Arlo Pro 3 adds 2K HDR, spotlight and siren to wireless security camera
There's a new Arlo wireless security camera hoping to keep an eye on your home, with the Arlo Pro 3 promising 2K HDR video and color night vision for improved footage. Joining the Netgear spin-out's range of battery-powered smart cameras, the Arlo Pro 3 works both indoors and out with a weatherproof casing.
It also pulls together some of the features Arlo owners have been asking for, into a single package. The 2K-resolution sensor, for example, now packs almost 80-percent more pixels than the old camera, and allows for a 12x digital zoom. HDR support means that areas of low and bright light in the scene can coexist more visibly than before.
Arlo pairs the new sensor with a 160-degree field of view lens, and then adds color night vision rather than black and white. There's two-way audio using the microphone and speaker built into the Arlo Pro 3, too. Then the company throws in a spotlight which can illuminate the scene, and a siren that can be sounded manually from the Arlo app, or be triggered automatically when the camera spots motion or hears audio.
The design of the camera has been updated now, too, with a choice of mounting options. There's a magnetic mount for convenience, or a screw mount that can be fixed into place for more security. That's important since, as the Arlo Pro 3 is battery powered, you'll want it to be accessible for recharging. Arlo says a fully-charged battery will last 3-6 months, though that of course depends on how often you use it.
You can either recharge the battery while it's still in the camera, which takes around 3.5 hours using the magnetic charging cable, or pop it out and drop it into a separate charger. That cuts the charge time to 2.9 hours. There's an optional solar panel, a dual charging station for a pair of batteries, and extended length outdoor charging cables too. Any Arlo Ultra accessories should work with the new camera, too.
The Arlo Pro 3 comes with an updated version of the company's Smart Hub, to which it wirelessly connects. That promises better power and WiFi management. It also gets three months of Arlo Smart, the subscription-based cloud recording system which keeps a rolling 30 day log of footage captured. That has adjustable notification settings that can differentiate between people, vehicles, animals, and packages being delivered, in addition to custom activity zones and the ability to contact emergency services through the app complete with the location of the camera itself.
Sales of the Arlo Pro 3 kick off this week, with a starter kit priced at $499.99. That comes with the Smart Hub and two Arlo Pro 3 cameras. Add-on cameras are priced at $199.99 each, while Arlo Smart is $2.99 per month on a per-camera basis, or $9.99 per month for a plan that covers up to ten cameras.