In order to properly place or position your Arlo outdoor cameras in your front yard or backyard, it’s imperative that you properly mount them. You should have an amount handy in order to properly place them outside your home, from the porch to the gutter as well as on the garage door. On that note, what is the best Arlo outdoor mount available for outdoorsy use? Something that can safeguard your camera the same way your camera safeguards your home from intruders.
A Magnetic Ball Mount makes it easy for criminals to steal your camera away. What should you be on the lookout for when it comes to an outdoor mount for Arlo surveillance camera usage?
You may also like: Arlo Home Security Cameras Review: Protect What You Love Most
What Should You Look for in an Arlo Cam Outdoor Mount?
Let’s now talk about what you should look for when shopping for an Arlo camera outdoor mount.
Package Deals and Pricing
- We’ve scoped out the top-tier, cream-of-the-crop camera mounts out there, and their prices range from $10 to $30. The cheaper ones have issues with metal quality (cheap pop-metal or low-grade aluminum for the mount and screws), while the ones on the $20 to $30 range have better metal grades or feature gimmicks like offering a 3-pack package deal.
- Therefore, look for a good balance between value and price as well as multiple-item deals to maximize your investment when push comes to shove.
Easy Installation
- Any Arlo camera mounts with loads of reviews regarding how hard it is to install or how much of a pain it is to keep up with its many moving parts are automatically excluded from this article and our shortlist of the top 5 Arlo camera mounts.
- We’ve included cheap $10 or fewer mounts on this list too because of their smallness, straightforward nature, and versatility. The best ones have the bare minimum of moving parts and tiny items to put together for the best installation results.
Placement Flexibility
- When looking for a good outdoor Arlo mount, you should get one with placement flexibility. You should be able to install your mount to the ceiling with drilled holes or on a table as a freestanding mount.
- A good outdoor mount should be able to give you loads of placement options all over your yard, from the porch to the gutter to the birdhouse to the garage and so forth.
- Otherwise, you can buy a place-specific mount, like a Wasserstein Gutter Mount that hooks up to any modern home gutter at about $25.
High Versatility and Compatibility
- The camera mounts that made the cut are also known for their high versatility. The best mounts can be installed indoors, outdoors, on walls and ceilings, or even on a branch or tree trunk, among other areas.
- A really versatile mount can also cater to a wide variety of Arlo cameras, from the Pro Series to the Ultra Series as well as Arlo Light and the like.
- A camera mount with a ¼” screw head also allows you to connect other camera brands like Eufy and Wyze for good measure.
Solid Construction and Weight Support
- Even the cheapest mount we’ve included on the list—the BFYTN Security Camera Metal Wall/Ceiling Mount—is robust enough to hold the weight of the weightiest Arlo cameras (such as the Arlo Pro 2 and 3).
- If you put your mount on a horizontal surface a la pylon vertical, you might get some limitations like being unable to point the camera beyond the horizontal plane below. However, if you were to place your camera in a surveillance camera position like on the ceiling of your porch or just outside your home walls, you should be able to take advantage of its tilt and swivel.
Hex Nuts, Screws, and Other Fasteners
- The fasteners used to fasten your mount can range from a perforated bottom that you can stick to any surface without drilling to metal screws, lock nuts, bolts, and hex heads. We’ve come across at least one camera mount with a little plate on the ball head that can be replaced to allow you to plug the original cable into your Arlo Pro 2 camera.
- If the mount in question can replace or remove the plate with hex screws. The best mounts have all the screws, bolts, and fasteners included in the package so you won’t have to look for them.
Tilt and Swivel Options
- Your mount of choice should have 90° tilt and 360° swivel for maximum camera adjustability. After all, nothing defeats the purpose of having an outdoor camera mount quite like one that limits rather than enhances your camera’s field of view.
- A good mount should be able to support the camera weight enough to allow you to place its face anywhere you wish to. You should be able to do this without fear of the camera itself getting dislodged as you move the tilt and swivel of the mount around.
Anti-Theft Features
- One of the reasons why most homeowners buy a separate third-party or extra accessory mount for their outdoor Arlo cameras is because the default Magnetic Ball Mount makes it too easy for snatchers and thieves to steal your hard-earned Arlo camera away as they trespass on your property.
- It’s therefore encouraging to see some mounts feature an anti-theft chain that’s akin to a bike lock. This design bracket allows your camera to safely look around your home without fear of being stolen away in the middle of the night.
Waterproofing and Weatherproofing
- It’s the height of irony to have an Arlo Pro or Ultra camera that’s weatherproofed and waterproofed in order to withstand the elements but has a cheap Arlo mount that rusts away. A good mount is able to safeguard your Arlo cam from the Power of Mother Nature, thus giving you double protection from harsh weather.
- Like a postman, your mount should be able to protect your cam from rain, sleet, snow, and other inclement weather issues in order to extend your device’s lifespan.
Warranties and The Like
- Some warranties, like the cheaper mounts, only offer about 3 months. Other warranties give you the full 12 months or a whole year. You can get a handle on how confident the manufacturer is in regards to the longevity and high quality of their mounts based on the length of time of their warranty.
- For example, Wasserstein believes that their product can last at least 3 months. Meanwhile, more expensive brands like HOLACA give you a guarantee that their 3-pack mount package can last a whole year or you’ll get replacements for them (if not a full refund altogether).
Read more: How to Hide Your Security Camera Outside
The best Arlo outdoor mount Reviews
Here are the different mounts we recommend for Arlo use in the great outdoors—or at least within your property, at places where they have no roof or ceiling over them.
HOLACA Security Outdoor Mount for Arlo Cameras:
The $30 HOLACA Security Outdoor Mount is a mount rated as 4.2 out of 5 stars by 582 users on Amazon. It belongs on this list of best outdoor Arlo camera mounts due to its anti-theft chain, its compatibility with the Arlo Pro and Pro 2, and its silicone protective case for extra protection. Its main claim to fame is protection and safeguarding your Arlo camera investment.
It’s designed in a way to keep itself and the camera from getting waterlogged by the elements. Furthermore, it’s a screw mount. Therefore, when it’s properly screwed on a wall or a gutter, you’re assured of a solid and still mount that will keep your camera from swiveling all over the place. It’s particularly useful for spotlight or floodlight type Arlo cameras since it makes your camera and lighting fixture as fixed and motionless as possible. Even though it has small components included, the installation process itself is rather uncomplicated.
Pros
- It’s simple to install.
- It comes as a pack of 3 mounts.
- Rather expensive for an Arlo mount.
- The screws and chains are made of stainless steel.
- It’s a standard screw mount with solid construction.
- It’s waterproof to keep corrosion from being a factor.
- It has an anti-theft chain for extra thievery protection.
Cons
- It has issues with mount tightening and camera weight support.
- It allegedly uses cheap pot metal and other quality control issues.
Arlo Certified Accessory – Indoor/Outdoor Mount – White
Aside from the Arlo Magnetic Ball Mount, Arlo itself also sells Arlo-certified accessories such as this $20 white indoor/outdoor mount. It has high ratings on Amazon—it’s rated 4.6 out of 5 stars by 2,440 reviewers. This means that even though there are certainly several dissatisfied reviewers giving it 1-star reviews, it was still mostly well-received by the vast majority of those who purchased it as a high-quality almost 5-star type of Arlo mount.
This first-party mount is made of 100% polyester. It’s also colored white to match most Arlo wireless cameras. Because it’s made by Arlo, it’s able to allow your camera to cross into its field in view of side-to-side traffic. The motion sensors of most Arlo wireless cameras are sensitive to this movement type across their field of view versus someone coming towards them. Thanks to how this mount is designed, you’re likelier to catch intruders with motion detection compared to other third-party mounts.
Pros
- 360° rotation.
- Affordable at only $20.
- Sturdy and easy to adjust.
- For indoor and outdoor use.
- 100% polyester construction material.
- Amazon’s Choice for “Arlo Outdoor Mount”
- Easy magnetic snap on like the Arlo Magnetic Ball mount.
- Made by Arlo itself to ensure maximum camera compatibility.
- A solidly constructed mount that’s sure to protect your Arlo cameras.
Cons
- The locking nut has been described by users as “pathetic”.
- Some reported issues of rusting, which is a no-no for an outdoor mount.
Wasserstein Adjustable Indoor/Outdoor Security Metal Wall Mount
The $10-$11 Wasserstein Adjustable Arlo Mount isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. However, it ended up making the cut of this list because it has a rating of 4.4 stars out of 5 stars out of 6,570 ratings. This makes it better rated than HOLACA and more popular than both HOLACA and the Arlo-certified outdoor mount. It does have flaws, like being made of pop-metal, difficulty in positioning due to lack of ball joint resistance, and its smallness compared to a standard Arlo mount.
However, when it works, it works excellently. More to the point, it got a high 4.4 stars rating because, despite its flaws, it’s still a straightforward, simple, and strong mount relative to its size. Because of its adjustability, it’s able to fit with any Arlo camera types. Just watch out for things like not being able to use it with the Arlo Pro 2 when using the power cord instead of the battery and the like, but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue with an outdoor mount located in the middle of your yard or at the front of your porch.
Pros
- Easy to install.
- Affordable at $10.
- Long-lasting build.
- Arlo camera compatibility.
- Mounting that’s flexible and versatile so as to fit a larger number of Arlo cameras compared to other models out there.
Cons
- Issues with the metal nut and ball joint.
- Slightly smaller than the factory or default mount.
Prowithlin Adjustable Security Wall Mount-Indoor/Outdoor Mount
At $15 to $16, it’s one of the cheaper cameras on the list. It also scores relatively high for a mount of its price range at 4.5 stars out of 5 stars out of 815 ratings from verified Amazon purchasers. So far, only Wasserstein is cheaper. It’s compatible with the Arlo Wireless Cam, Arlo Pro Series, Arlo Ultra, Arlo Light, Eufy 2C, and Wyze Cam Pan Surveillance Camera. It’s a white camera mount with a ¼” screw head. It’s also available in black for the same price.
Although its build isn’t comparable to something more expensive like HOLACA or even the first-party Arlo white outdoor mount, it retains relatively high ratings because you get what you pay for with this mount. We’d argue that Wassertein’s cheap mount is a little better, but Porwithlin has a bigger mount and roughly the same build quality, with all the trimmings like waterproofing and rust prevention, easy installation, and easy adjustability with 90° tilt and 360° swivel. You ultimately get what you pay for at a discounted price compared to $20-$30 mounts.
Pros
- Easy installation
- 90° tilt and 360° swivel.
- Rust prevention through waterproofing.
- Available in white or black for the same price.
- Covers more camera models compared to the more Arlo-specific mounts.
- It comes with a ¼” screw head so it works with any camera using that screw head size.
Cons
- The tightening parts don’t tighten smoothly.
- Cheaply made. Probably the same level of quality as Wasserstein but more expensive.
BFYTN Security Camera Metal Wall/Ceiling Mount (2-Pack)
Last but not least is the BFYTN Security Camera Metal Wall/Ceiling Mount. It’s a twin-pack or 2-pack package worth $9.99, so it’s even cheaper than Wasserstein’s $10.99 mount. It’s probably the cheapest mount on the list yet it has higher ratings than HOLACA. This $10 camera mount gets 4.3 stars out of 5 stars according to about 719 Amazon users. It’s the cheapest of the cheap mount but has a comparable build to Wasserstein at a slightly cheaper price.
It’s not perfect either. You get what you pay for. You might even be tempted to pay the extra $1 or $20 for a slightly better mount. However, judging by the ratings, most people who buy this know what they’re getting and are fine with it as far as outdoor camera mounts are concerned. They might even purchase multiple mounts of this caliber to replace the others in case of the ones in use break. It’s a perfectly serviceable mount once you know what you’re getting into.
Pros
- Easy to install.
- Twin-pack item.
- It can be used indoors and outdoors.
- It also comes with a 90° tilt and 360° swivel.
- Relatively strong and durable for its purpose.
- Miniaturized to make hiding the Arlo cameras easier.
Cons
- The aluminum isn’t exactly an airplane or military-grade (cheap).
- The screws are so low quality they break with too much torque.
Where Do You Go From Here?
Arlo cameras come with their own default magnetic mount for sure, but those mostly work best indoors, where it’s actually convenient to be able to remove and reattach the camera with the ease of a fridge magnet.
Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to get the best first-party or third-party Arlo camera mounts for outdoor use. These wireless security cameras can avail of mounts that keep the camera solidly into place, hidden, and safe from thieving hands through anti-theft chains and the like. Some of these mounts can even allow your cameras extra viewing angles, placement in irregular surfaces like branches, no-drill mounting, and various related benefits. Also, judging by customer feedback, most people don’t mind getting a cheaper but serviceable mount over an “overly” expensive high-quality one.
