Arlo Solar panel

[ehkartist]

I'm considering buying for a camera that records alot of movement so the battery dies down quickly.  I have heard mixed results about this panel.  Anybody have any experience with this and can advise me if this is a good purchase?  

[michaelkenward]

I'll leave it to the real experts to answer this near impossible question – did you check the reviews on Amazon etc? – but step in to point pout that solar panels simply recharge the batteries. They do not provide the permanent power you need to use things like zones.

[jguerdat]

If you're going to be recording a LOT of videos, permanent AC power would be a better choice. The solar panels are just trickle chargers which can keep the battery topped off but cloudy days, nighttime and excessive recordings will cause the battery to deplete, perhaps slowly, perhaps rapidly.

[MGorgol]

I would advise against the purchase. I bought 6 of them and then ended up switching over to direct power on 3 of them because I kept getting "The charging source connected to the camera cannot charge your battery. Please use the power adapter designed for your camera." error. I mean seriously. Then my experience with support was super frustrating because they were able to resolve my issue and they would have you disconnect and reconnect the device from the hub during troubleshooting so that means you gotta break out the ladder and climb up and get your cam to fiddle with it. Horrible expereince.

[ehkartist]

Thanks fpr the advice.  I've decided to hardwire the camera due to the challenges with using the solar panel.