REVIEW: Arlo Pro 3 – A Simple, High-Quality Home Security Option

Since separating from Netgear and becoming its own business entity, home automation company Arlo has gone on to become one of the go-to brands for smart home security options, and that run continues with their latest offering, the Arlo Pro 3.

The Pro 3 ($949) comes in a two-camera pack with an updated SmartHub for even better network traffic management, while add-on cameras will set you back an extra $419 each.

It works with Alexa and Google Assistant and is designed to provide a high-performance, simple and wire-free security solution.

The Pro 3 features 2K HDR resolution, an integrated spotlight with colour night vision and built-in siren, a super-wide 160-degree field of view, two-way audio, and is great to use both indoors and out.

Full disclosure, when it comes to smart home security systems, I am what you would call a noob. Never really had a need to use one of these in my home before, so this was all new to me. Taking that into account, it’s great that the Arlo Pro 3 is really simple to set-up and use.

Arlo’s smartphone app easily guides you through the installation process smoothly, while the weather-resistant cameras can be easily installed at nearly any angle with the magnetic mount or screw mount.

The concave design of the magnetic mount gave me a lot of freedom in terms of setting up the viewing angle and just needed a single screw to put in place, although the additional pole mount is definitely the more secure option.

As for the video quality, it sits between Arlo’s two current-gen cameras (the Arlo Pro 2 and the Pro Ultra), boasting a good 2K resolution with support for HDR and a great wide-angle field-of-view at 160-degrees. I found the videos shot on the Pro 3 to look great with clarity across both the light and dark areas.

The addition of full-colour night vision, thanks to the built-in LED spotlight, is also a really handy and differentiating feature compared to other similar home security cameras in the market, and I found the footage that was shot at night to also be of high quality.

I also found the optional auto-tracking mode to be quite a handy little feature, which digitally zooms in to follow the action on screen. The motion detection aspect worked well enough and is quite customisable.

It’s a great feature for checking in on my little ratbag of a dog (a Jack Russell with far too much energy on its hands) to see what kind of mischief he’s up to when he’s alone and bored at home. This would be something I would previously only find out about after-the-fact once I’ve gotten home and seen the damage.

There are also some more advanced features such as an AI and vision-based service, which delivers advanced detections of people, animals (would’ve been handy for my spying of my dog), vehicles, and even packages, although this is a feature that can only be unlocked via subscription to the Arlo Smart services. You do get a three-month free trial with the Arlo Pro 3, which is a plus.

The Arlo Pro 3 also comes with a rechargeable, long-lasting battery, along with a magnetic charging cable, which can also be used to directly power the device.

CONCLUSION

The Arlo Pro 3 delivers high-quality video quality with a wide range of handy and advanced features, which sets it apart from other smart home security systems.

It looks slick and is really easy to use, even for smart home security noobs like myself.

Although, at the price point, some might find it more worthwhile to get another similar, cheaper product instead.

VALUE: 6/10

DESIGN: 8/10

PERFORMANCE: 8/10