Arlo Camera Is Slow: Why and How to Fix It?

At times, your Arlo camera may feel slow. But what do we mean by slow? Well, the slowness or sluggishness may occur during recording or live streaming, or both.

So, if you were wondering why is Arlo camera so slow, well, it’s not the camera is inherently slow. It’s just that the Wi-Fi it’s being operated on is slow. Another reason for this is the low level of the battery in the camera.

In this article, we’ll explain when and why Arlo cameras act slower than usual and how to fix the issue.

What Makes Arlo Cameras slow At Times

To understand why Arlo cameras are slow, to begin with, you first need to understand how they work. Arlo cameras don’t communicate with you directly. Instead, they send the camera feed to the base station or the smart hub, which then sends it to the Arlo server and then the server relays it to your smartphone.

So, the live view can take about 5 seconds to start. Add another 5 seconds of time lag for the camera, and you get a solid 10 seconds lag in your live feed. That is true even with the fastest internet connection.

How to Fix Slow Live View on Arlo Cameras

For the first fix, we are going to assume everything, including your camera, base station, home Wi-Fi, etc. is working as intended and you are still noticing a slowdown. In that case, enabling a few useful features can do the trick for you.

Fix 1: Enable Push Notification

Push notifications work instantly when the camera detects motion. So, you can use the push notification feature as an alternative to loading up your camera’s live feed manually all the time. This will reduce the 10-second time lag to near zero.

Another option is to enable email notifications. This will send short videos when the camera detects any motion, to your email with a link to view the video instantly. So, you don’t have to go through the hassle of opening the app or loading up live view in a web browser.

Fix 2: Adjust the Sensitivity of Your Arlo Camera

If you are noticing a time lag between when a motion is detected and the recording starts, the reason may be the low sensitivity of your Arlo camera. This can render your whole recording useless. Because if the criminal is not taking his sweet time in front of your camera, you will miss the whole event.

Setting your Arlo camera sensitivity to a higher level will solve the issue. a higher level of sensitivity will allow it to respond more effectively to motions.

Fix 3: Use a USB Drive with the Base Station

If you don’t need the live notification all the time but the slow loading time of the live feed annoys you, you should consider using a USB drive with the base station. The USB drive will keep recording the camera feed until the storage is full.

When the storage gets filled up, the video will get uploaded to the cloud. This cloud footage is accessible way faster than the live feed. 

Fix 4: Proper Maintenance

For getting the bests results from your Arlo Cameras, it is always recommended to keep the firmware up to date, at all times. Upgrade the camera and the smart hub or the base station firmware. Also, keep your Arlo Smart app updated always.

Make sure your Arlo smart hub gets an unhindered Wi-Fi signal all the time. Avoid having too many electronics around the camera and the base station, as this may lead to a weakened signal received by the base station.

Reboot your Wi-Fi router every once in a while, to keep the internet connection always fast.

Fix 5: iOS Optimization for the Arlo App

If you are using the Arlo app on your iPhone, the slow loading time can be attributed to the slow loading time of the app mostly. Add to that the additional time to load the live view and you get the reason why it seems very slow for most of us.

There’s a workaround to it. it’s the badge icon settings in iOS. Navigate through notification settings in your iPhone and enable the badge icon for the Arlo app. This should dramatically cut down on the app loading time.

For most users, this trick reduces to almost 4 seconds from over 20 seconds.

Fix 6: Battery Management

You should know that when the battery on your Arlo camera is low, it’s designed to act slower with low sensitivity to cut down on battery usage. This gives it a few additional hours to stay online.

So, check if the battery is low all the time, which can happen due to a faulty charger or extremely cold weather, especially if you have set your Arlo camera outdoors.

For Arlo security cameras with removable batteries, remove the battery and use an external charger to charge it up. Also, removing the battery and reinstalling it back after a few seconds fixes the slow issue for some users.

Fix 7: Arlo App for Android Maintenance

If the Arlo app on your android smartphone is lagging, try clearing the cache of the app. 

Go to Settings then select Storage. Select Apps and scroll down until you find the Arlo Secure App. Tap on it and select Clear Cache.

If this doesn’t solve it, log out from the app and log in again.

Use a different device to use the Arlo Secure app to see if your device is the reason for the slowness.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

How long is Arlo’s delay?

The official claim is three to five seconds of delay on Arlo’s live view. If it takes longer than 10 to 20 seconds, you should consider trying the fixes we have mentioned above.

How many Mbps do I need for Arlo cameras?

For the Ultra Series, the recommended upload speed is 3 Mbps minimum. However, that’s for only one camera. If you use more than one Arlo camera, you’ll need more. For the Arlo Pro Series, it’s 2 Mbps of upload speed per camera. Other lower-end Arlo cameras require 1 Mbps minimum, to work properly.

How can I improve my Arlo motion?

You can improve your Arlo motion through the Arlo Secure app. Open it, tap on My Devices, and select Device Utilities. There you’ll find Motion Detection Test, tap on it. Now adjust the slider to adjust motion sensitivity according to your need.

Does Arlo slow down Wi-Fi?

Arlo or any other wireless security system won’t ever slow down your Wi-Fi. In fact, they barely use any data unless a motion is detected or you are accessing the live feed. So, their impact on your home Wi-Fi is so minor that it’s negligible.

Final Thoughts

With wireless security cameras, like the Arlo here, a few seconds of delay or lag is expected, which is why they may seem slow at times. However, with longer delays, which is more than normal, you should look into it. We hope the fixes we’ve mentioned here will be of use to you. Good luck and thanks for reading.