Arlo’s new home security system uses AI to detect sounds and describe events

Arlo’s latest home security system introduces AI-powered event recognition and search capabilities, marking a significant advancement in smart surveillance technology. The Arlo 6 platform enhances home monitoring by automatically detecting specific sounds like screams or glass breaking while generating searchable descriptions of captured events. This expansion of AI features places Arlo in direct competition with Google Nest and Amazon Ring, who introduced similar capabilities within the past year.

The big picture: Arlo Security is launching its sixth-generation home security system with expanded AI capabilities that can automatically describe events and detect specific audio cues.

• The new system will begin rolling out to users in May 2025, requiring a $7.99 monthly Arlo Secure Plus subscription to access the AI features.
• Arlo’s Premium tier, priced at $29.99 monthly, offers unlimited camera connections and access to human safety agents for threat verification.

Key new features: The Arlo 6 system generates AI-powered descriptions of events and enables keyword search across video libraries.

• Users can search their footage using specific keywords, descriptions, or time ranges instead of manually browsing through recordings.
• The system can detect and alert users to specific sounds including screams, gunshots, glass breaking, and dog barking.

Competitive landscape: Arlo’s AI enhancements bring it in line with major competitors who implemented similar features in late 2024.

• Google Nest has offered AI captions and search functionality to subscribers through Google Home integration since November 2024.
• Amazon’s Ring platform introduced AI search capabilities in October 2024.

Behind the numbers: Despite facing competition from tech giants, Arlo announced its paid subscriber base has surpassed 5 million users.

• The Arlo 5 platform already included basic object recognition for cars and people, but the new system significantly expands detection capabilities.
• The improved recognition system enables more diverse detection signals, potentially offering better security monitoring than previous generations.