Arlo by NETGEAR Security System - 3 Cams

I just got this delivered today. I ordered it because of a few odd things that have happened (and to catch the unknown neighbor leaving their dog-poop bag on my lawn) and to feel a little more secure when I'm not home. It's probably a little early for me to leave a fair and impartial review, but as of right now....I love this little camera.I did a significant amount of reviewing and searching and comparing before I made my purchase. I didn't over think but I didn't impulse buy either. I wasn't looking for some god awful ugly outdoor city street intersection design, nor was I looking for the "black dome" federal building cam. I also didn't want to run power cords over the eaves, down the molding, and through the house or be stuck with the only outdoor outlet location that I have. Wireless totally caught my eye, and if the batteries last longer than a couple months, then to me that is a huge win. That plus the sleek, adorable, sexy, slim design...ohhh-la-la!I was like a kid at Christmas when I opened the box. Included in the kit was (1) camera, (4) batteries, (1) hub, (1) power cord (1) ethernet cable, (2) magnetic mounts with screws, start up directions.I am not and IT wiz, but I can hold my own. This set up was SO easy. I will say this....I had a friend here who kept my package-opening-excitement in check. He told me "follow the directions exactly as they tell you". Ok,, I could have easily jumped and gone out of order. If I did would there have been a problem? I can't say but I did read other reviews where some had difficulty. I had none. Plug in, wait for the hub to connect to the wifi, while that was happening start my online account, sync, and away we go! I have all Apple products and I did not have any download or viewing problems or any need for add on software.For now I have the default set on "optimum" to see how the battery life does with the video quality and 80% sensitivity.Video quality. Clear, true color, and bright. There is a zoom option when viewing from my phone. Yes, in zoom at the current settings it can get a bit grainy. I wouldn't be getting this to read serial numbers on dollar bills going into a cash register, but for what I was looking for, I am impressed. I tested the night vision camera going down to the basement and I think it's great. Like I said, no serial numbers on bills, but you can definitely see what it is that your looking at. (While writing this the notification banner keeps popping up. The bugs by the porch light are doing a jig triggering the camera. I will keep this in mind when I find the best mounting place.)Currently I don't have it mounted on it is on my front porch railing (don't try to come steal it, I will see you!!!). I have a porch light and front yard pole light that are on all night. I have already checked the quality of the viewing. Porch light on or off doesn't change it much. I'm thrilled.Motion detection. As mentioned, I don't have it mounted yet and it is at mid-drift level. I don't think it is at the best location to say one way or another how well the detection is. From what I can tell already is that you have to keep in mind where it is located an what you think it will trigger. From my porch to my driveway where a car would normally park is about 25 - 30 feet and about 60 feet to the road. It might not pick up the movement of a car coming in but if someone walks up the walkway it will.I ordered the "stick" mount for it. That will be here tomorrow. Once I have that I am going to take the time to test which mount I will use and the location for the best viewing and motion detection.Notifications. I have it set up for email and banner alerts. When motion is detected, a banner alert (like a text message) will pop up (settings depending on your phone). It immediately starts the camera to record. There is a red light on the camera indicating that it has been triggered. I have it set for 120 seconds of recording time. Once it is done recording it will send you an email notification which proves a link for viewing. Since this is coming from the "cloud" it takes 2 minutes recording time plus another say 30 seconds for the email. You can view real time once the banner alerts you. It seems like there is a little lag in connecting, but I was doing it all on my home wifi at the same time. It will be interesting to see if that lag goes away when I'm away from the house on 3G or other internet.I will update this in a week or so with new findings. But as of right night I AM VERY VERY PLEASED WITH MY PURCHASE. If you are looking to solve crimes or protect Fort Knox, this might not be your best choice and I'm sure there are higher priced more technical cameras out there to buy. But you you want a good quality, modern, completely wireless FREE viewing home safety/surveillance camera for added comfort, then this is a very good buy.