Does Arlo Work With HomeKit?

Yes, partly. Arlo HomeKit support covers most of Arlo’s current cameras and its Video Doorbell 2K, but only when they’re connected to an Arlo SmartHub. A camera that connects straight to your Wi-Fi router can’t join Apple Home, and Arlo doesn’t support HomeKit Secure Video, so your recordings stay in the Arlo app.

That’s a workable setup if you mainly want live view, motion alerts and Siri in the Home app. This guide explains how Arlo connects to Apple Home, which models work, what you get, and the four Arlo products that make a complete Apple Home setup.

Quick answer: Yes, through an Arlo SmartHub. Arlo lists the Pro 6, Ultra 3, Essential (3rd Gen) and Video Doorbell 2K among its Apple Home models, and older Pro, Ultra and Essential models are supported too. The SmartHub acts as the bridge: you add it to the Home app and its cameras appear as accessories. Arlo doesn’t support HomeKit Secure Video, so saving clips still needs an Arlo plan or the SmartHub’s local storage.

How Arlo Connects to Apple Home

Arlo cameras don’t pair with Apple Home on their own. The connection runs through an Arlo SmartHub, a small box that plugs into your router with an Ethernet cable and gives the cameras their own wireless network. Apple Home treats the SmartHub as a bridge: you add the hub once, and every compatible camera paired with it shows up in the Home app.

Arlo is clear about the other case. Its support page says you can’t use Apple Home with an Arlo device that’s connected directly to a Wi-Fi router. Most Arlo cameras can be set up that way (it’s the default when you don’t own a hub), so a lot of people who search “does Arlo work with HomeKit” have cameras that work fine in the Arlo app and never appear in Apple Home.

Arlo sells two SmartHubs, and both work with Apple Home:

• Arlo Pro SmartHub (VMB4540), which also records to a USB drive
• Arlo Ultra SmartHub (VMB5000), which also records to a microSD card

Arlo’s older base stations (VMB4500 and VMB4000) also act as a HomeKit bridge, but Arlo’s compatibility list stops at the Pro 5S for them. A Pro 6, Ultra 3 or Essential (3rd Gen) needs one of the two SmartHubs.

At home, your iPhone talks to the SmartHub directly. To open the Arlo feeds in the Home app when you’re away, Apple Home also needs a home hub (a HomePod or Apple TV). Our guide on whether HomeKit needs a hub covers the options.

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Which Arlo Cameras Work With HomeKit

Arlo HomeKit support depends on the model. Arlo’s current Apple Home list, from its support pages and Arlo’s own Apple Home guide, looks like this:

Arlo model	Apple Home	How it connects
Pro 6 (2K)	Yes	SmartHub (VMB5000 or VMB4540)
Ultra 3 (4K)	Yes	SmartHub, included in Ultra 3 kits
Essential (3rd Gen)	Yes	SmartHub
Video Doorbell 2K (2nd Gen)	Yes	SmartHub, after a firmware update
Essential 2K and Essential XL (2nd Gen)	Yes	SmartHub, after a firmware update
Pro 3 Floodlight	Yes	SmartHub
Pro 3, Pro 4, Pro 5S, Ultra, Ultra 2	Yes	SmartHub (older models also on a base station)
Essential Pan Tilt, Essential Plug-In, Go 2	No	Can’t pair with a SmartHub
Essential Indoor (3rd Gen)	Unclear	Arlo’s pages disagree

The 2nd Gen Essential cameras and the Video Doorbell 2K got Apple Home in a firmware update in April 2025. If you already own one, update the camera and the SmartHub, then remove the camera from your Arlo account and add it again through the SmartHub. It won’t move to the SmartHub (or show up in Apple Home) until you do.

The Essential Indoor (3rd Gen) is the confusing one. Arlo’s Apple Home guide lists it, but Arlo’s SmartHub compatibility page says it can’t pair with a SmartHub, and the camera connects to your Wi-Fi directly. Until Arlo’s SmartHub list includes it, don’t buy it for Apple Home. Our guide to the best Arlo cameras compares the whole lineup, including the models without Apple Home.

If you haven’t bought cameras yet and Apple Home matters most to you, compare Arlo with the brands in our guide to the best HomeKit security cameras, several of which support HomeKit Secure Video.

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What You Get in Apple Home

Once the SmartHub is in the Home app, each Arlo camera gets its own tile. Here’s what works there:

• Live view on your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV
• Two-way audio from the camera tile
• Motion notifications in the Home app
• Siri, for example “Show me the backyard camera”
• Automations, such as turning on a HomeKit light when an Arlo camera sees motion

What you don’t get is HomeKit Secure Video. With HKSV, Apple records and analyzes clips and keeps them in iCloud, end-to-end encrypted. Arlo has never added it, so the Home app has no video history for Arlo cameras. Recordings, person, vehicle and package detection, activity zones and the camera settings all stay in the Arlo app. Our explainer on what HomeKit Secure Video is covers what you’d be missing.

That makes the Arlo plan the other half of the decision. Without one, the Arlo app still gives you live view, notifications and two-way audio, and a SmartHub can record clips locally for compatible cameras. Cloud recordings and the AI detections need a plan, which starts at $9.99 a month for one camera. Our guide to whether Arlo requires a subscription has the full breakdown.

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Arlo Cameras That Work With Apple Home

If you’re buying Arlo for an Apple home, these are the four products that matter: three cameras from Arlo’s Apple Home list and the SmartHub that connects them.

Arlo Pro 6 — Best Arlo Camera for Apple Home

The Pro 6 is Arlo’s current flagship battery camera and is on Arlo’s Apple Home list. It’s the best all-round choice for an Apple home that wants Arlo.

Best for: Outdoor coverage where you want sharp 2K video, a removable battery and a wide view.

What stands out in real use

The Pro 6 records 2K HDR video with a 160-degree view, color night vision and a built-in spotlight, so one camera can cover a whole backyard or driveway. The battery comes out of the camera, so you can charge a spare indoors and swap it in instead of taking the camera down. Arlo’s spec sheet lists Apple Home with the Pro SmartHub or Ultra SmartHub, along with Alexa, Google Home and SmartThings.

Key specs

• 2K HDR (2560 x 1440), 160-degree diagonal view
• Color night vision, spotlight and siren
• Removable rechargeable battery, up to 8 months per charge, USB-C
• Dual-band Wi-Fi
• Apple Home through SmartHub VMB5000 or VMB4540

Pros

• Arlo’s most current camera on the Apple Home list
• Swappable battery means less downtime
• Wide view with a built-in spotlight
• Also works with Alexa, Google Home and SmartThings

Cons

• Needs a SmartHub for Apple Home
• Recordings need an Arlo plan or the SmartHub’s local storage
• Doesn’t support HomeKit Secure Video

Installation and compatibility notes

Pair the Pro 6 with your SmartHub in the Arlo app first, then add the SmartHub to Apple Home. The single-camera box doesn’t include a hub, and it comes with a one-month Arlo plan trial.

Price: ~$124

Arlo Essential (3rd Gen) — Best Budget Option

The Essential (3rd Gen) is Arlo’s lower-cost battery camera, and it works with Apple Home through a SmartHub like the Pro 6.

Best for: Adding more outdoor cameras to an Apple Home setup without paying Pro prices.

What stands out in real use

You get the same 2K resolution as the Pro 6 with a narrower 130-degree view, plus color night vision, a spotlight and a siren. The battery is built in, so you charge the whole camera instead of swapping a pack. For side yards, a porch or a garage door, it covers the same ground as the Pro 6 for a lot less.

Key specs

• 2K (2560 x 1440), 130-degree diagonal view
• Color night vision, spotlight and siren
• Built-in rechargeable battery
• Dual-band Wi-Fi
• Works from -4°F to 113°F

Pros

• About $55 less than the Pro 6
• Same 2K resolution
• On Arlo’s Apple Home list
• Works with the Pro SmartHub and the Ultra SmartHub

Cons

• The battery isn’t removable
• Narrower view than the Pro 6
• Needs a SmartHub for Apple Home

Installation and compatibility notes

Arlo’s SmartHub list confirms the Essential (3rd Gen) works with both SmartHubs. Set it up through the SmartHub from the start, not on your Wi-Fi, or it won’t appear in Apple Home.

Price: ~$70

Arlo Video Doorbell 2K — Best Arlo Doorbell for Apple Home

The Video Doorbell 2K (2nd Gen) is Arlo’s current doorbell and one of the models that got Apple Home in the 2025 update.

Best for: A front door where you want to see visitors and packages in the Home app.

What stands out in real use

The doorbell records in a square 1:1 format with a 180-degree view, so you can see a visitor from head to toe and a package on the doormat in the same frame. It runs on its battery, and if you connect it to existing doorbell wires (8 to 24 V AC), the wiring keeps the battery charged. In Apple Home you get the live view and two-way audio from the doorbell tile.

Key specs

• 2K HDR, 1:1 head-to-toe view, 180-degree diagonal
• Battery, up to 4 months per charge, with optional trickle charging from doorbell wires
• Two-way audio, siren, 12x digital zoom
• Works from -4°F to 113°F
• Apple Home through a SmartHub, after a firmware update

Pros

• Head-to-toe view shows packages on the ground
• Wire-free or wired installation
• On Arlo’s Apple Home list since 2025

Cons

• Needs a SmartHub for Apple Home
• Night vision is black and white
• No HomeKit Secure Video

Installation and compatibility notes

If the doorbell is already set up on your Wi-Fi, update its firmware, remove it from the Arlo app and add it again through the SmartHub. For the mounting itself, our video doorbell installation guide walks through both wired and battery setups.

Price: ~$80

Arlo Ultra SmartHub — The Hub You Need for Apple Home

The Ultra SmartHub (VMB5000) is the piece that puts Arlo into Apple Home. Without a SmartHub, none of the cameras above can join the Home app.

Best for: Anyone adding Arlo cameras to Apple Home who doesn’t own a SmartHub yet.

What stands out in real use

The SmartHub connects to your router with an Ethernet cable and runs its own network for your Arlo cameras. Apple Home sees it as a bridge, so you scan one setup code and every compatible camera on the hub appears. It also records to a microSD card, so compatible cameras can save clips locally without an Arlo plan, and Arlo’s app shows the last 30 days of those clips while you’re on your home network.

Key specs

• Arlo SmartHub VMB5000
• Connects to your router by Ethernet
• microSD slot for local recording
• Works with the Pro 6, Essential (3rd Gen), Video Doorbell 2K and Ultra cameras
• HomeKit setup code on the hub

Pros

• The only way to get current Arlo cameras into Apple Home
• One setup code adds every compatible camera
• Local recording without a plan
• Sold and shipped by Amazon

Cons

• Adds about $150 to the cost of an Arlo setup
• Needs a free Ethernet port on your router
• Local clips can only be viewed on your home network

Installation and compatibility notes

Arlo also makes the Pro SmartHub (VMB4540), which does the same job with a USB drive instead of a microSD card. Either one works with Apple Home. If you’re buying Ultra 3 cameras, the kits already include a SmartHub.

Price: ~$150

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How to Set It Up

An Arlo Apple Home setup takes about as long as adding the cameras themselves:

1. Connect the SmartHub. Plug it into your router with the Ethernet cable and add it in the Arlo Secure app.
2. Pair your cameras with the SmartHub. Add each camera through the hub in the Arlo app, not directly on your Wi-Fi. Update the firmware on both.
3. Stay on the same Wi-Fi. Arlo says your iPhone must be on the same network as the SmartHub the first time you connect it to Apple Home.
4. Add the SmartHub to the Home app. Tap +, then Add Accessory, and scan the HomeKit code on the sticker on the back or bottom of the SmartHub.
5. No code? In the Arlo app, go to Settings, My Devices, select the SmartHub and tap HomeKit to link it from there.
6. Name the cameras and choose rooms. Then set up notifications and automations in the Home app.

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Limitations and What to Watch For

• No HomeKit Secure Video. Apple Home won’t record Arlo cameras, even with an iCloud+ plan. Video history stays in the Arlo app.
• The hub is part of the price. Plan on a SmartHub (about $150 on Amazon) on top of the cameras, unless you buy an Ultra 3 kit that includes one.
• Pairing can stall. Some people see the Home app stop at “Connecting to Bridge” or “Accessory Not Found”. Arlo support has fixed this by resetting the SmartHub’s HomeKit token, so contact them if a reboot and a second try don’t help.
• Unofficial routes are limited. Scrypted, a home video server, has an Arlo plugin that can add HomeKit Secure Video, but Scrypted’s own documentation calls Arlo a cloud camera with slow motion alerts and no two-way audio. The Homebridge plugins for Arlo haven’t had a release since 2023. Our guide to what Homebridge is explains how these bridges work.
• Matter doesn’t help yet. Arlo hasn’t released a Matter camera, and Apple Home doesn’t support Matter cameras even in iOS 27. Our explainer on whether security cameras work with Matter has the details.

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The Bottom Line

Arlo HomeKit support is real, but it only works through a SmartHub, and it covers the live view, alerts and Siri, not recordings. If that’s what you want in the Home app and you’re fine keeping recordings in the Arlo app, the Pro 6 or Essential (3rd Gen) with an Ultra SmartHub is a solid Apple Home setup. If you want your recordings in iCloud through HomeKit Secure Video, Arlo isn’t the right brand. And if you’re still deciding between the big camera brands, our Arlo vs Ring comparison covers the rest of the trade-offs.