I Give up, batteries drain too quickly

[guzpro]

I give up.  I am done with using the Arlo Wireless Cameras.  I have honestly tried to accept the oddities I have experienced since the purchase but I am done.  Once again for the 6th time since purchase the cameras chew through batteries almost daily.  My base station has been replaced, relocated it and gone through in the plural of hundreds now in batteries trying to make this work.  I worked with Netgear early on and eventually the cmaeras were stable and reliable.  but in the last 2 months after updates it has gone back to daily/weekly battery changes.  the cameras are in my office 1 7 feet, the other 12 feet from the base.  Heck for the last 2 weeks they have been on my desk sitting almost next to the base.  I have not changed the objects in my office so for months no interference issues or anything like that from other devices.  These things just go offline, no warning and by the time i realize, often within a a day, sometimes hours the batteries are chewed through.  I am a huge netgear fan but I can't take it anymore.  I have 2 dropcams and in the years since i have had them i have had zero issues.  They just run and run.  But I am done spending money on these things.  I come here and read thread after thread of people having battery issues and it seems like this si just something thats known and happens and seemingly never gets resolved.  I am sticking to wired camer'as and am now going to research new wired cameras to replace my 2 Arlo cameras.  What a waste of a great concept.

[jguerdat]

Cost may depend on where you can get batteries but yes, rechargeables cost more to get started. It's a one-time cost, though, that gets reduced every time you don't have to buy new batteries.

They do have ~1/2 the capacity of non-rechargeables so you'll need to pull them more often for recharging. It can be a small price to pay for the overall reduced cost.  Your choice.

[Viking42]

SO i put new batteries in my camera two days ago

it desynchronized again overnight, and lost 30% battery

30% battery in 2 days withotu any desynch warning over email or notification

Again, a huge firmware improvement potential exists 

[jguerdat]

It's not likely firmware-related since it doesn't happen to me and many others. Have you eliminated other alternative possibilities including positioning, WiFi quality between the base and cameras and maybe faulty hardware?

[RLgreg520]

My system has been up for 2 weeks now and battery is in 87%.. I added a new camera and it seems to be working flawlessly as well.

[RayJanz55]

Getting ready to return to the store of purchase for a full refund and go to another brand.  Same batteries draining issues as everyone else.  Not good..  Someone at Arlo truely failed in the R-D testing of this wireless product.  If you own these, you will know.  Take them back. Rechargeables drain in 1 - 2 days at lowest use setting. 

[MikeO9927]

I finally gave up on this product two months ago and bought 5 new Nest cameras.  I absolutely love them and the AC power was really not an issue.  I just installed them close to an outlet.  The Netgear cameras were going through batteries at a rate I could not live with.  Even turned off they drained the batteries.  It's sad that so many people are still buying this product and the product ratings seem artificially high for something that does not work.

[jguerdat]

Maybe because they do work for most people? We have no idea why you had problems because we weren't there and you may not have taken advantage of the suggestions in the forums and FAQs, A sample of one isn't a valid way to make blanket statements and even the number of complaints here aren't indicative of the whole installed population .

[Viking42]

Hi,

I agree, the Arlo keeps loosing track of the GPS locations of my phone, soemtime both are at home and Arlo thinks both are away, My 5 cameras keep randomly without reason eating batteries,

It's time to get away fromt his unripe solution

[CarolB]

NetGear has given me some pretty snarky responses--saying things like I probably hadn't followed their recommendations, and all the trouble I've been having doesn't indicate a defect in **their product,** just in **my system,** etc.  It's NOT THEIR FAULT that these things happen--it's mine, and it's yours, and it's the fault of all the other users who have complained about the IDENTICAL PROBLEMS here.

If I weren't "done with" this product before then, I would be now!

I'm sorry that others are as disappointed as I am, but you know the old expression: "50,000,000 monkeys can't be wrong"!

[Frankdidnothelp]

I have the exact same problem and have gone through almost identical suggested solutions to no avail. I have been sold a bill of goods with no product. If Netgear really beleived in this product they would either come up with a solution or replace the system with something that works. When I spend $500 on something I expect it to work. I have been exchanging emails with Netgear for almost 2 months now and have tried everything they suggested and the problem remains the same. Tells me the problem is with the product. Very Very unhappy.

[JamesC]

Frankdidnothelp,

If you've gone through all the suggested troubleshooting and still experience an issue. I encourage you to continue working with the support team as there could be a hardware related problem.

JamesC

[Ryandieo]

I have same problem i have to charge my battery again and again every 2 week, it is inconvenience to use and expensive. Better use wire one

[rgt]

I agree with firmware issues... i used to leave these cameras for many weeks without dieing. after firmware update, sometimes they don't last overnight... i have a mix of original Arlo cameras and pro version on a pro base station... the pro cameras work fine. the battery ones started eating batteries like crazy. virtually unusable now. 

[bmat442]

Arlo wireless cameras are burning through new batteries in less than a month.  When I originally purchased the cameras the would go 5-6 months before needing to be replaced.  Now I burning through the same brand new 4 batteries in less than 4-6 weeks.  It seems that this occured more often following one of the last software upgrades but this could also just be a coincidence.  I recently purchased an ARLO Q because I could not always drive to my cabin to replace the batteries so often.  I was originally a huge ARLO fan and I am now quite dissapointed.  any suggesstions to remedy this would be greatly appreciated.  

bmat442

[jguerdat]

What has changed, perhaps near the base? Did the base get moved, even a little? Are there more and/or longer recordings and live viewing? If it's happening to all cameras it's likely to be something about the base or the environment near it.

[Frankdidnothelp]

Nothing has changed. All cameras and the base have not moved. No excessive recordings. Not all cameras are affected at the same time. After purchasing a Lanmu power pack that plugs into the wall it still happens but the camera just freezes. Sounds like a firmware issue.

[jguerdat]

I'm not so sure about a firmware issue but rather a hardware one. It will take some testing to determine the fault such as moving cameras close to the base to determine if that makes a difference. Sometimes resetting the system and starting fresh helps. It's unfortunate that you're not in the location to make these tests easier but it will be a necessary part of determing the problem.

[Frankdidnothelp]

Who are you? I have had a thread running with Netgear for months about this issue and you are telling me the same **bleep** they said long ago, and did not work. FYI I have talked with and read about many others that have this same isssue. Unless you rewrite the software, which is the problem, get off my page.

[Viking42]

+1 please go play undercover in another thread

[Angiehamm]

Batteries are expensive and drains fast !!!

[jguerdat]

Not sure who you guys are talking to but I'm guessing it was me. This isn't your page, mine or anyone else's. We're a bunch of users trying to help each other.

If you can't solve the problem with the various suggestions, your only resort is to work with support on the theory it's a bad camera/base/system. Only through an open case can you get faulty hardware replaced.

[pdxatx]

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@bmat442wrote:

Arlo wireless cameras are burning through new batteries in less than a month.  When I originally purchased the cameras the would go 5-6 months before needing to be replaced.  Now I burning through the same brand new 4 batteries in less than 4-6 weeks.  It seems that this occured more often following one of the last software upgrades but this could also just be a coincidence.  I recently purchased an ARLO Q because I could not always drive to my cabin to replace the batteries so often.  I was originally a huge ARLO fan and I am now quite dissapointed.  any suggesstions to remedy this would be greatly appreciated.  

bmat442

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Same issue here,

Generally my Arlo cameras have been working ok since 2015, only needed to change my batteries every 5 months.

Something has changed recently, my cameras are in the same position - same with the base station. Now the batteries (and I confirm they are good before installing them) are buring through at an incredible rate. They are unusable right now, I've just removed the cameras and batteries from them and stored them in my garage until some fix happens.

Arlo/netgear has had it's issues with app updates etc in the past, but it's a product that I generally tell people not to buy these days.

[ctderek]

I'm fustrated as well with batteriers recently. I haven't made any changes and I have gone through 2 sets of batteries in a month. I used to be able to go several months. Something has changed over the past 6 weeks to create the issue. I have not made any changes to any part os the system. This is far from a hardware issue.

I'm in the process of research new camera systems. I was going to upgrade to a newer Arlo system but after seeing other people expeirencing the same issue and no acknowledge of a possible issue I have decided to move on to another manufacture. 

[jguerdat]

It would seem to be a local problem. I have 4 original wireless cameras in operation and battery life is the same as it always has been.

Hav you checked all firmware versions and compared them to what's listed in the Release Notes section here? Sometimes a factory reset clears out some weirdness that is causing the problem. Yes, it's a PITA but it's better than not using the system or burning through batteries.

[larcfp]

I have recharged two new batteries that came with the cameras twice in the past wk. they charged to 100% capacity. They weren’t even ON for 3 days. Turned them on & both now saying 65%!!! This is not acceptable!