In today’s connected world, security cameras have become increasingly popular, providing peace of mind and protection for everyday people’s homes. Arlo has a history of delivering top-quality security cameras and the company is back with a new addition to its award-winning Pro series: the Arlo Pro 5 2K Security Camera, which replaces the popular Arlo Pro 4. We’ve been testing the Arlo Pro 5 over the past few weeks to see if it’s the next must-have security camera for your home.
Details: Arlo Pro 5 2K
| Price | A$329 (Single camera), A$599 (2 camera kit), A$1099 (4 camera kit) |
| Warranty | 1-year limited hardware warranty |
| Buy from | Arlo Pro 5 product page |
| About Arlo | Arlo Technologies is a leading provider of innovative security solutions, offering a wide range of smart home security cameras and accessories designed to help users monitor and protect their homes and businesses. With an emphasis on user experience and cutting-edge technology, Arlo products are reliable, user-friendly, and feature-rich. |
What’s new with the Arlo Pro 5 2K?
The Arlo Pro 5 2K introduces several new features and improvements over the Arlo Pro 4 model. Key upgrades include dual-band Wi-Fi support (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) for faster video loading and less buffering, a 30% longer battery life, 2K video with HDR, 12 x zoom, and 160-degree viewing angle. Plus, you’ll get an integrated spotlight, a built-in smart siren, colour night vision, and improved two-way audio.
The camera is also weather-resistant, and offers magnetic connections for accessories. It is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT for seamless integration and automation.
The only notable thing missing is compatibility with Apple’s Home Kit automation ecosystem, however, this is supported with some Arlo cameras already and it’s expected that the Pro 5 2K will get Siri voice control soon. The Pro 5 is compatible with Matter, the new smart home standard that should help different smart home devices devices work together.
Arlo Pro 5 2K features and specifications:
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Model | VMC4060P |
| Camera Resolution | 2K (2560 x 1440) with HDR |
| Field of View | 160° |
| Night Vision | Colour Night Vision |
| Zoom | 12x Digital Zoom |
| Audio | Full Duplex 2-way audio |
| Motion Detection | Single Motion Detector |
| Smart Siren | Built-in, 80+ dB |
| Integrated Spotlight | Yes, 6500K, 42 Lux @ 1m |
| Weather-Resistance | -20°C to 45°C, IP65 rated |
| Wi-Fi Connectivity | Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz |
| Power | Rechargeable Battery |
| Battery Life | Up to 6 months |
| Local Storage | MicroSD Card Slot (card not included) |
| Cloud Storage | Arlo Secure Subscription (optional) |
| Voice Assistant | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT |
| Dimensions | 89 x 52 x 78.4 mm |
| Weight | 331 g |
Better power management
Even if there were fewer features, the 30% battery life improvement is a huge plus on its own. While the battery life on the Pro 4 model was already good, it’s great to see that you won’t need to be recharging your cameras as much. Arlo estimates up to 8 months, however how long your battery lasts really depends on how much activity is recorded, not to mention things like how often the LED spotlight is used, etc. With the Pro 5 that I’m testing, which has been going for 6 weeks, just under 25% of the battery has been used.
You can set the power management to a few different modes including one for the best streaming video quality, a balanced mode, best battery life and a new low power mode. This last option extends the battery considerably by taking intermittent photos instead of recording videos.
An Auto Power Mode lets you set a battery level threshold before it triggers the new low power setting, which is a fantastic way to get the best of both worlds.
How is the image quality?
The 2K resolution offered by the camera gives you more detail and the ability to zoom in further than you would with a lower resolution camera like Arlo’s Essential Spotlight or Essential Indoor cameras, which are full HD. It also has HDR, or High Dynamic Range, meaning you don’t loose as much detail in very bright or shadowy areas. This is handy if you need to spot a license plate or face in the shadows or otherwise see detail in really bright areas like outside a window if the camera is indoors.
Otherwise, it’s good to see that the camera will automatically zoom and track images as they move, and you can change the field of view from a wide 160 degrees to a more standard looking 125 degrees and narrower 110 degrees.
The colour night vision is a nice touch. While not essential, it’s useful to record as many details as possible just in case, such as to identify an intruder by the colour of their jacket, for example.
Compared to the range topping Ultra 2, the Pro 5’s image was surprisingly good. Both have HDR although the Ultra is capable of 4K resolution while the Pro is 2K. Still, in our stress test video, which was a with cameras pointed at a bright exteriors while sitting in a dimly lit room, there was more detail visible in the highlights on the Pro 5, with more of the treetops visible before blowing out to white, while mid-range detail on the exercise bike was better with the Ultra. Given its 4K resolution, the Ultra 2’s image should be clearer, but the two cameras looked about the same when comparing downloaded videos side by side. The net result is that you’ll get great looking video quality from the Pro 5 and probably don’t need to stretch to the Ultra 2 in most cases.
In use
Like most Arlo models, the Pro 5 can be installed indoors or outdoors, thanks to their weatherproof casing, and there are handy magnetic connections that secure the case to the included mounting bracket. This makes it easy to disconnect the cameras when they need a recharge so no need to mess with fussy screws.
The Arlo Pro 5 2K gets improved two-way audio, this time with full-duplex support. This means that you can listen and talk at the same time instead of a walkie-talkie like experience. So you can chat with your pets, kids or even use it as an intercom if you wish!
The 5GHz Wi-Fi option might not seem that important but many home Wi-Fi devices only work with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. While this version of Wi-Fi is decent from a range point of view, it often gets congested since it has to share bandwidth with so many devices. 5GHz is a faster band, less congested and a good option for security cameras. The Arlo Secure app can even sense that there’s a 5G Wi-Fi option in your home and prompt you to connect the Pro 5 2K camera to it.
The only main frustration I have with Arlo is the latency experienced between the camera feeds and real time, which can be up to 5 seconds or so. This can make things a bit tricky when using 2 way talk, for example. Also, on my setup, which includes an Arlo base station, it usually takes about 10 seconds for a camera to respond once I select it from the video feed in my app. A snappier response would be nice but it doesn’t really create any major issues.
New Arlo Secure App
If you purchase the Arlo Pro 5 2K to add to an existing setup of Arlo cameras, it will upgrade the Arlo Secure app to a redesigned version. The new Dashboard view is a customisable feed where you can add widgets including camera feeds, home devices and shortcuts to your security settings. Adding a new camera is also very easy and worked the first time I tried it.
There are separate menu sections for your camera feeds, along with emergency plans, device management and Routines. The Routines section is where you can define different modes such as what the cameras do when you are away or at home. Then there are Automations, where you can configure your cameras’ behaviour. With mine, I’ve set them automatically arm or disarm depending on my location. This uses my mobile phone’s geolocation to detect if I’m at home or out of the house, so you don’t need to manually arm or disarm your cameras.
Arlo subscription
Keep in mind that while your Arlo camera has a lot of built-in features and capabilities, this is only part of the equation. Arlo Secure is an online subscription service that compliments and enhances your hardware, and uses technology like Artificial Intelligence to analyse what’s in your video to give you more options for securing your home. Bear in mind that there is an additional cost.
Here’s a quick summary of some of additions:
- 30-day video history: Access recorded video clips from the past 30 days.
- 2K & 4K cloud recording: Store higher quality video footage with your subscription.
- Unlimited cameras: Connect an unlimited number of Arlo cameras to a single account.
- Interactive notifications: Respond to events directly from your phone’s lock screen.
- Activity Zones: Customize specific areas for motion detection and alerts.
- Advanced object detection: Differentiate between people, animals, vehicles, and packages.
- Emergency response: Connect with emergency services in your area with just one tap.
- Extended warranty: Receive an additional year of warranty coverage for your Arlo devices.
Subscription pricing:
- Arlo Secure Single Camera: A$4.49 per month
- Arlo Secure Multi-Camera: A$14.99 per month (covers unlimited cameras at one location)
GadgetGuy’s take
One of the best things about the Pro 5 2K is its price. Compared to the Pro 4, this model is actually less expensive by A$159 but has more features and functionality. It’s a great deal and I can’t imagine why anyone would choose the Pro 4 instead. And given its impressive capabilities including 2K video, HDR, colour night mode and much improved battery life, this is a fantastic security camera for your home. It pairs well with other Arlo cameras and accessories too, and it easy to set up and operate.
Keep in mind that while the entire Alro range has had a substantial price drop, they are ‘premium’ and will be more expensive than some cameras that you might find on Amazon. You can spend less on camera brands that have fewer features, however, there’s a point where ‘cheap’ can mean being sent too many annoying ‘false positive’ motion notifications, and hardware and software that is susceptible to getting hacked. Cheap security cameras get far less attention in terms of regular security updates and robust software. The last thing you’d want is a hacker being able to view your home through your ‘trusted’ security camera, so paying more for a quality brand will give you added piece of mind.
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