There are a lot of choices when it comes to home security cameras, but most tend to look the same: an ovular package of camera, light, and wireless transmitter. And then there’s what Arlo is launching.
It’s definitely a deviation on the standard style of camera, arriving in something long and flat, and is decidedly un-camera like.
Almost a reinvention, Arlo’s Essential Solar Security Camera takes the smart security camera and bundles it with a 1.2 watt solar panel on the surface with a 14,790mAh battery to keep the camera going, essentially working for up to six months without sunlight or perpetually with.
That makes the camera something that can easily attach to the side of a home, and ideal for the outside, sporting an IP65 water-resistant design making it suitable for wet weather.
The camera runs at 2K, capturing slightly higher than Full HD with a wide angle, and includes a built-in siren to tell people to move along, and works at night with a colour night vision mode.
In short, it’s a camera, albeit one that looks a little different, but that also still needs the Arlo system, which does need a plan. That’s been a part of the Arlo approach since the company launched back when it was a specifically Netgear product, and differs from some of the plan-less approaches from other companies, such as Reolink and Ezviz.
However, it is also designed to work with other Arlo gear including the Arlo floodlight and the more-camera-shaped Arlo Go models, and if you already have that in your life, that may be ideal. It will also work with Arlo’s Secure Early Warning System, an AI system that connects its cameras to provide an understanding of activity from its cameras.
“Consumers want security cameras that can protect their property without the hassle of wires or dragging the ladder out for frequent charging,” said Matthew McRae, CEO of Arlo.
“With the Essential Solar Security Camera, we combined an integrated solar panel and the category’s most powerful battery to address common convenience needs and deliver protection that doesn’t run out,” he said.
Australians curious about this camera will need to wait until November for the solar Arlo camera to arrive, where it will be priced at $189 when it launches on the second of that month.
