One camera killing batteries other camera does not

[jwnall]

I bought the Arlo Security System on July 31, 2017.  Two cameras, base station 8 batteries, etc. Followed instructions and all seemed to work just fine.  On August 5th I activated the base station and the two cameras and left town for a week.  The second day I was gone I received an alert from Arlo that one of the cameras only had 4% battery capacity left, so I turned it off.  The other camera still had 95% battery capacity left.  The cameras are mounted on a cabinet, next to each other but pointed in different directions.  I received no alerts that any motion was detected in the house while I was gone, and there should not have been any.  So no video was recorded by either camera except when I first turned the system on before leaving town, and when I got back.

So one camera appears to be using batteries as if they are going out of style, while the other does not.

Any thoughts or suggestions (other than ordering new batteries, which I have already done)??  I checked the batteries with a multimeter.  The ones in the dead camera are all approximately 2.6 volts.  The ones in the good camera are all approximately 3.0 volts.  So not a matter of one bad battery screwing up the series.

John

[Prolixium]

Is the camera that's eating batteries happen to need its IR LED (night vision) on during live view or when recording (and the other one doesn't)?  I've found that somtimes the IR LEDs on my cameras will stay *on* after I use live view, which results in the batteries being completely dead a day or two later even though the camera will appear idle.  The only way I actually realized this was when I had two cameras indoors, one of which could see the other's IR LED - so I realized one was just on 24x7.

I actually had to manually go into settings, disable night vision, save, then turn it back on to reset things.

I've seen this several times over the past year or so but anecdotally it only seemed to be triggered by using live view in the web UI, not the Android or iOS apps.

Maybe not your problem, but I figured I'd mention it.

- Mark

[jwnall]

Hmm.  That may well be a clue.  I have noticed that one camera seems to have the red IR LED's on, while the other does not.  And it only gives me black & white video, while the other gives me color video.  So when I get the new batteries in I'll check that.  Thanks!

[TomMac]

As a PS...

The B/W camera AND IR illuminators auto come on when light levels fall to a set level.

Since yours are near each other, this prob shouldn't happen ( same light level ).

Resetting the camera is by pulling battery/batteries..

Also BTW, thoise were dead... the drop out on OEM cells in Arlo is about 2.7-2.75v and the cells are brand new at 3.2 v

Glad you measured all, as somtimes one set ( front of rear pair ) dont make good contact if the spring is compressed, so tha camera runs on one pair only with a short life

[Thanks4TheFish]

This will sound really odd but try moving the cameras about a foot apart from each other if possible. I have found that when I have my cameras too close to each other they use more battery. I don't know why but guessed it has something to do with fighting each other for a wireless connection to the base station. The only other thing that makes mine eat batteries is motion. I hope it helps.

[jwnall · Accepted solution]

Thanks, guys.  I think that I have a better handle on it now, and am looking forward to receiving the new batteries (on order) and trying out some of the ideas.

Also read the user manual again, and got some ideas from that.  You don't have to say it to me, since I will say it to myself. RTFM!  🙂

John

[manfredz]

hope you ordered rechargeables (and charger) such as the recommended Tenergy or also good Nightcore (but not the Cheap chinese promising 1600mAh or better.  Unless your cams record next to nothing you'll dind the rechargeables pay for themselves in no time.