Must buy solar panel or charging cable to circumvent battery drain

[Sushdxb]

Bought 3 arlo 3 cameras based on reviewers and specifications which mentioned 3 to 6 months battery life. None mentioned that this is with smart subscription features.... basic ones, like activity zone and person/vehicle monitoring. In absence of these, battery only lasts a few days. Buy solar panel or charging cable to circumvent. Just feel cheated. Not ethical for the company V!

[jguerdat]

You're tilting at windmills. A subscription has nothing to do with battery life. Things like signal strength/quality as well a how much recording and live viewing you're doing. A rule of thumb for battery life is <5 minutes per day of both, on average. Any blockage in signal can result in the camera struggling with the connection and any 2.4GHz wireless interference can cause the same thing. Bringing the cameras closer to the hub for testing may show marked improvement which means you need to determine what the issue is with your camera and hub placements. Every installation is unique so you have to do the testing.

[Sushdxb]

You do not have my experience, so your comment has only theoretical value. Due to lack of standard features like activity zone and ability to choose detection options, without subscription, the cameras end up doing lot of notifications and activity.... a reason for the quick battery discharge. 3 cameras cannot have the same defect. All my cameras have strong signals.

This is a horrendous revenue boosting gimmick on the part of the company which you realize only after you use their products.

[JamesC]

Arlo Smart features will not reduce battery usage. Activity zones will filter library recordings that appear outside the zone, but they do not stop the camera from being triggered and recording.

Take a look here for tips on how to improve battery life: How can I extend my Arlo camera's battery life?