Looks like Arlo is coming out with a new doorbell that is audio only. Their thinking must be most people already have some sort of cameras on their house and are just looking for an audio solution to be able to talk to someone. Great for folks who already have Arlo cameras. When someone pushes the button, it actually calls you. I like that idea better than a notification. No pricing yet, but here is more info.
humm, wrong thinking IMO
Was thinking about getting a smart doorbell, will have choosen Arlo since I don’t have exterior camera and already have a base station and camera inside
But will look for other company (ring, skybell, etc.)
thanks
I chose the Skybell Trim HD doorbell and really like it. It does need a strong WiFi signal as it is a small unit so the antennas must be small. Otherwise works great. Notifies me when it detects motion, starts recording and allows me to click on Live View while recording. I placed a Smartthings multipurpose sensor inside my wired mechanical box to send me alerts if the button is pushed. The Skybell is officially recognized by Smartthings, and best of all, no monthly fees.
I would choose the Skybell over the Arlo any day of the week. It seems that Arlo is once again not listening to their customers.
Brian
The Arlo audio doorbell ($80) and chime ($50) are available for purchase now at bestbuy. Curious to know how well they work (how fast they establish audio and camera video connection) if anyone has a chance to try them out.
The big disappointment for me is that it is not a video doorbell like my Skybell. This doorbell relies on the owner to have Arlo cameras pointed at the front door to be used in conjunction with this doorbell, in other words, it is only acting as a triggering device for existing cameras and I am not sure if it has motion detection. While I am sure there is a market for this, what is lacking is the head-on view of the person’s face that is ringing the doorbell. The Skybell has video and motion detection and even has a light built into the top of it to light up the person in the dark.
Sorry, but I am going to pass on this one.
Brian
Check out this review:
Notice that in the review that Saved Audio recordings count against your account, so if you already have 5 cameras, using this one will make you upgrade your account to a paid subscription. It also says that there is no motion detection with this camera.
Buyers beware!!!
Brian
I don’t know if this makes it official, but the Arlo twitter account says we can have 2 doorbells, 5 chimes, and 5 cameras on free plan…
Also, finally found a good review…
Summary & my thoughts (I have 5 arlo cameras and no smart doorbell)…
-first off, get this out of the way…clearly this is targeted for existing Arlo customers who want to add a doorbell
-door bell to Chime sound was quick approx 1 sec.
-notification on phone took 7 or more seconds
-interface on phone seems clunky, lots of taps and fingerprints to unlock phone and get to the video feed
-Chime has Robodog or ambient house noise feature can be triggered on motion detection. I like this option.
-some of the setup uses the Arlo mode screens so I’m leery of how well that will work with the Arlo/SmartThings ‘integration’
I’m tempted…
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