Arlo Video Doorbell Review

The Wired and Wireless Arlo Video Doorbells are quite a bit cheaper than some other doorbells on the market and they are a good value for the features it offers. Making them great options for upgrading your home security system. Both doorbells offer the same features, the only difference is the power source and price point.

The Arlo Doorbell gives you high-definition video quality (1080p), two-way audio, night vision, etc. And because of its motion detection feature, you’ll get a notification when anyone steps on your porch, be it a package thief or a friendly visitor.

Along with all the standard doorbell cam goodies, the Arlo Wired Video Doorbell and the Arlo Wireless Video Doorbell give you some unique benefits we really like.

The Arlo Wired Video Doorbell and the Arlo Wireless Video Doorbell come with the same features. The only difference between the two is the power source, price, and the motion range. 

First of all, the Arlo Video Doorbells have a 1:1 aspect ratio. You’ll notice that the image you get from your Arlo Video Doorbell camera is a square shape.

That’s because Arlo makes the image just as tall as it is wide. (Most doorbell cameras are much wider than they are tall, which means you can’t see objects on your porch, like packages.)

When we tested it, we found that the Arlo Video Doorbell camera still lets you see all the way down to the surface of your porch, even with close-up shots.

Most video doorbells send you a push notification when they detect motion or a person on your porch. But what if you’re busy and you miss the opportunity to tell the FedEx guy to hide your new Playstation 5 behind that potted plant?

The Arlo Video Doorbell solves this by calling your phone when someone rings your doorbell. That way, you don’t notice a notification 10 minutes later.

There’s a downside to this feature, though: you can’t turn it off. And it can get annoying if you don’t want a phone call every time some neighbor kids think it’s time to play Ding-Dong Ditch.

If you subscribe to an Arlo Secure plan, then you can get more than basic “motion detected” alerts. The Arlo Video Doorbell can tell you what it sees, as long as what it sees is a person, vehicle, animal, or package.

It’s so much easier to sort through the notifications on your phone if they have more detail than just “motion.” Arlo’s smart notifications let you see when there’s an alert you actually want to pay attention to, like a person coming to visit, rather than just your neighbor’s cat hanging out on your porch again.

Another cool feature Arlo offers is emergency calling right from the Arlo app. If you open a notification from your doorbell camera and see someone breaking into your house or doing some other nefarious thing, you can call the police right away.

That’s not just convenient; it’s also a safety feature. Normally, when you call 9-1-1, your phone calls the nearest 9-1-1 dispatcher to your current location. But if someone’s at your house, then you want the nearest one to your address, even if you’re not physically there.

The Arlo emergency calling feature calls the 9-1-1 dispatcher closest to your house no matter where you are. You could be sitting at a cafe in Estonia and still call the right station.

Yes, the Arlo Video Doorbell does connect to the base station if you have a camera system. It connects directly to the cloud and in addition to local storage. You can read more about that on Arlo’s website here.

The Arlo Video Doorbell works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Apple HomeKit users are out of luck—at least for now. Most of Arlo’s other cameras do work with HomeKit, so we hope an integration for the doorbell camera is around the corner.

The Arlo Wired Video Doorbell hardwires into your existing doorbell, which means installation involves some light electrical work. Just don’t forget to turn off the breaker that connects to your doorbell wiring, and you’ll be fine.

Arlo Essential Wired Video Doorbell installation steps:

1. Download the Arlo mobile app.
2. Create an account (or select the option to Add New Device).
3. Install the doorbell power kit in your chime box.
4. Turn off the breaker that powers your doorbell. (Very important.)
5. Take out your existing doorbell.
6. Secure the mounting plate.
7. Connect the wires on the Arlo Video Doorbell to your existing doorbell wiring.
8. Turn the power back on.
9. Connect the doorbell to your Wi-Fi network through the app.

For more information on how to install your Wired Arlo Video Doorbell, follow the instructions in the app or check out the Arlo Essential Wired Video Doorbell user manual.

Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell installation steps: 

1. Charge the battery that comes in the box. 
2. Connect your mobile device to Wi-Fi.
3. Insert the battery into the device
4. Scan the QR code in the Arlo App.
5. Find a place to install your doorbell and mount it.

That's it! The Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell is $50 more, but you're paying for an even easier setup. 

If there was an Avengers-style squad for the best doorbell cameras, the Arlo Essential Wired and Wireless Video Doorbells would definitely make the cut. It would probably be the Captain America of the group. Or maybe Black Widow. The point is, that the Arlo Video Doorbells are a great, affordable video doorbell option with smart features and high resolution.

Features: The Arlo Video Wired and Wireless Doorbell has a bunch of cool features worth bragging about, including a 1:1 aspect ratio, smart alerts, emergency calling, and a built-in siren. This camera has top-notch functionality.

Pricing: For what it can do, the Arlo Wired Video Doorbell is quite affordable. (Especially when you compare the price to the Google Nest Hello.) But it’s not the cheapest doorbell cam on the market. The Arlo Wireless Video Doorbell is even more expensive. If you are really on a budget, you can find a cheaper option out there. 

Home automation: The Arlo Video Doorbell works with Alexa and Google. We’re waiting on an Apple HomeKit integration.

Installation: Installation is pretty easy for both models. To connect your Arlo Wired Video Doorbell, you will have to remove your existing doorbell and connect to the wiring. If you're willing to pay more for the Arlo Wireless Doorbell Camera, the installation is even easier and doesn't require hardwiring.

All-in-all, we’re pretty impressed with Arlo’s contribution to the doorbell camera market. And if you already use other Arlo cameras around your property, then the Arlo Wired and Wireless Video Doorbells will fit right in with your other devices.