Arlo Reviews 21

My experience with Arlo has been extremely disappointing. During the free trial, the camera provided real-time person alerts and worked as expected, which convinced me to purchase the paid subscription for person detection. However, once I subscribed, the person alerts stopped working altogether. Motion detection became so unreliable that the camera sometimes couldn’t even detect me while I was holding it in my hand.

I purchased the subscription specifically for the person detection feature, but it did not perform as advertised in my experience. I spent a great deal of time trying to troubleshoot the issue, but nothing resolved it.

What made the experience even worse was the cancellation process. When I attempted to cancel my subscription, I was repeatedly told there were “technical difficulties,” and I continued being charged for months. It took nearly a year before I was finally able to cancel.

Based on my experience, I feel misled into purchasing a subscription that did not deliver the functionality I was shown during the free trial. I cannot recommend Arlo due to the unreliable performance and frustrating subscription and cancellation experience.

Ive experienced this from June 4, 2025 until today June 25, 2026 almost 1 year I have been scammed by these scammers

Initially purchased an Arlo Essential AVD1001 which worked very well for the couple of years that I had it. Then it stopped recording for no reason and I was unable to get it working again. So I thought I was upgrading when I bought their video doorbell camera 2nd generation. The first few days it seemed to work well enough and then it started to only record motion that was within 5 or 6 feet away from the camera. I needed to be able to see people walking in the street in front of my house, approximately 30 feet away. The old one was able to record people walking ACROSS the street until it just quit recording. Not happy with the product and having to go through these chat sessions was like pulling teeth. Every time one of them would ask if it was OK to look at the file and that it would only take a few minutes meant that it would take at least 10 minutes before they would get back to me. I spent over 2 hours with this nonsense last Friday.

A never ending series of problems. Hopeless support.

I had a Arlo doobell and the Chime, within a month Doorbell went bad, I called and they sent a new one...no big deal.
I had taken a subscription as well. The app kept dropping the activity feed history and every time. Customer service's response was to delete the device and add it again to the app, I had to do it enough times in 4 months that I got fed up and switched to a different product and cancelled my subscription.
Then I noticed I was still charged for the subscription, upon calling the customer support they said they couldn't find the transaction. Then I noticed that they have been charging me for 2 subscriptions - the doorbell that was returned and the one they replaced....now I can't find a number to call or catch hold of anyone.
This company is not a security company, its a scam hiding as a security company. Save your money and find other ways to protect yourselves.

Cameras kept disconnecting and took months to fix, for it to keep happening. The payment software after an upgrade wouldn’t remove an old card, couldn’t pay, lost subscription and couldn’t contact anyone as I hadn’t paid. Although their actual customer support was very nice, Arlo systems and software is awful. Not to mention the amount of lawsuits they’ve had against them. These cameras are going straight in the bin.

I wish I had came here before purchasing Arlo cameras, I agree with alot of what I'm reading here about their customer service or LACK of customer service.anyone who's first cam purchase is Arlo is probably content... anyone who's ever had Ring or Google Nest cams first realizes moving to Arlo is going backwards, there cameras are not near as good as Nest or Ring ..The Arlo app is the worst ever and not user friendly at all , I have reached out to customer service 5 times since buying Arlo cams 5 customer service requests and 0 customer service replies, However that all changed last night when I received 5 emails from Arlo the first and only communication from them at all and hilariously all 5 were them asking me to tell people how my customer service experience went .... LMAO you have to provide customer service to get rated on customer service......

HORRIBLE customer support! You have to deal with clowns in India. They speak terrible English and ask the same questions again and again.

Bought an Arlo Doorbell and connected to the Arlo App. All worked fine. However I bought this because it says it Works With Google because I wanted to announce that someone is at the door via my nest devices to anyone in the house.
When trying to add the doorbell to Google Home and link it to Arlo it just comes up with a HTTP 400 error.
So I put in a call to Arlo support. They pretend to care, but don't seem to know what they are doing. They showed me how to generate a log and I sent that to them. Two days later they just asked more questions, which I answered, but then nothing for days. Just returned it for a refund, their loss.

 I've had Arlo Pro 2 cameras since 2017 and used them faithfully until 2025 when Arlo — the greedy company they’ve turned into — decided to slap an END OF LIFE label on them. Then they told me I had to buy the new Arlo Ultra 3rd Gen cameras with the Ultra SmartHub.

I made it crystal clear to the Arlo salesperson that I did NOT want a monthly subscription and wanted to use the new system the same way I used my Arlo Pro 2 setup. He assured me, “No problem, just do port forwarding on your router and use a memory card in the base station.” Sounded simple, right?

Well, after three days of waiting, dealing with tech support, and wasting seven hours following their instructions — all while struggling with a massive language barrier — I finally discovered how the new Arlo system actually works. And of course, it was exactly what I said I did NOT want.

By the time the system even lets you see what’s happening, any criminal who appears on your property is long gone. Arlo has basically built a system that benefits criminals more than customers unless we pay for their subscription. Videos take minutes to become available, which makes the cameras practically useless for real-time security unless you give them even more money.

This is deliberate corporate greed, plain and simple. They wrote the system this way so customers are cornered into paying for subscriptions we never needed with the Arlo Pro 2. It’s manipulation through software — “small code” designed to squeeze every last dollar out of loyal customers.

I returned the cameras, the SmartHub, and every accessory — and naturally, Arlo made even that difficult. But once they were gone, I felt nothing but relief.

I will never buy Arlo again, and I will never recommend them to anyone. Companies like this survive by draining money from people who just want simple, reliable security. I’m done feeding them, and I hope others stop giving their money to these greedy billionaire companies too.

While Arlo's security cameras are marketed as a convenient, wire-free solution for home surveillance, my experience indicates significant shortcomings that compromise their effectiveness. The core issues lie in two critical areas: severely underwhelming battery performance and a persistent, frustrating delay in accessing the live feed. For a security product, these are not just minor inconveniences—they are fundamental flaws that undermine the very purpose of having a camera system. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this product to anyone seeking reliable and responsive home security.
Detailed Analysis:
Battery Life (Fails to meet expectations)
One of the primary selling points of Arlo cameras is their wire-free, battery-powered design. However, the reality of the battery life is a stark contrast to the advertised claims. Instead of the several months of life promised, the batteries in my cameras consistently required charging far more frequently, often lasting only a matter of weeks, or even days, in high-traffic areas. This creates a cycle of constant maintenance that is both inconvenient and impractical. A security system should be a "set it and forget it" solution, not a demanding chore that leaves your property vulnerable while cameras are offline for charging. The poor battery performance is not only a major hassle but also a significant security risk.
Live View Access (Unreliable and unresponsive)
A crucial function of a security camera is the ability to instantly view a live feed to check on your property or respond to an alert. Unfortunately, the Arlo system's live view access is consistently unreliable. When attempting to quickly access a camera feed, the app often fails to connect, resulting in a blank screen or a lengthy loading delay. This lag makes the system useless for capturing and responding to real-time events. By the time the video feed finally loads, the person or event you were trying to see has already passed. This defeats the entire purpose of having a security camera for immediate visual verification.

I am filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau as I spent over $800 on six Pro 2 cameras, hardware, set up and continue to pay Arlo a monthly fee to be able to view the activity on these expensive cameras and protect myself and my home. Since their website upgrade, I've been unable to watch live view as I get spinning circle and most of the time nothing loads. And now I am told there is no support or technical support because these are end of life? These are their own products and they charge a monthly service fee to their customers!! Arlo does an website upgrade and now this crooked company cannot provide me any support? And their only solution from their customer service team to me was to buy more expensive newer cameras. Not every customer can afford $800-$900 every 4 to 5 years. Arlo provides no support even while paying them monthly fees. This is a scam company and there are sooo many complaints out there with customers getting completely ripped off without any concern or help from Arlo. Shame on them! I opened a case with Arlo for some support so I can view the cameras I pay monthly for and bought and was promised in my case, in writing, that I would be shipped all new six cameras with RA to return the other cameras and very next day I’m informed they are not sending the cameras. How can they lie to their customers, even in writing???? Liars and scammers and they are going to lose so many customers due to how they poorly they treat their customers.

My base station stopped working. Support walked me through the same steps 20 times. They determined the device was defective and tried to sell me another one. I have hundreds of dollars worth of equipment that are worthless.

I've used Arlo Pro 2 cameras for many years and pay for the yearly subscription of $222. I had a contract for 5 cameras at two locations and App was straight forward and easy to use. Last month, Arlo updated their App and what a mess it is. It is difficult to use, that their customer support in some far off land doesn't even know how to work with it. I've talked with their support 4 times and it still doesn't work right.

Another issue with the new App is that you can only have one location for each subscription. So, in middle of my contract term, they changed the conditions of my use and want another subscription fee.

My advice is to buy a security camera system from a company that provides decent customer service and won't do a "a bait and switch" after you purchase a service plan.

Do not purchase Arlo cameras.

Since the forced upgrade to their new app, critical functionality of custom camera modes have been removed, meaning there is no way to automate or create custom modes and automation, which is an essential function for users with multiple cameras.

Combined with seemingly uncaring customer support, no recognition that the update has devalued their service, and no eta on a restoration of previous functions, Arlo has made it obvious what it thinks about its customers.

I have been an Arlo user for over 12 years. The product has been best in class with huge flexibility. I recommended it to everyone. Usability was not quite straightforward but the flexibility overrode this.
This app upgrade from the legacy app has MASSIVELY DOWNGRADED FUNCTIONALITY. You cannot roll back either. Previously you could program each camera to do a range of functions on different schedules with different outputs. Now all cameras for each location function as a group with little to no separation of functions/responses at at camera level. Also Arlo SNUCK in re-pricing so that each location has to be on a separate plan - sort of understandable, BUT DECEITFUL. No discounts available for multiple locations either - Just a money grab. I had 4 locations with 15 cameras. Charges have now quadrupled with Functionality destroy!!!
Usability is now so APPALLING & ILLOGICAL that you constantly need to refer to google for solutions. Worse, customer service answers to people's posted questions miss the issue & they give answers that might only solve half the problem & do not acknowledge that there is no complete answer.
Customer service has promised to call me back, but never does!
I now need to dump all my Arlo cameras, & cancel the service. I have 9 new upgraded Arlo cameras that are still in unopened boxes which I am in the process of offloading.
Don't buy the marketing fluff, Arlo will only be useful now if you have a very very basic requirement of 1 or 2 cameras. Otherwise save the frustration and buy an alternative.
Please do your google research!!!!

I was on the free plan for many years. Then the phone app updated and Arlo removed the free plan. I was using the Arlo with 2 cameras (that was the limit for free plan) using Arlo only once or twice a year. So the free plan worked perfectly for me. I've tried several times through the website as well as the phone app to add my 2 cameras to the base station, not working. It was simple before, press the sync button on the base station, press sync button on the camera. Now Arlo is forcing me to purchase a subscription. After trying to stay loyal to Arlo (since Nov 2018), I've now switched to Ring. MUCH BETTER SUPPORT.

WRITE A REVIEW, THEY SAY?
WHAT ARLO? WASTE OF TIME & EFFORT.
READ THE REVIEWS YOURSELVES?
I WISH I HAD BEFORE I PURCHASED THEIR PRODUCTS.
NO NO NO NO NO NO
SCAMMING BUNCH OF PARASITES
GLEN W NORTHERN RIVERS NSW

Looks like ARLO has collapsed. Their online technical advice failed. The APP chat system locked me out and doesn't recognise my password anymore. The web system allowed me to log in but will not allow me to call or get a return call. I would say this company is finished and it is time to bite the bullet, throw away the hardware and replace it with another brand. A terrible waste of time and money.