Why are my batteries are draining fast for some reason

[8711]

I have four cameras turned off currently after I charged them.  The batteries are currently going down with everything off.  They are also disarmed!.  Does this seem normal?

[StephenB]

---

@8711 wrote:

 The batteries are currently going down with everything off.  They are also disarmed!.  Does this seem normal?

---

Are you saying the base station is turned off.

If so, it is normal.  The cameras are wasting power trying to find the base.

[8711]

@StephenB No, the base station is NOT turned off.

According to your reply, since the base station is on, the batteries should not be going down when the cameras are turned off - correct!

Thanks you for your fast response to my original question.  I am new to the community and had a tough time figuring out how to reply to your question!

[StephenB]

---

@8711 wrote:

According to your reply, since the base station is on, the batteries should not be going down when the cameras are turned off - correct!

---

The cameras aren't completely off when you turn them off or disarm them in the app/web client.  They are still connected to the base.  They will use some power in that state, but they shouldn't be using much.

How quickly are your batteries draining? 

Can you estimate how many minutes of video recordings does the system make each day?

Are you seeing any evidence of connection drops or low signal quality when the cameras are on?

[8711]

Thanks again for your reply!

I am still learning how to use these cameras and this community system.  Will now address your questions:

I have not recorded anything for about three weeks as I was doing some experimentation with Arlo tech help!. 

The motion detection seems to be too sensitive.  I do not want every vehicle that goes down the road to record.  I have it set at 1 to 5% and it still seems to record too much.

We are in FL for three months.  I charged them before I left. That was about 2 1/2 weeks ago.  Like I stated, the cameras are off along with the sound and are not armed.  I have turned them on about three times for about 60 seconds since I have been gone.  One camera is down to 90% left, two cameras are down to 92%  and the other one is down to 95% charged.

Hopefully I can get resolved what is going on here and what to expect from this system!

[StephenB]

---

@8711 wrote:

We are in FL for three months.  I charged them before I left. That was about 2 1/2 weeks ago.  Like I stated, the cameras are off along with the sound and are not armed.  I have turned them on about three times for about 60 seconds since I have been gone.  One camera is down to 90% left, two cameras are down to 92%  and the other one is down to 95% charged.

Hopefully I can get resolved what is going on here and what to expect from this system!

---

Well, the cameras aren't really off - if they were, you wouldn't be able to turn them on again remotely.  So they remain connected to the base through the base's closed WiFi network, and they are listening for the commands that would reenable them.  Firmware updates are also being applied as Arlo releases them.  And if the connection to the base drops (either due to signal quality or a power glitch that restarts the base), the camera will actively look for the base so it can reconnect.  All that stuff requires some battery power - so the charge will go down over time even if the cameras are "off".

Another factor here is that the camera can only estimate the charge left in the battery - and that estimate isn't all that precise.  The intended uses of the estimates are to prevent over-charging (done by the camera hardware), and to notify you when the battery needs to be recharged.  Using them to predict total run time isn't very accurate - especially when the batteries still have a lot of charge (fwiw, this is also the case with a laptop or phone).

But taking the estimates at face value: at the current drain rate, the cameras will still be 60-70% charged when you return.  

You could look into running power to the cameras, or if they are near direct sun, you could use the Arlo solar panels.  If your home is in a cold climate the panels might not be enough - because the batteries can't charge below 32 degrees F.  Or ask a friend to charge the batteries for you when they get too low. 

---

@8711 wrote:

 I do not want every vehicle that goes down the road to record.  I have it set at 1 to 5% and it still seems to record too much.

---

I keep audio disabled, as the background street noise in my area results in too many recordings.

There is a balancing act here with motion detection.  If you set the threshold too low, you will miss more recordings that you actually do care about.  I've found that careful camera positioning (not putting the road in the field of view if possible) and activity zones are more effective ways of eliminating recordings that are outside of the area of interest.  

But activity zones won't help your battery life, since the processing is done in the cloud, not the camera.

[8711]

Thanks a lot!

You have been a great help!