What Arlo devices are supported by this API?

The Arlo Smart API supports all Arlo devices including: Arlo Basestations (VMB4500, VMB5000), Arlo Cameras (Pro, Ultra, Essential, Go), Video Doorbells, Floodlight Cameras, and Arlo Lights. Use `list_arlo_devices` to see all devices in your account with their types and connection status.

How do I get an Arlo authentication token?

Authenticate with the Arlo API by sending your email and password to the Arlo auth endpoint (ocapi-app.arlo.com/api/auth). The API returns an authentication token that you can use for all subsequent requests. The token should be refreshed periodically as it expires after a set duration.

What's the difference between arming and disarming an Arlo device?

**Arming** (mode1) enables motion detection and automatic recording on the device. When armed, the camera will detect motion, record video clips, and send alerts to your phone. **Disarming** (mode0) disables motion detection and recording. The camera remains powered on but won't trigger recordings. Use arming when you're away and want security monitoring, and disarming when you're home to avoid false alerts.

How do I download recordings from Arlo?

Use `get_arlo_recordings` with a date range to retrieve recordings. The response includes `presignedContentUrl` for each recording — these are temporary download links that expire after a set time. You can directly download the MP4 video files using these URLs. For thumbnail images, use `presignedThumbnailUrl`. Use `get_recent_arlo_recordings` for a quick way to get today's recordings.

Arlo Smart MCP Server for LlamaIndex 11 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: Arlo Smart
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

docs.llamaindex.ai/en/stable/module_guides/tools/mcp

Built by Vinkius GDPR 11 Tools Framework

LlamaIndex specializes in data-aware AI agents that connect LLMs to structured and unstructured sources. Add Arlo Smart as an MCP tool provider through Vinkius and your agents can query, analyze, and act on live data alongside your existing indexes.

Get MCP Server for AI Agents

ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER

Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude Open in Perplexity

Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

python

import asyncio
from llama_index.tools.mcp import BasicMCPClient, McpToolSpec
from llama_index.core.agent.workflow import FunctionAgent
from llama_index.llms.openai import OpenAI

async def main():
    # Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
    mcp_client = BasicMCPClient("https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp")
    mcp_tool_spec = McpToolSpec(client=mcp_client)
    tools = await mcp_tool_spec.to_tool_list_async()

    agent = FunctionAgent(
        tools=tools,
        llm=OpenAI(model="gpt-4o"),
        system_prompt=(
            "You are an assistant with access to Arlo Smart. "
            "You have 11 tools available."
        ),
    )

    response = await agent.run(
        "What tools are available in Arlo Smart?"
    )
    print(response)

asyncio.run(main())

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* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About Arlo Smart MCP Server

Connect to Arlo Smart API and control your Arlo security cameras, review recordings, and manage security modes from any AI agent. Arm and disarm cameras, browse recorded videos, and monitor your home security through natural language commands.

LlamaIndex agents combine Arlo Smart tool responses with indexed documents for comprehensive, grounded answers. Connect 11 tools through Vinkius and query live data alongside vector stores and SQL databases in a single turn. ideal for hybrid search, data enrichment, and analytical workflows.

What you can do

Device Discovery — List all Arlo devices including basestations, cameras, doorbells, and floodlights
Recording Access — Browse and download recorded videos from any camera with presigned URLs
Recent Activity — Quickly check today's recordings across all cameras
Security Modes — View and change automation modes (armed, disarmed, custom modes)
Arm/Disarm — Enable or disable security monitoring on individual devices or basestations
Recording Management — Delete old recordings to free up cloud storage space
Metadata Access — Get detailed recording metadata including duration, timestamps, and download links

The Arlo Smart MCP Server exposes 11 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to LlamaIndex in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect Arlo Smart to LlamaIndex via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the Arlo Smart MCP Server with LlamaIndex.

Install dependencies

Run pip install llama-index-tools-mcp llama-index-llms-openai

Replace the token

Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token

Run the agent

Save to agent.py and run: python agent.py

Explore tools

The agent discovers 11 tools from Arlo Smart

Why Use LlamaIndex with the Arlo Smart MCP Server

LlamaIndex provides unique advantages when paired with Arlo Smart through the Model Context Protocol.

Data-first architecture: LlamaIndex agents combine Arlo Smart tool responses with indexed documents for comprehensive, grounded answers

Query pipeline framework lets you chain Arlo Smart tool calls with transformations, filters, and re-rankers in a typed pipeline

Multi-source reasoning: agents can query Arlo Smart, a vector store, and a SQL database in a single turn and synthesize results

Observability integrations show exactly what Arlo Smart tools were called, what data was returned, and how it influenced the final answer

Arlo Smart + LlamaIndex Use Cases

Practical scenarios where LlamaIndex combined with the Arlo Smart MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Hybrid search: combine Arlo Smart real-time data with embedded document indexes for answers that are both current and comprehensive

Data enrichment: query Arlo Smart to augment indexed data with live information before generating user-facing responses

Knowledge base agents: build agents that maintain and update knowledge bases by periodically querying Arlo Smart for fresh data

Analytical workflows: chain Arlo Smart queries with LlamaIndex's data connectors to build multi-source analytical reports

Arlo Smart MCP Tools for LlamaIndex (11)

These 11 tools become available when you connect Arlo Smart to LlamaIndex via MCP:

arm_arlo_device

This enables motion detection and recording for the device. USE WHEN: - User wants to enable security monitoring - User asks to "arm the cameras" or "turn on security" - User wants to enable motion detection and recording - User is leaving home and wants security enabled PARAMETERS: - deviceId (REQUIRED): Arlo device ID to arm EXAMPLES: - "Arm the front door camera" → call with deviceId="FRONT_DOOR_ID" - "Enable security on the backyard camera" → call with deviceId="BACKYARD_ID" - "Arm the basestation" → call with deviceId="BASESTATION_ID" Arm an Arlo device (enable security monitoring)

delete_arlo_recordings

This action is permanent and cannot be undone. USE WHEN: - User wants to free up cloud storage space - User wants to remove old or unwanted recordings - User asks to "delete recordings from [date]" - User is managing their Arlo cloud storage PARAMETERS: - recordings (REQUIRED): JSON array of recording objects to delete (from get_arlo_recordings response) EXAMPLES: - "Delete these recordings" → call with recordings=[{...}] Delete Arlo recordings from the library

disarm_arlo_device

This disables motion detection and recording for the device. USE WHEN: - User wants to disable security monitoring - User asks to "disarm the cameras" or "turn off security" - User wants to disable motion detection temporarily - User is home and wants to disable security PARAMETERS: - deviceId (REQUIRED): Arlo device ID to disarm EXAMPLES: - "Disarm the front door camera" → call with deviceId="FRONT_DOOR_ID" - "Disable security on the backyard camera" → call with deviceId="BACKYARD_ID" - "Disarm the basestation" → call with deviceId="BASESTATION_ID" Disarm an Arlo device (disable security monitoring)

get_arlo_device_modes

Shows whether the device is armed, disarmed, or in a custom mode. Get the current automation modes for an Arlo device

get_arlo_recording_metadata

Get detailed metadata for an Arlo recording

get_arlo_recordings

Returns presigned URLs for downloading video files along with metadata like duration, device ID, and creation date. USE WHEN: - User wants to download or view Arlo recordings - User needs to check what was recorded on specific dates - User is reviewing security footage - User asks "show me recordings from [date range]" PARAMETERS: - dateFrom (REQUIRED): Start date in YYYYMMDD format (e.g. 20260407) - dateTo (REQUIRED): End date in YYYYMMDD format - deviceId (OPTIONAL): Filter by specific device ID EXAMPLES: - "Get recordings from April 7 2026" → call with dateFrom="20260407", dateTo="20260407" - "Show recordings from last week" → call with dateFrom="20260331", dateTo="20260406" - "Get recordings for camera XYZ on April 5" → call with dateFrom="20260405", dateTo="20260405", deviceId="XYZ" Get Arlo camera recordings for a date range

get_recent_arlo_recordings

Useful for quickly checking recent security activity. Get recent Arlo recordings from the last 24 hours

list_arlo_basestations

Basestations are the central hubs that connect wireless Arlo cameras to your network. List Arlo basestation/hub devices only

list_arlo_cameras

List Arlo camera devices only

list_arlo_devices

Each device includes deviceId, deviceName, deviceType, state, and connection status. USE WHEN: - User wants to see all their Arlo security devices - User needs to find device IDs for other commands - User is exploring their Arlo security setup - User asks "what Arlo devices do I have" EXAMPLES: - "List all my Arlo devices" → call with no params - "Show my Arlo security devices" → call with no params - "What Arlo cameras and basestations do I have?" → call with no params List all Arlo devices (basestations and cameras)

set_arlo_device_mode

Common modes: mode0 (disarmed), mode1 (armed), mode2 (armed with all motion). You can also use custom mode IDs created in the Arlo app. USE WHEN: - User wants to arm or disarm their Arlo security system - User wants to switch between different security modes - User asks to "arm the cameras" or "disarm the system" - User wants to enable/disable motion detection PARAMETERS: - deviceId (REQUIRED): Arlo device ID - mode (REQUIRED): Mode identifier (mode0=disarmed, mode1=armed, mode2=armed all motion, or custom mode ID) EXAMPLES: - "Arm the front door camera" → call with deviceId="FRONT_DOOR_ID", mode="mode1" - "Disarm all cameras" → call with deviceId="BASESTATION_ID", mode="mode0" - "Set to home mode" → call with deviceId, mode="mode_custom_home" Set the automation mode for an Arlo device

Example Prompts for Arlo Smart in LlamaIndex

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your LlamaIndex agent to start working with Arlo Smart immediately.

"List all my Arlo devices and show me which cameras I have."

"Show me today's recordings from all my Arlo cameras."

"Arm all my Arlo cameras for when I leave the house."

Troubleshooting Arlo Smart MCP Server with LlamaIndex

Common issues when connecting Arlo Smart to LlamaIndex through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

BasicMCPClient not found

Install: pip install llama-index-tools-mcp

Arlo Smart + LlamaIndex FAQ

Common questions about integrating Arlo Smart MCP Server with LlamaIndex.

How does LlamaIndex connect to MCP servers?

Use the MCP client adapter to create a connection. LlamaIndex discovers all tools and wraps them as query engine tools compatible with any LlamaIndex agent.

Can I combine MCP tools with vector stores?

Yes. LlamaIndex agents can query Arlo Smart tools and vector store indexes in the same turn, combining real-time and embedded data for grounded responses.