Arlo Batteries Drain Fast

[Mdottrvlr]

I have a set of four cameras. 2 outside, 2 inside. 3 of the four drain batteries and go offline in less than a week. The good camera is outside and the furthest away. It is also the only one not on a magnet mount. This is very frustrating. Seems like a lot of people have same issue but I can’t find a solution. The app says firmware is up to date.

[Clem123]

I purchased the arlo cameras late last year. The first batteries lasted well over 2 months. Ever since then they are lasting about 2 weeks. Does anyone know if this is a camera fault? I have the settings on battery saving mode.

[svchirco]

I just posted a similar problem.  When I first got my system of 4 cameras the batteries lasted for several months. Now 2 cameras have a problem and drain in a couple days. 

[JamesC]

How much activity are the cameras seeing? One test you could try is to swap locations with the camera that is draining batteries at a normal rate and see if the issue follows the camera or the location.

JamesC

[Mdottrvlr]

The camera location doesn’t change anything. The same three cameras drain fast. I just tried removing the camera from the half ball mount and after 2 days the one camera is still at 99%. On the mount it would be about 50% by now.

[JamesC]

This points to the location being the issue. The mount itself would not have any impact on battery life.

JamesC

[Mdottrvlr]

This camera is the closest to the base and the most unobstructed camera. It is not set to record. The camera that works fine is the furthest from the base. It’s outside and has numerous walls and other obstructions in between. It also has recorded over 1000 videos and has dropped only 10% in the same time I’ve changed the batteries twice on this camera. But, it is the only one on a different mount. No idea if this has anything to do with why these POS cameras run through batteries in a matter of days or not, but the base is the only thing that has changed. It’s still at 99% since removing it from the base.

[Dholliy]

There are generic mounts that work great for Arlo cameras sold on Amazon. It’d be worth a try to see if it has anything to do with your mount.

BTW There is also a new highly rated recharable battery being sold now 1/2 the price of Tenergy. I’ve been using them for two days in two of my camera’s, I’ll post back if they are duds but reviews are great.

GL

[alysona19]

I am having this same issue; bought the cameras last November, did not have to recharge for several months and then on the last recharge (which was only about the 3rd or 4th time) they lasted less than two weeks before I began to get low battery messages. Thw two outside cameras get by far the greatest use and are still at 90%, but the interior ones are all showing low (and I have them off much of the time). There is no motion that they are picking up inside the house as we have not been there for a while, and no rhyme or reason based on where they are placed as I have tried moving them around. This is very frustrating as we leave the house for extended periods and bought these because we were told how long the batteries would last. 

[Dholliy]

 Sorry to hear about your battery draining issue.

I highly recommend (tested, proved performance) these batteries.

ENEGITECH 8 pack Rechargeable lithium 3.7 V batteries for Arlo cameras on Amazon, $34.59 for 8 Pack!

[langrock]

I am assuming you checked the forum by now. There are many threads on fast-draining battery issues. The FW issued to the cameras (not the base station) back in July contained a bug that kept the cameras active despite being disarmed. This caused a huge battery drain issue. On 9/26, Arlo issued an update for the Pro and Pro 2 models, but not for the HD model (the original Arlo wireless cameras). The early adopters are getting the finger from Arlo.

[FrescaPop]

I go through four batteries every two days on one of my four cameras. This is CrAzY. FW is the same as the other three cameras. I'm about to throw this sucker in the trash.

[ShayneS]

FrescaPop,

Which Model camera is giving you an issue? What kind of settings/rules do you have for this camera?

[FrescaPop]

Arlo HD.  Optimized video quality. Night vision ON. Detects motion at 93%.  I get about three, 10-second recordings a day. 10s recording blocks. Push notifications checked.  Email alerts not checked.  Except for motion sensitivity, this camera is set up exactly the same as my other three cameras.  Video is often blocky too with this particular camera.  Thanks for reaching out!

[ShayneS]

FrescaPop,

Are all of these cameras the Arlo wire free? Have you tried the batteries from you good cameras to see if they are possibly going bad. This is one elimination we can do. Have you tried to swap positions with another camera to see if it behaves the same way?

[StephenPB]

 The original batteries over a 3 month period had used just 10% (100% down to 90%).

I had my FW update in June.   In Oct.  I had to remove old batteries that had gone from 90% to 15% while all 3 cameras were in the off state over the summer.  I then inserted new batteries.  I now see fast battery drain (4% overnight) when I have the cameras in the off state.   When I keep them on battery use is not measurable over a 2 day period.     So this maybe livable...I am not sure yet. 

Does anyone know what state the camera will go to if you remove batteries for months at a time?

[ShayneS]

StephenPB,

The cameras will be off & display a camera offline description.