5

Arlo raises the price of its single-camera subscription plan - The Verge

 7 months ago
source link: https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/30/24055880/arlo-secure-security-camera-price-increase
Go to the source link to view the article. You can view the picture content, updated content and better typesetting reading experience. If the link is broken, please click the button below to view the snapshot at that time.
neoserver,ios ssh client

If you have an Arlo camera or video doorbell, it’s about to get more expensive

/

The company is raising the price of its Arlo Secure subscription service for a single camera by 60 percent.

By Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, a smart home reporter who's been testing connected gadgets since 2013. Previously a writer for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, and US News.

Jan 30, 2024, 9:19 PM UTC|

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Arlo’s Essential wired video doorbell installed on a front door.
Arlo’s cloud subscription plan for a single camera or video doorbell is increasing to $7.99 a month.Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

In more “things are just getting expensive” news, the Arlo Secure subscription service is climbing. Again. This time, it’s going from $4.99 to $7.99 for a single camera or video doorbell. This 60 percent price hike comes on the heels of an increase early last year from $2.99 to $4.99.

According to an email sent to single-camera users from Arlo and posted on Reddit, the change is “due to increasing costs and investment in developing innovative solutions.” The updated plans are now live on Arlo’s site, and the lowest-tier Arlo Secure plan, which includes 30 days of cloud storage and smart alerts for people, pets, packages, and vehicles, costs $7.99 monthly for one camera.

If you have multiple Arlo cameras, the subscription costs $12.99 a month. That subscription didn’t go up this time — it increased from $9.99 last year. There’s still the option to pay annually, now for $89.99 a year for one camera, up from $59.99, or $149.99 a year for unlimited cameras. According to the email, users will be automatically charged the new fee unless they change or cancel their plan, but TechHive reports that existing users are being offered the option to pay the old $59.99 price to lock in their existing rate for a year.

Arlo Secure’s cheapest plan just got more expensive. Screenshot by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Considering Arlo’s cameras once came with a free seven days of cloud storage, this is a huge increase. Even if you bought a video doorbell in 2022 and were paying $2.99 monthly for it, you’re now paying more than double that.

One way around this is to use an Arlo Smart Hub, which starts at $99 and can record video for some Arlo cameras locally. Unfortunately, you lose smart alerts for people, pets, packages, and vehicles, the ability to add activity zones to the camera, and other software features accessible in the Arlo app.

An Arlo Pro 4 security camera.Arlo

This move feels designed to push existing customers toward Arlo’s new products, including its new $199 smart security system, as there’s better value the more Arlo you have.

Arlo launched the Arlo Home Security System — a DIY system that can be professionally monitored — last year, and the top-tier Arlo plan, Safe & Secure Pro, covers all your cameras and professional monitoring for the system for $24.99 a month. That’s pricey versus the single-camera plan, but unlike the single-camera plan, there’s significantly more value —recording for unlimited cameras and professional monitoring (although you’d have to buy more hardware).

Arlo recently launched the Arlo Total Security package, where you can get that hardware without paying anything upfront. For $49.99 a month, it comes with two cameras and the security system, along with all the Arlo Safe & Secure Pro features (including professional monitoring). This package type is similar to those offered by traditional home security companies, where you pay no money upfront but are locked into a rate until you pay off the hardware.

But for someone who just wants to see recordings from their single Arlo camera or doorbell, they’ll either have to cough up or move on.

Featured Videos From The Verge

Sony’s new $2,200 camera vs. an iPhone 14 Pro

The new Sony ZV-E1 is a compact mirrorless full-frame camera that’s dedicated to content creators and aimed squarely at vloggers. It’s the new flagship offering of Sony’s established ZV line of vlog-centric cameras, taking a similar 12-megapixel backside-illuminated full-frame sensor as the pro-focused FX3 and mixing in the A7R V’s AI autofocus smarts to reduce the friction in making high-quality video content. So how does it compare to one of the most popular everyday cameras in America: the iPhone 14 Pro?


About Joyk


Aggregate valuable and interesting links.
Joyk means Joy of geeK