In which direction is camera-based surveillance technology for house and yard heading? A new camera from Arlo, the Pro 5, is an example of what the developers are currently planning. At first glance, it resembles all other cameras from the American manufacturer, whose European sales activities were taken over by Verisure. The first thing that has been tackled here is the software for the smartphone and the web browser, which updates itself automatically as soon as you put a Pro 5 into operation.
The new app initially surprises with many changes and a completely changed menu structure. Once you’ve settled in, you’ll discover the plus points and see what’s on the developers’ minds. The aim is to turn the simple surveillance camera into a complex surveillance system that is closely linked to other smart home components and can be programmed in a granular manner.
Camera is quickly put into operation
With the Pro 5 and the latest Arlo architecture, differentiated scenarios can now be designed. As usual, you can automatically disable Arlo devices when you get home or when you arrive, such as the cameras for indoor surveillance. What is new is the option of automatically starting routines when certain people arrive. Arlo works with a geofence and recognizes a person based on the smartphone they are carrying. It is now possible to initiate further actions by triggering a rule. You come home and the alarm system is not only automatically switched to the presence mode, but the light is also switched on immediately. The possibilities of fine adjustment are differentiated and complex. For example, you can specify for a mode that the sensitivity of the detection of movements or noises also changes.
The new camera is up and running quickly. It connects either to an Arlo hub, which provides a more stable WiFi connection, or directly to the home WiFi network. It’s the first battery-powered Arlo that supports both the 2.4 and 5 gigahertz frequency bands. The manufacturer promises a 30 percent longer battery life than the previous models. We got an average runtime of 10 weeks with the older Pro 3, and initial estimates with the new camera in the same position show that the claim is realistic.
How long a battery charge lasts in practice operation depends on the number of detected movements and alarms as well as the duration of the built-in light, which lights up at night after detecting an activity. The lamp has been fundamentally improved. It now has color night vision and the differences are impressive. While the older cameras show a dark black-and-white image at night, a display that resembles a daylight image is now possible. It’s just a little lacking in sharpness. The camera has a resolution of 2K, so it lags behind the Arlo Ultra, which comes in at 4K. The field of view can be switched from 110 degrees to a wide angle of 160 degrees. Activity zones are used to focus image and video on important areas.
No biometric facial recognition
The Arlo cameras only alert when motion is detected without an additional subscription. Subscription prices start at four euros per month for a single camera. Then the notification settings can be individualized, and there is a very reliable working detection of people, vehicles and animals. This way, an alarm will only sound if the burglar is roaming around the house, but not if it’s the neighbour’s cat. If necessary, you can switch on the built-in siren in the event of an alarm, but it is more of a horn. With a subscription, videos are stored in the cloud for either 30 or 60 days. In this way, beautiful portrait photos of the burglar are preserved even if the camera is destroyed.
Unlike other Arlo cameras, the Pro 5 could not be integrated into Apple’s Homekit. The manufacturer says this functionality will be added later. There is also no biometric facial recognition to identify people. If you are looking in this direction, take a look at Eve’s outdoor camera or the Eufy security cameras. All in all, the new Pro 5 is expensive at a price of 250 euros, but it works very reliably, can be flexibly programmed and, in combination with other Arlo cameras, also allows larger properties to be monitored.