Arlo, a recently spun-off Netgear business, has been making wireless security cameras for several years. We've covered the Arlo Pro and Arlo Pro 2 a lot because they're far and away the best fully wireless cameras on the market, but the current offerings top out at 1080p. That changes with the upcoming Arlo Ultra. These cameras, expected in early 2019, will sport 4K HDR video, a spotlight, color night vision, and more.
The new camera has a similar form factor to the last-gen Arlo. You could barely tell the Pro and Pro 2 apart, but this camera has different lines. The Arlo Ultra is still battery-powered, and it connects to a dedicated Arlo smart hub that plugs into your router. The camera has a 4K HDR sensor, the first in a consumer security camera. The Nest Hello is HDR, but it's only 1600p resolution. Meanwhile, the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor has 4K but it only has "Daylight HDR." The Arlo Ultra also sports color night vision, a true rarity in security cameras. If you want to get a better look or scare away an intruder, there's an integrated spotlight, too.
A 1080p security camera feed looks fine, but just try to zoom in and you'll end up with a messy blur pretty fast. A 4K sensor isn't just about making the full frame sharper. It means you can zoom to get details like a distant face or license plate. You'll be able to see a lot with a single camera, too. Arlo says the camera has an impressive 180-degree field of view—it will be interesting to see how well it controls distortion at the edges.
Arlo Ultra video is uploaded to Arlo's servers for safe keeping (one week free), but the hub has a microSD card slot so you can keep full-resolution copies of all your video locally. Uploaded video is 1080p by default, and there's a 4K add-on for subscribers. The cameras come with a one-year Arlo Smart subscription with 30 days of 1080p storage, but the hardware pricing is higher than Pro 2. A single camera kit with the hub will set you back $399.99 with the bundled subscription (a $120 value). We don't have prices for the multi-camera kits currently. More information might surface shortly—Arlo promises pre-orders will go live today for early 2019 shipping.
UPDATE: 2018/11/30 8:59am PST BY RYAN WHITWAM
Best buy has pre-orders up for the Arlo Ultra multi-packs. You can get two cameras for $600, three cameras for $800, or four cameras for $1,000.
UPDATE: 2019/01/07 8:17am PST BY RITA EL KHOURY
Arlo has announced at CES 2019 that the Ultra 4K will be shipping to retailers later this month and available to buy then.
PRESS RELEASE
ARLO ANNOUNCES BREAKTHROUGH 4K HDR WIRE-FREE SECURITY CAMERA SYSTEM
Next-generation Arlo Ultra delivers ultimate level of protection with 4K Ultra HD resolution, integrated spotlight with color night vision, 180-degree viewing angle, and dual, noise-canceling microphones
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Nov. 30, 2018 — Arlo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ARLO), the #1 network connected camera brand, unveiled today its new flagship wire-free security camera system, Arlo Ultra. Designed to provide the ultimate level of protection for the people and places that matter most, Arlo Ultra features 4K Ultra HD resolution with high dynamic range (HDR), color night vision and advanced image processing, all in a sleek, compact design built for outdoor and indoor use. Arlo Ultra also includes a one-year subscription to Arlo Smart Premier, giving users a more personalized, intelligent smart home security experience, powered by Arlo’s sophisticated AI and computer vision technologies. The new Arlo Ultra 4K HDR wire-free security camera system is slated to roll out to the market in the first quarter of 2019.
Featuring a new 4K image sensor with HDR image processing, Arlo Ultra is capable of capturing and outputting 4K video quality from the lens to the user. This feature not only provides additional detail and clarity to videos but allows users to zoom in on their video clips to uncover critical information, such as license plates, clothing, or other telling details in suspicious activity. With an expansive panoramic 180-degree diagonal field of view, Arlo Ultra delivers one of the widest viewing angles in the wire-free security camera industry, providing users more flexibility when placing their camera for property, home or business monitoring. In addition, Arlo Ultra includes an integrated spotlight that can illuminate the night with a powerful LED light, giving users the ability to see color in the dark rather than traditional black and white night vision.
Arlo Ultra also takes audio quality to the next level for clearer and more natural conversations. Designed with dual-microphones, Arlo Ultra delivers two-way audio with advanced noise cancellation that can notably minimize background noise and accentuate foreground audio, such as voices.
“Arlo Ultra pushes the boundaries of image and audio quality with an incredibly compact form factor that’s true to Arlo’s heritage of simple setup and ease-of-use, marking a massive leap forward in surveillance for the do-it-yourself smart home security market,” said Pat Collins, senior vice president of Arlo products. “Our new flagship wire-free camera represents major advancements in video, audio, software, AI, and computer vision capabilities. Arlo Ultra is a complete solution for users who desire the best possible protection for their home or business, as well as the most ideal experience for connecting remotely with loved ones for maximum peace of mind.”
With a fast and easy wire-free setup and weather-resistant design, Arlo Ultra cameras can be installed nearly anywhere outdoors or indoors. The newly designed magnetic mount allows users to conveniently mount their camera from ceilings, walls, eaves, or place their cameras on tables or counter surfaces. Arlo Ultra includes a newly designed rechargeable battery and comes with a weather-resistant, magnetic charging cable for indoor and outdoor use. Arlo Ultra also features a built-in siren that can be automatically triggered by motion, audio detection, or manually activated remotely from the Arlo App for added protection.
In addition, Arlo Ultra comes with the new, advanced Arlo SmartHub which connects to the user’s router to provide extended Wi-Fi range to Arlo cameras, manages data traffic to and from the camera out to the user’s cloud account and offers a more secure dedicated IOT network for the devices connected to the Arlo SmartHub. The Arlo SmartHub features a microSD Card for local storage of recorded clips from Arlo cameras.
To complete the solution, each Arlo Ultra system includes a one-year Arlo Smart Premier subscription (a $119.88 value), to provide added peace of mind and convenience for Arlo Ultra owners. The subscription service utilizes powerful AI and computer vision technology to deliver customized notifications regarding people, animal, vehicle and package detection. These deeper insights about detected activity, paired with e911 access to emergency services local to the camera’s location instead of the user’s location, enable Arlo subscribers to not only monitor, but also take swift action in urgent situations. Arlo Smart Premier also includes cloud recordings of video clips at 1080p or lower resolution for up to 30 days3. Premium video recording for cloud storage of 4K clips is available as an add-on subscription, or users can store 4K clips locally at no added cost using the SmartHub’s microSD card slot.
For more information on the full range of Arlo Smart Home products and services, visit www.arlo.com.
