Drain battery in 2 days

[Bambi24]

This is unbelievable! I have 4 cameras and the batteries are draining faster than I can keep up with. I have tried everything suggested. I can’t even find my base station model on the list VMB4000. My cameras are only 6 months old. Has Arlo fixed this issue because every time I look at the community page on this subject, Arlo has posted it has been solved. Please Arlo., tell me the secret because I have recommended these cameras to many clients and can continue or I can tell people they are great for a few months.

[steve_t]

Are you having a lot of recordings per day?

[Bambi24]

Hi Steve-I don't have many more recordings than I had when I first installed the cameras. I have changed the settings for better battery life but they are still dead in less than a week. Why doesn't Arlo list my base station?

[steve_t]

I'm not sure what you mean by "Why doesn't Arlo list my base station?"

If you click Settings > My Devices, the base station should be listed there as well as the cameras attached and the siren is a separate sub-device attached to that base station

Is it particularly cold where you are?

Often rapid drain can be due to interference causing the cameras to drop offline. Can we assume you're restarted your base already, probably a few times. You might need to change the channel your 2.4GHz wifi network runs on and then restart your base so it follows it to change channel

[Bambi24]

I am sorry to confuse you about the base station. When I posted this message and tried to add my model # it was not a option. My connection is great inside and outside my house. I do have the cameras on the 2.4GHz wifi network and the temperature here has not been cold until 2 days ago. I have 2 cameras inside my house and I have my heat on and the cameras are draining as fast as the ones outside. Yes, I have restarted the base many times, I have taken the batteries out and synched them again a few times. Did one of the updates have a problem? It seemed like a lot of customers had the same complaint.

[steve_t]

I'm not sure sorry. I have 17 cameras and none have any battery drain issues. Perhaps open a ticket with support via the bottom of this page and see what they say

[Bambi24]

Apparantly it is a huge issue for a lot of Arlo users recently-I am glad your 17 cameras work like they should. Thank you for trying.

[Bambi24]

Steve-Can you tell me exactly how to open a ticket for this issue. I went to the bottom of the page in support as you suggested and looked everywhere but there is nothing about how to open a ticket.

Also, you asked me if I had a lot of recordings. I have a camera that was at 95% less than 24 hours ago, it has 3 recordings and is at 64% now. 

I appreciate your help, looking forward to finding a answer.

[steve_t]

You have to contact support. Sometimes you have to click another button that also says Contact Support. Then scroll down to "Start a chat" or "Give us a call". Easiest is start a chat. A support agent will try and help you out. Let them know you've already asked for help from the community.

[JPC]

Contact Support.. It maybe related to new App/firmware update but not widespread for now.. Another last option that might help is do a reset on the back of your Base and resync all cams.. 

[Bambi24]

thanks again

[Bambi24]

JPC-I took all 4 cameras and removed the batteries, put them back in and synched with base station. Is there anything else I should do to reset? I did that a few times and it did not help. If this is a problem with the update, is Arlo fixing it or are they waiting to see who it affected?

Thank you for your help

[JPC]

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@Bambi24 wrote:

JPC-I took all 4 cameras and removed the batteries, put them back in and synched with base station. Is there anything else I should do to reset? I did that a few times and it did not help. If this is a problem with the update, is Arlo fixing it or are they waiting to see who it affected?

Thank you for your help

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Yeah.. I would contact Support at this point for warranty.. Right now, it's not widespread if indeed the issue is related to update.. 

[Bambi24]

I contacted them and had a live chat. I was told I need to change the wireless channel in my network because "my router keeps on updating and the cameras connection might have affect it's changes", and, "might be your neighbors connection is using the same wireless channel after some update". My router was not set on a specific channel, it was set to Auto and I live on a large piece of property in a all stone house. I doubt it was any interference but I will try this. Thank you so much JPC.

[steve_t]

Interference is a common issue. Have you got an Android device? If so, download something called Wifi Analyzer. It'll show you a graph of the 2.4GHz networks your phone can detect. Whichever one is least crowded out of 1 or 6, change your wifi router to than channel. Then wait for the wifi to show in the wifi analyzer app. Then power cycle your Arlo base station

[steve_t]

Also, the house being clad in stone might be an issue. What's the signal strength each camera is showing?

[ArloProOwner]

Jan 14, 2019

Give it time....I have 10 cameras (Aro Pro/2) and in less than a year, they all suddenly started dying, and would not hold a charge, I was recharging them every single day and they wouldn't hold the charge for 24 hours.....at $50.00 a battery, this will be  your future.  I have purchased Arlo weatherproof 8 foot power adapters, because of this, and now keep getting the message:  "(!) Incompatible charger has been detected.  Connect a compatible Arlo charger.  For more info, see KB article for Charging Faults. [OK, got it]"  and these are actual Arlo power adapters that are receiving this message, whether plugged in to the outlet directly, or through an extension cord, since the Arlo outdoor adapter is only 8 feet long and too thick to run through a window and still close the window....so bottom line, still having issues even when they are plugged in.....not only camera issues, but the Base station keeps going off line, several times a day in the past several weeks.  So frustrating and infuriating at the same time.  Can't depend on any of these cameras, because each randomly has issues that you cannot SOLVE, as these forums sometimes like to make you think.    So I wish you luck with your 17 cameras.....wow ten is an absolutely nightmare when there's problems...and there are problems every single day.

[Ste_H]

I have recently had the same problem. First charge lasted around 2 months of minmal usage (c. 2 recording per day), Next charge lasted 2 days, and the current charge is on track to do the same.

Will try the wireless channel later when I get home and report back

[jguerdat]

It's a PITA but sometimes it's just faster to reset the system and start fresh. Something weird happens and a factory reset clears it out.

[Bambi24]

Steve-I am a apple girl but I am looking into a wifi analyzer I can use-thanks for the suggestion

[Bambi24]

Nothing is more of a PITA than me pulling out my 15 foot ladder every couple days to switch out a camera. I will gladly reset the system and see if it works.

[Bambi24]

That is a issue-the cameras that are mounted outside this solid stone vault I call home have very little signal strength. I am using range extenders but still have a tiny signal. Does that drain the battery? 

[steve_t]

Arlo uses a closed network only for Arlo cameras. Wifi range extenders do nothing except maybe introduce even more interference to the band. 

Yes, the cameras will drain faster because the radios have to always be running at 100% strength and also it is very likely that the cameras are dropping off and reconnecting after a while. This is a huge drain on the batteries. Put the cameras in the same room as the base station for a couple of days. You'll probably find the battery level drops 2-3% only

[Bambi24]

Hi Steve-my house must be on a Indian burial ground or something because I disconnected the range extenders and synced the cameras with the base station again and 1 of the cameras recorded 3 times when there was a lot of sound and movement all day and the other recorded nothing. I am about to do a reset but I am afraid it will make it even worse.