Arlo’s new home security camera is just $99 — its cheapest yet

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The Arlo Essential Indoor Camera has a privacy shield

Arlo Essential Indoor Camera
(Image credit: Arlo)

Arlo's cameras appear often on our best home security cameras page, but apart from great image quality and features, there's one thing they all have in common: They're not cheap. 

The new Arlo Essential Indoor Camera changes that equation — somewhat. At $99, it's the company's least expensive security camera, and while it's not as cheap as some of the best home security cameras, it looks to be a good option for those who want a lower-cost option from a reputable brand.

The Arlo Essential Indoor Camera is available for preorder today at Arlo.com, Best Buy, and Amazon. It looks like it's replacing the Arlo Q as the company's low-cost indoor wireless camera, which you can currently find at a discounted price of $79. Like the Arlo Q, the Essential Indoor Camera needs to be connected to a power source.

The Essential Indoor Camera is the second in Arlo's Essential line; last year, it launched the Essential Wireless Security Camera ($129), a battery-powered indoor/outdoor model. 

Like the Arlo Q and the Essential outdoor camera, the Arlo Essential Indoor Camera has a 1080p resolution, two-way audio, and a 130-degree field of view. In addition, it has night vision as well as a built-in siren that can be triggered manually or automatically if the camera detects an intruder. 

New to Arlo's lineup is a built-in privacy shield, which physically covers the camera lens and stops all recording and motion and audio detection. Unlike other security cameras that have a physical shutter, the Essential Indoor Camera's shield can be opened using the Arlo app. 

As with its other cameras, the Arlo Essential Indoor Camera works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT; presumably, it will also work with HomeKit once released. If you have a smart display, such as the Google Nest Hub Max or the Amazon Echo Show 10, you can stream a feed from the camera to that device, as well as interact with the person at the other end. 

The Arlo Essential Indoor Camera comes with a free 3-month subscription to Arlo Smart, which lets you save and share up to 30 days of videos in the cloud, adjust motion settings, and more. After the trial, an Arlo Smart subscription starts at $3/month for a single camera. 

More: Which home security camera has the best cloud storage plan? 

At $99, the Arlo Essential Indoor Camera is by no means the least expensive security camera. You can other excellent options, such as the Wyze Cam v3, for a quarter of the price. However, Arlo's cameras have consistently been some of the best, and the comparatively low price of the Essential Indoor, plus its security features, could make it worth the investment. 

Mike Prospero
Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.