How To Set Up Arlo Essential Camera

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How to Prepare Arlo Security Cameras

Senior Staff Author, Security & Smart Home

Arlo'southward security cameras are some of the best in the business organisation, and setting them up is a breeze. Here are 7 easy steps to aid you gear up your new Arlo camera like a pro.

• Camera Safety: Aid Prevent Your Cameras from Being Hacked

1. Download the Arlo app

The Arlo app walks you through the setup process and allows y'all to adjust camera settings. Yous can't install a camera without the app. Once you download the app, create an account and showtime adding your first camera by choosing your model from the list.

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two. Plough on your Arlo camera

Wire-costless models: Insert and charge battery

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When you outset the setup process on a wire-free Arlo camera, follow the instructions for installing the battery in the camera housing. The battery has grooves on the bottom to prevent yous from installing it upside downwards.

Subsequently inserting the battery, close up the camera'southward instance and cheque the LED on the front. If the low-cal is an amber color, connect it to the included charging cable. If information technology's flashing blue, y'all tin can skip charging and move on to the next step.

Wired models: Notice an outlet

Wired Arlo cameras demand to be within 6 feet of an outlet. Yous can buy optional power cables for wireless models in lengths of 8 and 25 feet. Arlo also sells solar panel chargers that work with its outdoor cameras.

3. Connect your Arlo camera to Wi-Fi

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Once your camera has power, follow the Arlo app'south instructions for connecting it to your Wi-Fi network. Enter the name and countersign for your wireless network, and the app will create a QR lawmaking for the camera to scan. Look for the camera to chime later on scanning the code. Exist aware that Arlo cameras do not work with 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks. Instead, you'll need a 2.four GHz network.

4. Identify your Arlo camera

Choose your mount

Install your Arlo photographic camera effectually half-dozen to 7 feet higher up the ground. This is the best vantage point for capturing video footage and motion detection without beingness likewise difficult to attain.

Shelf

The Arlo Essential Indoor and the Arlo Q (its predecessor) are the just Arlo cameras with congenital-in stands that work well when placing the cameras on a shelf. While most other Arlo cameras can residuum on a shelf, you won't have many choices for pointing them towards the action without a mountain.

Magnetic mount

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You can use a magnetic mountain with whatever Arlo Ultra or Arlo Pro photographic camera. This mountain attaches to the wall with a unmarried screw, a drywall anchor, and a plastic stopper that clips into the dorsum.

Outdoor mountain

Use 1 of Arlo's outdoor mounts for better security if y'all're placing a camera outdoors. These mounts use a screw to secure the camera in place. They're non easy to take off the wall compared to magnetic mounts. Arlo as well recommends using these mounts if you need to place a camera higher than 6.v feet.

5. Arrange your Arlo camera's view

Although almost Arlo cameras take a broad field of view to capture tons of activeness, you tin adjust the photographic camera for a meliorate view, assuasive for more accurate motion detection, notifications, and recording.

Camera positioning

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Using Arlo's Camera Positioning setting, yous tin adjust the photographic camera'due south view in near real-fourth dimension with very niggling lag. This setting tells the camera to send video quickly (commonly at a lower quality) so you don't need to wait as long for the alive view to catch up with your adjustments.

1. Navigate to the Settings menu in the Arlo app.
2. Select My Devices and cull the camera you want to adjust.
3. Select Device Utilities and so Camera Positioning.
4. Conform the camera while looking at the Arlo app to ensure information technology sees all the areas you want.

Field of view

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Like the Arlo Pro 4, some Arlo cameras let yous alter the field of view or how wide an area in front of the camera is. By and large, yous want a wider view outdoors, where at that place aren't walls blocking your view. In contrast, choose a narrower view indoors, where information technology's unnecessary to record wider than your walls allow, which saves video bandwidth.

1. Navigate to the Settings menu in the Arlo app.
2. Select My Devices and choose the camera you lot want to adapt.
3. Choose Video Settings and and then Video Mode.
4. Detect a style that fits your camera'south surroundings.

Motility zones

Motion zones tell Arlo security cameras what to ignore when deciding to tape. Arlo employs movement zones in two ways: passive and adjustable.

Passive motility zones

The motion sensor on many Arlo cameras has ii zones past default. The bottom zone takes up two-thirds of the video and is more than sensitive, while the smaller top zone is less sensitive overall. You can see the height zone as a greyed-out area in the camera positioning menu.

Past positioning the camera with the top third covering the street, yous can prevent passing vehicles from setting off the sensor as often. This setting works without an Arlo Secure deject subscription and doesn't crave a continuous power supply.

Adjustable motion zones

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If you pay for an Arlo Secure Program and connect your camera to a ability outlet, you can create custom move zones that tape action in those areas.

1. Go to the Settings card in the Arlo app.
   1. Consider logging in on a spider web browser instead, since adjusting the zones can be harder on a small smartphone screen.
2. Select My Devices and choose the photographic camera you want to adjust.
3. Choose Activity Zones.
4. Hit the plus sign + to add a zone.
5. Adjust the zone to encompass an area (like a window or stairway).
6. Proper name the zone for future reference.

half dozen. Test your Arlo camera's motion detection

Arlo cameras rely exclusively on motion detection to know when to kickoff recording a video clip. You lot can test the motion detection'due south effectiveness and adjust its sensitivity using the Arlo app:

1. Navigate to the Settings card in the Arlo app.
2. Select My Devices and choose the camera you lot're testing.
3. Select Device Utilities and and so Motion Detection Test.
4. This style tells the camera's LED lite to glimmer amber when there's motion.
5. Move around the area yous want the camera to monitor to see if it catches all your action.
6. Conform the motility sensitivity slider if the camera is likewise sensitive or not sensitive plenty.
   • The sensitivity setting isn't universal—adapt your arming modes to match as needed.

7. Arm your Arlo

Arming an Arlo camera tells it to start sending notifications and recording video clips (if you have an Arlo Secure subscription or set up local storage). It's likewise an excellent way to protect your privacy. We recommend arming your camera whenever you go out the business firm or go to bed.

Arlo offers five arming modes:

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• Disarmed: no recording or notifications
• Armed: you manually arm using the app
• Schedule: prepare specific times for the camera to record—especially helpful at night
• Geofencing: photographic camera artillery and disarms based on your location
• Custom mode: you can suit how the photographic camera reacts when armed

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FAQ

Newer Arlo security cameras similar Arlo Essential, Arlo Pro 4, and Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight don't crave a base station. All the same, you lot need a base station on 4K models like Arlo Ultra two and older models like Arlo Pro 3 and Arlo Pro ii. You can use a base of operations station with whatever Arlo cam to add local video storage.

Yes, yous can use Arlo cameras without a subscription. These features are free:

• Viewing alive video (but no cloud storage)
• Ii-mode audio
• Notifications (only no smart notifications)
• Local storage (if using a base station)

You can add other users through the Arlo app:

1. From the Settings menu: choose Grant Access and tap the Add option.
2. Enter the name and email address of the person you lot want to add to your Arlo camera.
3. The new user will receive an email to verify their account access in the Arlo app.
   • Yous can adapt permissions to adjust each user'south needs and responsibilities.
   • If you accept multiple cameras, you lot can limit access to specific cameras.

Arlo cameras neglect to connect for various reasons:

• The camera is as well far from your wireless router.
• The camera isn't on the same network as your mobile device during setup.
• The camera is incompatible with your 5 GHz wireless network. Make certain y'all're using a ii.4 GHz wireless network.
• The camera doesn't have your network'southward current login credentials. Cheque that y'all used the correct network proper name and countersign.
• The camera didn't browse the QR code correctly when setting upwards Wi-Fi. Re-browse the code and listen for an audible chinkle.
• The camera timed out before connecting to your network. Press the sync button to offset the sync process again.

What yous tin can't do without internet

• View live video
• Use two-way audio
• Adapt camera settings
• Save videos to cloud storage

What you tin can practice without internet

• Record videos using local storage (if you set up information technology upward using a base station).
• View footage on when your phone'south on the same network. But you need to turn on Direct Storage Access in the Arlo app first.

Yeah, you must use an Ethernet cable to connect your Arlo base station to your router. At that place should exist one in the box.

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Written by

John Carlsen

John is a technology announcer specializing in smart domicile devices, security cameras, and home security systems. He has over nine years of experience researching, testing, and reviewing the latest tech—he was the Smart Abode Editor for Top Ten Reviews and wrote for ASecureLife before joining SafeWise as a Staff Writer in 2022. John holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism emphasis from Utah Valley University. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, photography, cooking, and starting countless DIY projects he has yet to consummate.

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