swemoney's stats
- Review count275
- Helpfulness votes185
- First reviewMay 14, 2016
- Last reviewDecember 30, 2025
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
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- Answer count12
- Helpfulness votes10
- First answerJune 10, 2016
- Last answerApril 18, 2021
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Delivering impressive audio from dual 2" full-range drivers and dual 2" passive woofers, this 10-watt portable powerhouse produces rich, deep bass and crystal-clear highs (80 Hz - 18 kHz). Customize both audio and lighting effects through the intuitive JLab app, setting the perfect vibe for any gathering. Don't let a splash dampen the celebration, with IP56 waterproofing, this speaker keeps the party going. Take your festivities to the next level with LabSync mode and sync up to 100 speakers for the ultimate block party.
Customer Rating
4
Not going to wow you but it's alright
on December 30, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
This speaker isn't going to blow anyone's socks off but it's not very expensive and is definitely serviceable for most of your needs. If you're looking for some bass, though, steer clear.
Setup is as simple as any bluetooth speaker. Hold the power button and it lets your know it's ready to pair. Just select the device in your bluetooth settings and you're ready to go! There's a mobile app if you want to update your firmware and adjust things like the custom EQ settings or turning off the light or voice prompts. Everyday controls can be accessed on the device, though.
The speaker, overall, sounds pretty OK. It's not going to blow your socks off or anything but it sounds fine. Aside from the bass. If you're looking for any sort of bass, you aren't going to find it here. That's the main thing I noticed when playing a song with any kind of bass to it. It's not the end of the world because the rest of the sound is good enough, you just aren't going to go thumping with this one.
Controls are pretty simple on the device. There's a knob for volume that clicks in to play/pause. You have arrows that navigate tracks (or if you hold them both for a second, changes the EQ). If you have more than one speaker, you can also hold the knob down to pair it with their JLab sync functionality, but I wasn't able to test this out.
Bottom line, this is a low cost bluetooth speaker. It sounds good enough for that. You won't get much bass at all so if you're looking for something to shake the table you're playing it on, look elsewhere. If you just want an inexpensive speaker that sounds good enough, give this one a look.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Juice Pack by Mophie wraps power and protection into one incredible bundle with this slim, protective, charging case. Juice Pack can provide your iPhone with up to an extra 50% battery life. So, at the end of a long day, you never have to worry about low battery when you~re sending a text, ordering a ride, or finding out where everybody~s meeting. Stay powerful with Juice Pack~s 2,400-3,600mAh rechargeable battery.
Customer Rating
4
Not too bulky. Gives you that extra boost.
on December 22, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
This case works pretty nice for it's size. I know there are larger capacity versions but you're sacrificing bulk for that extra bit of power. This case will give you about an extra 50% of battery which is more than sufficient for me to find another power source.
Setup is easy if you take a second to parse things. I tried to just jam my phone in on an angle like I would normally do with any other case. Once I almost had my phone in there and was thinking it was super awkward, I discovered that the top just slides off and you just slide your phone nicely into the case and then slide the top on. It's insanely easy once you understand how it's actually supposed to work and it'll humble you if you try and brute force things without first trying to think about it.
Usage is also crazy simple. There's a single button on the back that you barely see or notice. It's recessed so you really have to try and press it and you need to hold it for about 3 seconds to turn the juice on and off. There's a cute little animation with the charge indicator lights animating towards one side when you turn it on and animating the other way when you turn it off. So it nicely animates which way the power is flowing.
You still have a USB-C power plug that can charge your case by itself or when it's attached to your phone. There's also a passive mag-safe ring on the back for attaching things like a pop-socket or wallet or whatever other mag-safe accessories you might have that don't need or provide power. It's just the magnet back there which is one of the only real downsides I can see. It would be great if I could also charge wirelessly which using the case, but that's not something that this case can do.
My use case for this is basically just a convenient battery. While it is fairly slim and not crazy bulky, it does still add some heft to the phone so I'm still using my every day case and just swapping this one on when I see things running a little low and I don't want to be tethered. Or if I'm going out and am not sure when I'm going to be able to charge again. After discovering how to actually install the case, it's incredibly easy to slide your phone in and out. It takes me more time to take off my standard case than to put this one on.
And one more side-note. I also have an iPhone 16 Pro Max that this case fits fine on. The only difference is the larger hole in the back that extends from edge to edge instead of just on the one side. So this can be more versatile if you have multiple devices and they aren't all iPhone 17 Pro Max's.
So if you're looking for a little extra battery life for your iPhone 17 Pro Max or you're a little salty that battery life in general has taken a bit of a nose dive on your iPhone 16 Pro Max after updating to iOS 26, this might be a good fit for you. It's not crazy bulky and gives you plenty of extra juice without tethering you to a wall.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Sennheiser HDB 630 Wireless Audiophile Headphones - High-Res Sound with Parametric EQ and Crossfeed, Bluetooth Headset with ANC and 60h Battery Life, Lightweight Design, Clear Calls - includes BTD 700. Flawless sound, no wires, and a battery that lasts for up to 60 hours. The Sennheiser HDB 630 lets outaketrueaudiophilesoundanywhere you go. Precision engineering brings out breathtaking clarity, a neutral tone, detailed mids, and a wide soundstage. Use aptX HD and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth~ codecs from a high-resolution source such as Sennheiser~s BTD 700 Bluetooth~ adapter or plug in via USBC for pure fidelity. The advanced parametric EQ lets you define frequency bands and filters as you please. Cross Fade balances classic tracks for better headphone listening while Active Noise Cancellation eliminates background noise while maintaining high-end audio quality.
Customer Rating
4
Good sound. Great noise canceling. Small cups.
on December 9, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
I'll front load this review by saying my biggest gripe with these headphones is the size of the cups. They feel like they barely fit around my ears and it sometimes bothers me. But when I'm not thinking about that, they sound good and the noise canceling works really well so I'm enjoying them.
Setup was easy enough. They connected to my phone like any other bluetooth headset. The app has an option for logging into an account but doesn't force you to (which is always nice). There's a lot of options to explore in the app as well but I found the sound was pretty good out of the box without a lot of tinkering. Another small things but I noticed immediately and really appreciate was the giant L and R on the inside of the ear cups. I don't know why so many headphones feel like they need to hide the L and R somewhere and barely emboss it so you can't see it. It's on the inside of the cup. No one will see it aside from me when I need to. A small detail that I really like and haven't seen elsewhere.
I'm not an audiophile or anything but I've tested enough headphones to know what sounds good to me and these are up there as some of the better sounding headphones I've tried. The bass sounds nice but not overpowering. Everything sounded great. Podcasts. Music. Videos.
Comfort is not bad but my only real complaint does exist in this category. The headphones are nice and light and the head band adjusts smoothly and feels good to wear. But the ear cups are just a little too small for me. I don't have this issues very often but it felt more pronounced with this set than others I've used. If I move them around enough, I can probably find a spot where it doesn't feel like every part of the cup is touching my ear, but it's not easy to keep maneuvering them. It's not crazy uncomfortable but I'm just not used to the ear cups touching my ears as much as these do.
Other than that one issue, I like these headphones a lot. They sound really good and package up in the carry case for easy moving around. If you're looking for a more premium wireless headset and either have smaller ears or don't mind the ear cups touching your ears, these might be ones to look at.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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With the Shark Stratos 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop, users can experience up to 30 days of hands-free cleaning with 25+ hands-free features and a base that cleans, empties, and refills itself automatically as well as washes and dries the mop after every mission. Beyond powerful suction and Sonic Mopping, this Robot is equipped with precision mapping, a self-cleaning brushroll, Autolift Technology, HEPA Filtration, Edge Detect, & more. It delivers a deep clean that is perfect for all floor types, busy homes, and pets.
Customer Rating
5
Quiet with great performance
on December 9, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
I've gone through my fair share of robot vacuums over the years and I've found the technology in them gets so much better so quickly. It didn't take long for this model of Shark robot vacuum to take the place of my (much more expensive) iRobot as my daily driver.
Setup was insanely easy. I was dreading the process because I've always needed to really prepare the entire floor where the vacuum is going to live and then it usually takes an incredibly long time to do it's mapping for the first time. So I finally got everything ready and was prepared to check back in a couple hours to see if it was done yet. 10 minutes. It took less than ten minutes to just drive around and scan every room on the floor and be ready to go. Putting everything together was easy enough as the stickers on all of the pieces explain most everything and the app is good at walking you through the rest of setup.
On top of being faster at scanning the whole house, another thing I really, really enjoy is how quiet this thing runs. It doesn't skimp on power but the first couple times I ran it, I just thought it was still "setting up" to run and then realized it had been vacuuming/mopping the whole time. Even when it empties itself, it's so incredibly quiet compared to my old vacuum that sounded like a jet engine kicking in every time. It used to scare the kids and my cats. The Shark isn't whisper quiet or anything but it's noise level doesn't even compare to anything else I've used. Insanely quiet. There's a slight "hum" while it's drying the pad after it does a mop. It's noticeable but not loud at all. My old vacuum started with a really annoying, loud sound that eventually just went away. Either way, the pad never dried. After 8 hours of drying, the pad was slightly damp still but I wouldn't call it wet. Not perfect but seemed a lot better than what I was used to.
We have small children so there's no shortage of messes and I made sure to leave as much on the floor as I could the first time I ran it. My other vacuum, I'd tend to do a preliminary sweep before it ran. This Shark had no issues and the floor looked really good when it was done.
The app is fairly simple. There aren't a lot of "options". This might be the only downside I can find so far. You can pick a spot to clean. You can do a whole house clean. Or you can select specific rooms. There are no controls for multiple passes or how much water you want to use on certain rooms. This might be something I'm just not used to because it doesn't really need those options. The job it's been doing has been really good so I can't complain. I just like having options to play around with.
You get a 12oz bottle of the cleaning solution and you're instructed to use the whole 12oz bottle when you fill up the clean liquid container. Since this is a "25+ hands-free" unit, it says that should last you 30 days but that will obviously vary depending on how often you run the vacuum and how much you have it clean.
This vacuum also does a decent job detecting rugs and had the ability to lift it's up off the ground when it does so it doesn't get them wet. We run on a schedule and always have to remember to pick up the area rugs before the vacuum runs but I don't think I'll worry about it as much anymore with this one.
All said, I'm impressed with this Shark model. It seems so much better than the crazy expensive iRobot I had before. If you're looking for a smart vacuum that isn't cheap but isn't necessarily going to break the bank either, definitely give this a look.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Customer Rating
5
Sleek looks. Great speeds.
on December 9, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
If you're building a new machine or looking to upgrade your existing PC, this could be the memory kit for you. A nice, sleek design without all the sparkling Christmas lights and some really fast speeds make this a great upgrade if you currently have some slower memory or a nice starting point to get you by for a little while.
As with any memory installation, setup is simple. Plug the sticks into the two slots your motherboard recommends for dual-channel and you're off to the races. Make sure you enable XMP or you're chipset's equivalent so you get the maximum speed profile.
I upgraded an existing 32GB of memory for the extra speeds and so far it's been running without any hitches. The nice design fits what I prefer. I don't need every component in my machine to twinkle. These sticks have a really nice heat spreader covering both sides with a very subtle design etched into it.
Not much more to really say about memory. Crucial has always been one of the more reliable brands and have been around for as long as I can remember. Sad to see them going away soon. So get these while you still can!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Experience next-level protection and clarity with the THINKWARE U3000 PRO. Featuring 4K UHD front and 2K QHD rear recording with Dual STARVIS 2 sensors and Dual HDR, it captures every detail in stunning quality, day or night. Dual built-in 60GHz RADAR sensors deliver smart, energy-efficient parking surveillance, while Super Night Vision 4.0 ensures bright, noise-free footage in low light. Stay connected anywhere with the THINKWARE CONNECTED App (via optional LTE) for live monitoring, impact alerts, and vehicle tracking. Dash cam set includes the U3000 PRO dash cam, rear camera unit, 3M adhesive windshield mount with extra 3M tape, CPL filter, heat blocking film, adhesive cable holders, OBD II cable, trim tool, and 64GB MicroSD card.
Customer Rating
4
Great picture. Would love a smaller package.
on November 29, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
I can front load this review by saying I enjoy the camera and it's features but I just wish it came in a smaller package. On my car, centering the camera results in taking up a not insignificant portion of my visibility because there's a big piece of dash behind the mirror. Other than that, though, it's a great dashcam.
Setup is only has difficult as the installation for you. Setting this up in a brand new car that I'm not super familiar with was a challenge to find places to hide the wires. Plugging into the OBDII port is nice since you don't have to attach to the right fuses and such (There is still a kit sold separately if you'd rather hard-wire that way). So just depending on your car and how hidden you want all the wires (especially the wire running to the rear view camera) is going to determine how tough the actual install is for you. There's included sticky pads (and extras) for both of the cameras as well as a sun shield that can reflect the sun so it's not beading straight onto the hot part of the camera.
Connecting the dashcam to the app is fairly nice using the standard "Link" app. I'm always a fan of an app that doesn't require a login and the regular Thinkware Link app just connects straight to the dashcam without the need for any unnecessary accounts.
Dashcams that get out of your way and you don't really think about them being there are the best. You'll get some alerts on this one depending on what settings you have but most of them are things you can disable if you don't need them (like if your car already has front end collision warnings).
Accessing the live feed of the camera warns you that it'll directly connect to the dashcam via wifi and then once you get connected, you can see both the front and back cameras. There's guide lines on the front camera for you to adjust where the top of your hood is. The live camera has about a second or so delay which isn't too bad in my opinion. If you're not into 30 fps video (at 4K), you can change the video settings to 1440p 60 fps as well.
You can use the app to access all of the recorded videos which is probably the way I'll access them for the most part but if you want to use your computer, the videos are all saved in folders according to what kind of shot they are. Incidents and manual recordings are separated. There's a lot of different categories where things can get saved so it's pretty well organized if you need to browse things on a computer to find exactly what you're looking for.
The video quality is really good during the day and about as good as you can hope for at night. The extra automatic HDR gives you a really nice contrast that helps see things like words a lot clearer than most dashcams I've ever seen at night. This goes for both the front and back cameras.
All said, this is a great dashcam with great picture quality in both directions. The feature set is very customizable and exhaustive for a dashcam and the only negative thing I can say about it is just that the front unit just takes up a little too much visible space on my windshield. The app is easy to use and doesn't require a login. I can highly recommend this unit.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Stay light years ahead of the competition with the Razer Wolverine V3 Tournament Edition 8K PC. Supercharged with native 8000 Hz polling, blitz through every opponent with speed, control, and precision that~s second to none.
Customer Rating
5
Crazy light and responsive controller
on November 22, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
Picking up this controller for the first time and holding it for a second, I could tell I was going to like it. It's incredibly light but doesn't feel cheap and everything feels like it's in the right place. I am usually not a fan of back triggers because my fingers just don't hit them properly but these were just perfectly placed right off the bat.
Setup was super easy. Plug it in and you're done. I'm using this on my PC so I got a popup for installing the Razer software when I plugged it in. The controller works fine without the software, but you get customization features like mapping the extra buttons to be pretty much anything you want. Keyboard shortcuts, macros, you name it and those six extra buttons can do it, pretty much.
Again, the feel of the controller in my hands just feels really good. I can't overstate how light it is and how much I didn't realize I would enjoy a light controller. I think I've always associated light with cheap feeling and this just doesn't feel that way. The buttons, thumbsticks and triggers all still feel very premium inside this light package.
Speaking of the inputs, the face buttons all have a very nice soft clicky feel to them. Not mushy or too firm or anything. They press nicely, they have a really soft click and they bounce back great. The triggers have an optional switch to lock them so they have no travel which makes them feel very mouse-like. All of the six extra buttons also have a very nice mouse click feel to them as well. The thumbsticks are a new TMR technology which is basically better hall-effect so you don't have to worry about stick drift and they feel incredibly smooth and responsive in game.
I can't think of anything bad to say about this controller. Maybe I would have liked to see a USB-C port that was flush with the controller? As is, there's a bit of a support mold protruding around the USB-C port that fits the included cables perfectly. It's probably meant to support that cable and stop it from being easy to pull out or possibly get bent, but it also means using other cables might not work for you.
All that said, this is definitely my new daily driver on my PC. The only reasoning I can give to not give this controller a shot is if you're dead set on something wireless. If you're playing nearby your device, though, definitely give this a look as it just feels and works like a premium controller.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Protect your home and family with a wired plug-in powered outdoor security camera in crystal-clear 2K resolution, get alerts when motion is detected, watch live video on your phone, and stay connected to the strongest band with Dual-Band WiFi. A 1-Month Arlo Secure plan trial is included. Your trial provides 60-day video history, Smart Detections for People & Vehicle Recognition, Package & Animal Detection, plus Interactive Notifications on your phone's lockscreen with Emergency Response and Call a Friend. See shirt color, car color, and facial features at night with Color Night Vision for day and night surveillance. Hear and speak clearly with visitors with noise-canceling 2-Way Audio, and quickly deter threats with the Integrated Siren. Setting up is a breeze. Mount the camera, plug it in, and enjoy worry-free performance without the need to charge batteries. Comes with a 16 ft power cable for flexible placement. Works with your favorite smart home assistant including Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, and Google Home.
Customer Rating
3
Good camera. Bad business practices.
on November 2, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
I'll front load this review and say my biggest issue with the Arlo ecosystem is being hit over the head at every turn inside the app with advertisements to buy more and subscribe. The cameras work well and are easy to setup. Just their business practices in the app you need to use to control the device you just bought feels so icky.
Setup was simple enough. The biggest problem I had was it didn't appear to have any way to connect to an existing Arlo smart hub. So I had to connect to my own wifi. This could actually be good for you if you're planning on having this camera closer to your router than the smart hub normally is. Could be bad if you don't have good wifi coverage, though.
The camera quality is pretty good. It's not as crisp but really isn't too bad next to my Arlo 4K cameras. HomeKit is easy enough to set up so you can view your camera straight from Home in iOS (I'm not sure about Android support). No HomeKit Secure Video support, though, so you'll need to navigate the Arlo app to access your recorded clips.
And there's the app. While the setup process in the app is pretty nice as it takes your through the process step by step. Using the app (especially without a subscription) is kind of painful. Before I activated my trial subscription, there were ads EVERYWHERE in the app. A huge banner ads just always on the top of the app. Banner ads while scrolling through events. Large square ads wherever they could squeeze them. Just constantly being yelled at to buy more stuff or subscribe. It just made me feel icky using the app. Navigating the app was also not super intuitive and just not a fun experience in general.
Speaking of the subscriptions, there's two main flavors you can purchase (which do get rid of the ads in the app). $30/mo and $20/mo. The extra $10 gets your 24/7 home monitoring and emergency services as well as their Arlo Safe Family app subscription. Both subscriptions do cover unlimited devices which is nice and give you a bunch of AI detection features as well as expanded cloud storage for your clips. But if you're looking for continuous 24/7 recording... That'll cost you! Only another $15/mo... PER CAMERA! Everything about these business practices just made me feel gross.
Bottom line, these cameras are good enough for most people. They aren't going to blow your mind or anything. They're easy enough to set up and they do their job pretty well. But all of the shady upselling just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If you're fine with this, maybe consider these cameras. But I think I'd recommend at least shopping around a little bit first.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Advanced protection and crystal-clear visibility with a high-performance outdoor security camera for your home and loved ones. Capture crystal-clear 2K HDR video that lets you positively identify people, vehicles, and animals and see more of your yard with a wide 160~ Field of View. A 1-Month Arlo Secure plan trial is included. Your trial provides 60-day video history, Custom Detections to create personalized notifications like whether your garage door is open, sprinklers are on, or if your side gate is left open, and call immediate help with one-tap Emergency Response. Get alerts when motion is detected, watch live video on your phone. Set up easily with Bluetooth and stay connected with Dual-Band Wi-Fi, which automatically connects to the 2.4 or 5GHz network, whichever is stronger. No wiring hassles for a wireless DIY install anywhere around your home and the removable battery is easy to recharge or swap out for a fully charged one. Brilliant Color Night Vision has a sophisticated low-light filter and a more powerful Integrated Spotlight, so you can easily distinguish critical details like the color of a shirt, car, and facial features. You can also charge less often and save battery life with Low Power Mode for all day surveillance.
Customer Rating
3
Good camera. Terrible business practices.
on November 2, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
Upfront, I'll say the biggest pain point for this camera system is the app. It shoves ads down your throat if you're not subscribed and just isn't very much fun to use. The camera itself works well enough. Even at 2K quality, the picture is nice and everything is easy enough to set up. I just hate the app a lot.
Setup was straight forward. The Arlo app walks you through the whole process pretty well. If you have a smart hub already, you have the option of connecting this camera to it or to your own wifi network. Since I already had a hub, it was nice to be able to connect this to that as well.
The app is not fun to use at all. Before I activated the subscription trial that comes with this camera, there were ads everywhere trying to get you to buy more stuff or subscribe to one of their plans. Like an banner ad was just always on top of the app. Then in your events, another banner ad would show up while scrolling through events. I'm pretty sure I remember a couple of large square ads as well. Navigating the app, in general, is not incredibly intuitive either and it was just not an enjoyable experience. That was just soured even more by being hit over the head at every tap with "BUY MORE!".
Speaking of buy more, there's two subscription tiers you can subscribe to. One for $20/mo and another for $30/mo. They both include unlimited cameras which is nice if you have a bunch of Arlo cameras. The extra $10/mo gets your 24/7 monitoring and a subscription to their Arlo Safe Family app. But wait, there's more! If you want continuous, 24/7 recording, that's going to cost you extra as well. Another $15/mo... PER CAMERA. Your camera also needs to be always plugged in and support continuous recording. I'm pretty sure this one does but I'm not subscribing to find out.
The camera itself is pretty good. It's 2K resolution still looks pretty nice next to the Arlo 4K cameras I have. Battery life is nice and if you have charging station (sold separately or included with the 4K 3-camera bundle) you can always have an extra battery waiting to get swapped when the camera starts to run low. It's a little strange that there's a setting for color night vision but you can't use it if you turn the spotlight off. So, essentially, their idea of "color night vision" is just "shine a bright, visible light on it".
Homekit is also supported so you can add this camera (or your whole hub) to your Home app on iOS. HomeKit Secure Video isn't supported, though, so you only have access to the live feeds. You'll still have to navigate the app when you want to check some clips.
Overall, I think you can shop around a little bit before pulling the trigger on this one. I was really turned off by all of the ads inside the app I need to control this product I already bought. If this doesn't bother you, maybe you'll be fine with these cameras. They do work pretty well and are simple to set up. But maybe look around for some other cameras that don't appear to want to squeeze every last dime out of you first.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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The Ultra Security Camera 4K HDR (3rd Gen) Bundle is a $675 value if purchased separately at regular price. Advanced protection and crystal-clear visibility with a high-performance outdoor security camera for your home and loved ones. Get picture-perfect detail, ultimate peace of mind, and protection with advanced wireless 4K HDR video. The ultra-wide 180~ Field of View provides an expansive view of your property while Auto Zoom and Tracking automatically focuses on moving objects. A 1-Month Arlo Secure plan trial is included. Your trial provides 60-day video history, Custom Detections to create personalized notifications like whether your garage door is open, sprinklers are on, or if your side gate is left open, and call immediate help with one-tap Emergency Response. Get alerts when motion is detected, watch live video on your phone. Easily set up using an Arlo SmartHub, which securely connects your camera to the Internet on either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band, whichever is stronger. No wiring hassles for a wireless DIY install anywhere around your home and the removable battery is easy to recharge or swap out for a fully charged one. Premium Wind & Noise-Canceling 2-Way Audio gives you clear communication with visitors, the Integrated Siren lets you quickly deter threats by triggering it in the app, and the Integrated Spotlight lights up the night and helps to ward off unwanted guests. Brilliant Color Night Vision has a sophisticated low-light filter, so you can easily distinguish critical details like the color of a shirt, car, and facial features. You can also charge less often and save battery life with Low Power Mode for all day surveillance. Ultra 3 has 15% more battery life when compared to Ultra 2.
Customer Rating
3
Way too much upselling. Decent cameras.
on November 2, 2025
Posted by: swemoney
I'll just say up front that most of my mediocre response to these cameras had to do with how many ads and other upsells you have to deal with and weed through in the app. The cameras are decent enough and they're pretty easy to set up. It just, already, annoys me how many ads I have to look at in the app while already owning Arlo cameras.
Setup is easy enough. The biggest issue I ran into is that this bundle contains two power supply cords but doesn't label which one goes to which item. The jacks are the same size and looking at the quick start guide I kind of thought the larger supply looked like the one they had in the tiny picture for the hub. After wondering why the charger station wasn't working for a while, I realized I had them switched around. If you squint a lot, you can barely make out the power requirements for each item and then squint some more to find the specs of the power supply unit. A simple sticker that was easy to peal off would have been wonderful to give you an indicator about which power supply goes with which item.
After you get that sorted out, plugging the hub in to power and ethernet powers it up and makes it discoverable in the Arlo app. The app walks you through all of the categories of items you can add and even does a pretty good job at helping you know which version of the equipment you have by telling you which type of USB port it has or where buttons are located. Connecting cameras to the hub was just as simple. Everything just took a little bit of time for firmware updates on the initial setup but otherwise it was all straight forward.
The app is just not fun to use. In order to add these cameras, I was told I needed to "upgrade" my app. It didn't require a new download on my phone or anything, the app just paused for 10 seconds saying it was upgrading and then it was done. But the new "streamlined" interface just doesn't flow very well at all. It feels like things aren't in intuitive places and it takes some real thought to figure out how to navigate it. I'm sure if you use the app enough you can get used to it but it just doesn't feel good to use in general. And that's before even mentioning how many ads you have to wade through in just regular use. There's a big banner across the top of the app what seems like at all times. There's banner ads mixed into your feed of motion events. Every screen just screams at you to buy more Arlo stuff or purchase one of their subscription plans. This is in an app for controlling a not inexpensive set of hardware you already bought. Just leaves a real icky feeling all over.
Then there's the subscriptions. There's a $30/mo and a $20/mo subscription. They both include unlimited cameras which is nice at least. The $30/mo plan includes "Home Insurance Discount" and "Arlo Safe App Family Subscription" as well as "24/7 professional monitoring" and "Emergency response" on top of all the AI detection features and expanded cloud storage that the $20/mo plan includes. I will say, I got a trial subscription with another Arlo camera I got and that did seem to clear up the ads (until the trial expires). So you can add that as another perk to being a subscriber, I guess. If you're looking for 24/7 continuous recording, there's a separate subscription that costs $15/mo... PER CAMERA. So right back to the icky feeling here.
As far as the cameras go. They're nice enough. The 4K quality seems pretty good. I really like ultra-wide lens to get more of the room or outdoors in the frame. You can even adjust how wide the FOV is if you're looking to keep an eye on a smaller area. Everything is fairly basic and standard with most cameras that I've used. I do find it funny that there's a setting for color night vision, but you can't use that setting if you turn the spotlight off... so their idea of color night vision is just shine visible light at your scene. The standard infared night vision is fine too. Another strange decision is that they included 2 magnetic mounts and 1 standard screw in mount in the box. Couldn't spring for 3 of each so you could decide which way you want to mount all 3 of them, I guess.
The cameras aren't really a thing I have a problem with. They aren't mind blowing or anything but they get the job done. The quality looks good enough if you have a good signal. The battery life is pretty good and it's awesome that it comes with charging station so you can have two batteries (this bundle contains 1 extra battery, so you'll need to buy another one if you want two extras) on standby ready to swap in whenever one of the cameras starts to get low.
Homekit is also supported out of the box but no secure video. So you can view your cameras in your Home app but you won't be able to review clips or anything like that.
So all in all, I don't dislike this camera system. It works well. It's easy enough to set up. If you have your hub in a good spot to get good coverage on all of your cameras, you should have some smooth sailing. Being able to watch cameras in Home is a big plus as well since navigating the Arlo app just isn't fun for me. I feel like I will dread the time when my subscription trial expires and I need to review a clip in the app. If the app's functionality isn't a dealbreaker for you and you don't mind being yelled at constantly to buy more stuff, then maybe this system is for you. But I feel like you can shop around and find something that doesn't just want to squeeze you for every penny you have.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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With no wires in the way, Bose SoundSport Wireless Sports Earbuds keep you moving with powerful audio. Perfect for exercise and running with a sweat and weather resistant design and StayHear+ tips designed for comfort and stability. The Tile app makes your headphones easy to find if they ever go missing.
Is it possible to remove that clip on the wire?
Clip is formed plastic around the wire, so not unless you break the clip. You can move it up and down the wire. I barely noticed it, myself.
9 years, 6 months ago
by
swemoney
With no wires in the way, Bose SoundSport Wireless Sports Earbuds keep you moving with powerful audio. Perfect for exercise and running with a sweat and weather resistant design and StayHear+ tips designed for comfort and stability. The Tile app makes your headphones easy to find if they ever go missing.
Is this earphone compatible with Andriod phone?
I didn't test them out on an Android device, but they're bluetooth headphones. So if your Android device supports Bluetooth audio, they should work fine.
9 years, 6 months ago
by
swemoney