Top positive review
62 people found this helpful
The perfect video doorbell
By Junior Lara on Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2020
After extensive searching and comparing. Finally decided for the Arlo video doorbell. The main feature is the ability to see more of a vertical view rather than a horizontal. Which, I my case, I am able to see my packages that arrive at all times. - The installation process was a breeze! Following the steps through the app is about as easy as it can get. The only issue I had was turning off the power for the door bell itself. Tried any and all breakers that could be associated with the doorbell, but no luck. It is to my understanding that I may be wire with the furnace depending of the wiring. However, some homes may have the correct circuit breaker. I continued the installation process with caution and was able to install with no issues. - The screw is about an 8 size. I used a 1/8” drill bit for the pilot hole. Worked perfectly. **Update to this part: found a super handy chart and I realized I should have used a different size. Regardless, the 1/8” it still worked for me. - The set up process of the actual video doorbell was also seamless. The app guides you in detail through every step and even offers solutions to problems you might encounter. - Video quality of the Arlo video doorbell is phenomenal. Keeping in mind that it is a small camera, it definitely surpassed my expectation. Having that vertical field of view rather than the horizontal, to me was a lot more beneficial. - The app notifies you of any movement within about 6 to 10 seconds! Once on the app you’ll be able to view the video clip. At first I was fascinated by this, however, I quickly grew tired of getting notified of every car that passed by the street. And that’s where this app is better than others. The Arlo app allows you to customize zones that you want to be notified when something enters that zone. I am able to get the side walk, all of my front yard to include my entrance and some of my driveway. Keep in mind that not all entrances face out directly to the street. The Arlo video doorbell comes with a wall mount that is tilted so you are able to get a better view, with doorbells that do not point to the street. - If someone rings your doorbell, the app will call you phone. In which you can communicate with the person outside and let’s you view the video as well. Furthermore, it allows you to leave your own customized audio message if you do not answer. - The only “negative” comment I have to say about this is the subscription service. But that is relative, let me explain. Arlo starts you off with a 3 month free trial, in which, you get all the benefits of having an Arlo doorbell. Such as, setting zones is your video so you don’t get alerts for every movement. It learn behaviors such as people, cars and animals. Cloud service for 30 days in which you can save clips. And plenty more! After your trial is over, all these features are gone and it becomes a regular video doorbell. Yes, you still get notified but you are not able to make certain adjustments. If you want to continue with the service there’s a fee associated with every Arlo product that you have to pay for. For example, if you have Arlo video cameras and Arlo floodlight then they are considered independent which you have to pay for individually. I will provide an update, but I believe that for the door bell it is $3.99. - Overall I would highly recommend the Arlo video doorbell. The installation and set up process was extremely easy coupled with the guidance of the Arlo app, it sets you up for success. Additionally, it is worth noting that after 3 months of the Arlo service subscription you will be given the option to continue the service. Meaning monthly subscription. Regardless, if you are in the market for a high quality doorbell and service look no further than the Arlo video doorbell.
Top critical review
349 people found this helpful
WARNING: You May Not Enjoy All the Features That Make Arlo Systems So Expensive
By Ed Zapf on Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2021
The good: 1. Good video quality. 2. Easy mounting and setup. 3. Notification includes snapshot of what triggered motion sensor sent directly to my Apple watch. The bad: 1. Quite expensive compared to alternatives. 2. Paid subscription required for saving video to cloud ($15/month for 30 days 4k cloud recording or 10/month for 2k cloud recording. By comparison, Wyze gives you 14 days cloud recording for free). 3. Beware the 3 month trial subscription that comes with it. Nowhere does it say "free." I discovered that it is a 3 month trial - that you pay for! and at the end of 3 months, apparently, I guess, you get to decide if you want to CONTINUE paying? I'm only 3 weeks in now, so I'm a little curious what will happen at the end of three months. I suspect they just keep charging you. [UPDATE: Reading other reviews, it seems that the 3 month trial service is free? Not sure why they charged me, but I am done fighting with them and I will just cancel] 4. Apparently, if you have an Arlo Video doorbell and an Arlo hub or base station, the doorbell must be connected to the Arlo hub or base station, not directly to Wi-Fi, for the doorbell to ring a conventional chime. [UPDATE: this is not true. The doorbell will ring the chime connected to either Wi-Fi or base station. I discovered my doorbell transformer was under-rated for this application, which caused my original problem] And that leads me to customer service.. 5. Customer service is horrendous!!! Can't stress this enough. Here is what I am currently going through: I ordered this 2 camera system and an Arlo doorbell at the same time. The doorbell arrived first, so I installed it. Worked great. A few days later the 2 camera system arrived, so I installed it too. Worked great too. A few days later, I discovered that the doorbell was no longer ringing the mechanical chime. Doorbell worked fine when it was the only Arlo device and it was connected to Wi-Fi. After using it for a few days, I added an Arlo base station with 2 cameras. The doorbell was still connected to Wi-Fi and it stopped ringing the mechanical chime. I read somewhere, I though in one of Arlo's documents but maybe not, that if a system has a base station, the doorbell must be connected through the base station or it will not ring a chime. Well, that's annoying! So, I deleted the doorbell from the Wi-Fi and added it to the base station as directed. It still did not ring the chime. So, I deleted it and tried to add again but I can't. Now I am unable to add it to the hub and I am unable to add it directly to Wi-Fi. The doorbell is not discoverable, as if it's already connected to some system but it's not. So I went from having a working video doorbell to a doorbell that would not ring the chime after I installed the base station and 2 cameras to a doorbell that does nothing. I feel like I'm of average intelligence and somewhat tech savvy. I can usually get most things working. Why can't I figure this out?? I went to Arlo support for help. I searched all Arlo's relevant documents. I searched google for any assistance. I tried all the troubleshooting tips and tricks I could find. No luck. I want to call someone and start shouting. There is no phone number to call; there is no email address to ask a question; you have to submit a trouble ticket from the Arlo app. So, I did. After 3 days, I received a response from Arlo suggesting that I try some of the troubleshooting aids that I had already tried. I am losing faith in this company very quickly. The response also asked for lots of information including proof of purchase, screen shot of internet upload/download speed, and screen shot that the device really is not installed on my account. I answered all the questions and provided all the information requested. The app only allows 1 attachment, so I attached my sales receipt and had to send the screen shots separately. Odd, why would they tell me to attach 3 things but only allow one attachment? I am questioning my own sanity in purchasing this company's product. I pressed save, and the app crashed. I lost all the information I typed in. I am now losing my will to live. So I redid it all, saved it to a Word document, pressed save, and the app crashed again. Third try: I copied my information from Word, pasted into Arlo support, pressed save - success! Hooray! Small victory in actually sending my request for service. I am now waiting 3 days for a reply that I expect to be totally useless and unhelpful. Wait, there's a weekend included, so maybe I'm waiting 5 days. Either I will get this stupid doorbell working in the next week or I will return everything and buy something else. Update to follow. UPDATE: I have now been in contact with Arlo 5 times over the last 3 weeks. They have been sending me very similar messages with minor additions or deletions to the troubleshooting tips and tricks. I have dutifully complied with all suggestions. I never got the doorbell connected to the base station, but it did finally connect to Wi-Fi again after about 30-40 tries, no exaggeration, just doing the same thing over and over. Also, I discovered that my doorbell transformer was under-rated for the Arlo video doorbell, which caused the original problem of not ringing the chime. It needs to be 16-30V. Mine read 15.6V - I assume just enough to ring the chime when I first installed the doorbell, but not enough to sustain. So, I replaced the transformer and now I've got a working video doorbell again. However, it is connected to Wi-Fi, not to the base station. I really would like to connect to the base station to record to an SD card and to eliminate the bandwidth used on Wi-Fi. My fifth and latest message to Arlo included the question, "I am reluctant to delete the doorbell from the Wi-Fi to attempt connecting to the base station again because of all the trouble I had connecting it at all. It honestly took about 30-40 tries. So, if I do disconnect from the wi-fi and can never get it connected again, what recourse will I have?" Awaiting response. UPDATE-2: After about one month and eight replies to-from Arlo support, video doorbell still cannot connect to Arlo Base Station. Arlo support’s final determination is that my internet service is too slow to connect the doorbell to the base station. They want me to upgrade my internet service and try again. I’m not sure I believe that. If it is the case, then I don't understand why I wasn't told that one month and seven replies ago when I sent my first internet speed screen shot - could have avoided 20-30 frustrating hours of failed attempts to connect the doorbell to the base station. Also, based on their numbers, my other cameras would not work, but they do. Why would my internet connection prevent a low bandwidth video doorbell to connect when two higher bandwidth cameras work with no trouble? I am not in a position to upgrade my internet connection at this time, especially not as a troubleshooting aid that may not help. I prefer to cut costs, not take on extra costs. Following that intent, I will now cancel my Arlo subscription. Anticipating any potential future problems will not be supported, I have no reason to continue subscribing to any Arlo service. So, my goal here is to warn everyone to do your research thoroughly. Otherwise, you may not enjoy all the features that make Arlo systems so expensive. I now know that I am not knowledgeable enough to have asked the right questions or to have conducted the proper research to ensure that an Arlo system fits my need. I could have saved hundreds of dollars by purchasing a competitor's system that would have given me the same reduced features that I get from my current Arlo system. Also, beware Amazon and other places advertise Arlo as compatible with Alexa. From what I can tell, it is NOT! There is no Arlo app for Kindle Fire. There once was but it is now defunct. In all, this was a very expensive, time consuming, frustrating learning process.
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