Arlo essential indoor test: an honest camera handicapped by its price

Design and Installation APPROVAL USE THE USE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE AND AGABLE ConclusionCommentaments

With the Arlo Essential Indoor, the brand extends its surveillance camera offer and aims at the simplicity of installation, of use, at a much tighter price than its habit.Arlo even goes so far as to abandon his smart hub for independent use.It remains to be seen whether this more accessible model retains the level of service that has made the manufacturer's renown.

The Arlo Essential Indoor camera and its articulated foot // Source: Frandroid / Anthony Wonner

Arlo is one of the benchmark manufacturers in the field of domestic surveillance cameras.Nevertheless, Arlo cameras are among the most expensive in the general public segment.The new essential range targets users who are looking for more simplicity and tighter prices.

To go further surveillance camera: what you can legally do by installing it

The Arlo Essential Indoor is one of the first models of this offer and responds to one of the brand's shortcomings, the absence of small cameras dedicated to monitoring your interior.Does little Arlo Essential Indoor have everything big?Our verdict after several days of use.

The pretty security camera and thought for dummies

The arlo essential indoor camera is a pretty small object 11.3 cm high (foot included) for 4.9 cm wide and 5.2 cm deep.It is the most compact of the family, which is explained by its use only interior and especially the absence of battery.It therefore requires a constant wired diet to operate, like the vast majority of its competitors.

La caméra d’intérieur Arlo Essential Indoor // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer Arlo Essential Indoor // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

The shell is in white lacquered plastic (also exists in black) and the front is black, also lacquered.We find there the optical block with a 2 MP sensor, which can be camouflaged by a protective cover of white private life.Thus, the other members of the household can visually verify that they are not filmed, monitored, without their knowledge.

The ARLO Essential Indoor has a privacy protection cover for the sensor // Source: FRANDROP / YAZID Amer

To the left of the optical block is a discreet light sensor and on the right an activity LED witness.The manufacturing quality is of good level, even by hugging it in the hand nothing moves and no cracking is heard.It comes with a support that can be used to place it on a flat surface as well as to hang it on the wall.

The camera has one foot to be placed or hung on the wall // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

The ball joint that makes the link with the camera allows the latter to be tilted at 90 °, all without loss of stability.

Arlo Essential Indoor // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer Arlo Essential Indoor // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer Arlo Essential Indoor // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

Physical installation is as simple as quick.The length of the power cable is two meters, sufficient in the majority of cases.But if the strategic position where you want to install it does not have an outlet nearby, the addition of an extension can then be necessary.

A complete application, but not always intuitive

To install and use the ARLO Essential Indoor Camera, the APP ARLO is essential.It accompanies step by step in the installation process, which turns out to be simple and quick.

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The app asks you for the product you want to install, presents the equipment you need to find in the box and search if you have a smart hub arlo.If this is the case, you can associate it and the configuration will end immediately.In addition, you can record the videos on the storage medium that you may have added to your smart hub.

Choix de la caméra dans l’application // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer Le contenu de la boîte apparaît dans l’app // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer La détection du Smart Hub dans l’App Arlo // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

Without him, the procedure continues by asking you to support the synchronization button.Then just have the camera read a QR code generated by the application to transmit to transmit configuration information to the camera.The link with your WiFi network is therefore almost automatic and after a few minutes you can dive deeper into the application and the features.

Le choix du réseau dans l’app // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer Les informations d’installation dans l’app // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer Le QR Code d’installation de la caméra Arlo // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

You then have four tabs at your disposal.By default, you start on the one called peripherals.It lists all Arlo devices associated with your mail account.Which includes the Arlo Essential cameras as well as the classic ARLOs requiring the Smart Hub Arlo to operate.

For each, you have a window that sums up the condition of the camera, with the quality of the WiFi reception at the bottom left, if the microphone integrated into the camera is activated and finally if the movement detection is functional.On the right, a notched wheel icon gives access to the camera settings.

By pressing the reading button in the center, you view the direct.The latter displays a latency time which is 2 to 3 seconds if you are connected to the same WiFi network.Count between 3 and 8 seconds if you have an outgoing fiber connection and 4G on your smartphone.

The library tab gives access to per day to all the videos recorded by all cameras.Each video sequence is identified by the name you have assigned to the camera, the time of recording, the time of the video (from 30 to 300 s) and finally the reason (movement, person, animal, noise, etc.).They are stored in the Arlo cloud, but this function is only 3 months.Then you have to go to the checkout (see below).

The Mode tab is the one that allows each camera to be assigned an "mode" operating.By default, the activated mode is started, the camera launches an alert (notification on your smartphone or by email) and a recording as soon as it detects movements or suspicious noises.The deactivated mode closes the confidentiality cover.

L’onglet Mode de l’app Arlo // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer L’onglet Mode de l’app Arlo // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

The Planning mode gives you the opportunity to program the operating schedules of the camera, the video and sound detection mode for each day of the week.

Finally, the geolocation mode allows you to activate surveillance when you move away, your smartphone in your pocket, from your home.It deactivates when you go home.You can also adjust the action department, that the cameras do not activate when you just go to your garden.

Le Mode Géolocalisation avec un rayon Petit dans l’app // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer Capture appli Arlo Mode Géolocalisation rayon Moyen // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer Capture appli Arlo Mode Géolocalisation rayon Grand // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

It is possible to personalize each of the modes and especially to create new ones.

The Settings tab gives access to your account, your subscription to ARLO services and for each camera in your possession the specific parameters.In the case of the arlo essential indoor camera it goes from the adjustment of the flicker, to the activation or not of the state indicator, in addition to the tests of movement detection to refine your settings or that of the protective shield.

L’onglet Mode de l’app Arlo // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer L’onglet Mode de l’app Arlo // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

Another very interesting option, the creation of activity zones.Thus, you can identify specific areas of the image that will be particularly monitored.Here, we targeted the window for the break -ins and the mezzanine bed scale to be alerted if the child sleeping there comes out of bed in the night.

Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

The interface is generally clear, but the neophytes will have a little trouble starting.You have to get used to a sometimes complex tree and take a little learning time.Note that the camera is compatible Alexa, Google Assistant and even IFTTT.

An efficient camera that doesn't really shine

The 2 Mpx camera is capable of filming in 1080p, 720p and 480p, the latter two being recommended if you have an unaccoming ADSL Internet connection.The image quality is generally good with a field of vision of 130 °, but does not shine either.The details are correct, but as soon as the brightness drops, pixelization is not far away.It is possible to recognize a face up to 2 to 3 meters.If you zoom in the image as much as possible (X12), it remains "recognizable".Here we note the limitations of the 1080p, compared to 2K or 4K products from the same brand whose digital zoom is more precise.

La détection de mouvement de la Arlo Essential Indoor // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer La détection de mouvement de la Arlo Essential Indoor en plein jour // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

However to qualify, a product 80 euros cheaper like the Xiaomi Mi 360 ° Home Security or the Blink Mini at 40 euros offer services that are not very far away.Compared to the same product, the Arlo Essential Indoor is a bit more efficient when it activates night vision.Admittedly, the details are degraded, but it remains possible to recognize a face up to two meters.If you use the zoom, the quality is too degraded to be really effective.

La détection de mouvement de la Arlo Essential Indoor de nuit // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer La détection de mouvement de la Arlo Essential Indoor de nuit avec le zoom // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer La détection de mouvement de la Arlo Essential Indoor avec la vision nocturne // Source: Frandroid / Yazid Amer

The integrated microphone allows you to capture a normal conversation up to 4 to 5 meters and the whispers within a radius of 1 to 1.5 meters.However, noise detection did not impress us.

Movement detection is very fine, it knows how to differentiate animals from human beings, which avoids inappropriate alerts.Despite some failures, there is a real technological mastery.

If a fan is activated and for example moves a plant or a curtain, you will not be bothered by a untimely notification.However, this is only valid if you subscribe to an Arlo subscription.Otherwise, you will be challenged by a notification on your mobile at each movement.Which quickly becomes very irritating, especially if you have domestic animals.

In a room, nothing escapes him.But when we have simulated a presence through a window, closed and open curtains, no reaction.When we simulated an intrusion by typing hard against the window as if to break it, still no reaction.It is only when we opened the window and we entered the room that the camera reacted.This is disappointing, but we are in level 5 movement detection.If you go to level 10, the maximum, then nothing escapes him.Even when a prowler is behind a window.Be careful, in this case, almost everything will be the subject of a detection.

A curtain that moves because of a fan for example will give birth to an alert, a movement of a child in his bed idem.However, if your goal is security, this level is really the most effective, but excessive notifications can become boring, even with the intelligent notifications activated.If you have animals, remember to deactivate their detection, it will relieve you greatly.

The integrated speaker allows you to challenge a Malandrin or the last one that should not jump on the sofa.However, the sound saturated fairly quickly which has the advantage of making the alarm ring even more unpleasant.The latter starts especially in the event of suspicious movement, but will not get along beyond the apartment with a power of 85 dB to 1 meter which drops to 65 dB in the room next door and 30 to 45 dB inoutside the apartment.She is there to scare thieves, but professionals should not really panic by hearing her.We have simulated a break -in and torn off the power cable from the camera, this in almost 5 seconds.Result, we still found the video recorded in the cloud, which is reassuring if you need proofs later.

The subscription, essential Achilles heel

Technically the camera is correct, but does not do much better than competition.Arlo is catching up with excellent surveillance technology and a cloud as high as fast.However, to take full advantage of all these qualities you have to get your hands on the wallet.Thus, the ARLO Smart basic subscription is billed at 2.79 euros for a camera and 8.99 euros up to 5 simultaneously.Count 1,395 euros per additional camera to go beyond.

The subscription gives you access to live streaming and notifications integrated in the free offer.Added to this are intelligent notifications, detection of people, vehicle (if the camera overlooks a veranda for example) and animals.Without forgetting the ability to recognize when a package is deposited at your door.

Many of these functions are useful for outdoor cameras, less in the context of an indoor product.The storage of videos is done in the cloud and each is kept up to 30 days in 2K quality, but here the 1080 p is the maximum quality.If you have existing Arlo equipment, you have the smart hub which also acts as alarm and above all allows you to store the videos on a support that you will have added.

Price and availability of the ARLO Essential Indoor

The Arlo Essential Indoor is available in black and white.It is marketed at a price of 129 euros on the Arlo site, at Amazon and with partner resellers.