There’s a certain kind of peace of mind that comes from knowing who’s outside your door. This is even more true now that people are trying to stay safe at home and keep their physical distancing from strangers. Which is why, for a lot of people, shopping for a video doorbell system makes sense right now.
If you’re considering putting in a video doorbell and a camera — and want to do your entire home — in this week’s video, we’ll be talking about just that. We’ll be looking at two important brands in the field, Arlo and Eufy, and discussing price comparisons and what these companies have to offer.
Both Arlo and Eufy are popular options for wireless security cameras. Unlike Ring and Nest, they both have base stations which the cameras directly connect to. This cuts down on the load on your wireless network and allows you to store video recordings locally versus the cloud.
So, let’s start off with Arlo. The company has been known as the luxury brand for camera systems. They have battery-powered products, but you can also add in a solar charger or clip the wiring and keep it continuously charged as well.
The Arlo Doorbell retails for $145. The Arlo Ultra, which comes a kit of two camera systems and the base station, retails for $547. On the other hand, the retail price for the Eufy — for two cameras and a base station — is $350, which makes it a more affordable option. The doorbell, which retails for $169, is more comparable to Arlo price-wise.
As far as the quality goes, the Arlo Ultra does record in 4K, as does the doorbell, which records locally to 4K. You can also record to the cloud in 4K for an additional fee. That’s a definite point for Arlo, since Eufy only records in 2K.
As far as subscription costs go, three months of Arlo Smart is included. The premier plan is $3 a month for a single camera or $10 a month for up to five cameras. The plan includes 30 days of 2K video stored in the cloud. For 4K resolution, it’s $5 a month for one camera or $15 a month for up to five. Continuous video recording is available for an additional fee.
With the Eufy system, there are no monthly fees for local storage. It’s $3 a month or $30 a year per device for 30 days of cloud storage. If you want to spring for storage for up to 10 cameras, you’ll end up paying $10 a month or $100 a year.
For more on each product — like, the ecosystem and detection functions, as well as actual footage from each — make sure to tune into this week’s video.
Brandon Doyle is a Realtor at Doyle Real Estate Team — RE/MAX Results in Minneapolis and co-author of Mindset, Methods & Metrics – Winning as a Modern Real Estate Agent. You can follow him on Twitter.