Arlo’s Essential Pan Tilt Security Camera 2K has slid down to about $35 — roughly $25 off its regular $60 list price — which makes it one of the sharpest low-cost entries I’ve seen for a motorized, 2K pan-tilt camera from a major brand. Deals like this are the sort that push people from “I’ll get one someday” to “why not now,” especially if you want wide coverage without wiring a mess of fixed cameras.

On paper, the Essential Pan Tilt 2K gives you more than the usual “cheap cam” checklist. Arlo rates it for 2K (1440p) video, motorized 360-degree horizontal pan and 180-degree tilt, continuous plug-in power, and dual-band Wi-Fi support — the ingredients that let one camera replace several fixed units and keep zoomed-in detail useful instead of mushy. The official product page also calls out features you’d expect from a modern Arlo: auto motion tracking, package and person detection, two-way talk, and a built-in siren and light for deterrence.

That “auto motion tracking” bit is the practical piece that separates a static camera from a genuinely useful pan-tilt unit. Rather than losing a subject as they walk out of frame, the lens can follow movement so that a single device actually keeps whatever you care about—kids, pets, a delivery—visible. Because it’s plug-in rather than battery-powered, you don’t wrestle with charging cycles for a camera you plan to run all day in a busy spot. Those tradeoffs make sense for living rooms, main hallways, and covered porches where constant monitoring matters.

There are real smart-home conveniences here, but also the subscription catch you should budget for. Arlo’s cloud ecosystem now bundles more advanced AI detection and extended video history behind its Arlo Secure plans, and those plans have moved up in price over the last year—so the month-to-month cost of getting the full feature set can be meaningful compared with a one-time hardware purchase. If you want 30–60 days of cloud clips, activity zones, animated previews, or the newest AI captioning and sound-detection features, expect to factor in a monthly fee.

If you’re sensitive to recurring fees, remember Arlo still supports local-storage routes through base stations and hubs for customers who want to avoid continuous subscription costs — though those setups trade off some cloud conveniences like every-device AI summaries and easy multi-device orchestration. In short, the hardware is cheaper than many rivals right now, but the total cost of ownership depends on how much you lean on cloud services.

What this deal is best for: people who want the widest coverage for the lowest cash outlay. At roughly $35, the camera becomes a near-impulse buy for renters, dorm dwellers, or anyone expanding a modest Arlo kit: you can cover blind spots with one pan-tilt cam instead of two or three fixed 1080p units, and you get higher resolution for license plates or faces when you crop in. If you later decide the subscription bells and whistles matter, you can add them — just be honest with yourself about whether you’ll pay monthly for clip retention and advanced AI.

Minor caveats before you click “add to cart.” If you need a true all-weather outdoor placement, confirm whether the model you’re buying is intended for exposed outdoor use or only covered/outdoor-rated spots; installation still requires a nearby outlet. And while the camera’s color night vision and deterrent light/siren help in low light, nothing beats a properly lit entryway for reliable identification at a distance. The product page is a good place to double-check the exact spec sheet for the SKU on sale.

Bottom line: at this price, the Arlo Essential Pan Tilt 2K is one of the easiest, least-expensive ways to get motorized 2K coverage from a trusted brand. If you want to try pan-tilt tracking without committing much cash, $35 is a very reasonable trial price — just don’t forget to account for whether you’ll want the cloud extras that turn a cheap camera into a fuller, subscription-backed security setup.

Disclaimer: Prices and promotions mentioned in this article are accurate at the time of writing and are subject to change based on the retailers’ discretion. Please verify the current offer before making a purchase.