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Before we tackle the “Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra” discussion, first we need to look back at the importance of home security cameras. The comfort of a home is what we long for after a day at work or weeks of vacation paradise. Ideally, that’s what you are supposed to feel, but many times we can’t stop worrying about what could go wrong in our house. We constantly wonder whether the house is intact, safe from any break-ins, or if the dog is okay.
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How we wish to have a way to monitor our home so we can have peace of mind. Your vacation will be more enjoyable without these annoying thoughts if you are allowed to have a peek at your house once in a while. It is also a plus if you can stream it online. Now is a good time to install that home security system you have been putting off.
Here is The Comparisons Table Between Arlo Ultra vs Arlo Pro 2
Introducing Arlo, a company that provides top-shelf home-security systems that have been established for some time. The main highlight of their product aligns with their mission to protect and connect you to the beloved ones by creating products that have beautiful designs but are fully functional at the same time.
Their product includes Arlo Pro 2 and Arlo Ultra that are almost equally powerful to one another. It is a tight match between Arlo Pro 2 or Arlo Ultra as they have their advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we will provide you the information you need to make your decision.
Overview and Features: Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra
The Arlo Company is a company based in California that provides DIY home security kits that cover from outdoor cameras, baby cameras, to doorbells. It’s almost like they are ahead of time as you will not find much use of a cable in their kits. Because of this wireless nature, Arlo kits make the best DIY home security on the market. Once it’s set up, you just mount the camera and go, leaving the house safe with all the controls in your palm. The only drawback is that you have to charge the devices now and then. But hey, you can always purchase additional batteries or plug it into other power sources.
Ever since Arlo Pro was released in October 2016, people are eager to see what would the Arlo Pro 2 has to offer as the previous one has had rave reviews that gain them many loyal customers. In March 2019, Arlo released its newest flagship product, Arlo Ultra which has the most features of all releases. It came out about 1 year later with a much-needed camera upgrade. The price also jumps significantly from the Arlo Pro 2 price as compensation for the extra features.
Extra Features
When you purchase an Arlo security system, your basic kit will include 2 cameras, a base station, and other small peripherals like chargers and routing cable. Once you connect the base station to the router, it will integrate the cameras and record the input into local storage or upload it into the cloud. The base station can be remotely accessed through a mobile app that you can download from your app store. Through this app, you can stream-watch the videos in real-time whenever and wherever you are. Do you have Amazon Alexa? It’s fantastic if you do! Arlo 2 and Arlo Ultra are now compatible with Alexa for even more convenient control.
Design
Arlo home security has one of the most non-intrusive designs of most systems in the market. You can be assured that Arlo’s base station will sit well in your living room or bedroom without giving it away too much. It can easily be mistaken for an air purifier or game console at a glance.
The camera has a design that doesn’t disrupt the aura of your house with its sleek oval-like shape and a combination of glossy black and white. The camera designs on both Arlo Pro 2 and Arlo Ultra have a similar oval shape. The Arlo Pro 2 camera has a somewhat bulkier appearance than that of the Arlo Ultra. Arlo Ultra’s camera has adapted to a modern and simpler design with a more rigid silhouette like its base station while still retaining its trademark sleekness.
Arlo Pro 2 base station has more feminine curves while the Arlo Ultra opted for more simple shapes. The Arlo Ultra gives out boldness wherever it’s stationed with its black and white combination. But we can picture Arlo Pro 2 on top of a wooden dresser, sitting next to a stalk of purple orchid and picture frames of your loved ones. It depends on your design preference, but we would always fall for how Arlo Pro 2 fits into any design theme.
Camera
The real match between arlo ultra vs arlo pro 2 happens on the camera specifications. While they have the same design style, do not be fooled by Arlo Ultra’s cleaner look. The camera on Arlo Ultra goes beyond the 1080p camera of Arlo Pro 2, beating it down by attaching a 4K resolution with HDR image-enhancing sensors. Let alone the additional 50° of viewing angle that the Arlo Ultra has.
Both cameras are weatherproofed and enhanced with Night Vision, again Arlo Ultra excels by adding the ability to capture colored images and videos instead of black and white ones (Arlo Pro 2). This helps you and law reinforcements to obtain useful info when an incident happens in front of this silent eye.
Another nifty addition is the Spotlight feature on Arlo Ultra. The LED attachment on the camera is motion-triggered and lights upon anything within a radius. It’s especially useful when there are unwanted guests at your door. But if you want the same feature on your Arlo Pro 2, fret not! You can purchase Spotlight lighting separately in the store. Unfortunately, Arlo Ultra cameras are not fitted with magnet or steel, unlike the previous cameras that you can mount on anything metal. You can only mount it this way by using a magnetic mount that’s sold separately.
Power Management
Arlo cameras, excluding the entry-level ones, are well-equipped with a selection of power sources. Arlo Pro 2 camera comes with a rechargeable battery (2440 mAh) that can be refilled using the charger once the juice runs out. The same goes for Arlo Ultra with its 4800 mAh batteries. They are rechargeable and stay on longer thanks to its bigger capacity.
Please note that the battery will run out faster if you turn on the Spotlight feature. Blink XT2 is deemed to be a strong contender in its tier. But if we put Blink XT2 vs Arlo Pro 2, Arlo Pro 2 will easily win with longer live duration and the convenience of rechargeable batteries. Blink XT2 cameras rely solely on AA lithium batteries (non-rechargeable).
Battery Rechargeable
Arlo Ultra wins Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra battery battle with its charging adapter. Unlike Arlo Pro 2 that still uses conventional charging adapters where you plug the power outlet to the charging port, Arlo Ultra makes the charging process less a chore with the magnetic charger. To charge the Arlo Ultra camera, you just need to get the magnetic head near the bottom of the camera and it will snap onto the body of the camera—a satisfying snap! They offer outdoor and indoor magnetic chargers that are weatherproof guaranteed. Outdoor chargers are sold separately.
The average battery charging time is 3.5 hours and it can power the camera for up to 6 months in a single charge. This calculation is based on the minimum usage of a 5-minute video recording a day. Normal use will keep the camera stay on for about 2 months. To unlock the full capability of this camera, you need to plug it into your electrical system or an outdoor solar panel, which is sold separately. This add-on is needed to unlock the continuous recording features and Activity Zone.
Other Features
We love the offer of abundant features on Arlo cameras. Their main features include local storage, free cloud storage, 2-way audio, smart Siren, motion detection, night vision, and weatherproofing among others. We are going to compare these main features and see if the enhanced features on Arlo Ultra justify the price.
Both Arlo Pro 2 and Arlo Ultra have a local storage option as backup storage in case the cloud uploading isn’t working. Arlo Pro 2 supports an attachment of external HDD that you can plug in through a USB connector at the back of the base station. Arlo Ultra, however, opts to omit the connector altogether and replace it with a MicroSD slot that supports up to 1-terabyte MicroSD cards. If you think it’s not enough, you can always purchase bigger cloud storage.
The 2-way audio on both Arlo systems is stellar in terms of performance. In the case of Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra, Arlo Ultra has more superior features by injecting an object-detection artificial intelligence in the camera. Arlo Ultra provides more specific notifications. It’s worth mentioning that the motion detection feature on Arlo Ultra also triggers the Spotlight and Siren features, preventing crime advancement. To step-up the Arlo Pro 2, you need to buy a separate spotlight module from the shop. All in all, the features embedded in Arlo Ultra can safely justify the price upgrade. You’ll get what you spend!
Compatibility
If you purchase the right plan for your Arlo Ultra, there shouldn’t be any problem to pair older Arlo cameras to its base station. But this feature only applies to Arlo Ultra as their cameras are not compatible with older base stations. We’d love to see an update that allows us to interchangeably swap cameras and pair them to the base station we like more. For compatibility, Arlo Pro 2 leads with more integration choices over the Arlo Ultra.
Interestingly enough there’s a huge divide between Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra in terms of compatibilities with home integration system. Arlo Ultra integrates extremely well into Apple Homekit, allowing it to be accessible via Apple Watches. Even with the fact that you can’t connect Arlo Pro2 with Apple Watches, it’s compatible with a popular system: SmartThings from Samsung. There’s also great news if you’re an IFTTT user—If This Then That; a freeware web-based home integration system, or we’d like to call it DIY integration system—because Arlo Pro 2 is compatible with it.
Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra Comparison Table
In conclusion, there are few but significant differences between the two products. Here is Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra in a comparison table:
Arlo Pro 2 Review
- 100 percent wire free: Free of power cords and wiring hassles
- 1080p HD high quality video with sharper and brighter details
The Arlo Pro 2 has a few upgrades from its older brother, Arlo Pro. Rivaling Arlo Pro vs Arlo Pro 2 is not hard because even though they are identical in looks, their specifications are undoubtedly different. Arlo Pro 2 basic kit includes 2 cameras and a base station that handles all the connection from the camera to the internet. Same as its predecessor, Arlo Pro 2 has a USB connection port where you can plug in an external drive as backup storage in case of a power blackout or a connection problem. All cameras can go live using power cords or the included rechargeable batteries.
The wireless camera can be mounted on virtually any surface using various mounts that are provided in the package or purchased separately. The smart camera is capable of capturing videos up to 1080p resolution; it’s essential in capturing crucial details when needed. It is also embedded with well-thought features like Activity Zone and Night Vision. Any movement that happens inside the determined activity zone will trigger a recording and it keeps doing so until there’s no longer activity. If the activity persists, the system will trigger the Siren feature that’s loud enough to discourage any attempted crime.
More Features
The default setting for the recordings is 3-minute long and they can be kept into both local storage (using external drive) or into the cloud. Once you set up an account, you are granted with cloud storage that’s enough to keep 7-day recordings (it will be rolled once it’s full). Arlo Pro 2 cameras are battle-tested with IPX65 weatherproof protection against the heaviest rain, dust, and snow. To catch up with the latest home technology, Arlo Pro 2 can be conveniently connected to Amazon Alexa or Apple Homekit.
Key features:
- 1080p video recordings (stream-able)
- Continuous recording (only works when you livewire it)
- Free 7-day cloud recording
What we like:
Arlo Pro 2 covers all we need from a home security system. Plus, it’s wireless!
Arlo Ultra Review
- UHD video quality - Zoom in to see sharp details with Arlo Ultra’s 4K & HDR advanced image quality...
- 180 Degree diagonal field of view - See more with a wider angle lens that has auto image correction...
Compared to Arlo Pro 2, Arlo Ultra is a huge leap of betterment in terms of camera, extra features, and exclusive add-ons! Every purchase should give you a base station and camera(s) you can mount indoors or outdoors. The camera will come 100% charged so you can use it from the get-go. Just mount it, plug it, set it up and it’s readily live. Arlo Ultra offers the convenience of working along with most home integration systems like Amazon Alexa and Apple Homekit (even with Apple Watches!).
The camera of this unit has been massively upgraded to be able to produce 4K videos with HDR image processing. The result is a crystal clear image recording that captures all the details you need for future inspection. This feature works in tandem with the AI-powered dynamic zoom when capturing videos within the Activity Zone. As a cherry on top, the camera is programmed to detect certain objects like packages, vehicles, and animals; you will be notified via the app when the camera detects such objects. Arlo Ultra cameras are already equipped with Spotlight and Siren system that can go off automatically and remotely (via the app).
When you purchase Arlo Ultra, it already comes with a 1-year free monitoring service package (Arlo Smart Premier) that you can re-subscribe after it expires. It is especially useful when you often leave your house unattended. You will never miss an activity with all of the notifications they send. The plan also reserves a cloud storage worth of 30-day recordings so you can view it without the boundary of time and space. If you choose not to continue the service, you can still have the basic functions like live streaming, local storage, track-and-zoom feature, and push notifications.
Key features:
- 4K with HDR video recordings
- Spotlight and Siren features to deter theft and break-ins
- Comes with free 1 year Smart Premier subscription
What we like:
It’s the top of its tier. Arlo Ultra is a powerful home security system that’s worth every penny.
Benefits of using Arlo pro and Arlo Ultra Security Camera
A criminal only needs intention and opportunity to carry out their bad deeds. Most of the time, we take security for granted until somebody breaks into our house or steals our car from the driveway. Certainly, we want to avoid such incidents as much as we can before they irreversible happen. Consider installing a security system to your home for some peace of mind. So, next time you’re away from your home, you only need to remotely check out the situation there through your phone from time to time.
Crime Prevention
If you ever doubt whether security cameras prevent thieves and burglars from damaging your property, you have to take a look at a recent survey stating 50% of burglars retreat after they see an active camera; they would opt for less secured homes instead. Even if they dare to breach the house, the security cameras are the first thing law enforcement will look for to find evidence. You will make their job easier in detaining criminals.
Internal Monitoring
Home security cameras protect not only outside of the house but also inside. But don’t burglars and thieves come from outside? Yes, but it can happen inside too. If you hire people to do some errands around your house or some housekeeping works, a security camera helps you (and the employee) to feel safer. Especially, if you have family members that require some assistance such as elderly or children. An indoor camera can be a means of life or death should an emergency occurs. Incidents like fires can be intervened better.
Remote Monitoring
Contrary to popular belief, most house break-ins happen in a broad daylight, precisely when you are at work and your children at school. Most criminals scout the area to see what time the house will be left empty. By installing security cameras in potential entries like the garage, the front door, or the backdoor, you can remotely monitor any activity that happens at those spots when you’re away from home. That means you can have control over the situations even though you are at work or on vacation.
Monitoring Service
You can further enhance your home security system by subscribing to a monitoring service that comes along with the product you purchase. Let’s face it, you won’t be peeling your eyes off to watch live streaming of your house when you are at work unless you don’t want to get anything done. Purchase a personal guardian that will notify you whenever something fishy is happening before the camera. Arlo monitoring service, for example, will notify when it catches something on the radar and ask you what measure it has to do next. Very convenient!
Insurance Discount
If you have a house, we couldn’t recommend you enough to put it on insurance. The good news is many insurance companies offer a huge premium discount if you install a home security system. A secured house with an active monitoring system has a lower risk of getting robbed and makes fewer claims against the insurance. That’s a win for everyone!
Here is a complete video about arlo pro 2 and arlo ultra
FAQ
Is Arlo Ultra worth the money?
We’ll say yes without a doubt. There would be other products that are cheaper while compromising their functionality, but if you care for your peace of mind, Arlo Ultra shall fulfill your expectations. Arlo Ultra is very easy to install and manage. Their cameras are amazingly tough and keen. It has built-in features that are well-thought such as Spotlight, Siren, Object Detection, and the emergency 911 call. By utilizing a subscription plan, you would feel like you have a band of security guards ready at your side. And if you are without one, you can still keep all the basic functionality and go manual. It’s a win-win at a small extra price.
Does Arlo Ultra work with Arlo Pro 2?
Absolutely. If you feel like upgrading your Arlo Pro 2 for the more superior Arlo Ultra, you don’t have to worry that you have to rest your Arlo Pro 2 cameras. All of Arlo’s older cameras are fully compatible with Arlo Ultra. All you need is to turn off the camera, unplug the battery, plug it back after a couple of minutes, and turn in back on so it can start a pairing with the new base station.
Unfortunately, you cannot connect Arlo Ultra’s cameras to the older base stations as it only supports the base station that comes with it. To successfully pair up older cameras to Arlo Ultra’s base station, choose the Smart Premier plan. You will get a free 1-year subscription upon purchasing.
Can I use Arlo Ultra without a subscription?
Yes, but we highly recommend you to subscribe to one of the plans to unleash the true potential of Arlo Ultra. The subscription plan offers 24/7 security monitoring service and unlocks advanced features in your system such as AI-assisted object detection, auto zoom-in activity zones, cloud storage, and emergency call service. The cloud storage is extremely useful because Arlo Ultra doesn’t have USB port like its predecessors (only supports microSD cards). But if you insist on not taking any plans, the unit will retain its basic functions like push notification, basic object-tracking, and local/remote streaming.
What is the difference between Arlo Pro 2 and Arlo Ultra?
Arlo Ultra may have better cameras but Arlo Pro 2 offers more versatility to the user. Arlo Ultra base station has no USB port to access external HDD like Arlo Pro 2. Both Arlo Pro 2 and Arlo Ultra are compatible with some home integration systems, but only Arlo Pro 2 that integrates with Samsung Smart Things or IFTTT. The lighting is also different since Arlo Pro 2 isn’t equipped with the Spotlight feature (smart lighting) like Arlo Ultra has. With Arlo Pro 2, you don’t need to subscribe to any plan to use cloud storage. They will offer you a 7-day free cloud recording that will re-roll once it’s full.
Arlo Ultra And Arlo Pro 2: which Arlo system is the best?
It is quite hard to determine the winner of Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra, judging that each one has a good and bad side. Our pick goes to the more expensive Arlo Ultra. While Arlo Pro 2 is considerably cheaper than Arlo Ultra, the features embedded in this unit are just enough, but not great. Arlo Ultra goes beyond Arlo Pro 2’s specification and topped it off with free cloud storage and monitoring service. Not to mention its 4K + HDR image processing camera that can capture crystal clear videos and pictures. You can’t go wrong with Arlo Ultra.
Conclusion
It is quite clear now that there isn’t a real winner of Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra since both of them offer different features for different users. Arlo Pro 2 is great for you who want a balance between security features and price value. Arlo Pro 2 may not be as powerful and feature-rich as Arlo Ultra, but it works just as well as the latter. The great thing about Arlo Pro 2 is that it’s compatible with more home integration systems than Arlo Ultra. There are only a few differences in the camera specifications such as video resolutions and night visions after all.
On the other hand, Arlo Ultra has a lot to offer in terms of performance and extra features. Unlike its older brother, Arlo Ultra is already equipped with 4K HDR recording and extra features like Spotlight, colorized Night Vision, and convenient charging method. Besides, Arlo Ultra will work well with a lot of home integration systems and earlier Arlo cameras. At last, the winner of Arlo Pro 2 or Arlo Ultra is in your hands.
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