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...

[yellowraregt]

I purchased 8 batteries to "try".  And not 1 fits correctly!  I have torn the skin on all 8 of them trying to get them to fit in the camera.  Not too mention, they do not work when I close the top.  The only reason I can think is because Of the tabs on the + end of the connectors on the cover and from what I see, they will not touch those connectors.  I'm not saying that these are new additions either...but I thought it was worth mentioning in my last post.  I have compared the Nitecores to the regular batteries and the + on the Nitecore seems a little recessed compared to the disposable.  I'm not saying Netgear changed Arlo!!  Nitecore may have changed their specs!  

[alganon]

---

yellowraregt wrote:

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. 

---

That's exactly what I found when I got replacement cameras , the Olight batteries that had fit and worked perfectly in my original cameras fit but would not make contact . I pried the + tabs up a smidge and bingo they all work now . I notoced the elevated tabs on each side of the contact and tried to pare them down a bit by scraping with an exacto but the plastic is tough and the contact plate slides in the actual closure lid so prying the contacts was the path of least resistance , and worked .

IMHO this is another example of a company spending time and money to prevent innovation / improvement instead of vise versa .

Alg

[alganon]

---

yellowraregt wrote:

I purchased 8 batteries to "try".  And not 1 fits correctly!  I have torn the skin on all 8 of them trying to get them to fit in the camera.  Not too mention, they do not work when I close the top.  The only reason I can think is because Of the tabs on the + end of the connectors on the cover and from what I see, they will not touch those connectors.  I'm not saying that these are new additions either...but I thought it was worth mentioning in my last post.  I have compared the Nitecores to the regular batteries and the + on the Nitecore seems a little recessed compared to the disposable.  I'm not saying Netgear changed Arlo!!  Nitecore may have changed their specs!  

---

In my case the Olight batteries fit and worked fine in my original cameras , it was only when I got replacement cameras that they would not make contact . I didn't have the replacement and original cameras side by side to check for mods . Perhaps someone who has added to their fleet recently could check to see if the contact plate design has been altered .

Alg

[trader]

I had some Eastshine rechargeables that didn't seem to work because of the top not touching the connectors as well.  I fixed this pretty easily by placing a folded piece of tin foil across the top of the casing and then closing the lid.  Works fine after that.

I have about 30 Eastshine rechargeables and all mine fit fine.  The only issue I've had are with the + side of the batteries being too short so that they don't necessarily touch the connector.  But as I indicated, this is easily solved if you are willing to add some tin foil into the process. . .

Hope this helps.

[Stephngeorge]

Would it be possible to attach a picture of the tabs. Im hoping that being in Australia I bought old stock and dont have the new tabs 🙂 I won't have the Eastshines for another two weeks.

[RobertRosal]

So here's a brief summary of the rechargeables I am currently using, see my list at the bottom.  I have been rotating my batteries now for a while and getting consistent results.

All the batteries I have tested seem to last a few days apart from each other.  With some lasting longer and some less.

It seems that all the batteries I listed below worked without any issues, I know MichaelRogers did not have great results with the SolarForce batteries he has tested, but with the batch I have, they last as long as the EastShines, actually a few days longer, with my usage. So that tells me that SolarForce QA control is not the best (I got lucky).  I would stick with the EastShines or the others on my list!

I'd like to thank MichaelRogers for all his thourough testing!

• EagleTacs
• Olights
• NiteCores
• EastShines
• SolarForce

[Schorschi]

---

alganon wrote:

---

IMHO this is another example of a company spending time and money to prevent innovation / improvement instead of vise versa .

---

I don't know if that is a valid assumption to make. 

They possibly are sourcing the battery holders from a different manufacturer, and the measurements are tighter than before. If they really wanted to lock out owners who use rechargeable batteries, they wouldn't have accommodated their higher voltages and calibrated the battery gauges to work with them.

Remember, one-way batteries are 3V, rechargeables 3.7V.

[lifebeginsafter]

how many days/months did the batteries last and what were the settings?

[Paul_FCCL]

---

Schorschi wrote:

---

alganon wrote:

---

IMHO this is another example of a company spending time and money to prevent innovation / improvement instead of vise versa .

---

I don't know if that is a valid assumption to make. 

They possibly are sourcing the battery holders from a different manufacturer, and the measurements are tighter than before. If they really wanted to lock out owners who use rechargeable batteries, they wouldn't have accommodated their higher voltages and calibrated the battery gauges to work with them.

Remember, one-way batteries are 3V, rechargeables 3.7V.

---

Not sure about that.......it was done so for a purpose. Might be a first step to prevent use of rechargeables.

Hope not but very skeptical.

[RobertRosal]

Look for MichaelRogers posts.  He has posted detailed results and I believe you can find the information you are looking for there.

[sateeshil]

Hi

[MichaelRogers]

FYI - Just a quick update on my 4 ultra-low use cameras (between 0 and .38 minutes per day) using Eastshine batteries.  They've been in place for 81 days, and are on pace for betwen 111-123 days (or 3.6 - 4.0 months).

[MichaelRogers]

FYI - Just an update on my 3 Eagletac cameras in the spec use (except highest recording quality) range.  2 out of 3 just had the low battery warning (15%), so I'll change them soon.  They've been in place for 53 days with an expected life of 62-77 days.

The Eagletacs in camera 8 have gotten more action than the other two cameras, but are also the least discharged...  Go figure...

[Pet1700]

Could be the signal strength... Lower signal strength causes higher battery usage...

[lifebeginsafter]

seems that the eastshines are the way to go?

[MichaelRogers]

Robert,

I had 3 more batches (of 4) SolarForce batteries I sourced through Ebay, that came looking newer and better packaged than my first batch of SolarForce batteries (that I had disappointed results with).  I had set these Solarforce aside for flashlights figuring I wouln't bother using them in my Arlos again.  Given your stated results with the Solarforce, I decided to test these new 12 solarforce batteries, and I get much better results than my first batch.  Of the 12 Solarforce tested, I got the following:

My mAh results were:

1) The best 4 ranged from 677-689 mAh

2) The next best 4 ranged from 656-674 mAh

3) The last 4 were in the 607-609 mAh range.

In any regards, these top 4 Solarforce batteries (677-689) would compare favorably to my test results for the 16 Eastshines I tested (which averaged 686 with a max and min of 706-678, respectively) and would be among the best of what I tested for the 48 Eagletacs (which averaged  674 with a max and mid of 726 and 640, respecively).

However, 4 out of 12 of the Solarforce batteries were in the 607-609 range, which is well below any of the 48 Eagletacs, 16 of the Eastshines I tested, and 12 of the Nitecores I tested.

In any regard, I think you're right that quality control is an issue for Solarforce batteries, but they do have some with serious juice if you happen to get the pick of the litter.

Regardless of the brand you use, it's not a bad idea to get a charger that also has a tester with it and make sure you group your 4 best together and use those in the camera where it's the biggest pain in the ass to change batteries...

If you have 3 batteries that are 700 mAh, but the 4th is 500 mAh, the life you should expect is about the same as what you'd get by grouping four 500 mAh batteries together.  The battery life of the camera is really weakest link dependant.  On this front, I've had a combination of high mAh and a relatively tight spread between best and worst for Eastshines.  To me, that makes Eastshines the most consistent bet.

---

RobertRosal wrote:

So here's a brief summary of the rechargeables I am currently using, see my list at the bottom.  I have been rotating my batteries now for a while and getting consistent results.

All the batteries I have tested seem to last a few days apart from each other.  With some lasting longer and some less.

It seems that all the batteries I listed below worked without any issues, I know MichaelRogers did not have great results with the SolarForce batteries he has tested, but with the batch I have, they last as long as the EastShines, actually a few days longer, with my usage. So that tells me that SolarForce QA control is not the best (I got lucky).  I would stick with the EastShines or the others on my list!

I'd like to thank MichaelRogers for all his thourough testing!

• EagleTacs
• Olights
• NiteCores
• EastShines
• SolarForce

---

[RobertRosal]

Thanks for testing more batches of SolarForce, it is definitely what I thought, Quality Control for SolarForce rechargeables cannot be relied on.

Since the batch I have run very well.  I'll be keeping them and it will be my first and last batch of SolarForce rechargeables.  I got lucky!

Thanks again for your testing!

[TomMac]

---

MichaelRogers wrote:

If you have 3 batteries that are 700 mAh, but the 4th is 500 mAh, the life you should expect is about the same as what you'd get by grouping four 500 mAh batteries together.  The battery life of the camera is really weakest link dependant.

---

Yes..kudos given.... thanks for bringing this up again as it was mentioned over a year ago in the posts...

ALWAYS group you batteries in batches to get the best results... if you don't have a charger that can read actual capacity, then charge up the batteries full and the NEXT day, use a volt meter and group by resting voltage.

Then mark the outside with a sharpie.

[Paul_FCCL]

Does the Nitecore D4 measure actual capacity?

Thanks

[MichaelRogers]

No, the D4 does not. I use this Opus charger/tester (linked here on Amazon: BT-C3400 Universal Battery Charger Analyzer Tester for Li-ion NiMH NiCd rechargeable batteries https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NR77SL2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_z6.9xbEV3YH2E)

It tests the battery mAh in a full charge or discharge cycle. It also had a reconditioning setting that runs an older battery through a full cycle a few times, and somehow (purportedly) manages to reset its capacity to its highest possible level.

[Paul_FCCL]

Thanks for the info, very appreciated.

[supaflyz]

You guys have any experience with Keeppower?  I'm thinknig of getting 700mAh rechargeable for my cameras.  I have used keeppower before for my fenix headlight.  They work great, but I want something for my arlo cameras. 

[TomMac]

Just be very careful with the purchase... check the measurements of the cell compared to OEM primary types.

Some just don't fit in Arlo as there are allowable manf tolerances

[Paul_FCCL]

MichaelRogers:

What about the v reading? When batteries are placed in charger, you get a v reading displayed, say 3.95v as compared to other units displaying 3.70v. Shouldn't that also give you an approximate idea of which unit has discharged faster than the other, considering they were both fully charged at 4.20v.

I understand that isn't the same as battery capacity.......however it's still a good indication of which unit is weaker?

Thanks.

Paul

[TomMac]

---

Paul_FCCL wrote:

What about the v reading? When batteries are placed in charger, you get a v reading displayed, say 3.95v as compared to other units displaying 3.70v. Shouldn't that also give you an approximate idea of which unit has discharged faster than the other, considering they were both fully charged at 4.20v.

---

If all you have is a voltmeter, than that's better than nothing.... Most of my cells come out within 2/10s of a volt when pulled.

But, if your doing so , I would test one day after a full charge ( resting voltage ) and then right after you open the camera and remove the batteries ( as they can recoup V a bit when removed )

Obv, group the closest 4