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Solar Charger for Ultra 2. Will they keep cameras fully charged? Any drawbacks?
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I'm considering buying an Ultra 2 system. I don't want to have to tend to battery charging and changing. Can anyone talk to me about the effectiveness of the Solar Chargers? Can I realistically expect them to keep the cameras fully charged at all times? Are there any drawbacks to the Solar Chargers, and if so, what are they. Thanks.
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Well, solar charges have both pluses and minuses - see the Internet for advantages and disadvantages - and those used with Arlo are no different. It's also difficult to say one thing or another, as it really depends on individual cases.
So, other than what I said above, I'm not sure what else you expect us to say here...
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@booxman wrote:
I'm considering buying an Ultra 2 system. I don't want to have to tend to battery charging and changing. Can anyone talk to me about the effectiveness of the Solar Chargers? Can I realistically expect them to keep the cameras fully charged at all times? Are there any drawbacks to the Solar Chargers, and if so, what are they. Thanks.
I agree with @Edinburgh_lad1 that the answers depend on your specific setup.
I have one Ultra connected to a solar panel. The panel is shaded by tree leaves during part of the day for much of the year. In my specific situation, the panel reduces the number of times I need to use a charger, but it doesn't fully eliminate it.
Sometimes there is just too much activity captured by that particular camera, so the panel isn't enough. Other times, it is weather-related (in particular, for safety reasons, the camera won't charge if the temp is too low).
My other cameras aren't in places where panels would be useful (too much shade there, or no good spot to mount the panels).
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Thanks, StephenB. Your reply is very helpful. I would like a system that never required changing the batteries. I guess that's not realistic. Battery changing is acceptable if the camera is easily accessible, like outside a window, but restricting camera placement to windows is limiting. If putting cameras where they are most effective would require a ladder to access them, battery changing would be too much work.
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@booxman wrote:
If putting cameras where they are most effective would require a ladder to access them, battery changing would be too much work.
FWIW, it is important to be able to reach the cameras fairly easily (taking winter into account). I need a step stool to reach some of mine, but not a ladder. And the ones that do need a step stool are in spots that aren't icy in winter.
Of course you do need to consider theft of the cameras (though I've never had that happen). I think security mounts of some kind are a better option for protection against theft than putting them somewhere inaccessible.
If there are outlets nearby, you could use an outdoor charger instead of a panel.
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