Arlo Battery clear film

[mkirk76]

Do you remove the clear film on the rechargeable batteries?  Or does it serve a protective purpose? 

The entire battery is wrapped except for the contacts, so wondering if the wrap should remain on.  The manual doesn't state to remove prior to installing the batteries.

[SteveHale]

I removed mine.  It's like the protective film on a new smartphone.

- Steve

[mkirk76]

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SteveHale wrote:

I removed mine.  It's like the protective film on a new smartphone.

- Steve

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That's what I ended up doing, too.  I contacted customer support via phone and online chat.  Phone support said remove it.  Online Chat said you could leave it on or remove it, doesn't matter.  I asked what their engineers recommended.  Online chat answer: doesn't matter either way.

[AncientGeek]

I removed the film from my batteries.  I assumed it was just to protect the batteries from scratches during the packaging of the product at the factory.  Also, I don't know if that plastic might degrade over time and I would not want any fragments inside the camera where they might block contact some day.

[jguerdat]

Might also make it harder to get the battery in and out of the camera.

[JamesC · Accepted solution]

For those involved in this discussion, the clear plastic film on the Arlo Pro battery should be removed before inserting the battery into the camera. As AncientGeek mentioned above, this film is part of the packagaing material and is not intended to remain on the battery while in use.

JamesC

[mkirk76]

It would be nice if customer support had a clue. Both online and phone support is horribly inept with regard to technical knowledge on this product.

Here's my recent transcript:

Thank you for choosing NETGEAR.
Marie: My name is Marie with Expert ID 46279. How may I assist you today?
Mike: I have a question about the rechargeable batteries
Marie: Yes. May I know your question, Mike?
Mike: Does the clear film surrounding the batteries stay on or need to be removed?
Mike: Each battery is wrapped with a clear plastic, except for the battery contacts. The manual doesn't state to remove the clear wrap. Does it serve a protective purpose?
Mike: hello???
Marie: Please allow me to check, Mike.
Mike: ok thanks
Marie: Hello, Mike. Just to clarify, when you got the camera, is the battery inside already or still on the box?
Mike: I just bought the Arlo pro 4 camera package. Inside one of the boxes are 4 individual batteries, not yet in the cameras. Each battery has a clear protective wrap on it.
Marie: Thank you for the clarification, Mike. You may leave the clear wraps.
Marie: As I have checked, it doesn't really serve as a protective cover.
Marie: You may take it off or leave it on.
Mike: So which is it, take off or leave on? Is there a danger in leaving on?
Marie: No. As long as it fits the battery compartment.
Mike: What do the engineers recommend? Leaving on or taking off?
Marie: There are no specific recommendations provided, Mike. It depends on your preference.
Mike: ok thanks
Marie: You're most welcome, Mike! Would there be anything else that I can assist you with today?
Mike: no thanks
Marie: If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to log back in and refer to your Customer ID. You may also visit: support.arlo.com and community.arlo.com
Marie: Again, thank you for choosing NETGEAR. Have a great day!
'Mike' disconnected ('Concluded by Agent').

[plasmo]

@mkirk76 - LOL!

[AncientGeek]

Sounds similar to my most recent experience.  An automatic firmware update pushed to my base station knocked 6 of my 11 cameras offline when I was 2 days into a 12 day trip to Italy.  I explained all of this in my case to Netgear and received back a scripted answer asking me to check the knowledge base for possible answers followed by a recommendation to open the battery door on my cameras and if that doesn't work, bring the cameras close to the base and re sync them to the base station.  I said..."really....did you even read my case?"