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click image to enlargeSetting up the base station is just a matter of attaching the supplied mains lead and plugging the supplied Ethernet cable into the router and the base station.
As with most recent items it is controlled by your SmartPhone via the Arlo App that you download from the iOS or Android store, next create an Arlo account. Now with the camera within a metre of the base station follow the onscreen instructions to link them together, that’s it.
Next you choose where to place the camera this can be indoors say on a shelf or outdoors via a magnetic link to a small dock – screws provided – and you can then see whatever is in the line on view.
You get rather good HD images on your phone in daylight or if the area is lit, if unlit then the infra-red gives clear monochrome images. There is also two way sound so if not in and the camera has a view of your front door you can speak with the caller.
The base station that the camera links to must be within an Ethernet cable length of your Router. The initial boot will take around two minutes – follow the App instructions – and once booted the base station can be out of sight.
While the camera is an outdoor offering it can work indoor and as – once charged – is wireless so can be placed on a shelf or moved around. Once outside there is a magnetic mount provided in the box. The downloadable User Guide has a lot of useful information about where to fix to get the correct view.
Once placed or located the camera is ‘armed’ to capture movement and sounds.
Live view is possible at any time via the App and there is a good Zoom setting so you can check exactly who or what is in the cameras field from wherever you and your SmartPhone are.
Cloud storage in included in the cost of the unit unlike some other manufacturers where cloud storage is an extra.
Motion detection can be always on, always off, set on to a schedule or ‘Geofenced’ the last mentioned can be set automatically when the SmartPhone leaves the area. It is also possible for you to select rules that might have the camera armed and the sound detection off or the other way round.
Motion sensitivity is also important so a ground moving item such as a cat or fox would not set off the alarm. Try to avoid trees or bushes in the selected area as a high wind could give false positives.
The overall User Manual deserves a gold star as it is clear and well written and answers all questions which of course saves calls to technical support so in the long run saves Arlo money as well as your time.
The kit as I was sent contains one camera and the base station and is available from Amazon for £300.01
Alternatively two Arlo Pro 2 Cameras and Base Station are available from Amazon for £495.
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