We go hands-on with Arlo’s Doorbell and Chime that work via smartphone app and tie in with Arlo’s wire-free cameras:
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While the Arlo video camera is not the focus of this review, it is mentioned fairly prominently as part of the ecosystem. Is there a potential problem with Arlo’s video cameras that is similar to what has already been mentioned regarding Ring?
The Arlo website states as part of “installation requirements” that its video doorbell requires “High-Speed Internet Connection” - whatever that means. Fortunately, the Arlo forum has an answer:
4Mbps is even more demanding that Ring!
I suggest that CHOICE consider looking at such issues when reviewing IoT devices.
P.S. The Arlo forum also has a post stating that you must have an Internet connection - no running from WiFi or just recording video locally.
Edit: As @grahroll has pointed out I should have scrolled through the linked forum post a little further to see that Arlo Internet requirements vary per product.
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If on a 25/5 nbn™, or 12/1 nbn™ plan, and any form of ADSL based on that 4 Mbps upload speed the Arlo is not recommended. In those packages most would not even meet the requirement. Fixed Wireless and Satellite well you could really say the same for them and FW in peak times would be useless as would Satellite in cloudy and raining weather. /cynicism alert…Though the rain part at the moment may not be as concerning and perhaps why some pollies aren’t worried about rain so much so the nbn™ satellites work better…I guess smoke may be the issue atm instead of rain./end of alert.
Further down in that Arlo link it states the basic speed of 1 Mbps but for the Pro etc 2 Mbps and that is for each camera…more than one then things could get clogged. As one user on the Arlo site noted "Thanks Tom, I would think maybe more since it’s 4k but yeah I would imagine 2Mb would be enough if it’s a one at a time thing but when 2 or more cams doing at the same time live viewing/recording then 2Mb’s could be an issue in terms of lag and quality distortion… "
Of course these speeds are without any other traffic occurring at the same time. It’s great we have great products coming into the market, the real problem is we don’t have the internet structure to support these new innovations. For some a great idea, for others a waste of money and not because they aren’t a good product but because they just can’t use them due to a lack of internet speed.
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