There’s been an explosion of interest in smart security systems recently, and companies across a range of industries have managed to capitalize on our obsession with smart cameras, video doorbells, and the like. Chief among them has been a rather surprising candidate — the computer networking firm Netgear, whose line of Arlo smart home cameras has proven to be quite a hit. Now, the company is officially separating its Arlo business from the rest of Netgear, underscoring just how much customers are investing in smart home devices these days.
Arlo is slated to become its own company, made official by way of an initial public offering (IPO) of the newly minted Arlo Technologies, Inc. And now that this company will be free to focus exclusively on smart home devices (rather than being beholden to the broader Netgear computing family), we may soon see a whole lot more innovation from this team.
Don’t expect any immediate movement, however. The IPO isn’t expected to be completed until the second half of 2018, and it will likely still be a few months before Arlo “confidentially [submits] a draft registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the first half of 2018.”
Netgear decided to separate the two companies because, as CEO and chairman Patrick Lo explained, “Both NETGEAR and Arlo have reached the point where they can succeed by being independent of one another.” Indeed, Arlo has proven to be quite the contender, even among companies that are dedicated exclusively to creating security cameras.
As it stands, Arlo boasts a line of both home and business security systems that provide customers with HD video quality, two-way audio, live-streaming, free cloud recording, instant alerts, and more. We reviewed Arlo’s latest product, the Arlo Pro 2, just a few weeks ago, and called it the “best home security system we’ve ever tested.” While it’s not inexpensive (it’s available only in two- and four-camera bundles, starting at $480), the camera has a number of unique features, including seven days of free cloud backup, wired or wireless operation, weatherproof design, and geofencing capabilities.
Netgear has long held a reputation for producing quality products at the high end of the market, and if this trend holds, we can expect to see great things from Arlo as an independent entity, too.
