Arlo Ultra has launched, bringing 4K security footage to the home. Impressively, the system is fully wireless and battery-powered so that the system can be installed practically anywhere.
Although the Nest Cam IQ and Nest Cam IQ Outdoor cameras both have 4K sensors inside them, the footage saved to the cloud is downsampled to Full HD. With the Arlo Ultra, the camera system saves full 4K, HDR footage, with the company promising the best image quality to come out of a security camera.
As with the previous Arlo Pro, the Arlo Ultra system is completely wireless. Cameras connect to the base station using a dedicated wireless network and can be attached where you want them to the magnetic mounts. As the cameras are weatherproof, they can be installed inside or out.
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My preference is to have cameras outside, as I think that it’s better to capture people before they get into your home, rather than once they’re inside. And, putting a camera inside kind of feels as though you’re bugging your own home. The standard Arlo Ultra pack ships with one base station and a single camera, although you can expand with additional wireless cameras.
Each camera has a wide 180-degree lens, with automatic dewarping to remove any fisheye distortion that would normally be present. By having such a wide-angle lens, each Arlo Ultra camera can capture more of what’s going on.
Footage can be recorded to a microSD card installed in the hub, avoiding any monthly charges. For peace of mind, there’s also a cloud service, and you get one year’s free access for 30-days of rolling footage, with Arlo Smart Premier. This free option only stores 1080p footage, although an upgrade is available for 4K recordings; 4K footage is saved to the microSD card.
Activity zones can be created to monitor specific areas for movement, and the Arlo Ultra cameras also have integrated spotlights and sirens for additional security.
Arlo Ultra is available now, with the starter pack with one camera costing £449.99. I’ll have a full review as soon as samples are available.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.