Arlo
Arlo Essential Video Doorbell
- HACS component
- Cloud required
- Wi-Fi
Prices verified September 2026
See more video doorbells picks on our Amazon storefront →Our verdict
A capable doorbell let down by its HA story: there's no official Arlo integration in HA core any more, so you're relying on the community-maintained aarlo HACS integration — actively updated, but not what we'd stake a front-door feed on. Battery is rated around six months per charge, the 180-degree square lens gives a genuinely useful head-to-toe view, and night vision is sharp black-and-white infrared. It's cloud-only with no local streaming, and Arlo Secure is effectively mandatory for recorded video, so budget for the subscription too. Want local recording and an official Works with Home Assistant badge instead? Reolink's Video Doorbell WiFi is the safer HA pick.
What can Home Assistant control on the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell?
| Control | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Doorbell press | Binary sensor | Fires when the doorbell button is pressed; drives chime and notification automations. |
| Motion | Binary sensor | Motion detected in the camera's field of view, independent of the doorbell-press event. |
| Camera | Camera | Live view and snapshot capture, routed through Arlo's cloud relay — no local RTSP. |
| Siren | Switch | Trips the paired base station siren; volume and duration are set in the integration config, not exposed as HA attributes. |
| Battery | Sensor (%) | Refreshed on the integration's polling interval rather than pushed in real time. |
Setup requires a dedicated Arlo account and a separate mailbox, since the integration has no way to accept a 2FA code typed into HA — it polls an inbox over IMAP with an app-specific password to pull the verification code out of the login email automatically. Once connected it exposes proper binary sensor entities for motion and doorbell press plus battery and Wi-Fi-signal sensors, and — unlike most official cloud doorbell integrations — a switch entity that can trip the base station siren with configurable volume and duration. Event delivery runs over a backend Arlo assigns per account, and it can silently drop events during Arlo's periodic login challenges. Because there's no official API contract behind it, expect real breakage: recent reports show functionality failing after unannounced Arlo API changes and camera entities returning zero devices on startup after account-side changes.
Specs
| power | battery (rechargeable 6500mAh li-po pack, wireless WiFi-direct) or wired variant available |
|---|---|
| storage | cloud only, no SmartHub or local storage on this SKU |
| streaming | cloud-only, no local RTSP/ONVIF |
| resolution | 1080p HD with HDR |
| battery life | up to 6 months per charge on Arlo's own estimate (based on light use, ~5 min/day) — heavy motion traffic or frequent siren use will bring this down noticeably |
| night vision | infrared, black-and-white — Arlo doesn't publish an official range for this SKU; treat third-party distance claims (e.g. Amazon catalogue data) with caution |
| subscription | Arlo Secure required for recording/alerts, roughly £7.99/month single-camera tier |
| field of view | 180° diagonal on a square-format lens, built for a head-to-toe view rather than a wide landscape frame |
| weather rating | IP65 |
| dimensions weight | approx. 143 x 47 x 35mm, 350g (doorbell unit only, per the exact-SKU Amazon UK listing) |
How does the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell compare?
| Product | From | Protocol | Local control | Integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlo Essential Video Doorbell (this product) | £134.08 | Wi-Fi | Cloud | HACS |
| Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 | £109.99 | Wi-Fi, Thread, Matter | Yes | Native |
| Blink Video Doorbell | £23 | Wi-Fi | Cloud | Cloud |
| eufy Video Doorbell C30 | £69.99 | Wi-Fi | Cloud | HACS |
Frequently asked questions
- Does the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell work with Home Assistant locally?
- Partly. The Arlo Essential Video Doorbell connects to Home Assistant through a community integration installed through HACS (aarlo), which relies on the Arlo cloud. It works in Home Assistant, but commands go via the internet and stop working during an outage of your connection or the Arlo service.
- Which protocol does the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell use, and do I need a hub?
- The Arlo Essential Video Doorbell uses Wi-Fi. To pair it with Home Assistant you need no hub — it joins your Wi-Fi network directly. Arlo's own hub is not required when you integrate through a community integration installed through HACS (aarlo).
- How much does the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell cost in the UK?
- The lowest price we have listed for the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell is £134.08 at Amazon UK. Prices were last checked in September 2026 and change often, so confirm on the retailer's page before buying.