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rdilauro
Luminary
Luminary

I just purchased two ARLO VMA5600 Solar Chargers for our ARLO  GO 2 LTE  (VML2030).

One set of directions indicate that these chargers are good for outdoor usage.  Then in the safety compliance guide:

ALWAYS use the charger only in dry locations.  Keep away from rain, snow or excessive moisture.

 

Since the ARLO GO 2 camera was purchased to monitor a large open field, the solar chargers are necessary to avoid climbing trees to recharge the camera.

 

So, which is it?   Can this charger be used outdoors where the potential for rain and snow exists?   Or can these NOT be used outdoors?

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dcfox1
Master
Master

The VMA5600 is for the cams like Pro3 and Ultra with a magnetic charger connection. Not sure if the go has that but there is a different model listed in the accessories page for the Go2. They are meant for outdoor use in full sun and would not work inside so not sure where you saw it or why it is there. I had one outside exposed to the rain and was fine until an animal got to it. 

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dcfox1
Master
Master

The VMA5600 is for the cams like Pro3 and Ultra with a magnetic charger connection. Not sure if the go has that but there is a different model listed in the accessories page for the Go2. They are meant for outdoor use in full sun and would not work inside so not sure where you saw it or why it is there. I had one outside exposed to the rain and was fine until an animal got to it. 

rdilauro
Luminary
Luminary

The charger definitely works with the ARLO Go 2.  I've already tested the magnetic connection and can see where the solar icon is displayed under my devices.

The intent of the solar charger was for outdoor usage.  And the documentation states that it is weather resistant and good for outdoor usage.

It was the safety guide that came with the charger that said it should not get wet.

 

We are going to use it outside

 

StephenB
Guru Guru
Guru

@rdilauro wrote:

 

It was the safety guide that came with the charger that said it should not get wet.


Still have that guide, and it has other generic information that doesn't apply to the solar charger.  For instance, "The socket outlet should be installed near the equipment and easily accessible".

 

The panel is clearly intended for outdoor use, so I would just ignore the safety guide.

 


@rdilauro wrote:

The charger definitely works with the ARLO Go 2. 

Correct.  The Go 2 uses the Ultra/Pro 3/Pro 4 accessories.

rdilauro
Luminary
Luminary
Stephen
Thanks for the reply
Subpar
Aspirant
Aspirant
Arlo solar panels. Suck. I just disassembled two of them and got about 1/4 cup of water out of each. Hardly weatherproof. Overpriced garbage. Go with simplisafe. 1000x better and less expensive.
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rdilauro
Luminary
Luminary

So far the chargers are working, they stay out all year round in all elements.  We have over 10, none have failed us yet.

Concern I have is that under 32 degrees they stop charging.   Seems ok with all the ARLO  Ultra cameras, holding their charges, but the ARLO Go2 camera is a different story.

My Go2 cameras seem to chew up their batteries.   So a couple of days of rain and a couple of under 32 degrees in a short while (3-4 days) the batteries go below 15%.   So then we go climb up the tree and take the cameras down.

We just put back up 11 cameras because we had day after of sub 32 degrees.   Hopefully, the chargers will keep things going.

 

Side note:  I am in conversations with our local Verizon support.  He told me had received a number of complaints about the batteries on Go2 cameras.  Each situation is like ours, we depend on cellular where those cameras are and we are getting at max 2 bars service.  Hopefully, something will come out of this.

 

POmds
Aspirant
Aspirant

Will you please give more details about simplisafe which one we can buy and use.

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