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 Pydantic AI 11 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: Arlo Smart
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

ai.pydantic.dev/mcp

Built by Vinkius GDPR 11 Tools SDK

Pydantic AI brings type-safe agent development to Python with first-class MCP support. Connect Arlo Smart through Vinkius and every tool is automatically validated against Pydantic schemas. catch errors at build time, not in production.

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 pydantic_ai import Agent
from pydantic_ai.mcp import MCPServerHTTP

async def main():
    # Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
    server = MCPServerHTTP(url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp")

    agent = Agent(
        model="openai:gpt-4o",
        mcp_servers=[server],
        system_prompt=(
            "You are an assistant with access to Arlo Smart "
            "(11 tools)."
        ),
    )

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

asyncio.run(main())

Fully ManagedVinkius Servers

60%Token savings

High SecurityEnterprise-grade

IAMAccess control

EU AI ActCompliant

DLPData protection

V8 IsolateSandboxed

Ed25519Audit chain

<40msKill switch

Stream every event to Splunk, Datadog, or your own webhook in real-time

* 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.

Pydantic AI validates every Arlo Smart tool response against typed schemas, catching data inconsistencies at build time. Connect 11 tools through Vinkius and switch between OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini without changing your integration code. full type safety, structured output guarantees, and dependency injection for testable agents.

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 Pydantic AI 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 Pydantic AI via MCP

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

Install Pydantic AI

Run pip install pydantic-ai

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 with type-safe schemas

Why Use Pydantic AI with the Arlo Smart MCP Server

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

Full type safety: every MCP tool response is validated against Pydantic models, catching data inconsistencies before they reach your application

Model-agnostic architecture. switch between OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini without changing your Arlo Smart integration code

Structured output guarantee: Pydantic AI ensures tool results conform to defined schemas, eliminating runtime type errors

Dependency injection system cleanly separates your Arlo Smart connection logic from agent behavior for testable, maintainable code

Arlo Smart + Pydantic AI Use Cases

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

Type-safe data pipelines: query Arlo Smart with guaranteed response schemas, feeding validated data into downstream processing

API orchestration: chain multiple Arlo Smart tool calls with Pydantic validation at each step to ensure data integrity end-to-end

Production monitoring: build validated alert agents that query Arlo Smart and output structured, schema-compliant notifications

Testing and QA: use Pydantic AI's dependency injection to mock Arlo Smart responses and write comprehensive agent tests

Arlo Smart MCP Tools for Pydantic AI (11)

These 11 tools become available when you connect Arlo Smart to Pydantic AI 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 Pydantic AI

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Pydantic AI 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 Pydantic AI

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

MCPServerHTTP not found

Update: pip install --upgrade pydantic-ai

Arlo Smart + Pydantic AI FAQ

Common questions about integrating Arlo Smart MCP Server with Pydantic AI.

How does Pydantic AI discover MCP tools?

Create an MCPServerHTTP instance with the server URL. Pydantic AI connects, discovers all tools, and generates typed Python interfaces automatically.

Does Pydantic AI validate MCP tool responses?

Yes. When you define result types as Pydantic models, every tool response is validated against the schema. Invalid data raises a clear error instead of silently corrupting your pipeline.

Can I switch LLM providers without changing MCP code?

Absolutely. Pydantic AI abstracts the model layer. your Arlo Smart MCP integration works identically with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or any supported provider.