In a crowded field of wireless security cameras, only a few can integrate with smart home setups. The Arlo Q is definitely one to consider.
I initially narrowed it down to Arlo and Nest, but the tight integration with SmartThings and their camera that catered to babies is what had me sold (see my review on the Arlo Baby). Oh, and I should mention there is no charge for 7 days of cloud storage and live streaming. Paid subscription options include 30 or 60 days of storage as well as continuous video recording.
Like most of the others, the Arlo Q is 1080p, has night vision and two-way audio. What really makes this camera shine as a smart home addition is it’s ability to act as an audible and visual motion sensor for your security system or to trigger whatever actions, events or scenes you want it to.
One cool feature is the ability to create multiple activity zones that will enable alerts or actions based on movement in specific locations within view of the camera. For example, if one of your cameras picked up motion in a specific zone or even audio, it will start recording and send you an email with a screen capture and a link to the recording.
If you happen to have a SmartThings system, Arlo is currently one of the only cameras that can be streamed right from their app.
Even if you don’t yet have a smart home setup, Arlo by itself is a good choice for a scalable wireless security camera system.
