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Arlo Essential Spotlight Outdoor Security Camera Review Rating
Summary
Both the Arlo Essential cameras are excellent. They offer a superb balance of affordability and performance. I’d personally spend the extra on the XL for double the battery life, but the standard camera can still get several months of battery, depending on location and settings.
Pros
Well-priced (especially when discounted)
Excellent performance for the price
Good battery
Cons
On going subscription costs
I reviewed the Arlo Essential XL back in November. It is basically identical to the Arlo Essential Spotlight I am reviewing today. It is just physically much larger as it accommodates a larger battery.
In my Arlo Essential XL review, I did explicitly state that I’d buy the XL over the standard model because there was a small price difference while providing double the battery life.
Arlo Essential vs Arlo Essential XL Specification
ArloEssential Spotlight Essential Spotlight XL
Resolution1080p1080p
HDRNoNo
Field of View130°130°
SpotlightYesYes
Two way audioYesYes
MicrophoneSingleSingle
Night VisionColourColour
Privacy ShieldNoNo
Battery Life6 Months12 months
WiFi2.4GHz2.4GHz
Smart HubOptionalOptional
Dimensions89 x 52 x 78.4 mm77.4 x 116.3 x 51.6 mm
Weight236 g375g
Price RRP: £129.99RRP: £149.99
Arlo Essential vs Arlo Essential XL Design
Everything about the cameras is essentially the same. It is just that the XL has an elongated body to accommodate the larger battery.
I find it mildly annoying that both cameras are charge via microUSB. I think USB-C should be standard on everything, but these were launched two years ago, and competing devices like Eufy 2C also use microUSB (Eufy 3C has been upgraded).
Due to the elongated design of the XL, it has a threaded mounting hole on the rear of the camera and on the base of the camera, so you have a bit more flexibility for installation compared to the standard camera.
Arlo Essential vs Arlo Essential XL Battery
Basically, the only reason for this review is to compare how the battery performs on each camera.
In two weeks, it has dropped down 14%. I check most days, and it does drop down about 1% points per day.
This is actually better than I was getting with the XL, but I then realised that I had reviewed the XL in a completely different location which triggered more events.
So, I reset the XL and set it up side by side and ran that for a few days. Both cameras were running the default settings with no motion zones.
I haven’t tested it for a long period, but the XL drops by about 1% point every other day.
In this scenario, there are only around 10 events recorded per day.
For this review, I should get three months from the Arlo Essential and hopefully six months from the Arlo Essential XL.
Page 2 for motion detection, footage samples, price and conclusion
Originally posted on mightygadget.com
Last update on 2023-02-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API