Thoughts on a 13.8V battery as power supply for the base station

[greiter]

I wish to connect my Arlo Pro 2 base station to an uninterruptable power supply (Meanwell AD 155A) which has an output voltage of 13.8V and, when the AC grid is down, switches to a 12V 16Ah rechargeable battery, which also supplies 13.8V when fully charged.

Has anyone any experience whether the base station can take 13.8V rather than the 12V the AC adapter supplies?  Some one wrote they are using cigarette socket power supply in a boat, which I guess has also about 13.8V when the battery is fully charged.

Thanks!

[AncientGeek]

---

@greiter wrote:

I wish to connect my Arlo Pro 2 base station to an uninterruptable power supply (Meanwell AD 155A) which has an output voltage of 13.8V and, when the AC grid is down, switches to a 12V 16Ah rechargeable battery, which also supplies 13.8V when fully charged.

Has anyone any experience whether the base station can take 13.8V rather than the 12V the AC adapter supplies?  Some one wrote they are using cigarette socket power supply in a boat, which I guess has also about 13.8V when the battery is fully charged.

Thanks!

---

The Meanwell  AD 155A doesn’t appear to have an internal battery, so I assume you have an external battery in this configuration as well.  It seems like a regular off the shelf AC UPS would be a lot easier and would use the standard power adapter for the Arlo base.

[greiter · Accepted solution]

Thank you for the feedback.  I had looked into this but a regular off the shelf UPS won't keep the power for both the base station and the router on for 24 hours.  This is why I bought the 13.8V UPS and an external battery with it.  If the voltage is a problem, I could try to find a device which regulates it, but I guess it should work just fine without it.  Still, I would feel much more comfortable if I knew someone has tried it already.

Thank you all. 

[TomMac]

One way to find out if it works :)...

prob want something like this.... high or low input, 12v out

https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Voltage-Stabilizer-6A-Regulator/dp/B072FHHTZ3

[AncientGeek]

---

@greiter wrote:

Thank you for the feedback.  I had looked into this but a regular off the shelf UPS won't keep the power for both the base station and the router on for 24 hours.  This is why I bought the 13.8V UPS and an external battery with it.  If the voltage is a problem, I could try to find a device which regulates it, but I guess it should work just fine without it.  Still, I would feel much more comfortable if I knew someone has tried it already.

Thank you all. 

---

Yes.  24 hours is a long time.  I have two locations with backup generators and two without.  Once or twice a year, I lose power long enough to exhaust the UPS batteries supporting my various devices on those sites that are not backed up.  It sounds like you experience longer outages on a regular basis, so a special solution was needed.  It is all about probability and consequences.  Even a backup generator will run out of fuel eventually...though mine will go a week or two without refueling.  For me, the UPS covers enough hours to keep things going though most outages.  They run about 6 hours.  

https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Back-UPS-900VA-9-outlets-120V-Retail/P-BN900M

Larger Backups will allow extra external batteries also.  We used those for small servers when I was working in IT.

I wonder if a smaller GoalZero Power Station might be an interesting option...either in stead of or in series with a UPS.

https://www.goalzero.com/product-features/portable-power-stations/

Some of these offer solar charging options which which could stretch out the runtime significantly also.

[TomMac]

As a PS... a 16Ahr battery is not near enough,  I'd look for a quality deep cycle type battery, they usu are about 80-120 Ahrs...

and can take a drain and recharge fully... solar recharge may be a good option