About Arlo Routines, Modes, Rules, and Automations

This article applies to:

This article is for the Arlo Secure App experience with Arm Away, Arm Home, and Standby. If you have the Arlo Secure App experience with Arm or Disarm, please visit: About Arlo Modes and Rules

Modes and Rules let you tell your Arlo system what to do in different situations. Each Mode uses one or more Rules to control your Arlo system.

For example, you can set your Arlo system to record a 30-second video when the motion sensor is activated on a specific camera and alert you with push notifications.

Arlo Modes

Arlo Modes give you control over how your cameras respond to motion or sound. Modes tell your Arlo cameras to respond differently at various times. For example, you probably don’t want to receive an alert about motion when you are at home trying to relax. You might also want to turn on a different Mode when you are away on vacation to better protect your home. 

Arlo has three Modes:

Arm Away

  • Detection that is on when you are not at home.
  • This represents the highest level of security.
  • You will want to have all cameras and devices active with most motion triggers, as this Mode is for when you are not at home.
  • When a camera is added to your Arlo account, a Rule will be added to the Arm Away Mode.

Arm Home

  • Detection is on when you are at home and has reduced monitoring.
  • This represents an intermediate level of security.
  • Your devices will be active depending on the triggers set when you are at home.

Standby

  • Lowest level of detection.
  • At any time, you can adjust the triggers based detection level of your choice.

Each Mode is fully customizable based on the level of detection you want. You might want to set one Mode in which some motion sensors and cameras are active, but others are not. For example, when you are sleeping, your exterior cameras can be activated based on the selected Mode, but your interior cameras will be inactive.

Arlo Rules

For each Mode, you can set the Rules for your devices. First, select an available device for the Rule. You can also use devices to trigger other devices; for example, you can set motion on a Video Doorbell, to trigger a different camera to record an alternate view.

When

  • The trigger can be Motion Detection, Audio Detection, or both depending on the device.
  • Other devices such as Arlo All-in-One Sensors have different options.
  • If you subscribe to Arlo Secure you can also select Person, Package, Animal, Vehicle, or Other Motion for Advanced Motion Detection. For more information, visit: What are Arlo's advanced motion alerts, and how do I set them up?

Then

  • Under Then, select Record Video, Take Snapshot, Activate Siren, or Send Notification. Options vary by device.
  • You can also Add an Action to further customize your Rule or cross-trigger other Arlo devices to perform actions.
  • Each device that responds to motion or sound can record video, take a snapshot, or do nothing.
  • You can set the video to record until the activity stops, or you can set a manual length of the video recording from a minimum of ten seconds to a maximum of 120 seconds.
  • If your camera includes an integrated siren or if you use an Arlo SmartHub or Base Station, you can turn on a siren in response to a trigger.

Notifications

To edit Rules:

  1. Launch the Arlo Secure App.
  2. Tap Routines.
  3. TapEdit icon
  4. Tap Arm Away, Arm Home, or Standby.
  5. Tap the Arlo device you want to edit.
  6. Edit the Rules and tap Save.
  7. Tap Finish.

Note: Changes to settings on the Arlo All-in-One Sensor can take up to five minutes to take effect. To force immediate changes, press the button on the bottom of the All-in-One Sensor.

Arlo Automations

Automate your devices to do what you want when you want. For example, when you leave in the morning, set your Arlo system to automatically change from Arm Home or Standby to Arm Away Mode for device activation and increased security.

In Arlo Automations, you can:

Add Schedule

Add Arrive/Leave