Starting at $199.99, an Arlo kit will net you a wireless home surveillance system that takes less than 30 minutes to install. The palm-sized and waterproof camera(s) that can be placed indoors or outdoors will allow you to keep an eye on your home while away. The major downside is that you will need some extra batteries every now and then (depends on the camera(s) usage), although Netgear states that those they include potentially last up to six months. Since you will need to spend a significant amount on batteries, getting rechargeable ones makes sense; however, rechargeable batteries will not last as long since their output voltage is lower than that of non-rechargeable ones. Also take into consideration that the Arlo system will provide false readings on how much juice a battery has left if you live in a cold environment. If you have the cameras out in the cold and notice strange battery level readings, try moving them inside to double check.

The Arlo security system provides many interesting features and sports several key advantages that not only include its wireless design and easy installation as there is also the good image quality in low-light conditions, the ability to effortlessly control the system over the web, the cloud storage capability and space, and ease with which it can be expanded upon to include additional cameras you simply add to the existing base(s). However, there are some drawbacks, and one of the most important is the camera's lack of a microphone as it results in a complete lack of audio. This can be a major disadvantage if you want to monitor small children or the elderly. Furthermore, the inability to record to a local device like a NAS is something that will bother many users with a NAS. Netgear states that their NAS servers will come to support these Arlo kits in the near future, but Netgear should also make a point of providing other popular NAS platforms (Synology, Thecus, QNAP, etc.) with Arlo support. Regarding privacy matters, I would also like erased videos to not stay in the cloud for an additional seven days. Once we decide to delete our files, we would like them to be gone for privacy reasons. Last but not least, the provided application needs to be more user friendly.

Netgear's Arlo Surveillance kit is a closed system, which is a disadvantage mostly because you cannot use the provided cameras with your existing WiFi router, but as a closed system, its installation is also a breeze since you won't have to mess with your existing WiFi configuration or worry about any incompatibility issues with your equipment. Its price might look high, but you get two waterproof cameras of high quality that can cover a wide area thanks to their macro lenses and come with a dedicated base station and some cloud storage for 350 bucks. If you already have a NAS server and you know how to set up such a system on your own, you can get some IP cameras to create your own surveillance kit, but you will most likely have to buy additional camera licenses since most NAS boxes only include one such license out of the box for free (only Asustor provides four for free), and such resilient, waterproof IP cameras aren't cheap and usually require an external source of power, so you will have to deal with cables to boot. If you don't have the required time or knowledge to deal with all the above and can afford the Arlo system, it will do. Just make sure to order rechargeable batteries since the running cost of constantly purchasing non-rechargeable ones can quickly add up.