Category: Technology

The Arlo Go 2 is a specialized security camera. While you can connect it to your Wi-Fi network, it has its own LTE (4G) connection as well. This means that you can use it in places where you might not have a Wi-Fi signal, such as on a far corner of your property, farmland, in boats and RVs, construction sites or even campsites. How you use it is up to you, and as it’s weather proof, you don’t need to keep it under cover. While it has a rechargeable battery, you can add an Arlo solar panel so you never need to recharge it or connect power cables. It will also keep working during a power outage. With all this in mind, we tested out the Go 2 to see how it worked on the, well, ‘go’.

first looks

First thing you’ll notice is that the Go 2 is fairly large compared to other Arlo cameras, such as the Ultimate, Pro or Essential models. This is likely because of its large battery rather than to make room for a 4G SIM card or LTE antennas. And it’s a good thing too, as you’ll want the battery to last as long as possible considering it might be far away or out of reach.

Getting the Go 2 up and running was farily straight forward, provided that your 4G SIM is already working. We used one from Amaysim but first needed to plug it into our phone to get it registered on the network. Once that was done and inserted into the Go 2’s SIM slot, we ran the Arlo Secure app to add it to the camera dashboard. Here, you’ll be given a choice of connecting it to a Wi-Fi network or using a 4G / LTE signal. We chose 4G and were then shown a QR code to point the camera at. If it successfully ‘sees’ the QR code, which it did in our case, it connects to the app and finishes the process.

Arlo Go 2 – Price and Features

• RRP: $429
• Warranty: 12 months
• 1080P (full HD) resolution
• Weatherproof case and seals
• color night vision
• Spotlight (illuminates up to 7.6 meters)
• 2-way talk (full duplex)
• Long battery life (13,000mAh)
• Wi-Fi & 4G (LTE) network compatibility
• mounting bracket
• GPS location tracking
• built in siren
• MicroSD memory card for local storage

The Go 2 is packed with features. The key differences that separate it from other Arlo security cameras, such as the Ultra, Pro and Essential models are its 4G connectivity, large battery and GPS location tracking. The 4G provides the ubiquity to use it anywhere there’s coverage, while the huge 13,0000mAh battery maximizes time between charges. This is especially handy if you place the Go 2 in a remote location.

The GPS tracking is a great way to locate your camera if it’s stolen or you have multiple units on your property, such as a farm, and need to see where each is situated. You check the Go 2’s located by visiting a map in the Arlo Secure app.

Other than these features, the Go 2 has a spotlight that can illuminate up to 7.5 meters and motion tracking can be set to 7 meters away.

And like the top of the Ultra range, the Go 2 has its own MicroSD card, so you can store videos in the unit itself instead of in the cloud.

For images and videos, there’s a 1080p / full HD sensor. This is lower than the Pro and Ultra’s 2K and 4K respectively. The resolution choice is likely to keep image sizes small, so they require less bandwidth to send to the cloud via the 4G network. Otherwise, there’s a similar 12x digital zoom, night vision and two-way talk as found in the Essential and Pro models.

Subscribe for more features

While you can buy security cameras for less, the more premium brands such as Arlo offer a lot of advanced capabilities as part of a subscription service called Arlo Secure. This includes object detection, which uses AI to analyze what your camera is ‘seeing’. It can detect pets, people, packages and vehicles, so you can choose what events you want to be notified about. You can also assign activity zones in your image and exclude areas that you don’t want the camera to notice. This helps cut down simple ‘movement’ notifications where things like a tree blowing in the wind might trigger an alert. See too many of these and you’ll stop paying attention to the important ones.

The Arlo secure plan gives you 30 days worth of storage for your videos, along with interactive notifications that embed the video clip into the message. There’s even continuous video recording for an additional fee.

Arlo Secure costs $4.49 per month for one camera or $14.99 for unlimited cameras. Without the subscription you still get access to live video streaming through the app and motion notifications. More Arlo Secure plan pricing.

in-action

Using the Arlo Go 2 is quite straightforward. You can mount the camera on the included bracket, which allows for a wide range of motion, or it can be placed on a shelf, desk or some other unobtrusive place.

The camera’s settings can be configured in the Arlo Secure app. This includes doing a motion test to decide how sensitive it should be, along with tweaks to camera brightness, low light settings, enabling the floodlight and more.

We added the Go 2 to our other Arlo cameras, and can manage all of them in the Arlo Secure dashboard. As with the other cameras, there’s a 5 or so second delay for enabling the live feed or switching on the spotlight, etc., however, this is fairly standard for all security cameras.

While it does support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistants, we were not able to add the Go 2 to Apple’s HomeKit smart home ecosystem. While most Arlo cameras are compatible, this feature may be added later with a software update.

Performance

Given that the Go 2 has a 1080p resolution, images aren’t quite as sharp as some of Arlo’s other cameras, and can’t zoom in to reveal quite as much detail, such as a car license plate number. However, for most purposes, the resolution is completely adequate. We tested the camera’s performance in direct sunlight, as well as in the dark. We did notice that when pointed into direct sun, the camera does struggle to show detail in darker parts of the scene, and it doesn’t support High Dynamic Range like other Arlo models. This isn’t a major problem as it happens only when the camera is pointing towards the sun.

With night motion detection and recording, the Go 2 can either rely on its IR vision or use the spotlight for night color vision. We found both to work quite well, and the spotlight’s intensity and range is impressive at over 7 meters.

You can also listen in to the camera’s surrounding via the built-in microphone, which picks up a reasonable amount of ambient noise. The 2-way-talk feature is full duplex meaning you can speak and hear at the same time, rather than a walkie-talkie like experience where you press a button to speak and then listen for a response.

Battery life should be quite long, even a month’s worth, however this is highly dependent on how it’s used. For example, how sensitive the camera’s motion detection is along with how often and how long it records. We didn’t test the camera long enough to drain the battery, however, as mentioned earlier, it can connect to an Arlo solar panel accessory if you don’t want to ever worry about charging.

GadgetGuy’s take

The Arlo Go 2 is a smart option for those who need to add security to wide open spaces or are not in range of a Wi-Fi network. It’s $429 price is higher than a standard ‘premium’ Wi-Fi camera, however, its 4G capability, larger battery, GPS and other features are what you’re getting for the extra money. Depending if you want to pay for a subscription to Arlo Secure, there are plenty of advanced motion detection features on offer as well. If not, there’s still plenty of quality features included for the price to help you keep watch over your valued items, property or even just to watch the apples in the orchard grow.

What’s in the box?

• Arlo Go 2 Camera
• wall mount screw kit
• rechargeable battery
• Mounting screws
• Magnetic charging cable
• Quick start guide

Arlo Go 2 – Specifications

Video resolution	1080p
Video format	H.264
night vision	850nm LEDs: illuminates up to 25 feet
imaging	12x digital zoom
Audio	Speaker, Microphone
Motion	Adjustable up to 23 feet, instant email alerts and push notifications
Audio	2-way audio. Instant email alerts and push notifications
Battery	13,000mAh rechargeable battery. Battery life varies based on settings, usage, & temperature
Operating temperature	-4° to 113° F (-20° C to 45° C)
Certification	Weatherproof IP65
Dimensions	3.38″ x 2.53″ x 4.72″in (86 x 64.2 x120mm)
Weight	1.08lbs (490g) w/battery
app support	iOS, Android, Fire OS, web browser

More Arlo news and reviews on GadgetGuy

Motorola Moto G52 is a low-cost mid-range phone with an MSRP of USD 295. The Moto smartphone features an OLED panel with a fast 90-Hz refresh rate for its low price. The Moto G52 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB of flash storage, and a 50-megapixel main camera.

Motorola Moto G52: Price in India

The base variant of the Motorola Moto G52 costs Rs. 14,499 and comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The other variant is priced at Rs. 16,499 for 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. In addition, the phone is available in two colors: Charcoal Gray and Porcelain White from Motorola. For this review, I used the former.

Design

When holding the Motorola Moto G52, the plastic used for the back gives the impression that it is a cheap phone. Even with the white version we had with us, the back panel proved to be a fingerprint magnet, and white is usually the color where greasy smudges are least visible.

The volume rockers and a power button with a fingerprint sensor are on the right side of the device, while the SIM tray is on the left rim. Therefore, the device’s bottom edge houses a USB Type-C port, speaker grille, and 3.5mm headphone jack, while the top has another speaker. The top of the back panel houses a triple camera module with three lenses and an LED flash.

display

One of the most observable differences between the Motorola Moto G52 and the Moto G51 is the display, which has been upgraded from an IPS LCD panel to an AMOLED panel, which offers deeper blacks, and better colors, and more contrast.

The graphics had a lot of detail and were extremely clear. The device has a refresh rate of 90Hz, which is adequate for gaming, web browsing, and social media. In addition, the touch sampling rate of 360Hz ensured that the touch was ultra-responsive, while the peak brightness of 500 nits provided good indoor and outdoor visibility.

Motorola Moto G52: Performance

Performance is not one of Moto G52’s strong points. Occasionally, there was stuttering/lag while scrolling through the UI or browsing the web during my time with the phone. However, web pages and apps appear to load quickly.

The color profile of the display can be changed. By default, it was set to Saturated, which I liked. The 90Hz refresh rate makes scrolling appear smooth, and you can switch to 60Hz if you prefer. By default, it was set to Auto, and the phone adjusted the refresh rate based on what I was doing.

BatteryLife

Motorola Moto G52’s battery life was adequate, lasting about a day and a half with my usage. Therefore, the phone lasted 16 hours and 3 minutes in our HD video loop test, which is an acceptable result. Using the 33W TurboPower charger, the 5,000mAh battery charged to 51 percent in 30 minutes and 91 percent in an hour.

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It’s a while off, but a technology to improve WiFi considerably is coming, as wireless networking adds more speed and bandwidth with the upcoming WiFi 7 tech.

Staying up to date in technology is difficult at the best of times, but when there’s new tech right around the corner, it can be downright awkward to make the case for an update.

In 2022, buying networking gear is a little like that.

The good news is that no matter what you buy, your new network is probably going to be a whole lot better than your old network, and given that’s the most likely reason to buy networking gear, that’s great news. However, on the flip side, no matter what you buy will also probably be out of date by 2023 or 2024, which is when the next generation of WiFi tech is supposed to be out.

Called “WiFi 7”, it also comes with one of those “802.11” names you’ve probably seen on wireless networks forever. WiFi 7 is 802.11be, and it is the latest approach for high-speed connectivity, but what does it mean for you, and when will WiFi 7 be launching in Australia?

These are all numbers… what really is Wi-Fi 7?

Aside for some marketing about how “WiFi 7” is the next generation in wireless networking technology, WiFi 7 takes what WiFi 6E has set up before it by bolstering extra networking spectrum for more devices, as well as devices with higher capacity.

Before the days of WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E, wireless networks would offer one band, typically a 2.4GHz band. They still do, and typically that’s reserved for devices with less speedy traffic, such as phones and web activity. As networks improved, network makers added a 5GHz band, providing more spectrum to work with at higher speeds.

If you own a device that runs both a 2.4GHz and 5GHz band, your router will typically send low priority traffic to the band with the lower number, and higher priority speed-reliant traffic to the one with the bigger number. Network gear makers have added better chips to let you get the most speed out of each, so much that we’re talking speeds able to rival many wired networks.

These days, a WiFi 5 or WiFi 6 network is a perfectly fast environment for most homes, and there are different approaches to how those networks should look in most homes.

For instance, if you have a small cottage-style home and can place your router in the center, the network activity will be sent out from the middle for the entire home. That makes the case for bigger routers with lots of antennas. Meanwhile, if you have a large home that travels out or out and up, a mesh system will let you place several wireless access points and turn your network into a Venn diagram of sorts, allowing devices to jump onto a strengthened network throughout the home.

Depending on which WiFi type you opt for will typically determine the maximum speed and bandwidth, though wireless has also been changing.

In WiFi 6 (802.11ax), you could get a theoretical maximum of 9.6Gbps across your wireless network depending on the chip your devices used. You’re never likely to hit anywhere close to that, but the spectrum you’re using can help.

In WiFi 6E, that theoretical maximum is technically the same, but because WiFi 6E adds an extra band with higher capacity for newer devices, hitting those theoretical speeds becomes more practical than it ever has before.

WiFi 7 evolves this, adding bands and bandwidth, and increasing speed significantly, provided you have the device that can use it, potentially offering more uses of 5 and 6GHz bands.

Wi-Fi 6E versus Wi-Fi 7

The difference between WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 is notably speed and bandwidth, while the difference between WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E is more or less just bandwidth. In the former, there’s more of everything, while the latter, there’s more bandwidth to work with for what you have.

It’s possibly a more restrained difference when talking about WiFi 6 versus WiFi 6E, because in WiFi 6E, the extra band you get — the 6GHz band — only at present works with devices that can look for it.

Simply put, buying a WiFi 6E router won’t guarantee your current slate of products more speed at all. You’ll get 2.4 and 5GHz bands you can use for your gadgets now, and a 6GHz band that can only work with gadgets that support WiFi 6E.

There aren’t a whole heap of those, mind you, but if you’ve bought a Google Pixel 6 range device like the Pixel 6 Pro or Pixel 6a, Oppo’s Find X5 Pro, or any of Samsung’s phones or tablets from the past few years, such as the Galaxy S22+, S22 Ultra, S21 Ultra, or Tab S8 Ultra, you’ll have WiFi 6E. Many new Windows computers will also support the tech, too.

It will likely be a similar situation when WiFi 7 rocks up, mind you, supporting new speeds and bandwidth on the new gadgets. WiFi 7 will support new bands and improved bandwidth, doubling the 160MHz of WiFi 6 and 6E to 320MHz, while the network speeds could hit as high as a theoretical 30 to 40Gbps.

You’re not likely to push that, and speeds will probably be closer to the 10Gbps, but that’s a 10 Gigabit wireless network for many, which would be a win in speed for high-speed wireless. It’s no wonder that people are calling 802.11be WiFi 7 Extremely High Throughput wireless networking, something that’ll possibly turn up in jargon later on as “EHT”.

It’s still likely a while off before Aussies are buying WiFi 7 EHT routers, however WiFi 7 is beginning to roll out in chips, which means makers are beginning to throw support into gadgets likely to come out at the end of 2022 and beyond, and that means the routers aren’t likely to be too far behind.

Should I wait for WiFi 7 or get WiFi 6/WiFi 6E?

None of this should stop you from buying a new wireless router now. If you need an updated wireless network because your current version isn’t doing your devices justice — particularly if you’re using the starter model your broadband service supplied you with — upgrading is likely to change things positively.

Whether you’re upgrading a slower older network device to something newer — such as 802.11g to 802.11ac WiFi 5 or 802.11ax WiFi 6 — you’ll see benefits, and waiting around for WiFi 7 won’t likely be beneficial to you.

Upgrade as and when you need to for WiFi, because the benefits can often outweigh the wait.

However, if you don’t need an update, and you’re considering upgrading all your gear in 2023 and later on, it may be worth waiting to see what WiFi 7 has in store. It’ll very likely be speed, range, and the ability to make more of your home feel fast over wireless.

Midnight Society, the studio from banned Twitch streamer Herschel “Guy” Beahm IV, AKA Dr Disrespect, has revealed the name and details of its new Escape From Tarkov-like shooter, Deadrop.

Dubbed a “vertical extraction shooter,” Deadrop is now available as a demo for those who paid for the Founders Access Pass as part of Midnight Society’s rollout of the game.

Playable builds will be released every six weeks, with some YouTubers sharing footage of how the game looks and plays so far (via VGC).

According to Geeky Pastimes, there’s not much in the game so far, with one gun usable at this point. There’s also a firing range with a dummy that parts can be shot off of, with a small slice of the world showing off the aesthetics and visuals as well.

At present no more Founders Access Passes can be claimed, as Midnight Society notes: “Founders Access Pass applications closed. All Series 0 Patches claimed.”

At this stage so much of Deadrop can change, from the weapons, movement and online integration (which doesn’t feature in the currently available build), with more coming to those with access every six weeks.

Whilst the core mechanics of Deadrop are still somewhat unknown, it’s been described by Midnight Society as a game with the “essence” of an arena shooter and the scale of a battle royale game, with core mechanics similar to extraction-based shooters.

A main point of difference in Dr Disrespect’s game appears to be the “vertical” aspect of Deadropwhich trades out large flat islands and arenas for a play space that’s skyscrapers instead.

Set during the “climate wars,” Deadrop is in a world filled with refiner states, mega structures that extract toxins from the atmosphere. Each tower is its own city-state that exports space dust.

Midnight Society is made up of a number of ex-Halo and Call Of Duty developers, with co-founder Quinn DelHoyo, previously the lead sandbox designer for halo-infiniteand other co-founder Robert Bowling, a former community manager at Infinity Ward.

In other news, the director of Skull & Bones has explained how the game’s narrative and land mechanics will work when it releases this November.