Operating Temperature Farce

[TheWraith]

Specifications for the Arlo Pro camera state: -4° to 113° F (-20° C to 45° C)

However, temperatures at the time of this 'error' were 34F, well, well above the -4 lower threshold.  However, at 34F one of my Arlo Pro cameras reported a battery error, "Charging paused - Camera's battery temperature is too low."

This means the actual operating temperature of the product IS NOT -4F.  It's somewhere in the 30-40F range.  A product that isn't charging propertly is NOT OPERATING PROPERLY.

[brh]

Are you using the Arlo Solar Panel? It is supposed to quit charging when it senses the temperature to be at 32 degrees F. Although the charger shuts down the camera still records down to -4 degrees F. As soon as the temperature rises over 32 degrees F, it will resume charging.

Brian

[TheWraith]

No, the camera is hard wired via USB power.

[TheWraith]

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Although the charger shuts down the camera still records down to -4 degrees F. As soon as the temperature rises over 32 degrees F, it will resume charging.

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That is precisely my point.  A product that doesn't fully function doesn't have a "-4F operating temperater minimum", it has a "32F operating temperature minimum".  The product marketting is misleading and incorrect.  If a camera were deployed in an "eternal 20F area", hard wired, it will eventually fail because the battery is NOT charging.

That means the product does NOT operate -4F - 113F as advertised.

It's deceptive marketting.

[brh]

In that case I believe you can simply remove the battery and run it powered on without the battery.

Hope that helps,

Brian

[TheWraith]

No.  The cameras do not operate without a battery installed.

[brh]

Are you sure? See this thread:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo-Pro/Can-I-power-Arlo-Pro-without-a-battery/td-p/1286317

Brian

[skingspan]

Just warmed up here in New England but the last couple weeks we had temperatures below zero and single digits.  I had many times where I observed a message that tha camer needs to warm up befor it can be used.  Usually this was early in the morning when the temperatures were still below zero.  I am ok with this as I purchaed my arlo knowing they were battery powered as batteries don't perform well in extermely cold temperatures.

I do take issue with my arlo solar panel not charging the battery when temperatures are below 32.  Actually sometimes when outdoor temperatures are above 40 I still see a message that  the battery can't charge.  My solar panels are basically useless from November through March.

[brh]

@skingspan

I guess your panel is thoroughly in a deep freeze through and through. Here in North Carolina mine start charging as soon as the temp goes over 32 degrees. Luckily for me the night temperatures have only gotten down th +8 and that was too cold for me. The cold is why I left Chicago as I am a Southern boy. LOL

Brian

[TomMac]

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TheWraith wrote:

No.  The cameras do not operate without a battery installed.

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The Pro cameras WILL operate without the battery installed using the supplied ac adapter and cable

[DaveWoj]

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TheWraith wrote:

No.  The cameras do not operate without a battery installed.

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The cameras do operate without the battery installed. Maybe that's your problem.

I have run 2 of them for over a year now by usb. I have no reason to have the batteries in them since I don't have a UPS backing up the power to the base and I also didn't want the added weight in the camera.

I also believe they are more reliable without batteries.

I got down to well under 4 below here this weekend and both pro's still functioned.

[jguerdat]

There's a lot of things being thrown around in this thread - some true, some not.

As TomMac states, the cameras do work fine without batteries. Also, there's no difference between running on batteries, on AC power or having th batteries installed while on AC power. The latter is useful for power outages but you also need a UPS for your modem, router and base to be truly useful.

As for the solar panels or AC power, when temps drop below 32F/0C charging stops because it's harmful to Li-ion batteries.  It's a safety measure.

Lastly, if the cameras stop working at ~32F, something is wrong. Make sure they're actually not operating and not just saying the charging has paused. If the're truly not operating, it's a hardware fault we can't fix. Open a case with support here.

[brh]

Just kind of thinking out loud here. If the camera does not work with the battery removed, yes I would suspect either the battery, camera, cable or charging unit are defective. Troubleshooting is ususlly the process of elimination and although some of the questions may seem silly or redundant, that is the only way to find out where the trouble lies, because this definately is not normal operation. What I don't now yet is if the camera is brought indoors, does it charge back up normally? If mounted outside, (which I am assuming, because I don't think that inside his house is 34 degrees), are the original charger and and cable being used, or was the cable replaced for a longer one? Was the original charger swapped out either accidentally or otherwise and if so does the charger work on dual voltage, (although if that were the case, I don't believe that that would trigger a low temperature notification)?

I will continue to research this.

Brian

[DaveWoj]

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brh wrote:

Just kind of thinking out loud here. If the camera does not work with the battery removed, yes I would suspect either the battery, camera, cable or charging unit are defective. Troubleshooting is ususlly the process of elimination and although some of the questions may seem silly or redundant, that is the only way to find out where the trouble lies, because this definately is not normal operation. What I don't now yet is if the camera is brought indoors, does it charge back up normally? If mounted outside, (which I am assuming, because I don't think that inside his house is 34 degrees), are the original charger and and cable being used, or was the cable replaced for a longer one? Was the original charger swapped out either accidentally or otherwise and if so does the charger work on dual voltage, (although if that were the case, I don't believe that that would trigger a low temperature notification)?

I will continue to research this.

Brian

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I have 2 pro's both hardwired with aftermarket 10 foot usb cables from Big Lots and the stock power supply but an aftermarket power supply should work fine if you don't need batteries.

I've read countless posts on here where users are under the impression that they "must" have the battery in the camera even if it's powered by USB.

I'm going to take a wild guess that "most" users do not have their base station backup up by a UPS supply. I know I don't.

In that situation I can't see where it would make sense to leave it in. It may not cause any issues but why would anyone want to take a chance.

[brh]

I understand, good point, but when I asked the OP if his camera would work with the battery removed, thus eliminating the battery as a potential problem, he said no, it would not work without the battery. I don't know if he was just frustrated and wanted to complain here or not. It doesn't seem like he was looking for help. In other posts elsewhere he posted about using other cables to keep the cameras powered all the time, so I just don't know. I tried be helpful.

Brian

[DaveWoj]

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brh wrote:

I understand, good point, but when I asked the OP if his camera would work with the battery removed, thus eliminating the battery as a potential problem, he said no, it would not work without the battery. I don't know if he was just frustrated and wanted to complain here or not. It doesn't seem like he was looking for help. In other posts elsewhere he posted about using other cables to keep the cameras powered all the time, so I just don't know. I tried be helpful.

Brian

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I know the cameras can be frustrating at times but many if not most of the issues that users have can be solved by simply reading directions and spending some time using the systems.

I literally spent a few weeks setting up my modes and fooling with the cameras and trial and error solved any problems I had. (some modifications were also needed on my part just like most things I buy)

Having them for 2 days and then coming here for help without making some effort from the user is just lazy.

There are a few superusers like jguerdat and tommac that are extremely helpful and can answer just about any issues, but many of them can be found in a search through multiple threads, research or like I said, just reading directions and common sense trial and error.

My opinion is that these cameras Arlo Pro and Q are one of the best tech gadgets I have ever invested in. I use them every day and they have never failed to record/alert me when something is happening.

[brh]

@DaveWoj

I agree that they are great cameras and I have had no problems with mine.

When someone posts a question here that I don't know the answer to off the top of my head, I usually google the question and usually am able to come up with a solution. This is a great forum and many problems are solved quickly without having to wait for Support.

Cheers,

Brian

[isador]

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DaveWoj wrote:

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TheWraith wrote:

No.  The cameras do not operate without a battery installed.

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The cameras do operate without the battery installed. Maybe that's your problem.

I have run 2 of them for over a year now by usb. I have no reason to have the batteries in them since I don't have a UPS backing up the power to the base and I also didn't want the added weight in the camera.

I also believe they are more reliable without batteries.

I got down to well under 4 below here this weekend and both pro's still functioned.

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I solved my Arlo Pro 'Your camera needs to warm up' problem by removing the battery from my hardwired installation. 

It was -25C this morning and I received the 'Your camera needs to warm up' message. Stayed that way all day. Spent some time today searching for an answer with no luck, until I found this thread.

My camera is hardwired, so after reading this I went out and removed the battery. I can confirm that the camera now operates without any problems. Thank you DaveWoj! I was thinking about removing the battery when it got a little warmer out, but your post encouraged me to make the trip up the ladder tonight, and I am glad that I did. 

The temperature here is currently -22C, and it is going to get close to -30C tonight. Should be a good test. 

[DaveWoj]

I'm glad that worked for you.

When I had the original Arlo (not Pro), the only way to hardwire was to use alligator clips to the battery terminals (I believe there is now an adapter available that looks like a battery pack).

Anyway, even though it was hardwired, I believe the camera would still shut down below -4 degrees because it still thought that a battery was connected.

With the new Arlo Pro, hardwire connection without the battery must bypass the battery sensing altogether so maybe it would not shut down the camera. I was at -11 last weekend and it still ran fine.

If that is the case, It's just another reason that if the user has the ability to run a usb cable to the camera, it would potentially eliminate some of the problems they are having.

I have not once, had to touch my cameras for over a year that they have been installed.

[DaveWoj]

On a related note, Jguerdat stated this:

"Also, there's no difference between running on batteries, on AC power or having th batteries installed while on AC power."

There may actually be a difference, and an important one if my post above is true.

It would be interesting to get results from users who use both battery and AC and AC only and whether the camera shuts down in both cases below -4.

[JamesC]

Operating temperature for Arlo Pro cameras is -4° to 113° F (-20° C to 45° C). For more information, take a look at this article: Are Arlo Pro Wire-Free cameras weatherproof?

For your safety and to avoid permanent damage to your batteries, your batteries do not charge at temperatures below freezing, even if your camera is plugged in. The Arlo Solar Panel also cannot charge your battery at temperatures below freezing. Take a look here: How do I keep my Arlo batteries charged in cold weather?

JamesC

[DaveWoj]

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JamesC wrote:

Operating temperature for Arlo Pro cameras is -4° to 113° F (-20° C to 45° C). For more information, take a look at this article: Are Arlo Pro Wire-Free cameras weatherproof?

For your safety and to avoid permanent damage to your batteries, your batteries do not charge at temperatures below freezing, even if your camera is plugged in. The Arlo Solar Panel also cannot charge your battery at temperatures below freezing. Take a look here: How do I keep my Arlo batteries charged in cold weather?

JamesC

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I'm not sure I understand your response James.

If the article I am reading is the correct one, that only refers to "wire free", which I am assuming is powered by battery only correct?

That is not what I am asking in this thread.

The question is whether the camera, when being powered by AC only and without the battery, will continue to operate in temperatures below -4 degrees and if so, is there a temperature that it will eventually shut down?

Mine has operated at -11 degrees so the Netgear specs are not accurate.

[JamesC]

DaveWoj,

Both articles I linked above refer to operating temperatures for all wire-free Arlo cameras (including Pro) along with their operating specs. Arlo Pro is expected to operate at -4° to 113° F (-20° C to 45° C). This is for both battery and AC. Charging specs differ due to the possibility of damage to the rechargeable batteries in temperatures below freezing.

JamesC

[brh]

Since the cameras don't report temperatures, we don't truly know the temperature inside the camera. For example, I live in an older home and there is some heat radiating out of my walls and windows. The camera is under the eave of my house so it is getting some of this heat. The only way that I truly know what the temperature is, is through a Smartthings motion detector that does report back the temperature. I cannot go by what the weather channel says what the temperature at my home. I have requested in the Idea Exchange, that since the cameras are recording temperatures anyway to determine when to shut down, that they report the temperature back to the app.

The same goes in an earlier section of this post, is why the temperature is one thing outside, but the camera is in the shade and has not warmed up enough to start operating again.

This is not a rebuttal to anyone's posts, just an observation.

Brian

[DaveWoj]

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JamesC wrote:

DaveWoj,

Both articles I linked above refer to operating temperatures for all wire-free Arlo cameras (including Pro) along with their operating specs. Arlo Pro is expected to operate at -4° to 113° F (-20° C to 45° C). This is for both battery and AC. Charging specs differ due to the possibility of damage to the rechargeable batteries in temperatures below freezing.

JamesC

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Well here is what I know for a fact.

The Original Arlo did shut down below -4 degrees and that was with both battery or no battery and hardwired (modification) to the battery terminals.

The Arlo Pro has not shut down below -4 being hardwired by AC. (no battery)

I have never had it running off a battery so I have no idea if the -4 operating temperature is in fact accurate. I'm sure someone here can verify it.

My point is, if it is hardwired only (no battery), then the operating temperature below -4 should never be an issue if it never shuts down.

I can only assume that the camera shuts down to protect the battery and not the camera.