HarvickFan's stats
- Review count101
- Helpfulness votes467
- First reviewJanuary 20, 2015
- Last reviewMarch 25, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.4
- Review comment count1
- Helpfulness votes1
- First review commentJune 19, 2016
- Last review commentJune 19, 2016
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- Answer count17
- Helpfulness votes6
- First answerFebruary 18, 2015
- Last answerJanuary 19, 2022
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- Best answers2
Relish the immersive audio experience created by this Klipsch Reference II subwoofer. The spun-copper injection-molded-graphite subwoofer and built-in digital amplifier provide high-volume bass free of distortion, while its 29 to 120Hz frequency response lets you enjoy an extensive range of sound. The 12-inch height and brushed polymer-veneer finish on this 400W Klipsch Reference II subwoofer enhance the look of your entertainment setup.
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Indianapolis, IN
This subwoofer brings the boom, period. It’s built like a tank, like all Klipsch products are known for. It has both phase and frequency controls to help dial in the tone you want, plus a master volume control to fine tune how the sub fits in with your overall system, as to not overpower the other speakers and become too boomy. You can set the sub to always be on, or set it to automatically turn on only when it receives a signal from your receiver, and you can also manually power the sub off, without having to disconnect anything, for those times when you need to be a little quieter, but still have the rest of your system running. Different audio sources might require some slight fine tuning – for example watching a DTS or Atmos movie, versus regular cable versus listening to music. But once dialed in, this subwoofer delivers across all of them.
Setup was super simply, and just place the sub in a corner and be amazed. With the 200W RMS of power this sub will easily fill any space with the type of bass you dial in. It also has the copper cone that Klipsch is known for, so you can use with the grill cover on for a traditional look, or remove it and let the copper cone shine for a more aggressive look. I love how much depth and tone this thing adds to my listening experience.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+11points
17of 23voted this as helpful.
Stay aware and immersed in your music with these Sony wireless in-ear headphones. Digital noise cancellation blocks out external chaos while the Ambient Sound Mode lets in the noises you need to hear. These Sony wireless in-ear headphones work with Google Assistant for hands-free research and commands at the gym or on the run.
Customer Rating
5
Super Sound, Super Comfortable
on June 11, 2018
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Indianapolis, IN
The packaging for these headphones is nice and robust and there are a lot of pamphlets to aid you in start-up/set-up. I did appreciate having those documents and not having to review an online guide before my initial use. The charging box is super convenient and easy to use. As far as charging, I liked that I didn’t have to spend a lot of time figuring out how to charge. It didn’t take long for the initial charging and subsequent charges seem to go by quick as well. The life of the battery is good with these. I have not been inconvenienced by having to charge them, the battery life lasts for hours before you have to recharge. The setup stage was very easy all the way through from charging, to Bluetooth syncing, to first time use.
I love the functionality of being able to toggle from song to song using just the control on the headphone. I also love the fact I can switch from noise cancelling to ambient with a simple touch to the headphone. I do want to mention I could definitely tell the difference between Noise-Cancelling and Ambient settings. I didn’t notice anything that told me to download the app to gain access to additional functionality when I read through everything. What I didn’t realize until I used the app was all of the different settings for sound. The app is very user-friendly. I liked the simplicity of it and the fact that it didn’t take an expert on sound quality to make changes based on my preferences and the genre of music I was listening to at the time. The sound is crisp and clear. The bass boost is definitely among the best I’ve experienced with earbuds and the fact that I can adjust it is a perk. I haven’t noticed any sound distortion with any of the equalizer settings. I do like it that I can see the battery life of the earbuds easily on my iPhone as well. It is nice to not have to open the app to see how much life is left.
Comfort is rated high with these earbuds. I have had many brands and types of earbuds and these rank at the top. I can have them in my ear for hours without needing a break from them. I was appreciative that multiple earbud sizes were available within the packaging. Beyond the comfort, these do stay in place and are really easy to wear. I’ve not had to touch my ear to adjust them at any point and that’s been true whether I’ve been exercising or just doing household chores.
Using these earbuds for phone calls is a very nice feature as well. Nothing “wow” about it, but the phone call sound was crystal clear very easy to answer and end calls.
Overall, these are high quality earbuds. They are comfortable, functional, and convenient. The sound quality is amazing, including the Bass response, which is huge for in ear headphones like these. Very nice…
I love the functionality of being able to toggle from song to song using just the control on the headphone. I also love the fact I can switch from noise cancelling to ambient with a simple touch to the headphone. I do want to mention I could definitely tell the difference between Noise-Cancelling and Ambient settings. I didn’t notice anything that told me to download the app to gain access to additional functionality when I read through everything. What I didn’t realize until I used the app was all of the different settings for sound. The app is very user-friendly. I liked the simplicity of it and the fact that it didn’t take an expert on sound quality to make changes based on my preferences and the genre of music I was listening to at the time. The sound is crisp and clear. The bass boost is definitely among the best I’ve experienced with earbuds and the fact that I can adjust it is a perk. I haven’t noticed any sound distortion with any of the equalizer settings. I do like it that I can see the battery life of the earbuds easily on my iPhone as well. It is nice to not have to open the app to see how much life is left.
Comfort is rated high with these earbuds. I have had many brands and types of earbuds and these rank at the top. I can have them in my ear for hours without needing a break from them. I was appreciative that multiple earbud sizes were available within the packaging. Beyond the comfort, these do stay in place and are really easy to wear. I’ve not had to touch my ear to adjust them at any point and that’s been true whether I’ve been exercising or just doing household chores.
Using these earbuds for phone calls is a very nice feature as well. Nothing “wow” about it, but the phone call sound was crystal clear very easy to answer and end calls.
Overall, these are high quality earbuds. They are comfortable, functional, and convenient. The sound quality is amazing, including the Bass response, which is huge for in ear headphones like these. Very nice…
My Best Buy number: 0544434484
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Enjoy an authentic sound with these Sony 1AM2 headphones. Their 40mm HD drivers provide clear, precise sound across all frequencies, and their separate left and right channels reduce crosstalk for balanced audio. These Sony 1AM2 headphones are lightweight, with pressure-relieving cushioned earpads for comfortable all-day wear.
Customer Rating
4
Solid Performance but No Wow factor
on May 30, 2018
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Indianapolis, IN
These headphones offer quality, crystal clear sound, but I’m not sure they are worth the price. I have multiple pairs of high end wired and wireless headphones, and after trying the new Sony 1AM2, I was left wondering what this pair offered at this price point that others don’t already do, and some even much better and the same or even lower price.
The cans are very lightweight, almost shockingly so right out of the box. But the build quality is very good. And even though they are mostly plastic, you don’t even notice that they are on your head after long listening sessions. The ear cups are super soft and comfortable and form a nice over-the-ear seal on your head.
Sound quality is very good, especially when using hi res audio sources. The clarity is nice and pronounced, however I was left feeling the set lacks overall bass. But then again I listen to pretty bass heavy rock and metal music. Even with the audio source eq’d to be bass heavy, the 1AM2’s produce very nice and clean tight bass, but may leave some listeners wanting more.
The talkback cable worked perfectly and accepting and closing phone calls from a smartphone is super easy. They also come with a 1/4 in cable for when your audio source is something other than a smartphone, so no need for any adapters down to 1/8 in which is nice. They also come with a nice carrying bag.
Overall they are a solid pair of hi res audio headphones, but at their price point, not sure they make the grade.
My Best Buy number: 0544434484
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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-3points
0of 3voted this as helpful.
Whether it's streaming music wirelessly or plugging in a microphone, keyboard or guitar, the S1 Pro Portable Bluetooth Speaker and PA System is designed to be your go-anywhere music system for nearly any occasion. With rugged, lightweight materials, the S1 Pro speaker is designed to travel. A convenient carry handle makes it easy to get to the party, and once you're there, let the S1 Pro make it look easy. Place it on the ground, on its side, tilted back, or elevated. The speaker's unique multi-position design and built-in Auto EQ ensure that the music always sounds the way it should and that everyone can hear it. For the ultimate freedom, play for up to 11 hours using the internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery and go wherever the fun is happening. So, when it's your turn to bring the music, bring a pro. Bring the Bose S1 Pro.
Customer Rating
5
Incredible Sound
on May 19, 2018
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Indianapolis, IN
Such incredible sound. The first thing that you notice is how lightweight it is. But don’t let that fool you, the sound is HUGE. Very easy to operate, the three channels are very easy to access, both connections and controls. The third channel has the dedicated bluetooth connection and paring is very simple and super fast. Whether you are playing or instrument, using a vocal microphone, or listening to music from a paired bluetooth device, the sound from the S1 is simply amazing. Volume will easily fill small to medium rooms and give very nice coverage outdoors. The true tone sound and auto EQ seem to work fairly well. I found I still need to move the speaker around just a bit to get the best overall sound in various rooms, but most of the time you can just set it and forget it. And I love that they even included a speaker stand port on the bottom. Battery life seems to be very good. This speaker is perfect for the solo musician playing small gigs, or someone that needs a conference PA for spoken word, speeches or various vocal needs. You can also put it on a speaker stand and pair a bluetooth device and play your favorite songs at a party or get together. Everyone will be amazed by the sound, and won’t believe it’s coming from this speaker. It provides sounds and volume that you would expect from a speaker much larger. If you have a need for something like this, give the S1 Pro a try, you won’t be disappointed.
My Best Buy number: 0544434484
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Experience panoramic gaming audio with this Samsung sound bar system. The hole array technology and Dolby 5.1 surround sound beam sound precisely to listeners for an immersive sound field effect, and the 130W wireless subwoofer creates powerful game bass. This Samsung sound bar system has 4K video pass-through for simpler HDMI TV connection.
Customer Rating
4
Upgrade your viewing experience in 3...2...1
on April 24, 2018
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Indianapolis, IN
Makes an immediate improvement to the sound of anything you’re watching. Whether it’s cable TV, video games or HD movies, this thing sounds amazing.
Connectivity is very straightforward. I’m using the HDMI passthrough into the ARC HDMI channel on my TV and I’m using the Digital Audio output for my Xbox One. If I had one complaint about the system, it’s that I wish the system would recognize the input source from HDMI and automatically switch to the HDMI source. It doesn’t do that, so every time I want to watch TV, I have to use the supplied remote to manually switch the source to HDMI for TV. Once you do that, the TV or cable box remote is all you need, since the TV recognizes the external speakers and will control the volume.
The sound is very clear, detailed and spacious. And it gets very loud. It has enough watts to fill any normal family room or basement viewing space. The system has great build quality as you’d expect from Samsung. The bass module is hefty but remains lightweight and easy to move and the sound bar is very hefty and will remain in place wherever you place it. It has a great footprint and rubberized bottom feet so once you place it it won’t move. It even comes with wall mounting hardware in the box if you need to mount below your TV. Viewing different audio sources (stereo, 5.1 DTS, etc.) the sound remains crystal clear. You feel as if you have a full surround sound setup. You can select from standard mode, true 5.1 surround and a Game mode. The Game mode really brings out the action and provides crystal clear details when playing games. I wish the bass was a little more noticeable. It has very good albeit subtle bass. Very tight and punchy but not overwhelming. You can adjust the bass level in both mix and level, but I wish it gave just a little bit more. With a good input source and a bass heavy mix it works great, but I’d love to be able to color in some bass when the source isn’t the best, and you really can’t do that. The bluetooth streaming works very well and easily pairs with my bluetooth devices.
All in all the system is a huge improvement over standard TV speakers and will change your home viewing experience for the better.
My Best Buy number: 0544434484
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Enjoy an immersive audio experience with this Sony portable wireless speaker. Its Live Sound mode optimizes the direction of the music for a three-dimensional party sound, and its Extra Bass technology, built-in effects and flashing lights enhance the atmosphere. This Sony portable wireless speaker's battery provides up to 24 hours of playback for reliable all-day use.
Customer Rating
3
Nice Speaker, Not So Nice Bass
on March 31, 2018
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Indianapolis, IN
I'll start by saying the speaker is very well built. The build quality is apparent right away. Very hefty and solid. Design is very nice, low profile footprint and has rubberized grips to keep it in place whether you're indoors or out. Controls are very easy to use and are super intuitive. Volume is very nice for a speaker of this size, it easily fills up a room. Overall sound quality was very tight and clean. I'll get to the bass in a minute. The lighting on this unit is very cool, and really does add a bit of flair, even just for some casual listening, but it can also be turned off quite easily when you'd like it to be. I only have one unit, so could not try the multi pairing for party mode, but it can pair up to 100 of these at a time, so if you have more, that is a great feature to have for multi room or large occasions.
Unfortunately for me, the bass on this speaker is lacking. For a speaker of this size, build and most of all price, the bass was simply sub par. Even worse is that "Extra Bass" is advertised as the top feature of the XB41, all over the box and online description. At low volume, sure the bass is very nice, the overall sound is tight, clean and was nice low end. But turn it up to just normal room filing volume, and any amount of bass heavy music like Rock, Pop, Metal or Hip Hop will begin to distort. In order to keep it from distorting, you have to EQ the music to at least flat, in order to increase the volume. I have other speakers in this same size and feature range, and none of them distort bass as badly as the XB41.
If you're looking for a nice, low volume speaker with some flair, this is for you. If you want to enjoy your music at a normal listening volume without distorted bass or having to EQ all the bass away, I would keep looking.
My Best Buy number: 0544434484
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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-2points
1of 4voted this as helpful.
Nest Doorbell (Wired) lets you know who’s there, so you never miss a thing. It replaces your existing wired doorbell and delivers HD video and bright, crisp images, even at night. It’s designed to show you everything at your doorstep — people head to toe or packages on the ground. And with 24/7 streaming, you can check in anytime. Or go back and look at a 3-hour snapshot history to see what happened.*
Customer Rating
5
Best Video Doorbell on the Market
on March 21, 2018
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Indianapolis, IN
If you are looking for a video doorbell, this is the one you need to get. I have used other video doorbells and the NEST HELLO is by far the best one I have ever seen.
Installation is extremely easy. Nest Hello needs to be wired in order to stay powered on to deliver 24/7 streaming, so if you don’t have a current wired doorbell, you would have to have the wiring installed by an electrician first. If you have a wired doorbell, chances are it would be compatible with Nest Hello, but the first thing you need to do is make sure. On the Nest website, they have a great compatibility checker and instructions to help you find out if the Hello will work for you. Nest Hello needs to be powered by wires delivering 16- 24 VAC, and at least 10 VA. Once you have confirmed that Hello will work with your wiring, they give you everything in the box to get up and running. If you don’t feel comfortable installing yourself, you can hire a Nest Pro through their website, but honestly installation can be done by anyone that can follow step by step instructions and operate a screwdriver and drill. Nest gives you all the instructions you need, in both a YouTube video and the Nest App. So even if you’re not “handy”, trust me you can install this.
The area where my doorbell is, it sits on a piece of trim that’s very narrow and is right next to brick. Nest includes a 15-degree wedge piece that helps mount the doorbell in tight spots and helps improve the camera angle/view when right next to obstructions. The Hello is much narrower than competing doorbells, so you should have an easy time mounting it just about anywhere. I had the doorbell unboxed and installed in about 45 mins. A lot of that time was spent trying to find the breaker the doorbell wiring was on.
I also have the Nest Outdoor cam, so I already have the Nest app and account. If you don’t, you need to sign up for a Nest account through the Nest app. It’s super fast and easy. In my app I just needed to click “Add Product” and the app did the rest. Walked me through all the installation instructions, and once it recognized the doorbell, it automatically assigned all my Wi-Fi settings to it. I can’t emphasize how simply it was to install.
The video quality is amazing. The video is up to 1600 x 1200 @ 30fps (you can set the video quality to Low/Med/High depending on your preference and bandwidth) and is 4:3 aspect. It is H.264 encoded and has HDR, and has 160 degree field of view. The 4:3 aspect was interesting. I’m used to viewing video through my other cameras at 16:9, but having the 4:3 on the doorbell is perfect. You can see everything. This aspect ratio is perfect for a doorbell camera. I was super impressed with the overall quality of the video. Crystal clear and full of color and sharpness. The night vision is the best I’ve seen on any outdoor camera. The audio is also very clear and bright, and the two way talk works incredibly well.
Notifications are instantaneous when someone pushed the button, and if they don’t and only trigger the motion sensor, the notification still comes to the phone super fast, much faster than I’ve experienced with other doorbells and even some outdoor stand alone wifi cameras. And like with their other cameras, the Hello can be configured with trigger zones of activity in front and around the camera field of view, so you can fine tune when you get notified of activity.
Familiar faces is a game changer. The doorbell will zoom in on the person’s face ringing your doorbell, and then ask you through the app if you recognize them or not. If you do, you can save that face (the doorbell takes a series of facial images in a burst) and name it, so that the next time that same person comes to the door, the app will let you know who is at the door. It is amazing. And if you have Google smart home products like the Google Home, it will announce who is at the door alongside your doorbell chime.
I had been waiting for this doorbell since Google and Nest announced it, and it has not disappointed. It is by far the best video doorbell on the market in my opinion.
My Best Buy number: 0544434484
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+121points
149of 177voted this as helpful.
Extend your next-gen AC Wi-Fi connection in hard-to-reach locations of your home such as the backyard, garage, or bedroom, so you can get blazing AC3000 Wi-Fi speeds to Smart TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, iPads, tablets, laptops, and smartphones. Powerful amplifiers and four high-performance external antennas deliver maximum power and range, allowing everyone in your family to enjoy 4K/HD movie streaming, simultaneous online gaming, social media, and more.The Max-Stream RE9000 tri-band range extender helps you get the most out of your home Wi-Fi by delivering faster speeds than dual-band range extenders. Dedicated backhaul technology maximizes Wi-Fi speeds by assigning a single, dedicated 5 GHz Wi-Fi band to your router. This frees up the remaining two bands to focus exclusively on your streaming media players, game consoles, and other connected devices, so you'll enjoy full-strength Wi-Fi without slowdown or degradation.
Customer Rating
5
Strong Performance, Especially AP Mode !!!
on March 10, 2018
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Indianapolis, IN
I tested this out using a Netgear Orbi Router and Satellite mesh configured system, so my scenario might differ from yours. But the performance of the RE9000 was great. I tested out the wireless performance as a stand alone extender as well as using it in AP mode. I must say, AP mode for the win! But both configurations tested out great. The setup is super quick and easy, as most Linksys products are these days. In under 5 mins after unboxing I had the RE9000 on my network. The spot finder is a great way to make sure you place the extender in the best possible area, as to not be too close to the source and muddy up the bandwidth signals, or too far away and not have it be able to do it's job efficiently. I have a 4000 sq ft home, and I used the RE9000 upstairs while my Orbi router was downstairs, so the range is amazing. Wireless performance was rock solid. Device connections were all strong and speed was very good. I have 1Gbps Comcast service and have well over 25 devices connected at any one time. The RE9000 handled all the traffic great. I ran in both dual band steering mode (2.4/5gHz) and as a stand alone 5gHz AC only mode. The real winner here for me is the AP mode, which is what I will mainly use this unit for. I want to use this as a stand alone 1 Gbps LAN via Ethernet for a subset of devices, and using in AP mode with the Netgear Orbi was awesome. Even wireless was stronger than my Orbi satellite. I was pulling in 400-500 Mpbs download with ease on my Galaxy Note 8.
If you need a powerhouse extender for either wireless or LAN AP extension, this RE9000 will do the trick with ease.
My Best Buy number: 0544434484
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Play your favorite music with this Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST wireless speaker. It lets you make voice commands via Amazon Alexa within its 330-foot Wi-Fi range, and Bluetooth connectivity lets it pair with up to eight compatible devices. This rugged, water-resistant Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST wireless speaker withstands drops from up to 3 feet high.
Customer Rating
4
Great Sound and Build Quality, but...
on November 24, 2017
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Fishers, IN
The speaker is amazing. UE makes great products and the Megablast is no different. Quality all the way around. From the packaging to the build quality to the overall sound. A+ across all of those areas. The only thing that left me wanting more, was the Bass. From a speaker this size, I was sort of disappointed in the quality of the Bass.
My unit came with the speaker and the table top charging dock. The packaging is incrdible, and makes sure your product is not going to be damaged in any way during delivery/shipping. To cable charge, you simply plug in the supplied USB cable into the bottom of the unit. To charge with the docking station, you simply screw in a charging station cap on the bottom and place directly on top of the charger. The initial charge took quite a long time, and was not fully charged from the factory. But once charged the battery life has been great. UE says a full charge can last 15+ hours, and if you download and connect to the UE App, you can always see how much charge you have left, so you're not stuck with a dead speaker at the wrong time.
Setting up the speaker was super fast and simple. Normal bluetooth pairing was immediate to my Note 8. I downloaded the UE App as well and while it looks polished, it felt sort of glitchy. The app recognized the speaker immediately but had trouble running through the rest of the setup. I had to exit the app and start over twice before it let me finish the setup. Not a huge deal to be concerned with, as i'm sure UE will fix the app over time. It's also nice that the speaker can be connected via wi-fi and bluetooth. And you can set it to update itself via wi-fi automatically.
Setting up Alexa was also a breeze. Simply go to the Alexa setup in the App and login with your Amazon Alexa account and that's it. Alexa is immediately available on your Megablast. We also have a few Amazon Echos in the home, and using the Megablast with Alexa felt the same as using the Echo device. Speech recognition was very good even from across the room. All the features of Alexa are right here in the Megablast, and portable, unlike a Echo/Echo Plus. I think we'll use the Megablast so much more, simply because we can move it around with us.
Build quality is amazing, the speaker is huge and feels very sturdy and almost heavy in the hand. Very nice. The 360 degrees sound field is also great, and you get room filling sound and great volume levels. Sound quality is also very good, as you'd expect from UE. But, from a speaker of this size and build, I honestly expected more Bass. I have numerous bluetooth speakers, some bigger or smaller, some from UE and other brands. Compared to all my other speakers, the Megablast was just ok on Bass response. Don't get me wrong, the Bass is there, and for most it's probably fine. However when listening to bass heavy audio, even when EQ'd, the Bass simply gets compressed and tight, not boomy. i don't think it would be a reason to not get the Megablast, the overall sound of the speaker is amazing, but if you were thinking that a speaker this size would give you over the top Bass, you might be disappointed. Having IP67 weather sealing is nice so you don't have to be worried about getting it wet.
A couple things I wish they would have done better; you cannot pair multiple Megablast speakers together in stereo, which for this price and category seems to be a glaring omission, I hope UE fixes that soon. I also wish that the speaker came with a 3.5mm connector, but it does not, wireless all the way, or nothing. When using Alexa, the only way you know Alexa has been triggered is if you're actually looking at the speaker and can see the LED light on top grow brighter, there is no audible tone that tells you Alexa is ready, like when using an Amazon Alexa device.
All in all the UE Megablast is an amazing speaker with Amazing features, and integrating Alexa just kicks it up a notch! I'm very impressed with the Megablast overall.
My Best Buy number: 0544434484
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
Arlo Pro 2 keeps an eye on your home while you're away, in brilliant 1080p HD quality. Put the 100% wire-free, weather-resistant camera anywhere, indoors or out. Then, power it with the included rechargeable battery or plugged it in (when indoors) to access activity zones and 24/7 Continuous Video Recording upgrades. Use 2-way audio or remotely sound a 100+ device siren while catching every moment with night vision and advanced motion detection. You'll even get motion and sound-activated alerts and 7 days of free cloud video recordings. Arlo Pro 2 works with Amazon Alexa to make your smart home security even more simple and effective.
Customer Rating
4
Arlo Pro stands out above the rest
on November 19, 2017
Posted by: HarvickFan
from Fishers, IN
I’ve used the Arlo Pro 2 camera setup for the last 7-10 days and I can definitely say that The Arlo Pro is a great home security camera unit. I’ve used various other network connected security and motion cameras from a few different brands, and the Arlo Pro stacks up nicely with them. While the Arlo does suffer from some of the same annoyances as some of their competitors, the Arlo Pro is an amazing product.
Cameras:
My Arlo Pro came with (2) HD motion cameras and a magnetic wall mount for each. The cameras are a perfect size, not too large and feel very solidly built, lots of quality in the build. The cameras run on new rechargeable batteries, that depending on your frequency of use of Live video or motion capture, should last a very long time. Over my use of them for the last 10 days, the battery meter is still showing full, and that is with a mix of lots of motion detection and live mode viewing for this review. They can also be powered by a micro USB cable. You get one cable in the box, but if you want to use your own, be careful as the opening for the micro USB port on the back of the camera is very narrow. The supplied cable worked fine, but all of my other cables in my home did not, as the cable connection end was too wide. The powered connection is great if you want to use the cameras indoors, but since the cameras are weatherproof, it doesn’t make sense to power them outside, since having a micro USB cable plugged in will expose the inside of the camera to the elements. Plus, who really wants to run micro USB cables outside?
Base Station:
The Arlo Pro cameras connect to a base station. You connect the base station to your network via Ethernet and then sync the cameras to the base station. Now other cameras in this space generally connect directly to your network via Wi-Fi, so having a base station needing an Ethernet connection could seem like a negative, but I don’t think it is. In fact, I think it’s a positive, because compared with my other Wi-Fi only enabled smart cameras, the Arlo Pro seems to have the strongest connection and the least amount of lag time getting in and out of the videos. It almost seems that having the base station connect to the cameras directly improves the overall strength of the system, which is a huge plus for me. Definitely seems much quick to respond compared to other cameras I’ve used that were Wi-Fi only. I was able to get the whole system up and running in under 5 mins. Everything connected automatically and was simply to follow using the app. I did have one hiccup trying to connect my second camera, at first it did not recognize it. I closed and restarted the app and ran the sync camera tool again, and it was successful. The base station even has a built in siren if you want to use it as a quasi-home security system. if you see something that you don’t like on your video, and want to enable the siren, just push a button in the app. I will say, the siren is LOUD. It’s louder than my actual home security system alarms. And the base station gives simple to see LED light confirmations of network activity and cameras connected. The footprint is also very small which is nice, so sitting next to the router doesn’t take up that much more space.
Video Quality:
The video from the Arlo Pro is very nice. HD 1080p is what the cameras are rated and you can either keep them set there or drop the resolution down if you want, to 720p or 480p if you want to try and stretch the battery life. The video quality of both motion captures and live view recording is very very nice. Clean and clear and full of color. I never really noticed any lag or stuttering or any pixilation. The video is clear and smooth. The night vision clarity is also very very good. Stacked up against other cameras I’ve used, the Arlo Pro ranks up at the top in terms of the video quality, I was very impressed. You also want to make sure you have enough internet connection for the cameras as well. Have at least 2Mbps of upload speed headroom to use just for the cameras if you want to make sure the connection and video quality is good. Since they are network connected, task the network and your video is going to suffer.
Motion Capture and Live View:
I was very impressed with the motion capture of the Arlo Pro. Motion detected immediately fires off a ping to my smartphone and once you view the clips, the camera doesn’t hesitate to start recording, even when the motion was fast moving. This was the #1 complaint I’ve had with other motion detection cameras, that by the time I got the ping to check the camera, and when the camera started recording, the motion event was already over or I was looking at the back of someone walking away, etc. The Arlo Pro does not have that problem. It begins recoding immediately and you don’t miss a thing. The ping of the notification to the app is also very fast, allowing you to see the motion going on and make decisions or use the two way talk feature to communicate with whoever is on the other end of the camera. Going in to Live View is also very fast. Live View is a huge advantage, for when you want to proactively see what’s happening and record longer manual videos. The Arlo Pro shines in both areas here. I will say though, one issue I have was with the sensitivity of the motion capture. I was struggling to find a sweet spot to where I only got the notifications of motion I wanted, not blowing leaves or tree branch, or nothing at all because it was set too low. I was either getting slammed with notifications on some days, and not getting any on others. Something hopefully Netgear will improve upon. You can also set up Zones if the camera is powered by a cable, which helps greatly, really only notifying you of motion is a manually created zone, but not ideal for outdoors.
Arlo Pro APP:
The app is laid out very nicely. The app gives you three sections – Mode, Devices and Library. In the Mode section, this is where you can tell your Arlo Pro system what logic to use when capturing video. You have the options of Armed (motion is captured), Disarmed (no motion is captured but Live View is available), Schedule (where you can tell the Arlo Pro to record on certain dates/times), and Geofencing (where the Arlo Pro will respond to an Armed mode when your smartphone is outside the geofence area and the system sees you as “away”). These all work very well. The geofencing mode is my favorite. If I’m home, I tend to not want all my notifications coming to me, but once I leave, the system knows to kick over to Armed and start checking for motion capture, all without me having to go in and switch it myself. Love it. The Devices section shows you a dashboard of your connected cameras. You see the last image that the camera recorded and the timestamp, and you have the LIVE button right there to go into each camera in Live View. From here you also have all the settings for each camera, the connection status, the battery status and how many motion events the camera has recorded. The Library section is where the app stores all of your recorded events. You see a running account of all the videos recorded, and have the option to view them and also favorite, share, download or delete.
All in all the Arlo Pro is a wonderful system for helping secure your home and give you piece of mind.
Cameras:
My Arlo Pro came with (2) HD motion cameras and a magnetic wall mount for each. The cameras are a perfect size, not too large and feel very solidly built, lots of quality in the build. The cameras run on new rechargeable batteries, that depending on your frequency of use of Live video or motion capture, should last a very long time. Over my use of them for the last 10 days, the battery meter is still showing full, and that is with a mix of lots of motion detection and live mode viewing for this review. They can also be powered by a micro USB cable. You get one cable in the box, but if you want to use your own, be careful as the opening for the micro USB port on the back of the camera is very narrow. The supplied cable worked fine, but all of my other cables in my home did not, as the cable connection end was too wide. The powered connection is great if you want to use the cameras indoors, but since the cameras are weatherproof, it doesn’t make sense to power them outside, since having a micro USB cable plugged in will expose the inside of the camera to the elements. Plus, who really wants to run micro USB cables outside?
Base Station:
The Arlo Pro cameras connect to a base station. You connect the base station to your network via Ethernet and then sync the cameras to the base station. Now other cameras in this space generally connect directly to your network via Wi-Fi, so having a base station needing an Ethernet connection could seem like a negative, but I don’t think it is. In fact, I think it’s a positive, because compared with my other Wi-Fi only enabled smart cameras, the Arlo Pro seems to have the strongest connection and the least amount of lag time getting in and out of the videos. It almost seems that having the base station connect to the cameras directly improves the overall strength of the system, which is a huge plus for me. Definitely seems much quick to respond compared to other cameras I’ve used that were Wi-Fi only. I was able to get the whole system up and running in under 5 mins. Everything connected automatically and was simply to follow using the app. I did have one hiccup trying to connect my second camera, at first it did not recognize it. I closed and restarted the app and ran the sync camera tool again, and it was successful. The base station even has a built in siren if you want to use it as a quasi-home security system. if you see something that you don’t like on your video, and want to enable the siren, just push a button in the app. I will say, the siren is LOUD. It’s louder than my actual home security system alarms. And the base station gives simple to see LED light confirmations of network activity and cameras connected. The footprint is also very small which is nice, so sitting next to the router doesn’t take up that much more space.
Video Quality:
The video from the Arlo Pro is very nice. HD 1080p is what the cameras are rated and you can either keep them set there or drop the resolution down if you want, to 720p or 480p if you want to try and stretch the battery life. The video quality of both motion captures and live view recording is very very nice. Clean and clear and full of color. I never really noticed any lag or stuttering or any pixilation. The video is clear and smooth. The night vision clarity is also very very good. Stacked up against other cameras I’ve used, the Arlo Pro ranks up at the top in terms of the video quality, I was very impressed. You also want to make sure you have enough internet connection for the cameras as well. Have at least 2Mbps of upload speed headroom to use just for the cameras if you want to make sure the connection and video quality is good. Since they are network connected, task the network and your video is going to suffer.
Motion Capture and Live View:
I was very impressed with the motion capture of the Arlo Pro. Motion detected immediately fires off a ping to my smartphone and once you view the clips, the camera doesn’t hesitate to start recording, even when the motion was fast moving. This was the #1 complaint I’ve had with other motion detection cameras, that by the time I got the ping to check the camera, and when the camera started recording, the motion event was already over or I was looking at the back of someone walking away, etc. The Arlo Pro does not have that problem. It begins recoding immediately and you don’t miss a thing. The ping of the notification to the app is also very fast, allowing you to see the motion going on and make decisions or use the two way talk feature to communicate with whoever is on the other end of the camera. Going in to Live View is also very fast. Live View is a huge advantage, for when you want to proactively see what’s happening and record longer manual videos. The Arlo Pro shines in both areas here. I will say though, one issue I have was with the sensitivity of the motion capture. I was struggling to find a sweet spot to where I only got the notifications of motion I wanted, not blowing leaves or tree branch, or nothing at all because it was set too low. I was either getting slammed with notifications on some days, and not getting any on others. Something hopefully Netgear will improve upon. You can also set up Zones if the camera is powered by a cable, which helps greatly, really only notifying you of motion is a manually created zone, but not ideal for outdoors.
Arlo Pro APP:
The app is laid out very nicely. The app gives you three sections – Mode, Devices and Library. In the Mode section, this is where you can tell your Arlo Pro system what logic to use when capturing video. You have the options of Armed (motion is captured), Disarmed (no motion is captured but Live View is available), Schedule (where you can tell the Arlo Pro to record on certain dates/times), and Geofencing (where the Arlo Pro will respond to an Armed mode when your smartphone is outside the geofence area and the system sees you as “away”). These all work very well. The geofencing mode is my favorite. If I’m home, I tend to not want all my notifications coming to me, but once I leave, the system knows to kick over to Armed and start checking for motion capture, all without me having to go in and switch it myself. Love it. The Devices section shows you a dashboard of your connected cameras. You see the last image that the camera recorded and the timestamp, and you have the LIVE button right there to go into each camera in Live View. From here you also have all the settings for each camera, the connection status, the battery status and how many motion events the camera has recorded. The Library section is where the app stores all of your recorded events. You see a running account of all the videos recorded, and have the option to view them and also favorite, share, download or delete.
All in all the Arlo Pro is a wonderful system for helping secure your home and give you piece of mind.
My Best Buy number: 0544434484
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+39points
70of 101voted this as helpful.
HarvickFan's Review Comments
Take security videos efficiently and simply with the Ring Stick Up Cam. The green-conscious rechargeable battery renders 6-12 months of battery life between recharges, while infrared LEDs let you operate this camera during the day or night. The secure quick-release mount adds to the installation ease of the Ring Stick Up Cam.
Overall3 out of 5
3 out of 5This camera is Great, except the actual video!
By Jason
I love everything about this camera. From the form and function to the ease of setup (less than 2 mins) to mounting it wherever I want. The app is great, the two way communication is great. The motion zones work perfectly once you get used to setting them based on your environment and traffic, etc. The cloud storage option is amazing considering what you get for the price you pay. Everything is amazing, except the actual video quality of the camera. It's supposed to be 720p. It is not, at least not the unit that I have. My video quality is so heavily pixelated most of the time, that it renders having this camera in the first place, useless. The image attached to this review is an completely unedited screen grab from a recent video recording. I've been working with the Ring support, and they have been great, however they kept almost insisting that the reason for the pixelation was due to my wi-fi connection. I have Xfinity cable internet with 100mbps downstream and 25mbps upstream, and I use a Linksys EA9500 router that is about 12-15 feet from where the camera is mounted. Wi-fi signal is not the issue at all. I exchanged speed test screen shots and other details with the Ring support, and after discussing with them they have advised me to return this unit and exchange it for another one. They have looked at my videos and agree the video quality should be better than what I'm seeing. So I will do that and update this review if I do see better results with the new unit. Wish me luck!
HarvickFan
UPDATE
June 19, 2016
So I returned the previous unit and exchanged for a new one, at the advice of the Ring support team. The new unit is up and running and I can say the video is better. So far so good!
+1point
1of 1voted this comment as helpful.
HarvickFan's Questions
HarvickFan has not submitted any questions.
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Are they compatible to Xbox one?
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This an awesome headset works great and it’s super cool looking
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Are they compatible to Xbox one?
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