Probably the most responsive wi-fi safety digital camera I’ve examined is $90 off for Black Friday

What is the Black Friday deal?

Arlo’s flagship Professional 5S digital camera is $90 off forward of Black Friday 2023, obtainable for less than $160.

Why this deal is ZDNET-recommended

The Arlo Professional 5S 2K is a totally wi-fi safety digital camera that may be positioned to surveil indoors or outside. It is modern, compact, and dependable — all qualities you’d count on from a brand new Arlo digital camera. However some issues left me wanting, although I can not say for sure if it is due to Arlo or me.

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Arlo Professional 5S 2K

The Arlo Professional 5S has all of the options any Arlo buyer wants: 2K-resolution HDR video, coloration evening imaginative and prescient, and seamless integration into the Arlo Residence Safety System.

First, it is price discussing the elephant within the room: the month-to-month subscription. 

Additionally: Meet the brand new Arlo video doorbell and Important safety cameras

I like a fantastic safety system; it is one of many few issues I do not neglect to change on each evening, and, as a recognized OCD sufferer, it helps me sleep at evening. I’ve a Eufy Safety system in my house as a result of it does not require any subscription or month-to-month charges, although the startup price is not low cost.

Arlo cameras are dearer than the Eufy Safety ones all through my house and nonetheless require a subscription after buying. I might go on an limitless rant on why I dislike safety digital camera subscriptions, however I am going to say this: if I purchase the digital camera, I wish to personal the pictures. You do not purchase a images digital camera to pay the producer for every picture or video you are taking. 

The Arlo Professional 5S 2K digital camera is not meant to be a standalone product. Whereas it’s bought and can be utilized as one, it is meant to work finest when linked with different Arlo Residence Safety units. Customers can purchase a separate Arlo Extremely SmartHub to raise their safety system and allow native storage. The SmartHub can file onto a micro SD card that is bought individually. 

As soon as arrange, customers can solely entry the digital camera recordings when they’re in the identical community because the SmartHub, because the system works regionally. This offers some customers a much-needed sense of privateness and others a headache. 

Arlo customers can bypass this setup and remotely entry the video recordings saved within the SmartHub utilizing port forwarding or a VPN. 

Additionally: One of the best outside safety cameras to guard your house

Arlo provides various kinds of Arlo Safe subscription to allow cloud storage of as much as 30 days, good interactive and animated notifications, audio detection of alarms, good exercise zones, theft substitute, important alerts, 24/7 emergency response, and sure AI-powered options. 

The Arlo Safe subscriptions vary from $4.99 a month for a single digital camera as much as $25 a month for a limiteless quantity of cameras, plus 24/7 skilled monitoring companies, video verification, Household Security monitoring for check-ins and site alerts, and crash detection and response through the Arlo Secure App. 

Additionally: This Good good house controller makes managing a number of units simpler than ever

Month-to-month charges apart, I’ve discovered the Arlo Professional 5S 2K to be extraordinarily dependable and responsive — the movement alerts are available in instantly; as quickly as there’s motion on the Arlo’s facet of the yard, my cellphone lets me know.

The battery life has been excellent. The Arlo Professional 5S has a detachable and rechargeable battery that lasts as much as eight months on a single cost. I’ve solely been testing the Professional 5S for a few months, however the battery continues to be going robust, with no low-battery alerts. 

The picture captured by the digital camera wasn’t nice. I am uncertain what is occurring with my digital camera or if my yard is not fairly sufficient, however I used to be left ready for the high-quality picture from the Arlo Professional 5S. As an alternative, I used to be met with overexposed patches of grass in my feed that overpowered a lot of the remainder of the picture and made it exhausting to establish folks after they walked by that space.

Additionally: One of the best reasonably priced house safety cameras

I am going to admit my yard will get a number of daylight, and overexposure was the one concern I skilled with the Arlo Professional 5S. By this expertise, I made up my mind the Professional 5S is best suited to surveil both the entrance or facet of my house. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

Is the Arlo Professional 5S 2K price shopping for? The way in which I see it’s it is the right digital camera for somebody with an present Arlo subscription or setup or somebody desirous about it — so long as they do not thoughts the month-to-month charges. It is an distinctive digital camera, that is for positive, but it surely’s one that does not dwell as much as its full potential with no subscription or as a part of a much bigger Arlo setup.

I do not imagine I might get the SmartHub to allow native storage, as viewing it remotely appears troublesome, however I can see why folks do. If I had been so as to add to my Arlo community, I might in all probability get a month-to-month subscription. However since I am on the cost-savings facet of issues, the Professional 5S 2K would be the solely Arlo in my house in the intervening time.