How does the motion detection feature work on my Arlo cameras?

All Arlo cameras can detect motion. However, the motion detection feature works differently, depending on which camera you have.

Arlo wire-free cameras and Video Doorbell

Arlo Ultra, Pro 3, Pro 3 Floodlight Camera, Essential wire-free, Video Doorbell, Pro 2, Pro, Go, and Wire-Free trigger when the infrared technology detects an object that is warmer than the surrounding environment. The motion sensor is more sensitive to side-to-side movement across its field of view than to movement directly toward or away from the camera. The motion sensitivity settings range from one (low sensitivity) to 100 (high sensitivity).

Arlo Q Plus, Q, and Baby

Arlo Q Plus, Q, and Baby analyze changes in video frames to trigger motion detection alerts and recordings. The motion sensitivity settings range from one (low sensitivity) to nine (high sensitivity). In addition, you can create up to three activity zones. Activity zones allow you to focus the camera's motion detection on a specific area to trigger snapshots or video recording. For more information about activity zones, visit What are activity zones and how do I create them?.

For more information about motion detection, watch the following YouTube videos:

• Arlo Wire-Free: Using Motion Detection
• Arlo Quick Tip: Turning Motion Detection On or Off
• Arlo Wire-Free: Troubleshooting Motion Detection

For more information about optimizing and troubleshooting motion detection, visit the following knowledge base articles:

• How do I optimize motion detection for my Arlo Wire-Free, Arlo Pro Wire-Free, Arlo Pro 2 Wire-Free, or Arlo Go camera?
• How do I change the motion sensitivity on my Arlo cameras?