Short battery life Pro 2

[PabloC]

I’ve been using the Pro 2 for about 3 mo this now. I bought the 3 cam set based on the battery life being good for 6-9 months. At best I get about 2 weeks usage before having to recharge. I don’t use 2k livestream, I only have them set for one specific record function each (vehicle or person) and they are all set to optimal recording. It’s a pain in the ass having to climb the ladder so often to change them. They’re all close to the wifi router inside and I don’t need them to record in low light.
How the hell do you get 6-9 months battery life with basic usage if I’ve already stripped each cam back to its bare essentials?

[tljuly3]

I was a part of the arlo community since the 1st gen.  I just contacted customer support about a battery issue I experienced on the Arlo Pro.  At the end of the day, they are all business and don't stand behind their product or their community.  Either return the Arlo or take advantage of their 1 year warranty ASAP, but don't expect much beyond that.   I regret having invested in Arlo since their inception. 

[TomMac]

I’ve been using the Pro 2 for about 3 mo this now. I bought the 3 cam set based on the battery life being good for 6-9 months. At best I get about 2 weeks usage before having to recharge.

Have never seen anything from Arlo that states batteries last from 6-9 months....

IIRC, they stated more like 4-6 months. ( which honestly is in minimum usage )

In truth, most Arlo Pro/Pro2 batteies should last 2-3 months in normal usage...  Remember that spec usage is listed as =< 5 mins per day of recording/live view ( which uses the most power )

So the number one reason why batteries don't last long is Live viewing or Recording above an average amount... the second usu is inference or lack of signal ( which you say is fine ).

Leads to question ; How much do you record/live view in mins per week ?

As a PS,

arming the cameras uses little power and when unarmed almost none at all.

In testing, using Best picture VS Optimum battery results in saving a day or two over a month

My pro/pro2 cams run about 2 1/2 months between charge.  I use a charge tube which does give a bit more life of battery ( about 20% ) as the battery charged in camera really only gets an 80% charge ( tho it reads 100%, its to prevent battery damage if left on charge )

[jguerdat]

Arlo cameras have never advertised 6-9 month battery life. While the current battery life description for the Pro 2 says "Battery life varies based on settings, usage, & temperature" it's been noted from the first that battery life is in the 3-4 month timeframe. That's based on <5 minutes per day of live view and recording, on average. Of course, cold temps matter, too, but generally not to a huge degree. The original wireless cameras can last 6-9 months if they basically just sit there and record little but the overall average across all models seems to be 2-4 months when used as spec'ed. I, too, have been around since nearly the beginning and have expected battery life on all of my cameras.

As to why you experience short life, what is the average time per day of recording and live view? WHat is the signal strength (distance is only part of the equation)? Since this seems to be happening to all cameras, have you checked to see what other wireless devices may be near the base that also use the 2.4GHz band and may be causing interference? Have you tried moving the base away from the router? Home construction (stucco, brick, stone, etc. seem the worst) plays a part as does objects on and in the walls in the straight line connection between the base and cameras.

Also, remember that use of Smart/zones still requires a recording to be sent to the servers for post-processing. Even if you have it set to ignore everything, those recordings still happen. The length and frequency of those recordings will deplete the battery.