Outfitting a home or office with a security system in 2020 is completely different from how things were just a decade ago. Rather than having a professional company come in to install things, you can go about it yourself. Even better, you can scale it as your needs change.
While one person may set up a full system around the perimeter of their home, another will put just two cameras in rooms with important items. Similarly, whereas someone wants to have eyes on the front yard and driveway, another might have to put cameras in each garage stall.
We recently received an Arlo Pro 3 bundle (read our review) which included a pair of 2k cameras and a smart hub. Suffice it to say, it was an easy installation which takes very little time and configuration. If you’ve never set up something from Arlo, or are considering it, know that you don’t need any sort of expertise. It’s designed for the layman.
Our team was fortunate enough to check out another entrant in the Arlo portfolio, the Pro 3 Floodlight. Introduced at CES 2020, it’s exactly what you think it is: an Arlo camera with an ultra-bright light.
What is the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight?
Priced $249, it’s not all that different from the Arlo Pro 3 in the area of specifications. Key features include 2k (2560×1440) camera, 160 degree field of view, 12X zoom, and a rechargeable battery. It’s equipped for indoor and outdoor settings and can handle temperatures of -20 to 45 celsius.
The main difference between the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight is that it has these sizable lights flanking the sides of the camera. And boy are they bright.
Setup
I already had the Arlo hub in place so adding the camera was a breeze. It’s literally a few moments of your time. In short, you’ll open the app and have your hub search for it. Once it finds the camera, you name it and can immediately set up any sort of schedule or activity zones.
I appreciate that you don’t necessarily need the SmartHub in order to set up or use the Pro 3 Floodlight. It’s better if you do, but not required. More on that in a moment.
Physical installation is really no different from the standard Arlo Pro 3 in that you screw in the mount with three screws, then it’s a matter of twisting things into place.
Interestingly enough, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight comes with a microUSB charging port and cable instead of the magnetic charger that the Pro 3 does. It does, however, still support that means of charging. I prefer this method because I can charge without taking the camera down.
Usage
The camera has been in place for about two weeks now and seems to be sipping at the battery in the same way the other Arlo cameras do. Mileage will vary depending on what modes you have enabled. That is, if you want it to be on constant guard with every little motion or sound to trigger, it will be more aggressive on battery.
Setting activity zones and adjusting the field of view is something I’d recommend if you’d like to extend battery life, too. That way you’re not getting unwanted notifications and recordings. The app makes it very easy to do this, and more. Similar to the Arlo Pro 3, the floodlight has a 3-month Arlo Smart trial included with it.
Although you can install and use the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight without a SmartHub, you may wish to pick one up. As indicated earlier, that was already in place with our setup. As to what is different when using the hub or base station, it gives you access to these additional features:
- 2K local streaming and 2K local recording
- Auto Zoom and Tracking
- CVR (with a subscription)
- Use local storage on an SD card in a VMB5000 SmartHub or on a USB storage device
connected to the SmartHub VMB4540 or base station VMB4500 or VMB4000
There are other features that I like about Arlo’s cameras, including two-way audio, a siren, and the easy charging methods. If you have a previous Arlo product, you will find the Pro 3 Floodlight to be quite similar.
Conclusion
I’ve really come to appreciate the Arlo brand and its cameras. While the light that’s built into the Arlo Pro 3 is bright and effective, it really doesn’t compare to the one in the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight.
At $250 it’s priced about $50 more than the Arlo Pro 3. To us it’s certainly worth the money if you’re placing one of these over a driveway or back entrance.
It’s easy to setup, manage, and maintain. Charging every few weeks or months is fine by us. The app is simple and intuitive with plenty of options and settings. Best of all, it’s as easy to add one of these to an existing system as it is to start fresh.
Learn more about the Pro 3 Floodlight and other Arlo products at its website.
