So basically, if you’re ready to ditch the SmartHub, this is for you. Arlo Pro 4 features: Interestingly, the only advantage that the Pro 4 offers over the Pro 3 is the lack of hub requirement. However, the storage and full feature costs do jack up the price by a pretty penny. But, sadly, a paid plan is your only option if you don’t want to go through the hassle of local storage. The local feature requires buying a hub and an SD card or USB drive, then manually downloading the video footage every time you want to look at an event. Also, even if you used local storage, you’d still have to pay the cloud storage price to access your object detection features. The motion and sound detection come with the camera, but the package, people, and vehicle detection all rely on the storage subscription. Luckily, the Arlo Pro 4 comes with a three-month trial. And hey, at least you don’t have to pay for the more expensive Arlo Secure Plus Plan unless you want 4K resolution. We typically like to see some Zigbee or Z-Wave compatibility, too, so that the camera can connect directly to other devices. In that regard, Arlo is lacking. But you can still create quite a solid smart home without those closer connections. Arlo Pro 4 installation steps:
Plug in the Arlo Pro 4 to charge. Download the Arlo app. Create or log in to your Arlo account. Select Add New Device. Select Cameras. Select Pro. Select Pro 4. Follow the app instructions to complete setup and connect to your home Wi-Fi. Mount the camera if desired.
If this procedure sounds daunting to you, get a tech-savvy friend or acquaintance to help. If you don’t own a hub and would have to buy one, then go for the Arlo Pro 4. Its design is ideal for an outdoor setup, but there’s nothing that makes it impossible to install indoors. However, most indoor-only cameras are going to cost significantly less. But there’s an easy fix for that: you can easily use most security cameras for surveillance purposes. Between a system marketed for surveillance and a system marketed for security, generally, we’d recommend the security system. However, if you have your heart set on a traditional surveillance setup over a smart security camera, check out our Best CCTV Systems.
