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...

[ctrack]

Not sure if I understand the problem. First I don't think Arlos were designed for continuos use so batteries are ideal for units that can be placed just about any where and can be moved regularly.  For continuous use cameras get a wired system. That said, this site has provided a great deal of information on batteries especially rechargeables.  The batteries considered best for Arlos with the user community are listed and mentioned regularly.  Among the best are those with circuit protection, such as Nitecores, Olights, etc.  All seem to last 3-4 weeks in high use and in regular use several months.  I regularly get 3-4 months of use from a charge using Olights.  Using OEMs I have gotten 6 months.  Therefore, as several users have recommended get Nitecores, Olights, etc, a Nitecore I4-D4 charger and you'll be fine.  Batteries are not an issue, just a fact of life to get a versatile camera system. Good luck, 

[CCNE37]

Ctrack

I am with you. Most of the "problems", "gripes" etc about poor battery life or battery, power, run-time related issues with Arlos appear to be from people who;

1. Couldn't be bothered (too boring) to read the vast amount of information in this (long) thread, and buy cheap eBay batteries that at best don't go the distance because they are "rated" for 2500mAh but in fact probably closer to 300mAh - in spite of the repeated warnings not to do this. And at worst are buying cheap eBay batteries without any protection, and thus exposing their cameras, homes etc potential fires (and yes it has happened, but again you have to do some homework.

2. Buy the Arlo cameras for the wrong application - wanting to do continuous or almost continous recording, and then complain that the batteries do not last 6 months when recording 14 hours a day of video Again lack of research, but of course, that makes them crappy cameras.

I for one am quite happy with my cameras and the Nitecore RCR123A batteries in them. They generally see quite infrequent use in their current application, and I am up around 96 days on the first charge, and should get over 100 days. My busiest camera is sitting on 94 days and has recorded about 300 minutes (roughly 3 minutes or 6-8 detections a day).

I think if people did the reading to decide if Arlo or a wired camera with Hard Drive recorder is right for them, and if it is Arlo, then do some more reading about batteries to get the best information (from real world tests) and buy the correct batteries and charger. If however, people are too lazy to do the reading, then don't come here posting ridiculous complaints about how the incorrect items they bought are not performing as expected - well duh ! (to quote a big yellow guy).

A lot of people in this thread have spent a lot of time and money buying the batteries, testing and recording the data, and then typing it all up here for others to use to make informed decisions. IMO it is just disrespectful to come here and post "I am too lazy to read this many pages, so please just take some more time and give me the quick answer". Some posters have even had the audacity to ask the "testers" to go out and buy a specific brand and test it for them - seriously

Rant over I will climb back in my box now.

See ya

[ctrack]

I agree absolutely. I purchased my Olights and D4 charger based on recommendations on this thread. The recommendations were "spot on". So, newbies, read and follow the recommendations, the work has already been done for you, i can attest to it!

[Schorschi]

I feel like a proper FAQ is probably what Arlo needs. Back in the 90s there were newsgroups. Several had FAQs, text files that every newbie was expected to read before posting to the group. Such a condensed repository of information could benefit Arlo users and forum members. Perhaps we could reduce the number of repeated questions that are always the same.

Expecting people to read dozens of forum pages on a specific topic is asking a bit much, I think. A FAQ could help that. Anyone up for the task of creating/maintaining one?

[TomMac]

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Schorschi wrote:
I feel like a proper FAQ is probably what Arlo needs.

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Agreed... problem is this topic is persona non grata with Netgear...

And not to blame them , as they supported rechargeables in the beginning, till fakes, bad cells, possible fire hazard,etc made them opt for a safer usage of the Arlos

But always, befeore jumping, you should look ,... or read anumber of pages

[CCNE37]

I agree that a FAQ would be a good thing.

I don't agree that people should not have to do some reading (however much that may be) before buying. If a person wants to take a punt and dive into something without checking it out first, then they need to be prepared for the consequences, and probably buy twice (or more often).

If however, they are prepared to spend 30-60 minutes doing some reading to ensure that they get a good outcome the first time, then so be it. It has been mentioned repeatedly recently that people only need to read the last 10-15 pages to get pretty much all the info they need to make a good decision, which is definitely not too much to ask.

I don't know if TomMac still has the ability to edit his posts on page 1, but if so, perhaps it could be edited to refer people start reading at around page 48 ? That would help the people who start at page 1 and get bored after a couple of pages, but it would help the people who start at the last page and don't see the answer they want in the first 3 posts and blurt out a question that has been answered many many times by the super helpful people who have contributed most of the data and facts to this thread.

[alganon]

Brian82 ,

You were right . I pryed the small discs up just a tad , the ones that make the + contact and they all work now . Odd because the same olight batteries worked fine in the previous 4 cameras .

Thanks very much for your advice ,

Alg

[lifebeginsafter]

Hmm, ok, thank you all for the valuable time, efforts, comments given.

[TomMac]

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CCNE37 wrote:

I don't know if TomMac still has the ability to edit his posts on page 1, but if so, perhaps it could be edited to refer people start reading at around page 48 ?

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Wish I did,  but like everyone else... I can only edit for a short time after the post goes up...then it's locked in.

I would go back an ammend quite a few threads as we started in early 2015, and there was BIG software change in Dec '15 that made a lot of info incorrect.

Since early 2016 most of the info is correct tho

[Soto]

Just as an FYI for those looking fdor rechargeable batteries. I found the Nitecore at battery junction for $5.95 each. That's the best price I found. So far, no problems

http://www.batteryjunction.com/nitecore-nl166.html?gclid=CNmfu87rr88CFYgmhgodR-AFdw

[BrianDX]

Hi Liem,

I had a simple capacity test done with them when I first got them.

Came up slightly above stated 650mAh.

Found this picture online.(not my test.) I will take test pics with my batteries when I charge next time.

[pbrykailo]

When the original Streamlight batteries that came with my cameras died, I researched and replaced them with Watson rechargeable batteries.  These batteries were not cheap and unfortunately need to be recharged about every 2-3 months with little to no recordings each day when the Streamlight non-rechargeables lasted about 6 months with a fair amount of use.  I also noticed that the "battery life/level" does not work on any of my cameras that have rechargeable batteries powering them.

So, what is the concensus on rechargeable batteries?  I hate to reinvest in an entirely different brand battery and charger but i also dont want to have to change batteries every 2-3 months or pay for "throw-away's" every 6 months??

[Pet1700]

I hope you are kidding... 2 to 3 months is great out of rechargeables...

[pbrykailo]

Ok, I had unfounded, higher expectations...guess you either plan to charge 2-3 times as often or buy new every 6 months.

[Pet1700]

You missed the point of rechargeable batteries completely.... They will never last as long as non rechargeable. Period. End of story.

What 100% of people use rechargeable batteries for is the simple fact of never having to buy batteries again, and being record for as long as you want per occurrence with highest quality because it won't hurt your wallet.

My cameras record about 10 to 15 min a day at highest quality at 30 second clips... I get about 20 days before having to recharge. I am thrilled with that. It takes me 10 min or less to change them, as I have a fully charged set ready to swap with the batteries in the camera.

I would NEVER buy this system if it was not for the quality rechargeable batteries that are available.

[MichaelRogers]

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BrianDX wrote:

Hi Liem,

I had a simple capacity test done with them when I first got them.

Came up slightly above stated 650mAh.

Found this picture online.(not my test.) I will take test pics with my batteries when I charge next time.

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I tested 48 EagleTacs (average = 674), 16 Eastshines (average = 686) and 12 Nitecores (average = 641).

The 4 shown EdisonBrights would average 674.5, so they'd be right in line with the 48 Eagletacs and a bit higher than the Nitecores.  So in a nutshell, if that's a legit test, that would put the EdisonBrights in line with the others (assuming they have the protection curcuit and are otherwise well made).

More testing is obviously needed as my best 4 EagleTacs were 726/706/702/701 and my 4 worst were 640/648/652/656.  If those four Eidson Brights are median or typical Edison Bright batteries, they're worth more testing as they look to be at a lower price point (at least in bulk) than the others I've found on Amazon anyway.

[CCNE37]

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pbrykailo wrote:
Ok, I had unfounded, higher expectations...guess you either plan to charge 2-3 times as often or buy new every 6 months.

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I am assuming that you are another person who has launched into this thread without actually reading any of it. There is some very detailed information regarding life expectancy etc of various rechargeables - I think you might find it interesting reading.

[TomMac]

To recap for those that are not willing to read the entire thread.....

Oem cells will outlast the rechargeables in a spec setting as they are rated about 2x the capacity 

Rechargeables will out last the OEM cells in a heavy drain situation of high record amounts 

OEM in spec use get about 4 months and low level use almost 7.

Rechargeables about 45 days +/-

Each has it's benefits when use in the proper format 

[MichaelRogers]

For those interested, the following is a summary of the Eastshine RCR123s being used in four (very) low use cameras since between July 16 and September 30 (or 76 days so far).  In a nutshell, they're all on pace for between 110 and 117 days (or ~3.6 to ~3.8 months).  Keep in mind these are low use cameras ranging from 0 minutes per day to ~30 seconds per day.  (Note: The 0 minutes per day camera is used only for spot live streaming here and there and not set for motion record.)  

If you can get 3.6 to 3.8 months out of rechargeable batteries in areas where OEMs would typically shine (>7 months), that's pretty damn good.  

While I haven't noticed meaningfully persistent outperformance of Eastshines (despite their higher mAh) over Nitecores and Eagletacs in spec or high use cameras, the Eastshines really hold their charge longer in the lower use situations, and the outperformace is rather significant.  When barely recording, the Eastshines generally have been draining at a rate of 0.9% per day, which equates to ~111 days of life.  The Nitecores and Eagletacs when they're barely recording are closer to ~1.5% drain per day which equates to about 67 days of life.

[ctrack]

I just purchased a set Eastshines from Amazon.  I know it's been mentioned but they seem a bit thicker than the Olights I've been using.  Snug fit in the Arlos.  From previous posts I am assuming they'll last 4-5 months based on my use of cameras.  Just FYI.

[MichaelRogers]

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ctrack wrote:

I just purchased a set Eastshines from Amazon.  I know it's been mentioned but they seem a bit thicker than the Olights I've been using.  Snug fit in the Arlos.  From previous posts I am assuming they'll last 4-5 months based on my use of cameras.  Just FYI.

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Even if they are almost never used, 4 months would likely be a stretch (and 5 months a near miracle).  To have a chance to get there, see the following suggestions:

1) You cannot average much more than ~15-30 seconds per day (likely on the lowest quality recording settings), so you better not have many squirrels, birds or bugs let alone actual people around.  (You also better not have any/many firmware updates during the 4 month period.)

2) You better make sure to put the base station(s) pretty close to the cameras so that you consistently get full signal bars.  (My camera that gets 3 out of 4 signal bars seems to drain meaningfully faster.)

3) Kindly ask your neighbors to stay off the 2.4 ghz frequency with their routers and other devices.  (I think this is a problem around my urban home where 5.0 and 2.4 ghz are both very crowded.)

4) Don't put them anywhere near where they'll get hot, cold or be surrounded by much humidity.

5) Have your settings figured out before you start the clock and don't play with them after that.

6) If there are times of day you don't want to record, have the scheduler turn them off completely (even if you don't expect motion during those hours).

Good luck!

[Stephngeorge]

I would like to thank you all for the work you have done trying to identify the best batteries. As a result of reading through all the posts, I have bought Eastshine batteries and Nitecore D4 chargers. For those of you that are out of the US like me (I'm in Australia) you can buy them off Amazon and use free shipping to a US based freight forwarder and pay for the shipping from there. Thanks again

[yellowraregt]

Just so everyone here knows, for starters they have now put tabs on the battery cover.  These tabs inhibit the batteries from touching the metal contacts.  From what I can tell, they are made just perfectly so that regular batteries work, but rechargables do not!  I suppose a little sanding of these tabs would do the trick, but I have a second issue as well.  If you buy Nitecore RCR123As, they no longer fit in the holes!!!  I tried jamming mine into the camera and wound up destroying the outside wrapper of the batteries.  And with Lithium batteries, that's not a perfect condition!  Once I did get them jammed in, the cover was next to impossible to close.  So I guess I will continue to use disposable batteries. 

[ctrack]

That's interesting.  My Olights fit fine now, almost no difference with OEMs but EastShines are very snug.  Looks like we will soon discover which rechargeables will work and which do not. 

[MichaelRogers]

Do you mean Arlo has changed the manufacturing specs of their cameras recently to make RCR123s no longer fit or work? It this is the case, it's important people know that before buying the system.