Arlo Pro 4 charging at low teperatures

[haovard]

I bought a 3-pack og Arlo Pro 4 cameras from a dealer - and the battery lifetime is far below what they market the product with. But this was expected. I have placed the cameras close up under the roof structure for best video angle ant so that it will be as protected as possible from weather and wind, and was planning to buy solar cells to charge them.

But I was surprised when I read that they didn't work below 0 degrees celcius. Where I live it often falls below this for three to four months of the year, so I was very surprised that - apparently the battery - will not cope with this.

Is it the battery that is the problem so that I just have to disconnect it, and then use an outdoor power cable instead, which is the solution?

[TomMac]

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@haovard wrote:

I bought a 3-pack og Arlo Pro 4 cameras from a dealer - and the battery lifetime is far below what they market the product with. But this was expected. I have placed the cameras close up under the roof structure for best video angle ant so that it will be as protected as possible from weather and wind, and was planning to buy solar cells to charge them.

But I was surprised when I read that they didn't work below 0 degrees celcius. Where I live it often falls below this for three to four months of the year, so I was very surprised that - apparently the battery - will not cope with this.

Is it the battery that is the problem so that I just have to disconnect it, and then use an outdoor power cable instead, which is the solution?

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Solar panel won't change things causing the issue... It has to do with the batteries.

Tho the camera should function fine down to -4F on batteries.

The batteries are Li-Ion and they shouldn't be charged when below freezing as it can cause damage to the cells.

So built into the cameras is a circuit that prohibits charging when the temps are low.... nothing can be done.

You'll have to bring them up above freezing to charge. ( prob bring them inside or some form of warmth )

[haovard]

So to fix this I would need to take out the batteries and just run it on constant power over USB? Or does the system also shutdown at low temeratures? If that is the case then it wasted 650$

[StephenB]

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@haovard wrote:

So to fix this I would need to take out the batteries and just run it on constant power over USB? Or does the system also shutdown at low temeratures? If that is the case then it wasted 650$

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As @TomMac already said, the camera will work down to -20C (-4F) before it shuts down.  The battery will still power the camera (until it drains), but will not charge below 0C (32F).

You can connect the outdoor USB charger to the cameras.   Arlo generally recommends leaving the battery in.  With some cameras, removing the battery results in the camera running at still lower temps - not sure if that is the case with the Pro 4 model or not.  (It doesn't get cold enough in my location to test that).

The solar panels might also work - though I found that I still needed to charge my Ultra from time to time even with the panel.  I upgraded that camera using the XL housing kit, and that resolved that problem for me (the XL battery lasts long enough to cover the cold snaps).

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@haovard wrote:

I have placed the cameras close up under the roof structure for best video angle ant so that it will be as protected as possible from weather and wind

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You might consider moving them.  Unfortunately there are times when you need to access the cameras.  For instance, if they lock up or misbehave, you might need to remove/reinsert the battery to reboot the camera.  Or in some situations you might need a hardware reset.

Personally I've placed all my cameras where I can safely reach them - even in winter.  I haven't needed to protect them from the elements.  There are some third-party covers you can get (though I haven't seen anything to protect from wind).

[haovard]

Thank you for your good answer. So the lower limit is -20C, even when its running on permanent power supply from a power outlet I understand. I've just bought a three 7,4meter cables which is sufficient to reach to a power outlet.

The scenario with solar panels will not work if temperature is below battery operation temperature, and when it is dark most of the day(November trough January/February).

I understand the need for easy access - but that is not an issue for me.
It also makes it a bit harder to grab-and-run for some idiot running by.