Lowest Battery Voltage?

[Geoff]

Hi all.

Had my 5 camera system running for 4 months now.

Three cameras are on three bars.

One camera has been on the middle bar for about two weeks and still operating OK. 

One camera went straight from three bars to one bar and then stopped working. This was in the space of 24 hours.

I checked the battery voltages on this camera and they all show 2.8v. I appreciate this is just a multimeter test.

Would 2.8v be a realistic voltage to stop working?

I wonder why the sudden drop from three bars to one?

BTW these cameras all have the original supplied batteries in them.

Thanks for any help.

[TomMac]

All cameras will drain according to usage; more use = more battery.

4 months running time is within aprox spec use ( depends on video settings  ) and rating is on optimized @ 4 mins per day.

So time wise , not bad.

As to voltage, yes. about 2.8v is the drop out point for the batteries... ( btw the OEM cells start at about 3.24v ) if you look at some of the data for rechargables , its about the same. Don't forget when there a current draw at end of life, the voltage can sag a bit more causing dropout , but does recoup with a static test.

As to the sudden drop from 3 bars to 1.... this has been seen for a while now. From a s/w update that coincided with the adaptation of proper readings for the 3.7v li-ion rechargeables. As long as the email notice is set, you should get a notice for change ( tho it is quick ).

It also could be camera location ... chem in the OEM batteries does start to react to the cooler weather.

[Geoff]

Thanks TomMac for the info.

I guess that a new install will 'use' more battery power because of the setting up, experiment and generally 'messing' around factors.

I did get an email regarding the battery status (4%), but that was after the power had dropped to one bar.

This particular camera is the only one with a reduced wi-fi signal, so not sure if that is a factor or not.

The camera position is outside but under cover. There has not been any undue cold spells.

I have read with interest the debates on rechargeable batteries but at this stage I am more than happy to replace with non rechargeables.

I will try different brands as each camera power fails just to experiment to see if there are any noticeable differences.

I will report my findings in due course to assist others.

Thanks again.