Projectors and smart cameras, two of the most common forms of home security today, are often positioned side by side, protecting our homes with moving light on or notifying us of activity. So, it was only inevitable that the two would eventually become one, first with cameras that would fit a small integrated LED light, and then be followed by traditional-looking projectors with attached cameras. However, most of these options are full of trade-offs, with light cameras illuminating only small areas and flood cameras requiring existing wiring outside.

Enter the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera, which recently touched the scene with a set view offering an experience worthy of standing out in any of the categories. This smart combination has the best smart safety with the wireless design and masks it with a flood light that really rises to the "Floods" portion of its name. I spent the last month putting Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight in its rhythm and I was impressed by how incredibly bright this beast of a device can be and how good the image quality is. However, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight is certainly not perfect and is a device that comes with its own set of trade-offs.

Large and bright

Room Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight: features

The design of the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight looks the same as the existing Arlo Pro 3 wireless camera sitting in the center of a headlight. Unlike its competitors, the Arlo camera throws away traditional flooding styles in favor of a more integrated look, with the portion of light surrounding the room itself creating a one-piece ensemble. Apart from the front of the Pro 3 camera section, which is black, the entire light consists of the glossy white Arlo white plastic frame with a matte matte speaker, covered with the front LED panel.

The Floodlight is large, measuring 8.6 inches x 7.5 inches and weighs about 1.4 pounds. The camera is powered by an included rechargeable battery, which is easy to access as it does not require the use of an instrument. The battery is charged via an included micro-USB cable and, as it is removable, additional batteries with an optional dock can be purchased and used for quick replacement. The camera also works with Arlo's outdoor magnetic charging cable, which attaches to the bottom for added convenience and can be used to continuously power the flood light. Battery life varies with usage, but most users should expect to see similar charges with the Pro 3 camera for around three to six months.

The light panel and its large surface is incredibly strong, being able to reach up to 3,000 lumens of bright white light, with a color temperature of 4,000K. The flood lamp withstands darkness and can be set to display either a solid light or a pulsating light. The flood lamp can be turned on manually or set to turn on automatically when motion is detected 25 meters away or from other Arlo cameras or connected accessories. The entire assembly is weather and UV resistant, which allows it to operate outdoors all year round, at temperatures between -4 degrees and 113 degrees Fahrenheit and comes with the right hardware for mounting inside the box.

Arlo's Floodlight Camera offers a 2K resolution with HDR, at 2560 x 1440, with a field of view of 160 degrees. The 4-megapixel camera supports 12x digital zoom, as well as infrared night vision using two LEDs, capable of seeing up to 25 meters away. When the built-in spotlight is on, the camera is able to capture color images or show a live color feed in the dark. Other hardware highlights include two-way audio and a built-in siren, which, like flood light, can be activated by movement or manually.

The smart features are enabled via 2.4 ghz Wi-Fi, which allows the camera to operate without a separate Arlo SmartHub, although it can be integrated with one if you already have one in your home. The camera connects to the Arlo app, available on both iOS and Android, and on the desktop, feeds and recorded materials can be viewed through my.arlo.com. The camera does not include on-board storage, relying on cloud for subscription to one of Arlo's smart plans or local storage to a USB drive attached to a SmartHub.

Arlo Smart plans also allow you to create areas of activity, package detection, and smart notifications that can filter out issues. A three-month purchase for the Arlo Smart service is included with the purchase, and no credit card is required to set it up. After that, plans start at $ 2.99 per month for a single camera and include 30 days of filming at 2K resolution. Finally, the camera supports Alexa Amazon, Google Assistant and AppleKome HomeKit, although the latter requires the aforementioned SmartHub and does not work with the HomeKit Secure Video features.

Cordless and hubless

Room Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight: What I like

Despite being battery-powered and completely wireless, the Arlo camera really lives up to the Floodlight portion of its name. I absolutely like how the camera can illuminate an entire area on demand or through a motion event and is not limited to a small section in front of its image. Of course, I also really like the way the light is strong enough to allow night vision of the colors, which unlike the other rooms with integrated lights, actually provides better details on the black-and-white infrared view. .

Speaking of image quality, the camera's 2K HDR capabilities produce some of the best daytime images I've seen so far in a wireless camera. Live camera viewing and recordings are clean and detailed, with very small pixels seen, even with large amounts of motion activity. The colors, while being moved compared to other cameras, are more viable, and the camera has been able to maintain high visibility on its screen in scenarios with uneven brightness levels.

I absolutely like how the camera can illuminate an entire area on demand or through a motion event and is not limited to a small section in front of its image.

It also seems that true visions are not affected by the distance from SmartHub, which is the method I chose to use for pairing, as I already had a few Arlo Pro 3 cameras. During testing, I was able to mount the camera in locations that are not directly attached to my house and was still capable of 2K quality, in addition I had no issues with not responding or interrupting streams, which was impressive. Live viewing took about five seconds in most cases, and motion notifications from the camera usually arrived in ten seconds, which is pretty typical for the category.

Finally, the recent addition of HomeKit support makes the whole package a much better value, as it now works with all major voice assistants and ecosystems. Since I use the Home on iOS app for almost anything, I appreciate that Arlo was not content just to provide a live view for the camera, because it also brought the effective floodlight controls. This allows the light to work with other HomeKit accessories through automation and scenes, which in my case allows the light to turn on even if motion is detected by another camera.

Subscription required

Room Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight: What I do not like

Let's get this out of the way, the Pro 3 Floodlight camera is a bit of an expensive door, without a subscription to an Arlo Smart plan or without a SmartHub. Features like activity areas and cloud storage are locked behind a subscription, so if you don't pay your monthly fee, you simply limit yourself to a live view, which seems wrong with its premium price. Sure, you can avoid limiting registration by purchasing a SmartHub and attaching a USB drive, but that only adds more to the total cost and eliminates one of the biggest selling points: the lack of a necessary hub.

HomeKit integration, although excellent, is not fully compatible with HomeKit Secure Video, and for this to require an Arlo SmartHub. As I mentioned in my review of the Pro 3 non-floodlight camera system, the company seems intent on pushing homeowners to its own subscription service to give homeowners a choice, which is frustrating, to say the least. Yes, the Smart Arlo service works as an advertisement, but again, I would prefer everything under one roof, as I already pay for iCloud storage, and I prefer the smart approach of Apple, which tries to keep local things as long as possible.

Turning to the hardware itself, the strong flooded light means that the entire package, mostly white, is quite large, which makes it stand out when mounted outdoors. In combination with a design that is not the most visually appealing, for starters, the Floodlight Camera becomes somewhat attractive. Because of this, I chose not to mount the camera on the front of my house, but it worked great in the back, as I had no flooding before.

My last approach to the Floodlight is that reaching the maximum brightness level requires connecting to a power source. Obviously, this is to preserve battery life, but I would have liked to have seen an alternative or something in the Arlo app that allows for peak levels anyway. When the camera is marketed as a wireless solution, it should be able to do everything it can wirelessly.

Smart, but complicated

Room Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight: Bottom line

3.5
of 5

Arlo's Pro 3 Floodlight has all the components of a fantastic security solution, excellent 2K image quality, a built-in siren, a wireless design and an incredibly powerful flood light. At 3,000 lumens of peak brightness, the Pro 3 Floodlight is in its own league, capable of providing a view of colors at night, which can encompass entire outdoor areas. In addition, unlike the other Arlo cameras, the Pro 3 Floodlight works without a SmartHub, which makes the configuration a painless process and ultimately makes it the most accessible in the company line.

If the Pro 3 Floodlight does not have an excellence, it is still the premium price tag of Arlo, voluminous design and necessary subscription. Floodlight's awkward design immediately draws attention to it, limiting its placement potential if appearance is a concern and, of course, the high price limits its audience. Add a subscription that blocks the cloud and activity areas behind a monthly or local registration fee, and the HomeKit behind a separate SmartHub, and you'll get a combination of floodlights that serve a niche market and aren't a suitable camera for everyone.