When discussing the best security cameras, Arlo has to be mentioned at least once. Arlo, a maker of premium cameras, now offers the 6th generation version of its Pro cameras with 2K HDR video footage and many additional features.
As you can see in my review of the Arlo Essential 2K, I’ve always been impressed with Arlo cameras, so I was looking forward to trying out this latest model. I’ve been using this regularly for several weeks and testing it around the clock. Read all of my findings below.
Arlo Pro 6 Review: Pricing and Availability
Arlo Pro 6 is available to buy now, at the time of writing for £169.99 / $124.99 per camera without subscription (but check the widget embedded on this page for the latest prices and best deals).
If you’re looking to buy this in the UK, it’s available directly from Arlo as well as from retailers like Amazon.
Arlo Pro 6 review: Design and setup
By now, the bulbous white plastic look of Arlo cameras is familiar, and the Arlo Pro 6 sticks to the traditional aesthetic of the camcorder series. It measures 87.1 mm x 52 mm x 78.6 mm (the size of two packs of cards stacked together) and weighs 197 grams. If appearance is important to you, this is definitely one of the best-looking security cameras out there.
It comes with everything you need, including a wall mounting kit, some screws, and a USB charging cable. You can place the camera on a flat surface if you wish, but a strong gust of wind may knock it over. This is a camera designed for the outdoors and has an IP65 rating, so it can withstand any rain or snow. You can also use it indoors if you wish.
(Image credit: Future)
Once you’ve installed the Arlo app on your phone, setup is easy and takes only a few minutes (not including the time it takes to attach the camera and place it in place). The app will guide you through the setup process, including installing the replaceable battery. This adds an extra step to the installation process, but it means you have a spare battery to replace at any time (but requires additional purchase).
As always with Arlo, there’s no local storage option unless you buy the £110/$99.99 smart hub. So if you want to keep an archive of your video recordings in the cloud and access advanced features like AI recognition, you’ll have to pay Arlo Secure from £7.99/$9.99 per month. However, the camera is free for one month, so you can see its benefits for yourself.
It’s quite expensive, but the subscription covers up to 20 cameras and you can get a discount if you pay annually.
(Image credit: Future)
Arlo Pro 6 Review: Videos and Features
Arlo Pro 6 maintains the same 2K, HDR-capable video quality as its predecessor, so your clips can get resolutions up to 2560 x 1440 pixels. You can lower this setting if you want to save battery life. It also has a low power mode, just like a mobile phone. Arlo quotes 8 months of battery life on a single charge, which is consistent with my testing (only a few percent drop per week).
There’s a wide 160-degree (diagonal) field of view here, so you get plenty of field of view in the frame. It also has two night vision modes: color (requires the built-in spotlight to be turned on) and black and white (can use an infrared detector). Although color gives you better photos, I tend to prefer black and white because it means the camera doesn’t have constant light shining on the area it’s monitoring.
(Image credit: Future)
Otherwise, it has almost all the features you would want in a modern home security camera. That means two-way audio, a built-in siren to ward off would-be robbers, the aforementioned spotlight, and the ability to set up “activity zones” with motion detection enabled (so if you have parts of the video frame where motion isn’t an issue, you can easily set this up).
I have to say that the video footage you get from the Arlo Pro 6 is very good, even if it’s not the top-of-the-line 4K that some Arlo models offer. Whether it’s day or night, the clips are crisp and clear so you can clearly see what’s going on. I really like the 12x zoom with auto tracking. This allows you to zoom in on faces and other moving objects and track them across space, even when the camera is stationary.
(Image credit: Arlo)
For a subscription fee, you can use AI recognition to differentiate between people, pets, vehicles, packages, and more. Although I wasn’t able to check off every item that Arlo Pro 6 could recognize, it correctly identified the items I tested. This means you can customize your alerts more specifically and reduce the number of pings to your phone.
With the help of various moving objects and people, we were able to confirm that the motion sensing worked very well, as you would expect given the expertise that Arlo has accumulated over the years. You can also adjust motion detection sensitivity as one of the many settings available in the accompanying mobile app.
(Image credit: Arlo)
Taking a closer look at the app, everything is very polished and straightforward. It’s easy to review motion events captured by the camera, and it’s easy to change everything from the location of activity zones to the length of time the siren sounds. It’s nice to have so many options, but you can also use the defaults out of the box if you prefer.
There’s dual-band Wi-Fi support here, so the camera operates on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, which smart home kits don’t always have, ensuring wide compatibility with a variety of routers, mesh systems, and Wi-Fi scenarios. You can also connect this to Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings smart home networks, giving you plenty of flexibility.
Arlo Pro 6 Review: Verdict
If you’re currently in the market for a home security camera system, there’s no doubt that the Arlo Pro 6 is one of the best devices available today. However, whether it is definitely the best for you is another question. This is a camera for those who can pay the best price (upfront and as part of an ongoing subscription) and expect the highest level of video quality and features in return.
During my time with the Arlo Pro 6, I was impressed with almost every aspect of it, including the quality of the video and audio footage, the ease of setup, and the number of different options and features you can play with. It has a good design and feels well made.
As with all Arlo cameras (and many Arlo competitors), there’s the issue of fairly expensive cloud storage subscriptions. It’s a shame that the advanced AI recognition features are also included in the subscription, and the option for local storage is welcome (aside from a separate smart hub), but while you can use the camera without a monthly fee, you just don’t have access to the video archive.
It’s also worth mentioning that this isn’t a huge upgrade over the Arlo Pro 5, especially in terms of video quality, but the longer battery life is nice. I don’t think anyone will be disappointed with what the Arlo Pro 6 brings, but the question is whether it fits your budget and how the rest of your smart home is set up.
Arlo Pro 6 review: Alternatives to consider
If you like the Arlo brand but want something a little more versatile, consider the Arlo Essential 3 2K Pan-Tilt Security Camera. As the name suggests, you can use pan and tilt to cover large areas, and since it’s a wired camera, you don’t have to worry about battery life. However, the same precautions apply to Arlo Secure.
I also recently tried the Eufy Security eufyCam C35. It provides local storage options, so you don’t necessarily have to pay for a cloud subscription. You can also get two cameras and a hub for about the same price as one Arlo Pro 6 camera, so it’s worth checking out if you don’t have a lot of money.
