If an Arlo camera is flashing a color you do not recognize, this guide covers every LED pattern Arlo uses across its current lineup, including the Essential series, Pro series, Wired Floodlight, and Go 2. Unlike Ring, which relies almost entirely on blue for normal operation, Arlo uses both blue and amber throughout the device lifecycle, and a handful of models add purple or red for specific situations. That two-color system makes Arlo camera light colors and patterns slightly more nuanced to decode, but once you understand the logic behind each color, most patterns point to exactly one thing. The breakdown below is drawn from Arlo’s own support documentation and covers all current models as of 2025.
The quick answer: what the most common Arlo camera light colors and patterns mean
Across almost every current Arlo camera, a solid blue light means the camera is powered on and connected. A slowly blinking blue light means the camera is in setup mode and actively trying to pair with a SmartHub, Base Station, or Wi-Fi network. A fast blinking blue light means pairing succeeded. In contrast, amber is Arlo’s error and warning color: slow blinking amber usually points to a battery or connection problem, while fast blinking amber means the pairing attempt failed entirely. Alternating blue and amber, regardless of model, always means a firmware update is in progress, and turning the camera off during this pattern risks corrupting the firmware.
Most Arlo cameras are also completely dark during normal idle operation, with no LED active between events. This is intentional behavior and not a sign the camera has lost power or gone offline. Additionally, the LED can be turned off entirely in Device Settings within the Arlo Secure app for cameras that show a solid blue when charged or powered on, which is useful for installations where a visible status light would give away the camera’s position. For model-specific differences, including the red light that appears across all 3rd Gen Essential models during Apple HomeKit streaming, see the sections below.
Arlo Essential (3rd Gen), Pro 4, Pro 3, Ultra series, and wire-free Essential cameras
The Arlo Essential Security Camera (3rd Gen) and the broader group of wire-free Arlo cameras, including the Pro 3, Pro 4, Ultra series, and earlier Essential wire-free models, all share the same core LED behavior. A solid blue light means the camera is fully charged and connected to power. A slowly blinking blue light means the camera is attempting to pair with an Arlo SmartHub, Base Station, or Wi-Fi network, while a fast blinking blue light means that pairing completed successfully.
When something goes wrong during setup, Arlo switches to amber. A slowly blinking amber light on any of these cameras means the camera could not be found during pairing, is out of range, or the battery is running low. As a result, slow amber can indicate either a distance or signal issue during setup, or a charge level warning during normal use, so the context matters when interpreting it. Fast blinking amber, in contrast, only appears when the camera failed to sync with the SmartHub, Base Station, or Wi-Fi network entirely. Finally, alternating blue and amber means a firmware update is running, and the camera should be left alone until it finishes.
Arlo Pro 5 and Pro Security Camera (6th Gen)
The Arlo Pro Security Camera (6th Gen) and the Pro 5 follow the same general blue and amber pattern as the Essential group, with two meaningful differences.
First, the fast blinking blue light on these models carries slightly different meaning depending on how the camera is connected: for cameras paired to an Arlo SmartHub or Base Station, fast blinking blue means the camera is connected to that hub; for cameras paired directly via Wi-Fi, fast blinking blue means the camera is connected to the Wi-Fi network. The distinction matters if you are troubleshooting a connection that shows fast blinking blue but the camera still appears offline in the app, since the light only confirms the camera reached the network, not that it reached Arlo’s servers.
Second, the Pro 5 and 6th Gen add a specific amber pattern for factory resets that does not appear on older models: four amber blinks followed by a full stop confirms a factory reset was triggered. This pattern is easy to mistake for a pairing error if you are not expecting it, so it is worth knowing about before attempting a reset.
Additionally, if a Pro 5 or 6th Gen camera has been removed from the Arlo Secure app but continues to flash fast blinking blue when powered on, the camera needs a factory reset before it can be added to a new account. Furthermore, alternating blue and amber continues to indicate a firmware update in progress, same as every other model in the lineup.
Arlo Wired Floodlight Camera
The Arlo Wired Floodlight Camera shares the blue setup sequence used across the rest of the lineup, but it handles error states differently. A solid blue light means the camera is powered on, and the LED can be disabled in Device Settings if preferred. Slow blinking blue means the camera is pairing with Wi-Fi, and fast blinking blue means pairing succeeded. In contrast to the battery-powered models, the Wired Floodlight uses solid amber to signal an internet connectivity error, meaning the camera reached the Wi-Fi network but could not connect to the internet or Arlo’s servers.
Slow blinking amber, in addition, indicates either a general setup error or a failure to connect to the Wi-Fi network at all. A camera showing no light at all means it is not receiving power, which for a hardwired device usually points to a tripped breaker or loose wiring rather than a camera fault. Alternating blue and amber, as with all other Arlo models, means a firmware update is running.
Arlo Essential Indoor Camera (2nd Gen and 3rd Gen)
The Essential Indoor Camera (2nd Gen) and the current Essential Indoor Camera (3rd Gen) are plug-in cameras that connect directly to Wi-Fi without requiring a SmartHub or Base Station. Both generations use the same blue pairing sequence: the LED lights blue briefly on power-on, slow blinking blue means the camera is pairing to Wi-Fi, and fast blinking blue means pairing succeeded. Blinking amber on either generation means the camera is out of range or a connection error occurred during pairing.
Because the Essential Indoor is a plug-in camera with no battery, amber never signals a low charge warning on this model. A factory reset shows as a distinct amber flash pattern before the camera reboots. For the 3rd Gen specifically, the automated Privacy Shield, which physically covers the lens when the camera is disarmed, closes independently of the LED and is not reflected in any light pattern.
Solid red is documented across all 3rd Gen Essential models, including the Essential Indoor (3rd Gen), Essential Security Camera (3rd Gen), Essential Pan Tilt Indoor, and Essential Pan Tilt Security Camera. It appears when the camera is paired with Apple HomeKit and actively streaming. This is normal behavior and not an error state, but it stands out because no earlier Arlo model uses red under any circumstances. If any of these cameras shows a solid red light, it is live-streaming through HomeKit rather than the Arlo Secure app. Furthermore, as with all other Arlo cameras, alternating blue and amber indicates a firmware update in progress and the camera should not be turned off.
Arlo Go 2 (LTE)
The Arlo Go 2 is Arlo’s LTE camera, designed for locations without Wi-Fi, and its light patterns reflect the additional complexity of managing both cellular and Wi-Fi connections. A solid blue light means the camera is charged and connected to power. Slow blinking blue means the camera is attempting to connect to a Wi-Fi network or is ready to scan the QR code during setup. Fast blinking blue has two distinct triggers on this model: it appears when the camera is establishing a Wi-Fi or LTE network connection, and also when the charging cable is plugged in.
The Go 2 also introduces amber patterns not found on the rest of the Arlo lineup. A solid amber light means the camera does not detect an activated SIM card in its slot when LTE is set as the default connection, which is the first thing to check if the camera was previously working on cellular and suddenly shows solid amber.
Battery warnings on the Go 2 use a timed blink pattern: a single amber blink every 60 seconds means the battery is low, while a double amber blink every 60 seconds means the battery has reached a critical level and needs charging soon. Fast blinking amber, in addition, means the camera failed to connect to either a Wi-Fi network or the LTE network. Finally, alternating blue and amber continues to indicate a firmware update in progress, consistent with every other Arlo model.
One thing no Arlo light color tells you
None of Arlo’s LED patterns indicate whether video is actually being recorded or saved to the cloud. A camera that is online and idle shows no light at all, and a camera that is actively recording a motion event also shows no light, since Arlo intentionally keeps the LED dark during recording to avoid alerting anyone in frame. Whether recordings are saved at all depends on having an active Arlo Secure plan, since without a subscription, live view and basic motion alerts are still available but no video is stored after the event ends. For a full breakdown of what Arlo Secure covers at each tier, see our Arlo Secure plan guide.
The bottom line: Arlo’s LED system uses blue for normal operation and amber for errors across every current model, with alternating blue and amber reserved exclusively for firmware updates. The main exceptions are the Wired Floodlight, which uses solid amber for internet errors rather than connection failure, the Go 2, which adds timed amber blink patterns for battery warnings and SIM issues, and all 3rd Gen Essential models, which show solid red during Apple HomeKit streaming. In most cases, if an Arlo camera is showing a light at all, it is either in setup mode, updating firmware, or signaling a problem that the LED pattern will point you directly toward.
For placement and concealment tips see our Arlo camera hiding guide and the driveway placement guide. For brand-specific guides see the Arlo camera reviews hub.
