The Arlo Pro 3 Camera Kit has just dropped to $449.99 on Amazon. The retail price of this kit is $579.99, however I’ve seen it go for $500 several times. This is the first time I’ve seen it drop another $50. Arlo cameras, along with the Ring Video Doorbell, are the only security cameras slated to work with the Amazon Echo Show when it launches next month. Support for other cameras will probably come later, but if you pre-ordered an Echo Show, and would like to view camera feeds on it by asking Alexa, the Arlo cameras are your best option. I’ve been using an Arlo Pro kit in my home since last year and I’ve been very happy with them.
A key feature of Arlo cameras, and one of the main things that drew me to them, is that they’re truly wireless. The cameras connect to the base station over WiFi and they’re battery operated, so there’s no need to run any wires to them. The Arlo Pro cameras, which are the newest models, come with rechargeable battery packs, where as the older non-pro Arlo cameras use disposable batteries that you must provide.
The rechargeable Arlo Pro cameras last about a month for me before needing to be recharged. I keep one of my cameras always charging in the house for quick baby and pet monitoring needs around the house. When an exterior camera starts running low, I just swap out its battery pack with the indoor camera that is always charging and everything is back up in minutes. The cameras connect to their mounts magnetically, so it’s very quick to take them down and remount them. There are several more secure mounting options if you’re placing the camera in a spot where you’d be worried about someone snatching it.
Arlo’s cameras automatically save recordings in the cloud. Recordings get saved for 7 days for free, which I’ve found to be sufficient, or you can pay monthly for more storage. You can download recordings within those 7 days to save them offline forever. The pro camera kits also give you the option to connect a USB drive to the base station to store all recordings locally.
I could go on and on about the Arlo cameras and their features, but I’ll stop here. Now that Arlo has teamed up with Amazon to be launch partners for the Echo Show, I figured I’d just point out that they’re at a new all time low price and briefly mention that I’m a satisfied owner, for what that’s worth.
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Thanks. been considering these so pulled the trigger. should mention its prime only.
Hey Elias,
I have been considering this package for my family for quite some time now and the price is most definitely right at the moment.
I just had one question. I see you have listed this as being compatible with the upcoming Echo Show, but was curious if one could even sideload the apk onto a Fire TV 2 box?
I know it would not be anywhere near as intuitive as a baked in version to the Echo Look, but if I could at least get some functionality out of the app on the Fire TV on my big screen, I wouldn’t hesitate in buying them today.
Anyone have any experience with this?
I’ll try sideloading the Arlo APK on the Fire TV later today and let you know how it works.
I expect we’ll eventually be able to bring up security cameras on the Fire TV, using Alexa, just like on the Echo Show. The new security camera capabilities are a feature of Alexa, not the Echo Show, so Alexa on the Fire TV will hopefully get them soon. In the past, many new Alexa features have come to the Echo line first and then eventually made their way to the Fire TV, so I expect the same thing to happen here.
All excellent points, Elias. If the past is any indication of the future, I agree that we can expect to see this make it’s way to the Fire TV.
I really do appreciate you giving the APK a whirl on the Fire TV. My family thanks you!
I sideloaded the Arlo APK on a Fire TV 2 and it works pretty well.
The issues:
– Fire TV must be on WiFi. The Arlo app complains there is no internet connection if the device is using ethernet. This is a common issue for sideloaded apps. I switched to wifi and it worked.
– You’re going to need a mouse/trackpad or mouse app to use the Arlo app, since it doesn’t let you highlight all the on-screen options with the remote.
– The Arlo app forces portrait mode, so you get huge black bars on the sides. I tried the Rotate Screen Orientation app to force it into landscape, but for some reason the video feeds would not display correctly. You might be able to correct this with a bit more tinkering. The good news is when you play a live feed or recorded video in fullscreen, it correctly switches to landscape and fills the entire TV.
Other than those issues, it worked surprisingly well. I was able to watch any of my cameras live, browse and play recordings, and change settings. Not working on ethernet is the biggest issue I see, but I think there are apps out there that can trick apps into using ethernet, since this is a common issue.
The detailed reply is much appreciated!
Aside from your noted issues, the app does indeed sound like it works quite well on the Fire TV as is. I hope this to mean that the Arlo developers won’t be far behind for making a dedicated Fire TV app in the future.
Once again, thanks!
A better deal: Costco members can get the 3-pack for the same price online, with an extra battery and mounting hardware included.
Is that a normal price for Costco members?
No, looks like the regular price is $500 with a $50 manufacturer rebate that expires June 3rd.
https://www.costco.com/Arlo-Pro-Smart-Home-HD-Wireless-IP-Security-Camera-3-pack.product.100340335.html
Still a great deal though, if you’re a Costco member. The Amazon pack does come with the 3 magnetic mounts, but not the one screw mount you get in the Costco pack. So you get a $40 battery and $15 mount with the Costco kit that you don’t get with the Amazon kit. Thanks for the heads up Chris!
I just purchased this on newegg.com for $449 (same as Amazon) and they had a combo offer with an add-on camera for $509! This is a great deal since the add-on camera is anywhere from $169-189. Awesome deal with only $7 for ground shipping.