Battery Issues Continue......

[MikeBravo]

I have not been seeing much here about battery life lately. I'm wondering if everyone has just given up complaining or I'm just the unlucky soul to have so much trouble. In my case, things continue to get stranger.

Three weeks ago three of my cameras went orange showing 16%, 14%, and 12% respectively. I received the obligatory e-mail notifications----but then I just watched and waited. Three weeks later two of the cameras failed. In one camera, all the batteries showed as having a good, solid charge on my basic battery tester and averaged about 2.84v on the multimeter. I decided that since that one was mounted high up, I would bite the bullet  and put all new batteries in. 

A few hours later, a second one failed. When I checked that one, three of four batteries showed a solid charge on the basic tester and averaged 3.05v on the multimeter. What? One battery actually showed as being weak and was discarded. I put the three old batteries back in with a new one and now two hours later the camera still reads 96%.

As I have been saying, I'm happy to not have to buy batteries, but am getting discouraged at the erratic nature of the camera's battery use and reporting. 

With the end of the original one year warranty approaching I am dredding having to return four of the original cameras at one time.

[TomMac]

First, at 2.84 v the cells in Arlo camera are basicly dead...

New batteries ( cr123 cell ) are 3.2 volts.  When the cells drop to 2.75-2.8v the camera will be dead.

When you install new batteries in, first check the cells to checl voltage ( since you have a meter ) and also make sure all the batteries go in correctly. Then, use the battery door to push the cells down into the camera.

As to the second set of batteries, it is possible you had a bad cell and it could pull the others down... at least one of the two pairs would be bad and overall show about  only 50% charge.

[jguerdat]

2.84v is almost dead relative to usage in these cameras. The fact that one cell was bad in the other batch points out that the batteries are in sets of two - front and rear. A bad cell causes the camera to read low and to deplete the set not affected. It also points out that you shouldn't push the batteries down in their slots since some may stick and not make contact with the battery door. Let the door do the pushing.

I suspect your cameras are fine - it's the batteries that have caused the issue.

[MikeBravo]

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@jguerdatwrote:

2.84v is almost dead relative to usage in these cameras. The fact that one cell was bad in the other batch points out that the batteries are in sets of two - front and rear. A bad cell causes the camera to read low and to deplete the set not affected. It also points out that you shouldn't push the batteries down in their slots since some may stick and not make contact with the battery door. Let the door do the pushing.

I suspect your cameras are fine - it's the batteries that have caused the issue.

Unfortunately for me, my camera seems to disagree as it is running fine and still reporting 96%. This seems to suggest that, contrary to what you and TomMac have explained, that my camera then must be running on one battery at a time instead of a set as three of the batteries are supposed to be dead. Insofar as all the batteries I have been using are Arlo original equipment, I would have to assume that they are all good especially since both the basic battery tester and the multimeter say so. Finally, as I have been advised more than a few times on how to replace the batteries, I undertake that like a devoted surgeon making sure the contacts are clean and in apparent good shape taking extreme car in the battery placement and allowing the door to seat the batteries.

[MikeBravo]

Yet another chapter in this weird saga. The fifth of eight cameras now has me puzzled. One day it showed up with the yellow battery  warning that showed the battery at only 16%.

That was almost six weeks ago, recording a minute or two each day. 

Go figure.

[MikeBravo]

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@MikeBravowrote:

Yet another chapter in this weird saga. The fifth of eight cameras now has me puzzled. One day it showed up with the yellow battery  warning that showed the battery at only 16%.

That was almost six weeks ago, recording a minute or two each day. 

Go figure.

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Following up, two days later after six full weeks at 16% the camera finally registered 7% and I received the obligatory e-mail telling me my camera was failing. I decided not to wait any longer and took it down. Of the four batteries it contained, one read at 2.98v, one at 2.88v, one at 2.58v all of which on the basic battery tested showed a healthy charge. The fourth on read as weak and was discarded. 

Continuing my practice, I pulled out two used batteries that both read at 2.84v and put them in the camera with the original battery that read 2.98 and the other one that read 2.88.

The camera now reads at 74% battery strength. 

Don't understand but at least I'm saving a good bit of money on new batteries.