Pro 5S Wireless Camera remain permanently plugged into a power outlet.

[JG351]

Hi,  just wanting to know if I can leave my Pro 5S 2K camera plugged into a power outlet permanently?  Thanks. 

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@JG351 wrote:

Hi,  just wanting to know if I can leave my Pro 5S 2K camera plugged into a power outlet permanently?  Thanks. 

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Arlo says you can.

[Arlo-help2]

You can take the battery out and then it becomes a wired camera.  The downside is if power goes out then the camera won’t work while power is out. You can also leave plugged in and put on a smart plug and set up schedule to charge it

[StephenB]

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@Arlo-help2 wrote:

You can also leave plugged in and put on a smart plug and set up schedule to charge it

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You can, but Arlo says it is ok to power it all the time with the battery in.

If the camera is outdoors, you'd need an outdoor-rated smart plug (and of course an outdoor-rated charger+cable).

[Arlo-help2]

Most of the cameras that I have on a smart plug the cable goes to the inside of the house and is plugged in.  The smart plug that is plugged in on the outside is on a covered patio and the outlet is covered and sealed from the weather.  The cables are outdoor rated…

if the camera is in a climate that has below 32° a lot I wouldn’t want it attached to power all the time….that’s where the smart plug works well.

[StephenB]

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@Arlo-help2 wrote:

if the camera is in a climate that has below 32° a lot I wouldn’t want it attached to power all the time….that’s where the smart plug works well.

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Perfectly fine approach, but it is a "belt and suspenders" thing.  The cameras won't charge anyway when it's below 32F.

Several smarthub owners do use a smart plug to power the hub.  That lets them reboot it remotely if needed.

FWIW, I live in New England, where it of course does go below 32F in the winter.  I have two AC powered cameras outdoors, and haven't bothered with smart plugs for either.  One of my smarthubs is connected to a UPS (as are my router and switches) so internet service continues through short power failures (few hours).  I've not gotten around to getting a UPS for the other one.  We don't get power failures very often, so not a high priority.

[Arlo-help2]

Yes I just charge them when it’s not below 32° but with a smart plug I can choose when to charge when I know it’s above 32°.  Works great for remote locations.  

One note about UPSs.  We have had one for about 6 years (APC).  We have Arlo base station (which is on a smart plug) and the router and modem all plugged into the UPS then the UPS plugged in the power outlet.  Well our internet went down along with the Arlo base station.  We assumed our  modem went out but it was actually the UPS battery that completely died.  When it went out it didn’t pass thru any electrical current.  ( I would of thought you just wouldn’t have battery back up but that isn’t how it works).  So replaced the battery in the UPS and we are good again.  You might want to check your battery level on your UPS if it’s over 6 years old. 

[StephenB]

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@Arlo-help2 wrote:

You might want to check your battery level on your UPS if it’s over 6 years old. 

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Yes, you do need to keep an eye on that.  I've had to replace several UPS batteries over the past year or so.