Very fast battery drain

[clayton4115]

Ok I have my camera at a remote location. I purchased and installed it in July 2025, I used it without a solar panel and the battery lasted 55 days. I picked it up and then charged it from 0% using the solar panel and it charged to about 55% at a new remote location, tied to a tree - i did this on 25th October and the solar panel slowly charged the camera to a max of 55% till on 25th November it suddenly dropped within 2 days, the battery drained to 0% - it is located out in a remote location (for wildlife capture).  The place is a good 7 hour drive so my next visit there is in early Jan 2026. Any ideas what could have caused it? The 4G signal was poor with 1 to 2 bars. 

[jguerdat]

Poor signal could certainly be the issue since the camera would try to maintain the connection over and over. The solar panel is just a trickle charger but the camera trying to stay connected may well exceed what the panel can supply (which would only be during the day anyway).

If you can, try moving the camera around, including up and down, to see if there's an appropriate location that may get at least a somewhat better connection. If your location has power and internet, connecting to WiFi may be a better solution.