I hate Arlo. Like hate hate. Really hate hate.
My Ring Pro that I got
for $14 on this crazy deal served me well, but the microphone no longer worked after a neighbor's kid stuck a pin in the hole (hey kid, next time remember that you are on video!), so I was looking for a new one. I love the few-second lead up recording and the fact that I could use my old chime, so I was not interested in buying the cheaper Ring models, but the Pro was expensive so I held off.
Then this
Verizon deal happened and I decided to try Arlo. And boy do I hate hate it.
First, it takes a ridiculously long time for the video to come up on a device, making sure that you miss the person at the door most times. To make matters worse, the lag in the video makes that you can see them at your door even when they walked away 15 seconds ago, and results in really delayed conversation. It's also annoying that any doorbell ring automatically comes through as a phone call on the connected phone, and there is no way to turn that off. But the final shoe just dropped for me tonight:
Before I bought the doorbell, I checked the price for the subscription, as I knew that it was where the main cost would really be. The plans sounded on par with others - $3 a month for standard definition and $5 a month for HD recording. (You need the subscription to see the playback on videos taken previously). So I bought the device and started with a 3-month free trial.
Tonight, I went to sign up for a paid subscription, and I see that they jacked up the prices in January. Now, there is no option for a SD plan, and the CHEAPEST plan they offer is $8 a month!! I wanted to call them and vent, but they don't seem to have a phone number where you can get through to someone without an actual Arlo order number.
Did I mention that I hate hate Arlo?