Solar Panels Are Not Working

[IslaMujeres]

I no longer have the boxes to the solar panels and will like to return them. I am not happy at all with them. I wished they would of put the on the boxes in bold letters. Will not work if there’s more than 5 minutes of activity.
I want to return them. They will not work for my rental property.

[ShayneS]

IslaMujeres,

What are the issues you are experiencing with you solar panels?

[IslaMujeres]

It can’t keep up with the activity at my property. Where does it say on the solar panel box that it is only good for 5 minutes of camera activity.. If that’s the case then the solar panels are worthless altogether.

[jguerdat]

Huh? Nothing anywhere says anything like that.

[IslaMujeres]

It was posted by one of their support team on a previous post. To me it’s not even worth producing a product if it can’t keep up with more than 5 minutes. Not happy at all. My property is so remote at 1,500 miles what am I suppose to do? Seriously.

[jguerdat]

Maybe you should tell us what you're doing in detail as well as what you see and what happens. The panels are trickle chargers for the batteries, not a power source like the AC chargers.

[IslaMujeres]

The batteries are charged and installed at 100% prior to connecting the solar panels. Batteries are both dead at 0%. Now I have to make a 1,500 mile trip.

[pc2k17]

I didn't see the info that you say was posted, but there seems to be some confusion. The batteries, when used for 5 minutes or less a day, will stay charged for 2-4 months (new lituerature says 4-6 months). If on a solar panel they would last as long as the sun keeps burning.

If your cameras are seeing 100's of minutes per day, that would be an issue. These cameras aren't designed, by default, to work that way. I don't know how many minutes a day the solar panel can handle before power consuption is more than the power the panel provides, but I do know I have one camera that see 20-30 minutes of video a day, no solar panel, battery alone, and that only lasts about 2 months. The more you use it, the more you have to charge it. Since the solar panel is a trickle charger, it's possible your cameras see too much traffic for the charger to keep up. Idk, someone with a panel can provide more info.

All that said there are things you can do to limit your recordings and false triggers. Things like try arlo smart or lower sensitivity. Things like this will lower false alarms making the battery last longer.

In your case, with batteries going to 0% while connected to a solar panel, my first guess is the cable wasn't firmly pressed into the camera and/or panel. A common issue we see in this forum.

[IslaMujeres]

They don’t record all day only when it is triggered. I have a camera facing the back yard and there’s no movement there. That battery is dead with a solar panel attached to it.
My initial question wasn’t answered. How do I handle a return when I no longer have the boxes?

[jguerdat]

Faulty hardware must always be handled by opening a case with support here. Use the Contact Support link at the bottom here and again on the new page. Phone and chat options will be available.