We are big fans of the Arlo Pro HD Home Security System, It’s our favorite wireless home security camera. Like any wireless home security camera, you might be challenged by the distance of wireless connectivity. Today, we are discussing how to extend the range of an Arlo Pro.
Everything we discuss within this article applies equally to the Arlo Pro and Arlo Pro 2. So if you have the Arlo Pro 2, follow along because everything listed here applies to your camera as well.
For those unfamiliar with the Arlo Pro, there are two connectivity components. First is the wireless camera. The wireless camera doesn’t connect using traditional Wi-Fi to a home router. Instead it connects to a base. The base is what comes with an Arlo Pro HD Home Security System.
Some might be unaware that Arlo is made by Netgear. Turns out Netgear was a networking company long before they entered the security camera market. We’re going to recommend Netgear components since Arlo has stated they have tested their own products and vouch for their compatibility.
Range Extenders
So the bad news is that there is no way to extend the wireless signal from the Arlo Pro camera. The good news is that there is a way to extend the base station. Well, kind of.
Here’s the challenge. The Arlo Pro base station needs to connect via an Ethernet cable to something. Normally that something is one of the ports of a home router. Once connected to the home router, it’s connected to the internet. You then start connecting each Arlo Pro HD Camera to the Arlo base station.
Rather than extend the range of the cameras, we will extend the range of an Arlo Pro base. This is accomplished using a wireless extender. A wireless extender is like a bridge to your wireless router. Using a wireless extender allows the Arlo base to move closer to your Arlo Pro HD camera.
So what we’re doing is extending the Arlo network and this enables the cameras to get a better signal to the base station. Since the base is now closer to the camera, the connection will be stronger. These device connect to a wall outlet or sit on a table.
Not just any wireless extender is going to work. You need to ensure it’s one that has an actual Ethernet port. Some do not.
I used the Netgear N600 Wall Plug Version Wi-Fi Range Extender and it helps a lot. In fact, that’s my N600 in the photo that accompanies this article. This extender supports the 2.4 and 5 GHz network. For purposes of supporting the Arlo base station, I suggest using the 2.4 GHz network. Simply attach the base network cable to the wireless extender instead of the wireless router.
Powerline Adapters
A Powerline Adapter plugs into your home or office A/C outlet and uses the electrical cabling to extend the network. The Netgear Powerline Essentials Edition attaches to your home or office router and a second adapter plugs elsewhere into the same home or office. Extend the range of an Arlo Pro by connecting the base to the second adapter. You have extended your network.
This might sound easier than the wireless extender, and in some cases it might be. However, I have found that a Powerline adapter reliability can vary from home to home. I also have found that surge protectors will effect the reliability of a Powerline adapter.
Try to stick with a wireless extender instead, but if that’s impossible, this might be the best option.
Additional Base Station
Let’s say you have a really large amount of real estate to cover. No matter where you place the Arlo base, there are some cameras that connect fine and others that have problems. No matter where you place the base, all cameras aren’t happy at the same time.
Use a second base to extend the range of an Arlo Pro. You might be surprised to learn that multiple base stations can be attached to the same Arlo account. Adding a multiple base stations allows coverage of a lot more real estate. Naturally, some are going to need to be attached to a wireless extender since most have a single wireless router attached to their broadband.
Conclusion
While there isn’t a way to extend the Arlo Pro camera’s signal, it is possible to extend the base station. We presented three ways to do that. Hopefully one of these methods to extend the range of an Arlo Pro helps.