Batteries for Arlo camera - how to buy?

[Sato001]

Does anyone know how to get batteries for these Arlo camera in Hawaii? I bought the cameras at Sam's club, but I'm afraid I'll have to dump them because I can't get batteries for them.

[Sato001]

I forgot to mention that Amazon won't ship batteries to Hawaii.

[Streak2]

If you have the original wire free Arlo then they take standard CR123 batteries that you should be able to buy locally.

Netgear have also released a rechargeable battery kit which you could get someone to bring for you

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/products/arlo/tenergy_rechargeable_battery_charger.aspx#Tenergy Battery Charger Combo

[steve_t]

Are there no retailers that sell Arlo Pro in Hawaii?

[Sato001]

Both Costco and Sams sell Arlo kits here in Hawaii, but they don't sell the batteries. I've looked around at other retailers like Best Buy and CVS and they also don't have the regular lithium versions of these batteries.  

The crazy thing about Amazon, is I just found that if I order the rechargeable batteries WITH the charger unit (for $50), they WILL ship it to me. But if I order just the rechargeable batteries (without the charger), they won't ship it. My co-worker was just telling me she had ordered a cell phone from Amazon (that came with a battery of course), but when she tried to order just a new battery for it, they won't ship it to Hawaii. I guess this is really an Amazon issue.

Are there any non-rechargeable batteries for Arlo cameras that work well? Reading up on Amazon, I see other CR123 batteries, but most of the reviews say not to use them with Arlo cameras; the claim is they don't last very long. 

The OEM batteries I got with the units lasted pretty long. 

[Streak2]

If you stick with the main CR1213 brands then you should be fine eg. energizer, duracell, surefire, panasonic etc.

I would get the rechargeable kit as well so you can compare battery life based on your usage.

If it works then you'll have to ask a buddy heading to the mainland to get some extra Tenergy's for you.

[steve_t]

Ah right. You have an Arlo and not an Arlo Pro camera. I can't get the Tenergy CR123 where I am and tried out some Ultrafire ones. They're great and last ages, possibly longer than my Energizers. The biggest issue with rechargeables is there are so many fakes out there so you have to be careful. I grabbed a Nitecore D4 charger and it's fantastic too

[Sato001]

I finally found a place that sells these batteries in Hawaii. The cost: nearly $8 a battery. To replace the batteries in my 3 cameras, it'll be nearly $100. I got nearly 3 months out of my OEM batteries so at that rate, I'm looking at about $400 a year in batteries. About the cost of the system....and more than the cost signing up with some home security services. 

Thankfully, I spoke to Sams Club about it and they'll take these back for a full refund. Thank you Sams club. However, Sams probably should have stocked these batteries or rechargeables...if they were going to sell these cameras.

If you live in a place like Hawaii (I would think Alaska, Guam, places where you can't get batteries mailed to you, etc...) DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!

[steve_t]

CR123A batteries are extremely common for camera applications. Not sure about rechargeables but I would have thought they would have been available in any photography or computer store

As for cost, rechargeables are definitely the way to go. Perhaps the Arlo Pro cameras with their built in proprietary rechargeable battery pack would have suited your needs better

[Sato001]

Sadly, with the rise of Amazon and the like, there are no specialty computer stores in Hawaii anymore. For camera stores, there might still be one or two left, but all the camera stores (I'm a camera nerd) I knew off the top of my head have gone out of business long ago - I buy all my equipment online now or at big box retailers like Costco or Walmart. 

I think most people would agree with me - $100 to replace the batteries in 3 cameras is not worth it. When I returned mine, I strongly suggested to my local Sam's club that they either stop selling these cameras or at the very least, stock the damn batteries (at a reasonable price)! 

The Arlo system is pretty good - very easy to setup and use. However, the practical aspect of how they perform - with motion detection, was marginal. I usually captured people just as they walked out of the recording frame, or the backs of people walking away from the camera. I read through all the setup FAQs, and I tried many different camera locations.  But I simply could never capture someone's face. This lackluster performance, along with an outrageous ongoing battery cost (which I guess only applies to places like Hawaii where you can't get batteries at affordable prices), leads me to say that this system just isn't worth it. Again, if you live in a place like Hawaii, don't buy this! The model with the built in rechargeable maybe a "passable" option. But I still don't think it'll fix the marginal performance of the cameras. 

[steve_t]

When I was getting Energizer CR123A non-rechargeables, they were $13 each!!! For 5 cameras, that was nuts. So getting rechargeable ones has been insanely good value.

As you said, the Arlo Pro with rechargeable battery pack is a good step forward. The performance of the Arlo Pro motion detection is significantly better, the lag between motion and recording is significantly less, and the low light performance is significantly better. I don't even care about the built in mic and speaker.

Sorry you couldn't find a way for the system to work for you. Hope you find a system out there that meets all of your needs