Fully wireless, Alexa compatible and pretty pricey
Arlo has started shipping its smart Security Light, which is designed to offer an extra dimension of protection for your home.
The battery-operated security light offers motion detection as well as manual control, meaning you don’t need to wire in your light to the mains, which is a massive bonus for less practical users.
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The light itself is 400 lumens – so pretty damned bright – and you can choose from millions of colours, using the colour wheel from within the Arlo app. You can set up a bunch of IFTTT rules, such as having the light flash and cycle through colours when motion is detected – giving an intruder a disco-flavoured warning that they’ve been spotted.
It’s unclear how long the Arlo Security Light lasts on a single charge – and whether that would be long enough to illuminate your night-time cook outs. We’ll certainly be testing that element, given the hassle of getting a wired light installed.
The Security Light also works in tandem with the company’s smart home cameras, flicking the switch to record when it detects motion, and bathing your exteriors in light. In our review of the Arlo Pro 2 we praised the superb image quality and feature set, but were slightly critical of the night vision quality – a problem cured by the new Security Light.
If that wasn’t enough, the Arlo Security Light is certified Works with Alexa, so you can turn your beam on, off or change colour using the voice assistant.
Arlo has been a huge success, riding on the coattails of the smart home boom. Netgear, Arlo’s owner, announced back in February that it intended to spin Arlo off as a separate company, thanks to its rampant growth, netting the company raking in 128.5 million of revenue, 67% up year-on-year.
One Arlo Security Light will cost $150, and in true Arlo style you can pick up two and three packs for $250 and $350 respectively. Sure it’s not cheap, but given the battery operation it’s a much easier solution for many, and if it can double as general lighting, it’s a competitive option.
