How do I position my Arlo wire-free camera?

Depending on your Arlo camera model, your camera can connect to the following:

  • Only a SmartHub or base station
  • A SmartHub, base station, or directly to a WiFi router

SmartHub or base station best practices

Follow these guidelines if you connect your Arlo wire-free camera to an Arlo SmartHub or base station.

Maximum. You can place your camera a maximum of 300 feet (90 meters) from the base station. The maximum line-of-sight range of 300 feet is reduced by each wall, ceiling, or other major obstruction between the camera and base station. The following materials reduce signal strength the most:

  • Unusually thick walls and ceilings
  • Brick
  • Concrete
  • Stone
  • Ceramic
  • Glass, especially mirrors
  • Metal
  • Large quantities of water, such as the water in a fish tank or water heater

Note: Check the camera LED on the base station; if it's blinking amber, the base station detects a low data rate, signaling that the camera is too far from the base station.

Minimum. Place your Arlo cameras at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the SmartHub or base station, and allow at least 6.5 feet (2 meters) between cameras. Follow these guidelines to prevent WiFi signals between the devices from interfering with each other.

WiFi connectivity best practices

Follow these guidelines if you connect your Arlo wire-free camera directly to a WiFi router, and you are not using an Arlo SmartHub or base station.

When placing your Arlo wire-free camera:

  • Make sure your camera is within the range of your WiFi router. For more information, contact your router manufacturer or Internet service provider (ISP).
    Note: Your WiFi router’s range is reduced by each wall, ceiling, or other major obstruction between the WiFi router and your camera.
  • Make sure your camera is at least 10 feet (3 meters) away from your WiFi router and at least 6.5 feet (2 meters) away from other Arlo devices.
  • Make sure that your home WiFi and mobile device meet Arlo’s minimum requirements. For more information, visit What are the minimum requirements for installing and using my Arlo System?.

The following materials reduce WiFi signal strength the most:

  • Unusually thick walls and ceilings
  • Brick
  • Concrete
  • Stone
  • Ceramic
  • Glass, especially mirrors
  • Metal
  • Large quantities of water, such as the water in a fish tank or water heater

Placement guidelines

Ensure that your camera isn’t looking through glass or other transparent objects. Your Arlo camera’s motion sensor decreases in performance when it is aimed to look through glass, plastic, or a mirror.

Keep active locations in the camera's field of view. Position your camera so that the space that you want to monitor is within the camera's field of view.

Aim with the cloud. Use your Arlo camera’s position mode to send video to the cloud as quickly as possible. This allows you to aim the camera while watching the video feed on your Arlo smartphone app to make near real-time adjustments to the camera's position. For more information about position mode, visit How do I use position mode to place and aim my Arlo wire-free camera?.

Elevate your camera. Mount your Arlo motion-detection camera at least 7 feet (2.1 meters) above the floor and aim it slightly downward for the best sensor performance.