Arlo Pro 3 review: two months with the ultimate wireless security camera

A few months after the launch of its high-end surveillance camera Ultra, Arlo returns to the front of the stage and offers us an update to its Pro range. Here's our full review of the Arlo Pro 3.

After the first Arlo of the name, the Pro and the Pro 2, the brand specializing in home and professional surveillance Arlo unsurprisingly offers us the fourth generation of its best-known range: the Arlo Pro 3. On the paper, the proposal is attractive: 2K sensor, HDR mode, 160 degree field of vision, integrated projector, smart notifications… We will see if all these promises are kept. It will also be interesting to wonder about the added value of the Arlo Ultra camera compared to the camera tested here, namely the Arlo Pro 3.

The pack that I tested in this article includes two Arlo Pro 3 surveillance cameras, enough to offer you a complete test of the autonomy offered by the cameras. These were used for two months and in real conditions, namely in front of my house. Understand that this test reflects practical use of the Arlo Pro 3.

Easy to install

Arlo cameras have the particularity of being battery-operated, so wireless. The absence of a cable greatly facilitates installation in addition to giving the user greater freedom: there is no need to have an electrical outlet near the location where you want to position the camera. Be careful, you still have to make sure that the range of your Wi-Fi network – a repeater or router will do the trick if ever.

The Arlo Pro 3 from every angle

Like its big sister Arlo Ultra, the Arlo Pro 3 only took me about ten minutes to install. The procedure is classic and unsurprisingly requires going through the manufacturer application, available on Android and iOS. The first step is to connect a hub to the mains and to the Internet box. Arlo cameras require a connection bridge – called a SmartHub – to work. The connection between the SmartHub and the Internet box is via Ethernet: the hub must therefore be positioned near the latter. The design and the white color of the SmartHub are appreciable. It's not a work of art, but its sobriety and lightness still allow it to be placed on a TV cabinet without distorting the whole thing - I for my part wisely hid the hub in my TV cabinet.

The Arlo Pro 3 SmartHub

Once the hub is plugged in, all you have to do is create an account or log into the app. The latter will detect the SmartHub, which will in turn scan the surroundings to find the surveillance cameras. That's it, all you have to do is position the camera in the desired location. The basic pack that I tested consists of two cameras and two different mounting systems.

The first steps of the installation

The magnetic solution is well thought out since it ensures a firm hold of the camera while leaving the possibility of modifying the position of the camera, just to aim precisely at an area that you want to monitor. Be careful, a malicious person will have no trouble removing the camera from its magnetic base if the assembly is within reach. We cannot ask everything from a magnetic system, but we must admit that knowing the possible disappearance of a surveillance camera costing several hundred euros is not reassuring. We will at least have the last images of the thief if necessary.

The magnetic attachment

The second mounting system is a little more secure in that it is fixed to the wall or any other support using three screws. The camera is screwed to this support: it will be less easy to unhook than with the magnetic system. The only part of the installation process that can get long is this one, but DIYers will still manage to fix three screws.

The second type of binding

I installed the two cameras in front of my garage, which allows me to monitor the entrance to my property. The positions and fields of view of the two cameras complement each other: one is a little more oriented on the stairs leading to my front door and the other on my mailbox. As you will surely have understood, these cameras can be used and have been designed to be used outdoors. In addition to being weatherproof, the Arlo Pro 3 is said to work in temperatures ranging from -20 to 45 degrees Celsius. Nothing to report on my side: my cameras did not undergo intensive rains, but resisted the winter temperatures very well. However, nothing prevents you from placing them indoors.

Let's finish this part on the design of the camera. It remains unchanged from that of the Arlo Ultra, which is not a bad thing. I won't say that this monocoque design and its glossy white plastic finish blends into any type of decor, but it does at least have the merit of remaining elegant while leaving no doubt about the nature of the product hung on the wall: it It is indeed a surveillance camera.

A good app for great notifications

Arlo offers a single application to control its various products. Soberly named Arlo, the latter is available for free on Android and iOS. Those who already have Arlo products won't be confused by the organization of the app since they already use it, but new Arlo Pro 3 camera owners will need a few uses to fully understand how it works.

Before detailing the organization of the application and notifications, it is worth explaining how the camera works. The latter works on battery, and Arlo therefore does everything to preserve its autonomy. Thus the camera never films continuously and waits for instructions to film. Understand that it starts recording as soon as it detects a movement, regardless of the nature of the latter – animal, vehicle or any other movement. The camera takes a while to activate and record. It is therefore common for the clip to start when the person has already traveled some distance in the monitored area. Note that if you have not selected animal notifications, the clips linked to such events will still be available in the history, since the camera necessarily activates when a movement is detected: it does not know how to advance what triggered it.

The application is made up of three parts. The middle one is the first one offered to the user after opening the application. It offers a view of the different cameras and allows you to interact with them. Note that, in order to save battery, the live video stream does not start as soon as the application is opened: it is necessary to click on the thumbnail to access the live stream. From then on, it is possible to start a recording, take a photo, activate the microphone and the projector – we will come back to this element in the next part.

It is in the second pane that it is possible to consult the history of recorded videos. The clips are sorted by day and are marked with their duration, the type of event (audio, movement, person…) and the time at which they occurred. Each of these clips is available for viewing, sharing and downloading. The history can quickly fill up and make it difficult to find a specific clip, but Arlo has thought of offering a filter feature: the user can therefore sort the clips by type of event and by camera. Too bad it's still not possible to sort them by time.

This is where you can view the recorded videos

The last part allows you to manage the SmartHub, which is considered the nerve center of the system. It is by configuring this element that we determine the operation of the camera. If the base is disarmed, the Arlo Pro 3 will never be active and will not record any clips. You must arm the base to receive notifications. It is also possible to arm the base according to selected time slots or according to its position.

The application here uses the position of the telephone and arms or disarms the base depending on its distance from the home. This last mode has not been proven: it almost never worked, or with much too much delay. I left it for the classic mode. I have indeed always left the base armed, and here is the scenario I have chosen: the camera directed towards the letterbox starts recording as soon as a movement or muffled noise is detected, and this until the end of the event (5 minutes maximum), the other camera does the same, but does not activate for a loud noise.

Here, we have to go into several sub-menus to configure everything

The settings leave a lot of freedom and a wide choice of possibilities in terms of notifications. It is even possible to make it so that the detection of a movement by camera 1 starts a recording on camera 2. My only regret is the lack of clarity of the notification settings. One part is controlled from the section just described, and the other in the general settings of the application. Also, you have to go to sub-menus, then sub-sub-menus to find what you are looking for. It is too easy to get lost and a new user will certainly take some time to understand that it is imperative to configure the database to receive notifications, even if he has already chosen in the parameters the type of notifications he wishes to receive.

Precisely, let's now focus on these notifications. They are still as effective as ever and have even been improved with an update to the application. Each notification, in addition to displaying the type and time of the movement, embeds an image of the event. Better still, the object in question (human, animal, etc.) is highlighted by being framed and brighter than the rest of the scene. It is therefore rare to have to open the application to check an item. The notifications arrive in a very short time and are of exemplary consistency: for example, I systematically receive an alert when I leave my home every morning. This notification system is a success.

You still have to perform some tests on the notification settings to avoid being bombarded with them, which is completely normal for a product of this type. The user can choose to be alerted or not for each type of notification: people, vehicles, animals and any other movement – ​​for example a human who would not have been recognized by the algorithm.

In addition to offering detection of loud noises, smoke detector alarms and other carbon monoxides, Arlo offers package recognition in beta. Nothing seems to have changed since my test of the Arlo Ultra: the success rate is too low. My poor mother has indeed once again been mistaken for a parcel. We understand better why Arlo does not yet offer face detection and recognition. Google Nest has a big lead on the subject.

Not quite

It is possible to create activity zones in the application: it is a question of delimiting a very specific zone and only receiving alerts when an activity is detected in the zone in question. Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine a specific type of notification for each zone.

Finally, Arlo has thought of offering a “Mute” mode for notifications, very useful to avoid receiving dozens of alerts during a party, for example. It is imperative to go to the application settings to activate this mode on Android, while a simple interaction with the notification is enough on iOS. Damage. The application is fluid and pleasant to use, but I have the same comments as during my test of the Arlo Ultra: it deserves to be a little more careful. Some elements are too small and therefore difficult to access, others are poorly placed or even poorly integrated. For example, I find the reading interface poorly optimized: the image could take up more space and thus erase the useless black borders.

Image quality and performance

The 8 mm sensor of the Pro 3 and its 4 megapixels offer 2K video definition – 2560 x 1440 to be precise. The image quality is unsurprisingly excellent. The performance offered by the Arlo Pro 3 is more than sufficient to read a license plate and to discern a human face. Clips recorded during the day offer a very good level of detail for a surveillance camera. Videos are neither overexposed nor underexposed. An automatic HDR mode is present and partly explains this good management of high-contrast areas.

The Pro 3 remains excellent in night videos and even offers to color the images thanks to an infrared mode and integrated projector combo. The latter is very useful since in addition to improving the quality of night videos, it lights up as soon as someone passes in front of it: very practical when you come home at night, but also to make a malicious person understand that it is filmed. It should be explained that the projector is not constantly on, because autonomy would take a big hit if it did. Thus, the night scenes are only colored for the time of the lighting by the projector. For the rest, the infrared mode is very good and retains good management of contrasting areas. This mode is unsurprisingly more accurate and faithful than the color night vision mode.

The 160 degree wide angle offered by the camera is also very useful. Note that the Arlo Pro 2's field of view was 130 degrees, and the latest high-end model in the line, the Ultra, offers a 180-degree field of view.

Here you will find a video with several clips recorded by my two Arlo Pro 3 cameras, enough to leave you alone to judge the image quality day and night. This video will also be an opportunity for you to learn about the performance of the microphones, the loudspeaker and the integrated siren. Despite the 80 dB it offers, I still find it just as weak, even ridiculous. It will still have the merit of demotivating some beginner thieves.

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You will have understood that it is possible to communicate with a person in front of the camera via the application. Communication remained quite satisfactory despite the very poor performance of my Wi-Fi network. There is still a significant delay - the time to open the application and launch the microphone mode. This delay will surely be longer than that of the postman who decides to ship the package for lack of a response.

Note the presence of an “auto tracking” mode. The latter automatically zooms and follows the moving element. Be careful, this mode deactivates the 2K definition and drops the video quality to 1080p. The images remain largely usable, but lose detail. Precisely, it is possible to take advantage of a digital zoom x12 in the application, and here is the rendering of different zoom levels on the same element – ​​in 2K mode.

The pleasant surprise of autonomy

This is the part that will surely interest the most readers. Rest assured, I took advantage of my two test copies to offer you a real test of autonomy. I configured the two cameras in this way to compare the autonomy according to the configurations:

As you will have understood, the configuration of camera 2 should allow better autonomy than that of camera 1. Note that the projector of camera 1 turned on for thirty seconds with each movement detected during the night. After charging to 100% and installing both Pro 3s, I noted on my phone the battery level of both cameras every day at the same time – 20 hours for the curious. Here is the result, in the form of a graph.

Let's quickly interpret these results. Despite its more energy-intensive configuration, camera 1 lasted three days longer than camera 2 – 38 days compared to 35. The placement of the latter partly explains this result: the camera was pointing towards an area that presented a little more activity than camera 1 – understand that it was waking up more often to record clips.

It is important to understand that these results (35 and 38 days) reflect my own usage. The autonomy of these surveillance cameras depends on their placement. Thus other less advanced uses will make the cameras reach 2 months of autonomy. Understand that a camera pointed at a rarely visited piece of garden will not have the same autonomy as a camera giving access to a very busy passage. The cameras were, on my side, called upon every day. The members who make up my household go out and come in at least once a day, several vehicles pass by every day and the neighbor's cats come to squat my driveway every night. I check the live video feed from my smartphone two to three times maximum per week.

I wanted to repeat the same experience after recharging the cameras, but my Wi-Fi was acting up for several days, forcing very frequent disconnections and reconnections of the cameras and at the same time scuttling their autonomy. Result ? 12 days. The latter reflects anything but normal use, but I decided to offer you a graphic anyway.

Arlo Ultra or Arlo Pro 3?

Both cameras offer the same application, the same web client, the same functionalities and the same design. The difference is mainly and logically played on the video quality offered: the Ultra can film in 4K, against a 2K definition for the Pro 3. The latter still has the advantage. For what ? Quite simply because the use of 4K definition on the Ultra is (too) limited: you have to checkout so that the clips recorded are in 4K and not in 1080p. Conversely, the Pro 3 records clips in 2K straight after taking the camera out of the box. A good surprise.

The Arlo Pro 3 on the left and the Arlo Ultra on the right

These two cameras offer the same features – precise notifications, detection of elements in the image, activity zones and above all cloud recording. Please note that these benefits require subscription to the Arlo Smart service. The latter is free for 3 months with the purchase of the Pro 3 against one year for the Ultra. Let's go back to the Pro 3. After the three free months, you will have to pay the subscription to find these essential features. Count €2.79 per month for one camera and €8.99 per month for five cameras.

It’s once again at the subscription point that things get complicated for Arlo. The offers offered are too numerous, too complicated to understand and above all too expensive for cameras costing several hundred euros. There is a subscription that allows the camera to continuously record the video stream in the cloud – unsurprisingly you have to leave the camera plugged into the mains in this case. The Smart subscription is essential in my opinion: without it, no more clips are saved in the cloud, only the live video stream can be consulted. Note that with the subscription, each clip remains available for 30 days, which leaves plenty of time to download it. Remember that the Pro 2 offers free cloud storage for 7 days, without ever having to pay a subscription.

Small hub connection point: The Arlo Ultra can connect to the Arlo Pro 3 SmartHub and vice versa. Bad luck if you have Pro 2 or earlier cameras: you will necessarily have to buy the new hub to use the Pro 3. You can however connect your old cameras to the new hub. Note that the microSD port located on the base of the Arlo Ultra has been replaced by a classic USB port. It is indeed possible to save videos locally with the Arlo Pro 3, but this use remains limited. The clips recorded on the USB key are not available from the application: you must remove the key from the base and connect it to a device to play the videos. We have experienced more practice. Both cameras offer integrations with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. For now, only the Ultra has Apple HomeKit compatibility, but the Pro 3 will soon follow.

We have just listed the main differences between the Arlo Ultra and the Arlo Pro 3, and unless you absolutely want 4K quality, I can only recommend buying the Pro 3. You will get very good and sufficient 2K quality, the same features, better battery life, all at a better price. Precisely, let's end this test on the price asked by Arlo for its latest surveillance camera.

Quality at a price

For users who already have a compatible SmartHub, the Arlo Pro 3 is sold alone at 299.99 euros. For the others, it will be necessary to go through packs containing a hub and cameras. The cheapest pack consists of two cameras and a SmartHub. The latter is offered at a price of 599.99 euros. Yes, this year, the brand does not offer a pack with a camera and a hub, forcing the potential buyer to turn to the pack at nearly 600 euros. Thoughtful choice or not, we have known more advantageous for consumers.

Three and four camera kits are also commercially available.