Battery life on rarely used cameras

[pnickel]

Ok smart Arlo guys a couple of questions..how long should I expect my batteries to last on cameras that are seldom used?  I know this is a very subjective question..but in my opinion a camera that is not used should consume little or no battery.  The reason I ask is I had 3 cameras in zones we only use when we are out of town and which had not been armed in over 4 months just run out of battery.  Also I measured the batteries I removed with a battery tester on the 3V lithium setting and all read in the green.  What is the threshold setting on the cameras?..it appears they show low BEFORE they are actually depleted.  And lastly..is a software fix being investigated to lower this threshold so that batteries can last longer?  It's my opinion that Im replacing batteries that still have service life available.

[pnickel]

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pnickel wrote:

Ok smart Arlo guys a couple of questions..how long should I expect my batteries to last on cameras that are seldom used?  I know this is a very subjective question..but in my opinion a camera that is not used should consume little or no battery.  The reason I ask is I had 3 cameras in zones we only use when we are out of town and which had not been armed in over 4 months just run out of battery.  Also I measured the batteries I removed with a battery tester on the 3V lithium setting and all read in the green.  What is the threshold setting on the cameras?..it appears they show low BEFORE they are actually depleted.  And lastly..is a software fix being investigated to lower this threshold so that batteries can last longer?  It's my opinion that Im replacing batteries that still have service life available.

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I forgot to mention measuring new batteries vs old batteries do not exhibit much change in the green range.  Also I understand battery loading and how it factors into battery life and my meter apples a load for 3v lithium batteries.

[jguerdat]

Unfortunately, a green indicator doesn't tell us much.  If possible, try rigging up a voltmeter to the tester so you can see the actual voltage when under load.

It would seem that you're using OEM nonrechargeable batteries.  In that case, they're dead when they reach ~2.7 - 2.8 volts.  Norrmal life under very low use could approach a year (8-10 months) but that depends on the total usage (recordings and live view) as well as WiFi connection between the base and cameras.  As well, power outages could induce battery drain since the base would be off and the cameras would continue to try to connect.

[TomMac]

A real voltmeter is needed.... New OEM cells are 3.2v, when they hit the replace level mine are usu 2.75v ( email notice ).

I do get about 7 months on low usage cameras with the OEM cells, but there are a couple other factors that can influence the life too.

As a PS... i think the new sw release deals with the battery algorithm and readings

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Announcements/IMPORTANT-UPDATE-An-automatic-firmware-update-release...

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Firmware-Release-Notes/Release-Notes-Base-Station-FW-1-7-8-7427-and...

[pnickel]

Unfortunately these do not answer my questions..I can read the voltage on the batteries I remove..what I want to know is what is the expected low voltage that Arlo specifies for replacement?

according to this Tenergy specification see below..the cut off for the battery is as low as 2volts..I stand by my assertion that I'm replacing batteries that still have service life.

and again IS Arlo doing anything to extend the battery life such as lowering the threshold for low voltage. 

http://www.all-battery.com/productimages/lithium/Tenergy-CR123A-specifications.pdf

[TomMac]

If you read the spec sheet posted, draw of the batteries , you'll see its at 45 ma for their testing.

OEM cell coming out of Arlo are doa at the 2.7 to 2.8v range as they can't supply enough current to maintain a stable system. Drop out is not just reliant on voltage, but also the available current the cells can provide.... Put the cells under load/current draw and V can drop quickly

If you want to suck the cell completely dead, then you may need a flashlight that will run till the cells are totally dead

As to extending battery life, I get about 4 months on best video, and  almost 7 months from low use cams using OEM cells...your not going to get much better as they are finite by design and spec calls it as 4-6 months life