Arlo|Smart Home Security|Wireless HD Security Cameras
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improve58
Luminary
Luminary

I was wondering if scheduling the cameras 'off' for non-essential times of the day would save the units any wear and tear in the long run. But I have checked when system is off and found the cameras still to be on, in standby I guess. Do they still search for motion? If the cameras work just as hard during their 'off' time--except perhaps refraining from communicating with the base station––then perhaps it's not worth the effort to try and 'save' wear and tear.

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jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

When disarmed (in your modes) or off (in the camera settings) the camera is in a low power state, waiting to be reactivated. The batteries will last months like that. They always have to maintain some connection to the base so they can be awakened when needed.

improve58
Luminary
Luminary

@Iguerdat Thank you; I should have mentioned that all cameras are powered with batteries inside. These are being used in an elderly person's apartment to ensure security from workers who come in from time to time. So since she's inside most of the time, the cameras are getting quite a workout from her walking back and forth, generating many many video per day. My question was, aside from battery life which is irrelevant here, would curtailing the hours of the scheduled on-times save on the wear and tear of the cameras motion-detecting and reporting to base station in that 'low power mode' you mentioned? This arises from the awareness that these days some products are made more durable than others. If this were an outdoor security system over a front house entrance per se, there might only be a dozen motion detections a day, whereas here, there could be a hundred per camera. So I was hoping not to 'wear out' the system prematurely.

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

I'm not aware of any realistic issue with "wearing out" the cameras. Any electronic product can fail at any time for a variety of reasons but I don't believe that's an issue here. If concerned, you can keep the recording time down (either short timed recordings or use "record until activity stops") but I really don't think there's an issue.

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