Arlo Ultra 4k Review (Reviewed 2022)

Feature Rundown​

Value

The Arlo Ultra security camera is the newest member of the Arlo home security camera family. Costing $400, it sets a new standard for outdoor cameras. It’s one of the most expensive cameras on the market, but it’s packed with cool and useful features. Apart from its price, you’ll also spend money on Arlo Smart Plans to get the most out of your Arlo Ultra.

Installation

There are two options for mounting the camera. It comes with a magnetic base attached to a wall as standard. However, the camera can easily be detached, making it unsuitable if the camera is within reach of anyone who may be snooping around your property. On the other hand, there’s a connector for a screw mount on the back of the camera, but the screw mount is an optional extra. You can easily screw the base into a wall, then magnetically attach the camera to that base and position it so that its field of view will cover your property. If you prefer to hardwire, there are charging pins for the magnetic cable on the device’s bottom, which snaps into place. (1)

The Arlo Ultra is simple to install. You must first download the Arlo app. Simplified instructions are provided upon startup. It includes plugging the Smart Hub into your router, inserting the camera’s battery, and so on. The entire setup procedure is extremely simple, and the app guides you through each step. After you’ve physically installed the Arlo Ultra, you can tweak a few settings in the app to suit your needs.

Smart Base 

Arlo redesigned its Base Station, known as the Smart Base. There’s a LAN port, a power port, a sync button, and a reset button on its back. However, there is no longer a USB port on the back of this model for local storage. Instead, you’ll find a microSD card slot on the bottom of the Base Station. The microSD card has a maximum storage capacity of 250 GB. (2)

The Smart Base is smaller than the base station used with previous Arlo cameras, measuring 6.0×5.5×2.0 inches (HWD). But it’s packed with wireless technology such as Wi-Fi, ArloRF, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave radios (most of these radios are reserved for future use). After connecting all installed cameras and the hub, a LED indicator on the front turns blue, solid amber when an error occurs, blinks blue when pairing with a camera, and blinks amber when a camera loses connection.

Design and Hardware

The Arlo Ultra is a stylish product with its slim design and removable case. It features the same classic black and white design as previous generations of Arlo security cameras. It has a black and pill-shaped camera face, and the rest of its body is white. The Ultra camera is 20 x 30 inches. It’s noticeably larger and smaller than the previous Arlo security cameras, such as the Arlo Pro 2 and Arlo Go, respectively. Also, a button on the camera’s bottom allows you to remove the enclosure and access the battery pack.

Moreover, it is weather-resistant, which means you can use it outdoor without getting damaged by the rain. The camera’s upper part is where you can find the camera lens and spotlight. If you enable the spotlight, it will light up when it detects motion. Also, the spotlight provides a color night vision. If you want black-and-white night vision, you can turn the light off and rely solely on the two infrared LEDs. It also has an 80db internal siren that will trigger manually or automatically when it detects audio or motion. It’s loud enough to warn unwanted visitors that they are being watched. 

Video Quality and Performance

The video quality of the Arlo Ultra is what distinguishes it from the majority of security cameras. This home security camera has a standard video display of 1080p HD. But when you pay their subscription plan, you can apply 4K resolution, which can produce images that are twice as clear as 1080p HD. Its high resolution enables a 12x zoom, allowing you to zoom in and examine areas of your house in detail.

Moreover, the Arlo Ultra security camera offers: 

• High Dynamic Range (HDR) – with an 8-megapixel 4k sensor, the detail will not be lost even when the sun shines brightly or in very dark shadows.
• 180-degree field of view – unlike some other security cameras, the footage is not subject to a distorted fisheye effect. With it, you can capture the majority of what happens inside your house and outdoors.
• 150 degrees of motion detection feature installed with dual motion sensors – When it’s triggered, the camera sends a push notification or an email, records video of the event, and stores it in the cloud or on a MicroSD Card, sold separately.
• Auto-zooming and motion tracking – basically, auto-zooming automatically zooms the camera to the subject. On the other hand, motion tracking allows the camera to follow the movement of whatever or whoever triggered a recording.

Nighttime footage is also of excellent quality. The details are crisp and sharp, and you’ll have no trouble figuring out what is going on in the recordings. And as I have mentioned, you can have a color night vision through the embedded spotlight. But if you want to settle on the black and white night vision, you can turn off the spotlight and rely on two infrared LEDs. 

Note: You can’t enable 4K streaming and auto-zoom/motion tracking simultaneously. Therefore, you must disable 4k streaming and settle for 1080p if you want to allow auto-zoom and motion tracking, or vice versa.

Audio Quality and Performance

The audio quality of the Arlo Ultra is also outstanding. It has two-way audio, so you can converse with the person you’re recording with. It’s also great for frightening off intruders. There’s a dual-microphone array, a front-facing speaker, and noise-cancellation technology to eliminate wind noise, which is helpful for two-way audio if you need it.

Storage

In its Arlo Smart plans, Arlo provides both cloud and local storage. We want to have a backup system in place when using a security camera. Luckily, the Arlo camera provided not one but two options for backing up your footage in case one of them fails. The Arlo hub has a micro-SD card slot for local storage. And you’ll need to pay their subscription plans for cloud storage.