What is continuous video recording (CVR) and how do I use it?

Continuous video recording (CVR) is an optional feature available on Arlo Ultra, Pro 2, Q, Q Plus, and Baby cameras. With CVR activated on one of your cameras, you can record all the action 24/7. CVR captures everything in the background, and you can rewind to catch anything you missed.

CVR-capable cameras record continuously, in addition to the recordings based on the modes and rules that you set in the Arlo app.

Note: Arlo does not currently support downloading CVR videos; you can only watch them from the cloud. CVR is not available for Arlo Pro or Arlo Wire-Free cameras. CVR recordings are in 1080p.

What you need

To use CVR, you need the following:

  • A compatible Arlo camera
    • Arlo Ultra, Pro 3, Pro 2, Q, Q Plus, or Baby camera
  • A 14-day or 30-day CVR subscription
    For more information, visit Arlo Smart Plans.
  • An outdoor or indoor power adapter
    Arlo cameras must be plugged in to AC power to support CVR.

Purchase a CVR Subscription

To add a CVR plan to your Arlo account:

  1. Launch the Arlo app on Android or log in to your Arlo account at my.arlo.com.
    Note: You can’t purchase or change an Arlo subscription on the Arlo iOS (Apple) app.
  2. Tap or click Settings > Subscription.
  3. If you are using the Arlo app, tap Edit Account.
  4. Tap or click Upgrade Now.
  5. Select a plan.
  6. If you do not want to upgrade your service plan, tap or click No Changes? Continue.
  7. Select either the 14-day CVR plan or the 30-day CVR plan for one or more of your cameras.

Use and manage CVR

When you have a CVR subscription, you can access 14 or 30 days of continuous video recording, depending on what subscription you have. You can also change which camera records using the CVR feature.

To access the CVR timeline on your Arlo camera:

  1. Launch the Arlo app or log in to my.arlo.com.
    The Devices page displays.
  2. Tap or click the menu (…) icon on a camera with a CVR subscription.
  3. Tap or click Timeline.
    From the CVR Timeline, you can view video footage from the past 14 or 30 days, depending on what subscription you have.
  4. Tap or click Done when you are finished viewing the CVR Timeline.

Scroll back

To navigate through the timeline, tap and hold the timeline. Drag it to the left to go back in time (either 14 or 30 days back, depending on your CVR plan). Drag it to the right to move towards more recent recordings.

On the Arlo web portal, click to navigate to a specific time or click and drag to scroll through the timeline.

To return to the live feed, tap Done at the upper-left corner.

CVR calendar

To jump to a specific day in the timeline, click the Calendar icon. A timeline displays with a series of dates. As the camera records CVR content, the calendar is updated to indicate when motion or sound was detected during the continuous recording.

Note: For these indicators to display in the timeline, your Arlo camera must be using a mode that is set to detect motion or sound.

Using the mobile app, pinch to zoom and see a detailed view of the timeline. On the web client, click 24 hr, 1 hr, or 5 min to change your timeline detail.

While in the CVR interface, you can easily go to landscape mode by rotating your device.