Rechargeable batteries for use with Arlo cameras

[Coltsbro84]

I am looking for the best rechargeable CR123 batteries that I can find, for use with my Netgear Arlo four cam system. I bought the green stripe Tenergy that claim to have 750mah power. Six batteries with a charger run about $25. I'm not happy with these batteries, because when fully charged (only takes about an hour to charge with a 500mah charger, from what I understand, it exerts as much energy as it stores, so I'm thinking that these batteries are more like 200mah) but back to the story, when fully charged, these batteries only show the camera as being half charged, with a day's use putting it into the low battery icon, and only lasting about a week.

I have since then ordered four Nitecore batteries, rated at 3.7 volts and 650mah. Now the volts are 0.5 higher than what's to be used with the camera, I'm hoping that this does not affect the camera. 650mah is probably true from the reviews and the steep price tag they are asking of around $10 per battery. I'm hoping that they are quality batteries and worth it, and I purchased a Nitecore charger to go with it. I'll be able to test them out here in a few days and get back with everyone on performance.

I just want to know, has anyone tried the rechargeable batteries that I have mentioned? Or do you have other suggestions?


Tenergy (link here: http://www.amazon.com/Kits-RCR123A-LiFePO4-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B001EYHO9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&a...

Nitecore (link here: : http://www.amazon.com/Nitecore-RCR123A-Protected-Rechargeable-Battery-Black/dp/B00D2OCQB2/ref=pd_sim...

Nitecore charger here http://www.amazon.com/Nitecore-IntelliCharger-i4-Battery-Charger/dp/B005UAI372/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&am...

[alganon]

stuart0870

I'd be interested to know how the Hikvision pans out . I've heard some good talk about them but never seen / tried one . I'm looking for something with an sd card for storage , I have a remote property (Playpen , not my res.) that's off grid and I have a game cam (bambiecam) that I get pics. of the residents with . I'd like to get some higher def. video . I have dsl on the property but it's 2500' from that area so I'd like to have the sd to store the video . I have a small solar setup (80 watts / 12v) by the bambiecam now so with a voltage buck I could give the video cam whatever it eats .

Hikvision make sooo many different cameras it's hard to know which one would be best bang for buck .

Alg

[mikeduy]

Can anyone help I got 4 cam for arlo. Which is the best rechargeable batteries and charger n where can I buy them cheap?

[Schorschi]

I got NightCores from fasttech.com a couple of months ago for $6.07 a piece. They ship from China. Got a NiteCore D4 charger from Amazon. A set lasts me about two months.

[CCNE37]

Have you read this (and other) threads ? There is a lot of very good information and I think your questions will be answered.

As for FastTech, I would not recommend them. I have been waiting for batteries and a Nitecore D4 charger for more than 8 weeks, and no sign of it. FastTech's response is to wait another 8 weeks in case it turns up, which I think is unacceptable.

I will be escalating the PayPal query to a claim tomorrow. FastTech has not even bothered responding to last week's PayPal query message.

I would suggest waiting a few days for Gearbest to get stock of the Nitecore batteries and buy from them - I got mine in 3 weeks, and they are cheaper than anywhere else, especially if you search for use Gearbest voucher codes (I got an extra 8% off), so my batteries were US$4.51 each (delivered).

Colin

[tomleaf]

Just wondering... Did you end up receiving 2-packs of Olights from BH Photo? I ordered 8 2-packs for my 4 cameras and am wondering what I should expect when they finaly ship.

[ctrack]

I ordered Olights from Battery Kunction and I believe they were a small box of 4.

[ctrack]

Oops, Battery Junction.

[Feste97]

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RobertRosal wrote:

Also trying for the first time another protected battery, SolarForce 880.  Been running for 22 days so far with my use.  Still at full bars.  They fit nicely in our Arlo's.

I'll report back on how these hold up.

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Still at full bars a week or so later? 

Are they these ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mark8shop-Solarforce-880mAh-Rechargeable-Battery/dp/B01CJWWHYI/

I can't see any mention of them having IC protection like the Nitecores on the Amazon description.

[RobertRosal]

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Still at full bars a week or so later? 

Are they these ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mark8shop-Solarforce-880mAh-Rechargeable-Battery/dp/B01CJWWHYI/

I can't see any mention of them having IC protection like the Nitecores on the Amazon description.

---

Today is 30 days and still at full bars.  Now this is one of my low use cameras so still not sure how it will hold up.  

I will say though, I use to use TangsFire in this particular camera and it never reached 30 days at full bars, but again only time wil tell.

Yes, those are the same ones and yes they have protection.  You can actually see in the picture, at the bottom of the battery a slight step where the protection circuit is located.

[RobertRosal]

On the camera that I consider my "High Use Camera", it went 62 days.

Another good choice I'd say for Arlo use.

[shojus]

So I received the first shipment of the Olights from B&H and I opened the package to find that they were NOT (2) packs as they were previously listed on their site... They have since redone the listing for that battery to only show ONE battery instead of two and the wording no longer says "2-pack" like it did when I ordered them for $3.95 per (2) pack.  So now the price changed to $6-7 PER battery for the Olights versus (2) for the $3.95 that I initially paid.  I called them and after 2 days of talking and e-mails they are going to actually send me what the listing stated previously!  So I will end up getting (12) Olights for $25/shipped to my door, because of their error.  I knew that was too good to be true!  🙂  I am happy that they are actually making this right because I would have not ordered them from there if I would have knew what I was going to be getting.  I have been on backorder for the Olights for over a month now and I am getting pretty tired of waiting, so I ordered some of those cheap eBay batteries that are purplr in color that were said to be decent early on in this thread.  So far they have been ok for me.   Thanks everyone for all of the great info!   

[TomMac]

Even the 'china' cells that came in at a real 500mahr lasted abot 35 days.....  Once again try to remember the spec time usage is 4 mins per day.

Our previous findings showed in heavy use the rechargables outlast the OEMs in number of mins recorded, while in low level use the OEMs are a better option ( mine make it to 7 months )

[Terry_GT-R34]

I'm thinking (after 2015 reviews) of obtaining Eneloop Pro rechargeables.

These are upgrades from the 4th Gen Panasonic Eneloop

* Rated for 2500mAh

* Rated to give 500x repeat charges
Perhaps I should report back in a few months?

Regards Terry

[CCNE37]

I thought the Eneloops were AAA or AA, and 1.5V. Have they brought out Eneloop batteries with lithium cells that are 16340 (RCR123A) size and 3.7V each ?

I like Eneloops, but don't know how they would work in Arlo cameras.

Colin

[Schorschi]

Eneloops won't work, because the CR123A batteries that fit in the wireless cameras are fatter and shorter than AA's. Besides, the mismatching voltage would be another problem.

[TomMac]

NFG... as the Arlos need crc123/16340 sized cells running at 3.7 v and should be 650-750 mahr

[atotino75]

I've been trying to follow along with this thread.  Did we ever come to a consensus on the best rechargable batteries for the Arlo?

I bought the GTL 2300 maH  (purple) rechargable batteries from ebay last year but they seem to drain quick and am looking for a possibly better set of rechargeables.

I'm just confused because I thought the higher the maH the longer the batteries would last but I see some people talking about an maH of 1000 and saying they are working great so I'm just a bit confused.

Any links or brands I should be purchasing for the longest lasting rechargable battery would be great!

[phattrance]

Have you read the entire thread? Its impossible to get more than 650-750mah out of these batteries, everything else than 750mah is just plain bull**bleep**. Buy QUALITY batteries like Nitecore 650mah.

[ctrack]

I have had great success with Olights. Long lasting, protected, and good price from Battery Junction.

[TomMac]

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phattrance wrote:

Have you read the entire thread? Its impossible to get more than 650-750mah out of these batteries, everything else than 750mah is just plain bull**bleep**. Buy QUALITY batteries like Nitecore 650mah.

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100%  ... can't physically fit more chemistry in that size ( 123/16340) package then about 750 mahr +/-

As a PS... those GTL cells DO NOT have a pcb to prevent over charge/ over drain which helps prevent a possible fire/burn effect that li-ion batteries can have.

[Longrd66]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum, and I have found it really helpful. My Arlo 4 cameras are running on the OEM batteries, and all is well for the past week.

I see that the Nitecore battery is a favorite, and I found the links to it (the best price being from Chinese sellers that take unpredictable amounts of time to ship – GearBest.com with the best price but they are out of stock. I also found the battery Fenix 16340 700mAh 3.7V Protected Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Button Top Battery (ARB-L16-700) on BatteryJunction http://www.batteryjunction.com/fenix-arb-l16-700.html

I am a big fan of Fenix products as I have had one of their flashlights for 7 years and it has never failed (running with a Tenergy rCR123 3v battery). I also have several friends with Fenix flashlights for camping/hiking and they have worked very well for years. Fenix has a great reputation from everything I have read. I know this battery specs are more for the flashlight, but a person wrote a review of it and mentioned that they just barely fit the security camera system (sounds like an Arlo 4 cam set). The specs look more favorable700mAh vs 650mAh Nitecore, and they are less costly at $5.95 each and in stock.

Has anyone heard of any good or bad things about Fenix batteries? I am highly considering buying a set for my cameras and posting the test results. How have you been measuring the battery power daily to put into an excel file?

Thank you

Review I found this review below from batteryjunction of the Fenix battery:

Fenix Rechargeable Batteries

February 3, 2016

I ordered these batteries for my 4 camera, battery powered video surveillance system for my home. I burned through the name brand CR123A batteries that came with the set in less than two weeks, so I needed a durable alternative to throwaway batteries. I ordered 20 of the Fenix 16340 batteries, 4 for each camera and a set to spare. I received 9, and was told the rest were on back order. The batteries took little time to reach full charge when I got them. They're a little larger than the CR123A batteries, so it was a little tough getting the camera's battery compartment to close, but I did it. I have two of the cameras in use right now, as I have yet to receive the rest of the batteries. These cameras are used a lot. I am constantly using the live stream remote video viewing feature when I'm away from home, or if I'm upstairs and hear noises downstairs and want to see if anything is going on. I also have them set on motion detection which records a two minute video feed every time it detects motion. I, of course, have personally set the cameras off at least 20 times since I put the batteries in, which equates to at least 40 minutes of live recording. And then there's the night vision, which takes up even more power. It's been two weeks of heavy usage and the batteries are still showing at over half charge. Way better than what I was expecting from rechargeable batteries! I give Fenix a 5 star rating for their outstanding product. I give Battery Junction a 2 star rating for #1, not telling me they didn't have 20 batteries on hand when I ordered them, and #2, not getting the back order to me timely. It's been two weeks and the best they have done is ship four more batteries that MIGHT get here by the end of the week. But you can't power four cameras that take four batteries each with a total of 13 batteries. I have the cameras for a reason. I need them working NOW. If I had known Battery Junction did not have the stock to fulfill my order, I would have gone elsewhere to get the batteries. Love the product. Not thrilled with the seller.

Pros:

They are quick to charge, they hold the charge well under heavy usage, and the bright orange color makes them easy to find if you drop them.

Cons:

None so far.

[TomMac]

Good to hear they're working for you...

One thing as you found out is the variance in the allowable lenght of the 16340 rechargeable cells... some are just to long to fit well, some don't allow the door to close at all.

Always a good thing to compare them to the OEM cells in lenght to assure they will fit before buying

As a PS; yes the rechageables have proven to record more time ( in mins ) from heavy use than the OEM .  This is really where the li-ion cells shine over primary cells

[Marinatvere73]

Which main battery does everyone recommend?

[Marinatvere73]

I just want one that last a long time rechargeable or not rechargeable it does not matter to me I felt like mine died super fast

[CCNE37]

Same answer as when the question was asked a few posts above - have you read this (and other) threads ?

There is a lot of good information in here, and the answer depends on where you live (eg. you are not going to get EagleTac batteries in Australia), how urgent you need the batteries (eg. Nitecores at Gearbest are cheap, but currently out of stock), how much you want to pay (eg. if you don't want to pay more than, say, $3/battery, that rules out a few of the better brands).

Do some reading

Colin