What is the button on the bottom of my Arlo Essential wire-free camera?

The button on the bottom of your camera is the sync button. You can use the sync button for different purposes, depending on whether your Essential wire-free camera is shut down or in normal operating mode.

When you first unbox your Essential wire-free camera, the camera is shut down to reduce battery usage before installation. We recommend that you follow the instructions in the Arlo app immediately after you first unbox your camera. These instructions show you how to wake up and install the camera.

Note: If you connect the camera’s USB charging cable to a power source, the camera LED flashes blue and charging begins, but the camera remains shut down. The camera LED lights solid blue when the camera is finished charging.

When the camera is shut down, pressing the sync button does the following:

• Press and hold the sync button for 1-2 seconds. The camera wakes up and the LED flashes blue. Follow the instructions in the Arlo app to add your Essential wire-free camera to your account.
  Note: If you do not add your Arlo camera to the Arlo app within two minutes of pressing the sync button, the sync process times out, and the camera shuts down. You must press the sync button again to restart the syncing process.
• Quick press. No change. The camera remains shut down.

Note: If the camera LED does not flash, no matter how long you press the sync button, then the camera battery is likely at 0% charge. Recharge your camera and try pressing the sync button again.

When the camera is in normal operating mode, pressing the sync button does the following:

• Press and hold the sync button for 1-2 seconds. The camera LED blinks blue slowly, and the camera sync process (connecting to a WiFi network) starts. Follow the instructions in the Arlo app to add your Essential wire-free camera to your account.
• Press and hold the sync button for about 10-15 seconds. The camera LED flashes amber 3 times. Let go of the sync button after the 3 amber flashes, and the camera factory resets and shuts down. For detailed instructions about factory resetting your Essential wire-free camera, visit How do I factory reset my Arlo Essential wire-free camera?.
  Note: The camera’s USB charging cable must be disconnected for the camera to shut down.
• Press and hold the sync button for about 20-30 seconds. The camera LED lights solid blue for 2 seconds, then blinks amber 3 times. Continue holding the sync button through all the LED behaviors, until you have held it for 20-30 seconds. This factory resets, power cycles, and shuts down the camera. To continue using your camera, you must re-add it to your account.
  Note: The camera’s USB charging cable must be disconnected for this to work.

Note: If the camera LED does not flash, no matter how long you press the sync button, then the camera battery is likely at 0% charge. Recharge your camera and try pressing the sync button again.