Arlo System & Battery Life

[teds97]

Hi,

I've been an Arlo user since the beginning.  I have bought 6 cameras (2 Arlo Pros) and used the system for 3-4 years.  Lately, I'm finding most of my interaction with my Arlo system is that I have to update all my batteries monthly.  I spend more time charging batteries than I do watching videos.  With all this buzz around Ring I'm thinking about switching away but I've made a big investment in Arlo and I like the completely wirefree features.  Mostly I use my cameras outside the house but I'm tired of recharging batteries so much.  What happened to 6 months of battery life?  Also, I now have a SmartThings system in my home and my Arlo doesn't seem to work well with it.  Any tips?  I'm tired of the battery management thing and I want the benefits of all the new camera features.

[jguerdat]

Spec battery life is possible ith <5 minutes total recording and live viewing a day. Camera location can make a difference, too, with distance, walls, ductwork, mirrors and other metallic objects in the path as well as 2.4GHz interference degrading the signal, making the cameras work harder to maintain connection with the base.

[brh]

@teds97

Are you opposed to using solar panels? All of my outdoor cameras are hard to reach and take down, so I put all of them on solar panels so that I could simply forget about them.

The Smartthings mode in Arlo has been wacky for a while now so I never use it. I leave my cameras in the Armed mode all the time and control them with Smartthings routines. If you have specific problems using the two systems together, let me know and I will try to answer your questions or send me a private message.

Brian