Pros & Cons
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- Integrates with all Arlo doorbells and cameras
- Uses multifunction sensors
- Works with IFTTT
- Supports voice controls
- No-contract professional monitoring
- Easy to install and manage
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- Cellular and battery backup capabilities cost extra
- No Z-Wave connectivity
Arlo Home Security System Specs
| Cellular Backup | |
| Environmental Sensors | |
| IFTTT Support | |
| Monthly Fees | Start at $7.99 |
| Power Outage Backup | |
| Upfront Costs | Start at $199.99 |
| Voice Assistant Compatibility | Amazon Alexa |
| Voice Assistant Compatibility | Google Assistant |
Designed to unify cameras, doorbells, and sensors, the Arlo Home Security System (starting at $199.99) takes a flexible approach to DIY protection. The versatile DIY home security system is easy to install, offers professional monitoring, and features multifunction sensors that detect motion, water leaks, freezing temperatures, and more. It's a particularly good value if you already own or plan to purchase Arlo smart home devices, though you'll pay extra for cellular and battery backup. The SimpliSafe Home Security System (starting at $250.96) remains our Editors' Choice winner in this category because it includes both of those features at no extra cost, and its professional monitoring plan is cheaper.
Price and Plans: Competitive Entry Price, But Key Features Cost Extra
Arlo offers two configurations of its Home Security System. I tested the $199.99 package that includes a Keypad Sensor Hub, two All-in-One sensors (with magnets, adhesive, and plastic wall mounts), a USB power adapter, various setup guides, and a window sticker. For $299.99, you get all of the above, five sensors instead of two, and a yard sign. If you want battery backup and cellular connectivity capabilities, you have to purchase the Cellular & Battery Backup accessory for $79.99. In the event of a power outage, that add-on enables 12 hours of battery life and continued system uptime via a cellular connection. You must also subscribe to Arlo's Secure Premium plan for the latter feature to work.
(Credit: John Delaney)For comparison, SimpliSafe's Foundation tier ($250.96) includes a base station with a built-in battery backup and cellular connectivity, a keypad, an entry sensor, and a motion sensor. Ring sells a five-piece system for $199.99 that comes with a base station, a keypad, a door/window sensor, a motion detector, and an alarm range extender. It also integrates built-in cellular and battery backup components.
Components: Well-Designed Hardware Led by All-in-One Sensors
The Arlo Keypad Sensor Hub is white and measures 1.0 by 4.1 by 4.1 inches (HWD). It contains a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio to connect to your home network and uses Arlo’s SecureLink wireless technology to pair with the sensors and any SecureLink-compatible Arlo cameras you have, such as the Pro 5S. It also has a built-in 90dB siren, a motion sensor, and a microphone. If you have a Secure Plus plan, it can also send an alert if it hears a smoke or carbon monoxide (CO) alarm.
The top of the hub has a backlit control panel with 19 buttons. It features a number keypad, arming and disarming buttons, a Panic button that triggers the siren and contacts the monitoring service, Fire, Police, and Medical buttons that connect you to local responders, an X button that cancels your last entry, and a checkmark button that submits PIN entries and overrides device warnings. You can use the number pad to enter PIN codes to arm and disarm the system, as well as a Duress PIN that sends a silent alarm to the monitoring service. A hardwired, 8-foot USB-A power cable extends from the back of the hub, and the bottom features a connector for the aforementioned Cellular & Battery Backup accessory.
Arlo's All-in-One sensors measure 2.3 by 1.1 by 0.5 inches and include a magnet that enables them to function as entry sensors. They run on a single CR2477 battery that should last about a year. Simply slide the front panel off to replace the battery. In addition to door and window activity, these devices can detect water leaks, regular and tilt motion activity, freezing temperatures, and ambient lighting. Like the hub, they also react to the sound of a smoke or CO alarm.
(Credit: Arlo)At the bottom of the sensor is a button that enables the setup process, security bypasses, setting changes, and factory resets. An embedded LED on the front blinks blue during the pairing process, turns solid blue briefly when the device detects motion, and pulses amber if the sensor isn't within range of the hub. Additional sensors cost $29.99 each. For reference, SimpliSafe sells separate entry ($15.99), temperature ($29.99), and motion sensors ($34.99), so Arlo's are a much better value.
As for other compatible devices, Arlo offers a whole range of premium outdoor and indoor cameras, floodlights, and video doorbells. Its devices tend to cost about the same as those for other platforms. I won't go into all of the examples here, but the third-gen Arlo Essential Indoor ($39.99) is significantly cheaper than SimpliSafe's Wireless Indoor Camera ($149.99).
Smart Features: Robust Monitoring and Broad Integrations
You can self-monitor the Arlo system via its companion app (available for Android and iOS) or subscribe to a no-contract Arlo Secure plan. The Secure Plus plan costs $7.99 per month for systems with a single camera and $17.99 per month for unlimited cameras. With this plan, you get 60 days of video history, intelligent detection (person, vehicle, animal, and package), fire detection, and advanced audio detection (glass breaking, smoke alarm, barking). The $24.99-per-month Premium plan adds 24/7 monitoring with emergency response, cellular and battery backup, home insurance discounts, and access to the Arlo Safe app (also available for Android and iOS), which offers check-in/check-out alerts and a one-touch emergency button. For comparison, Ring offers professional monitoring for $20 per month, while SimpliSafe charges $23 per month.
The Arlo Home Security system integrates with many third-party devices via IFTTT, which you can use in routines with Arlo's first-party hardware. You can also arm and disarm via Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands. It doesn’t support Z-Wave devices, nor does it work with Apple HomeKit, a platform some of Arlo's older devices support.
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App Experience: Intuitive Controls and Quick Emergency Tools
The system uses the same Arlo Secure mobile app as the company's individual devices. The hub appears on the main Dashboard screen along with Arm Away, Arm Home, and Standby buttons. Tap its tile to view a history of events such as arm and disarm actions and sensor triggers. At the top of the screen are buttons for configuring settings and creating widgets for sensors or cameras on the main screen.
At the bottom of the screen are Dashboard, Feed, Emergency, Devices, and Routines buttons. The Dashboard button takes you back to the main screen from wherever you are in the app. The Feed button shows recordings from any devices connected to your Arlo account. You can play, share, download, or delete any of these thumbnails.
(Credit: Arlo/PCMag)Select the Emergency button to access Police, Fire, and Medical buttons. When you tap one of them, an Arlo emergency response agent contacts a local responder and shares the details you provided, such as your location and emergency contacts. Here, you can also activate the hub's siren manually and place a one-touch call to trusted contacts.
Choose the Devices button to see tiles for the hub and all other connected Arlo sensors and cameras. Tap any sensor tile to configure its ambient light and temperature thresholds, as well as settings related to motion sensitivity, water detection, open/close detection, and CO/smoke alarm alerts. If you have cameras installed, they too will appear in the Devices section with a play arrow that launches a live stream.
Tap the overflow icon in the upper right of the Devices screen to change broad system settings. Here, you can edit profile information, add multi-factor authentication to your account, and create the Assistant Pin you need to arm or disarm the system via voice commands. Additionally, you can share access to the system with friends and family members, mute notifications, create PINs for guests, change Emergency Response contact numbers, configure the Panic button, add one-touch dialing entries for friends, adjust the siren volume, and view your plan status.
(Credit: Arlo/PCMag)Finally, turn to the Routines button to customize rules for Arm Away, Arm Home, and Standby modes, create usage schedules, and set up cross-device integrations. You can even configure the system to automatically switch modes at a specific time of day.
Performance: Simple Setup and Consistently Reliable Alerts
It took me just a few minutes to get the system up and running. I already had the Arlo Secure app on my phone, but you need to download that and create an account if you are new to the ecosystem.
To start, I tapped Add New Device on the Devices screen and selected Security System. I waited for the app to update, then used my phone's camera to scan the QR code at the bottom of the hub. I turned on the hub, confirmed that the check mark button was pulsing white, and pressed it until all the other onboard buttons began pulsing. After a few seconds, I tapped Next, joined the hub’s network, provided my Wi-Fi network details, and gave the hub a name. At this point, the hub showed up in the app and on my Alexa device list. After a quick firmware update, I created a four-digit PIN and scrolled through several screens that explained how to arm and disarm the system, as well as how to activate the siren.
Next, it was time to install the sensors. The sensors automatically appear once you pair the hub, so I tapped the Setup button next to the first one, scrolled through a few tutorial screens, and slid the device's front panel down to reveal the battery compartment. I removed the battery tab and pressed Continue when its LED began flashing blue. The hub immediately recognized it, so I gave the sensor a name, reattached its panel, specified a location, and selected a primary use (open/close detection, motion detection, or water leak detection). I followed the instructions for mounting the sensor on my door, tested its performance, and moved on to the second sensor. I went through the same procedure but chose the water leak detection option at the last step. Then, I placed it under my kitchen sink, which is prone to dampness. I also installed an Arlo Pro 5S camera that the company sent along for evaluation, a process that was just as seamless.
The Arlo Home Security System worked perfectly in testing. I tried the sensors in every available configuration without a problem. Push alerts arrived promptly whenever something or someone triggered a sensor, and the siren was loud enough to hear throughout my house and in my backyard. The hub responded instantly to keypad entries and to Alexa voice commands to arm and disarm the system. Furthermore, a rule I created for the Arlo Pro 5S to begin recording when one of the sensors detected motion worked as intended.