in the installations. Now I am forced to rip all that custom work out and start over due to Arlo’s bait and switch subscription model. I am shopping around for a different brand of security
Cameras that use an NVR, no cloud, ability to access from the internet, and internet notifications. I operate web servers from my basement, so it seems like such a thing could be possible.
I don’t want to stay with a company like a Arlo, that uses a bait and switch business model. Who knows what scam they will pull next. They may not be done with implementation of predatory practices.

[GypsyStacker]

OMG man this is almost EXACTLY 100% what we have been and are going through!!! Not trying to start a bunch of stuff here, but I would NEVER tell anyone to give Arlo a penny. I can
t wait until we can afford to get away from that company. Just got our "Ultra" base station for another $99 bucks!!! Yay! I really can not express my frustration enough with this company, these cameras, and the YEARS of issues we have had. Pay us a arm and leg for a product that dose not work, you can not get help with, and were gonna box you into a monthly plan for all that expensive equipment you have bought (THAT NEVER WORKS) and keep putting the nails to ya. THAT is my experience with Arlo.

[akzoc]

I had Arlo cameras that worked without paying for a subscription. I bought a new camera. Only after I installed it did I find out that to use the new camera I had to pay $2.99/month. That took me by surprise. I’m now looking to replace the Arlos. I’m now looking for cameras that have local storage and don’t require a paid subscription.

[phishsaw]

Dude! I have arlo cameras and I'm now looking to replace them. All my cameras started to glitch and cannot keep focus! Their customer support is such a freaking joke and that's why I'm replacing these cameras! Agree with you 100%

[jdiez]

Worst costumer service, no chat, not phone number, not nothing... I did tried to set up my account multiple times until the last minute of my patience. Stay away of this product if you don want headaches and unpleasant moments and waste of time and money...

[imuscle]

I have had the arlo cameras back when they used disposable batteries. Customer service has always been very poor. The cameras are expensive...the plans are expensive...I have 13 Arlo cameras. I am always looking for something better. It is just to this point, I haven't found anything.

[SteveKSub]

People talk about wired systems with local storage. Anyone go this route? Were you able to install yourself? Do you get notifications when you are away from home? What did you get? Thanks!

[KelliV-gb]

I recently bought a BW6, and I feel that the wide angle is not bad, and I can see more space. One day when I was watching a video, even in a very dark place, I found that I could see a mosquito flying past very clearly. This is something I didn't expect！！

[psieb]

Arlo support hung up on me when I told them I didn't want monthly cloud subscription. All I wanted to do was access my storage in my base hub

[Zaf-fpxe]

Thanks for the insight S&SHIQ. We're looking to replace our 1990's wired security system that had been supplemented with a few Arlo cameras several years ago. The Arlo cloud storage was great (and free). Without that we'll just scrap everything and start over with a bundled system that has better features and overall value. Unfortunately the Arlo package is not a strong candidate.

[GiosueMannino]

a few years ago, I had a bad ultra 2 camera. I went through all of the trouble shooting a dozen times before I came to the conclusion that it was a bad camera. I stayed on the phone with customer service for a few hours, doing the same trouble shooting time after time. They finally came to the conclusion that the camera was bad. Also, alro alerted me to someone trying to break in my car and it was so delayed that they were gone before I even made it out the door. Arlo saved their life that night