The world of technology is all about keeping on top of the latest trends, while still trying to push innovation by staying ahead of the curve. And in the last few years, we’ve witnessed at least a couple of key trends that are continuing to pick up the pace. First, we’ve got the rise of smart home technology with people taking the concept of the “Internet of Things” into their own hands, including home security. Second, we’re seeing the continued expansion of wireless technologies, like the rising adoption of wireless charging.
That’s all well and good, but there’s still one big piece of the puzzle that’s missing. For the vast majority of our electronics, we find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, we have battery-based devices like smartphones and tablets that need to be charged at least once a day. On the other hand, we have all of our other devices that need to be constantly tethered to a wall outlet for power. In the context of home security and smart home technology, like the WeMo smart home products from Belkin, that’s a pretty major hindrance.
And that’s one of the biggest reasons why the Netgear ARLO is so compelling. It’s a HD security camera system that you can run yourself, monitoring the live feed from the convenience of your computer or mobile device, complete with motion activation and night vision. What makes it so different is that the cameras it uses are truly “wire-free,” as they not only communicate over Wi-Fi, but they don’t actually need to be plugged into a power outlet. They don’t need to use Power over Ethernet (PoE) like some other IP cameras either.
Because the weatherproof ARLO cameras can also be used both indoors and outdoors, this adds a lot more flexibility in terms of where you want to mount them. Watch your porch. Keep an eye on your backyard. Use the ARLO as a baby monitor. It used to be so much more challenging to mount an IP camera in certain locations outside or in particular corners of your home, because it meant having to run a wire.
The Netgear ARLO overcomes that, because the cameras boast up to six months of battery life. That’s incredible and maybe it’s a technology that Intel should explore with its its wire-free laptop concept. And wouldn’t it be exceptional if we suddenly got up to six months of battery on our smartphones too? I’m not sure how Netgear is able to accomplish this feat with the ARLO, but it sure is impressive.
What’s more, you can use your laptop or desktop to tap into a live video feed from your ARLO cameras. The video is in 720p HD and you get 91 meters of viewing range. The motion detection can also be set up such that these motion events are suitably captured and saved in the free and secure cloud storage. There is also a mobile app for remote monitoring too.
When you’re ready to secure and monitor your home, you’ll find the Netgear Arlo is available from Harvey Norman in Australia for $588. That’s the complete smart home security system as a two camera kit. Additional cameras can be purchased separately.