Is The Arlo Pro 2 Vs Arlo Ultra a good upgrade for my home? That’s one of the first questions that I did to myself when I wanted to change my Arlo Pro 2.
The Arlo brand keeps developing their products so fast that it is our responsibility to keep up with the trends
If you’re on the same spot as me, let’s find out together who is the rightful winner between the Arlo Pro 2 Vs Arlo Ultra.
Also, this guide includes:
- A thorough comparison between features
- Videos to further develop their key differences
- A Comparison chart
If that’s interesting to you, definitely stick around!
Video quality: Arlo Pro 2 Vs Arlo Ultra
This is one of the biggest aspects that got my attention when I saw the new Arlo Ultra.
4K HDR? That’s some serious definition!
And no wonder Arlo has implemented this feature on a smart camera. Crisp image is the definition of beauty and Technology
If you own one of the latest smartphones, you would love to see image quality from this camera. It’s just superb
Or, if you own a smart TV, you can smart cast the live feed of your phone in high resolution to see exactly what is going with incredible definition.
But hey, you need to stay ahead in technology to really enjoy 4K, because if you don’t have a smart 4K TV, it’s not worth having this camera.
Arlo Pro 2 has a 1080p definition.
It looks damn awesome and you can see objects up to 300ft away. So, if you aren’t planning to upgrade your TV soon, the smartest choice is to just keep using it.
Smart Home Compatibility
If you are a smart home enthusiast, you’re in for a treat.
Because the new Arlo ultra has better smart home integration vs Arlo Pro 2.
When Arlo Pro 2 was launched there were various smart devices in the market, but this industry has grown so much that it’s hard to keep old gadgets with the latest trends.
And even now, Arlo hasn’t integrated all smart features yet to their devices, but we are hoping that in this 2020 we can finally see the good news.
Arlo Ultra comes with a Z-Wave Hub and Zigbee READY.
It means that even though the hub can sustain these networks, it hasn’t implemented yet. As soon as we hear any news from Arlo, we’ll know they are going in the right direction.
Another new implementation of the Arlo Ultra vs Arlo Pro 2 is Bluetooth. This wireless technology is growing at a slow pace in the Smart Home industry, but it gained strength when the Low energy update was released.
As you may remember, Bluetooth literally drained your battery. If you, for example, forgot about turning it off, your smartphone’s battery will get hot and the charge will decrease way faster!
A big issue that Bluetooth Low energy took into account. You can share data at a very fast rate and safe energy along the way!
Which is awesome in case your Wi-Fi is dead.
One big flaw that Arlo Ultra vs Arlo Pro 2 is that it doesn’t have IFTTT.
This may be or not a dealbreaker for you, but if you already created a routine with this tech, you should have a second thought about upgrading.
On the other hand, Arlo ultra has a full year of free connection to the Arlo Smart app.
It is an awesome step further to get the most out of your smart camera.
You can customize the push notifications depending on which objects are moving within the camera’s range, tape almost 30 days of footage and more:
But heads up Arlo pro 2 owners, these new features are paid through a monthly subscription.
This smart camera has a basic plan though, but it’s not even close as customizable as the Arlo Ultra smart plan.
Night Vision Features
Again, Arlo Ultra gets the award.
Just the fact that it has an LED spotlight that works at night up to 25 ft is a reason why beats Pro 2 easily.
Arlo Pro 2 is a great camera that detects images in low light, but if your backyard or your front door is way too dark, you won’t be able to use it properly.
Another point worth mentioning is that it doesn’t detect colors at night. It will like a horror movie footage that it just needs to be improved.
Compared with Arlo ultra that is capable of detecting colors and with the spotlight, you are improving your home protection and your surveillance system.
Battery life: Arlo Pro 2 Vs Arlo Ultra
Let me tell you a cold hard truth:
Arlo camera batteries don’t last long.
They said in the advertisement that it can last even six months.
But you should know that this data is calculated with a brand-new battery in standby mode without using it at all!
And I feel it’s deceptive in some way.
The Arlo Pro 2 battery with the motion sensor On and ready to record as soon it detects something, lasts about two weeks without intervening the app or the cameras whatsoever.
Now, the New Arlo Ultra comes with a battery that is almost twice bigger than Arlo Pro 2!
But before having your hopes too high, you need to take into account that with more smart features comes more energy consumption.
So, the numbers say one thing, but the reality is another.
If you can reach one month without charging your new Arlo ultra camera, you’re a lucky fellow.
So, in this matter, I prefer to think that it depends on how you use each of these cameras.
Because if you lower down the video capabilities to its minimum, turn off motion sensors the results will vary greatly.
What I do think is a bonus for the Arlo Ultra Vs Arlo Pro 2 is that battery technology has evolved.
This translates into efficiency, but as far as thinking that is a dealbreaker, I reserve my opinion.
Field of view and length
If you aren’t familiar with this term, let me show it to you with an image:
Basically, is a way to measure how much range can cover a camera.
In the battle of the Arlo Pro 2 Vs Arlo ultra, the winner is the Arlo Ultra with a staggering angle of 180º over 130º
It means that it will cover a wider area, allowing you to optimize the locations of each of your cameras more efficiently
The Arlo Pro 2 is great to capture a good field of view and perhaps you are just fine with it, but using the 180º wisely, there won’t be blind spots hidden to your watchful eyes.
And how long you can see images in your footage? For both cameras around 300ft, but definition plays a huge role here
Both cameras share the same length, but what you can do with the footage differs.
With a 4K HDR video you will spot details easier such as nameplates, tail numbers, recognize faces and tons of information that in case of an incident will be useful to the police.
With a 1080p, it’s going to be hard to detect clues for an investigation if they are too far away. For example, a car plate that is 100 ft away will be a blur.
Comparison Chart
To make it easy for you, I gathered all of the most important technical specifications of the Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra so you can digest the information better and choose for yourself:
Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo Ultra: Smart tracking
What is smart tracking?
It’s a feature designed to follow targets within the camera’s range to capture a better experience of the event that is going on.
When I first saw this, it added a lot of value to Arlo Ultra because it showed me how Arlo has developed its software faster than ever.
Compared with Arlo Pro 2, they made a huge improvement in this regard that is awesome to see it.
But is smart tracking it useful? That’s another question:
As you know, the base where both Arlo cameras are installed is magnetic-fixed. It means that it won’t move by itself.
Having that in mind, makes me think, how useful can it be a video that moves and focusing by itself?
And the answer to that: Not at all
Because a smart camera is designed to record events where there is a potential threat to your home! And even though this feature looks awesome in the video, it doesn’t do much of a benefit aside from being cool.
For surveillance purposes, the Smart Tracking feature could be improved.
For example, if it sees a car it could detect it and try to focus the plate or the passenger inside, but I guess technology hasn’t grown that much.
I’d rather use a static video where I can spot every detail.
Check out how it works at night and judge for yourself:
Alarm: Arlo Pro 2 Vs Arlo Ultra
Have you tried to scare someone with the Arlo Pro 2? I know I have, and let me tell you that is crazy loud.
If you install it inside a room, the sound will make you cover your ears.
Which is great if you spot someone doing something bad.
But for outdoors? Not so great
You can hear it, but in my experience, it won’t work as a deterrent method
And for Arlo Ultra, the problem is even bigger
Because the alarm is almost 30dB quieter than Arlo Pro 2! Which it’s a huge deal for most of us.
Once you spot someone on your camera, at least you would want to scare them in some way!
Let them know that they are being recorded, but with this alarm, it won’t be possible
As this alarm sucks, because there is no other explanation, you may want to get another system that is louder to protect your home.
Installation Insights
This was one of the first features of Arlo cameras that made me realize they were killing it in the industry
Most security cameras require an expert to install them and pay for a surveillance service that sometimes can be a bit much
Wiring and connections are only made with a diagram and using good electrician tools
But with this, it is going to be super easy to do!
When I got the cameras I thought: I’ll have to read the manual and follow some complicated procedure to make this work
But it was super intuitive and the experience was a breeze!
Just installing the magnetic base to a wall was super easy.
And once you’ve hooked up the cameras to the hub, if you want to move them to another place or give it as a present, the installation is even easier.
Just connect the internet cable from the router to the hub and your smartphone to Wi-Fi and you’re good to go. It takes like five minutes.
Now, getting familiar with the App is another thing, but it’s not rocket science.
Every camera feature is a tap away:
- Two-way audio
- Alarm
- Spotlight
- Recording
Now, for Arlo Smart App it’s a little bit tricky to handle.
What I found was that optimizing the motion sensor is a trial-error process. You select the zone that “you think” it’s the best one for the sensor but only after using it for a couple of days you’ll see that it needs to be tweaked.
For example, if you put your Arlo ultra on your backyard and there are pets at home, at some hours in the day you may need to change the notifications or your smartphone will give you false alarms.
In this matter, the Arlo Pro 2 vs Arlo ultra it’s a tie. Both cameras are extremely easy to install and to control them. If you already loved this feature, you won’t lose it in case you want to make the upgrade.
Conclusion
If you want to upgrade your surveillance system, the Arlo Ultra is a great decision.
4K definition can be an issue if you don’t have a good TV, but the future is going in that direction that at some point, all of us will have 4k streaming devices on our homes.
And if we compare all the new features that come with the Arlo Ultra, I believe they have developed an awesome camera that is worth having
Do you think Arlo ultra is a step in the right direction to your smart home surveillance system?