Do you need Arlo Secure? How much it costs and what you get

If you want to take your home security seriously, security cameras are for sure a no-brainer when choosing to equip your house. These are really simple devices that are often accessible wirelessly, letting you not only record what’s going on around your property but also see the camera feed in real-time, so you can always check if everything is in order.

Arlo is one of the companies that offers the best smart security cameras in the business. Its catalog is quite extensive, offering different products for different needs and budgets, both high-end and basic equipment. You can also expect all of them to work great with the Arlo app, which in itself is great, as it offers plenty of functions and a slick, modern design.

However, many smart security camera producers limit their functionality by introducing a paid subscription that limits or even completely disables their products without a monthly fee on top of the device’s cost. Here’s everything you need to know about Arlo’s subscription – is it necessary, and what does it give you in return for the monthly payment?

What is Arlo Secure?

Arlo Secure is a subscription service offered that provides enhanced security features and benefits for Arlo camera users. It includes advanced features such as extended cloud storage for recorded videos, 24/7 continuous video recording, and more, depending on the subscription level.

Arlo Secure vs Arlo Safe

You may have heard of Arlo Safe. While Arlo Secure is a smart home security app that enhances your Arlo camera system with features like 24/7 Emergency Response and 4K video recordings, it’s for protecting your home. Arlo Safe, available in the US is a personal safety app for on-the-go protection, offering features like emergency activation, location sharing, and crash response. It’s for personal and family safety.

Do Arlo cameras require a subscription?

First, let’s tackle this question in the shortest terms: no, Arlo cameras do not require a subscription to function. If you don’t want to pay a monthly fee, you can install these cameras, connect them to the app, and start using them without any additional costs.

However, you must know that the functionality of your camera will be limited if you choose not to go for the subscription. Again, it’s not that they will be unusable – you’ll still be able to connect multiple cameras to your app, monitor your surroundings, and view a live feed from your devices on your smartphone.

However, there are limits to what you’ll be able to do. In general, these limitations are dependent on which device you have and are divided into two groups.

For the Arlo Wire-Free, Arlo Pro and Pro 2, Arlo Q/Q+, Arlo Go, or Arlo Baby, you can only bind up to 5 cameras to one account. What’s more, for these devices, you will be limited to a 1080P cloud recording limit, which lasts for seven days online. This means that after seven days, your videos are replaced by the new recordings, so you have to download them before a week from the recording day passes.

As for the Arlo Ultra, Arlo Pro 3/3 Floodlight/4/5/5S, and Arlo Essential series, there is no limitation on the number of cameras bound to one account, even for free users. Unfortunately, with these devices, you do not have access to cloud recording at all, so you have to either rely on on-device storage or go for a paid subscription to have your videos available online.

Arlo/ Pocket-lint

What do I get with an Arlo subscription?

Aside from the above limitations, not getting a subscription to Arlo also makes you miss out on some of the handy features that these cameras have in store. Here are the best subscription-only advantages that Arlo offers:

• Interactive Notifications: Smart security cameras are of little use if you can’t quickly see what’s going on when someone enters their field of view. When you get Arlo’s subscription, you can count on interactive notifications – notifications with animated previews of what’s going on that let you quickly react to every situation.
• People, Animal, Vehicle, and Package detection systems: With a subscription enabled, your Arlo cameras can detect various objects that come into their view and notify you about these changes. This helps you keep track of what’s going on around your house and ensures that, for example, your Prime packages do not go missing.
• 24/7 Emergency Response: This feature allows you to notify emergency response with one tap if something happens around your house. The emergency response team will then notify the police or call for an ambulance so the emergency services can reach you or your home as fast as possible.
• Smart Activity Zones: Sometimes, you want your camera to pick up movement only within some part of the frame. The rest might pick up a bit of your neighbor’s property or a street, so getting notifications from these parts would only be distracting. Arlo’s subscription allows you to set up smart activity zones, ensuring that the camera only records what is important.
• Smoke and CO Alarm Detection: If you have a regular smoke or CO detector, Arlo’s alarm detection feature is a great addition to your security arsenal. Arlo’s cameras can pick up alarm sounds from within your house and notify you when there’s something wrong, letting you know there might be a leak or fire inside, even without a smart smoke detector.
• Depending on your subscription tier, you also get the ability to bind more cameras to your account, as well as store cloud recordings in better resolution. You can also store your recording in the cloud for 30 days.

How much does an Arlo subscription cost?

Currently, Arlo offers three subscription tiers. Furthermore, if you choose the lowest tier, you can decide between buying it for an unlimited number of cameras or just going for one camera, allowing you to choose the best option for your needs. Here are the tiers and their prices:

• Secure: $4.99 per month for one camera, $12.99 per month for unlimited cameras. You get 4K recordings, 30 days of cloud storage, smart animated notifications, object detection, alarm detection, and smart activity zones.
• Secure Plus: $17.99 per month for unlimited cameras. You get all of the above plus 24/7 emergency response and critical alerts.
• Safe & Secure Pro: $24.99 per month for unlimited cameras. You get all of the above, plus 24/7 professional monitoring, a cellular and battery backup, and access to Arlo’s Safe App features.

You can also buy all of these plans as a yearly subscription, saving you a little bit of money compared to buying them monthly.

How to get an Arlo Secure subscription

Now, if you’ve decided that getting an Arlo subscription is the way to go for you, getting that set up is extremely easy. There is one thing to keep in mind if you’re an Apple user – activating your subscription will not be possible through an iOS app. You can only do that on Android or, of course, by using Arlo’s website. Here’s how to set up your subscription:

How to sign up for a subscription on Arlo’s website:

1. Go to my.arlo.com
2. Log in to your account.
3. Click on Secure.
4. Next, click on My Arlo Account.
5. Under the Subscription tab, choose Arlo Secure.
6. Click on the Subscribe Now button. If you’re switching from the trial version of Arlo Secure, click on Change Plan instead.
7. Follow the instructions to choose your subscription, set up payment and finalize your purchase!

How to sign up for a subscription using Arlo’s Android app:

1. Launch the Arlo Secure app.
2. Tap on the Account tab.
3. Choose Subscription.
4. In the Subscription tab, tap on Subscribe now. Alternatively, if you’re using a trial version of Arlo Secure, you should tap on Change Plan.
5. Choose which subscription you want to set up, bind your payment option and finalize your purchase of the selected plan!