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...

[hb13]

It's not that I expect Netgear to officially recommend any rechargeable battery.
What I DO expect is that if their Official Statement says very specific TYPES of rechargeable batteries (LiFePo4) are COMPATIBLE with their Arlo system and they are proven to NOT be compatible... THEY SHOULD REMOVE THAT TYPE FROM THEIR OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF COMPATIBILITY. Simple.

I am almost done with my latest tests with Eagle Tac and On The Way and will submit all my results as soon as the last camera is done.

[hb13]

...additionally, their OFFICIAL STATEMENT should state that 3.6V-3.7V rechargeable batteries are required to operate the Arlo system. Again, that's not recommending, that's stating compatibility.

[TomMac]

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hb13 wrote:
It's not that I expect Netgear to officially recommend any rechargeable battery.
What I DO expect is that if their Official Statement says very specific TYPES of rechargeable batteries (LiFePo4) are COMPATIBLE with their Arlo system and they are proven to NOT be compatible... THEY SHOULD REMOVE THAT TYPE FROM THEIR OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF COMPATIBILITY. Simple.

I am almost done with my latest tests with Eagle Tac and On The Way and will submit all my results as soon as the last camera is done.

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I can see your point too, problem is Netgear hasn't done the testing of the couple brands that don't work well and I can understand their 'official' statement.

If I was Netgear I wouldn't rely on someone else to do the testing.

Also, I haven't tested them either, but i do remember that back when we were having problems with the rechargables, Netgear took a chance and modified the software for the users of ( at that time ) 3.7 v  16340 cells so they would function correctly.  They did and it work ( and worked well ), but I think ( quess) the cams were optimized then for the higher V cells there by causing the problem with the 3v rechargeables.

[RobertRosal]

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hb13 wrote:

I am almost done with my latest tests with Eagle Tac and On The Way and will submit all my results as soon as the last camera is done.

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Awesome, you are also testing EagleTac's, so far I am very pleased with them, since these are protected batteries, I am going to run them till they no longer work on my camera.  Hopefully your results will be just as good or better than mine!

[hb13]

Tests Done-

Eagle Tac 3.7V 750 mAh Protected Li-Ion:
1st Run
Installed at 4.2V
About 10 Days of recording.
Didn't document minutes.
Very High Traffic, Best Quality.
"Dead"/Removed at 3.2V.

Eagle Tac 3.7V 750 mAh Protected Li-Ion:
2nd Run
Installed at 4.2V
Camera 1: Total - 715.5 minutes, 11 Days.
Average 65 minutes a day.
Camera 2: Total - 697 minutes, 12 days.
Average 58 minutes a day.
Very High Traffic, Best Quality.
(15,20,30 sec recordings)
(85-100% sensitivity)
Batteries removed and non operational at 3.1-3.5V.
Area Avg Temp - 82
Area Avg High Temp - 93
(Cameras located in shade not direct sunlight.)

Between both sets - about 700 minutes of recording per charge.
(So for those that only have up to 5-10 minutes of recording per day... These should last quite a while if the charge holds well over time.)
------------------------------------------------

On The Way 3.7V 2000mAh
1st Run
Installed at 4.4V
Camera 1: Total - 381.75, 27 Days
Average 14 minutes a day.
Camera 2: Total - 377 minutes, 14 Days
Average 27 minutes a day.
Got Camera 1 Battery Email Alert of 15% at 7:35am on 27th day, dead by 12:50pm
Got Camera 2 Battery Email Alert of 14% at 1:30am on 14th day, dead by 1:15pm.
Very High Traffic, Best Quality
(15,20,30 sec recordings)
(75-100% Sensitivity)
Batteries removed and non operational at 2.8V, 3.0V, 3.1V, 3.2V.
Area Avg Temp - 84
Area Avg High Temp - 93
(Camera 1 Didn't pick up motion as well as Camera 2 this time. I changed camera angles downward from Eagle Tac test due to car traffic being picked up. Both Camera's views are crossing each other.)
Between both Cameras, the On The Way batteries were able to record about 380 minutes per set/charge.
-------------------------------------------------
Ultimately, it looks like the Eagle Tac batteries are the winner by far. Even with less "triggers" and less recording, the On The Way batteries performed about half as well as Eagle Tac. (All batteries were ran completely and not removed until camera was inoperable.)

I will try another run with Eagle Tac and leave the cameras at the same angles so as to not pick up car traffic. If I average around 15-25 minutes per day, with a single charge getting about 700 minutes of recording... hopefully I can get to where I only change batteries once a month or longer. Even longer if I decrease motion sensitivity, especially during daytime or just have them off while home.

Definitely recommend Eagle Tac. Hopefully the very high usage I reported looks good to you as well. I bought another set of 8 from Lumen Tactical on Amazon. Outstanding shipping/packaging.
(FYI, Eagle Tac are a hair thicker. Not real noticeable until trying to remove them after being pressed down during use. But no damage occurred to the camera. I recently noticed after re-charging the first set of 8 that one of the Eagle Tac batteries' negative end split away and I can see a green circuit board. I contacted Lumen Tactical for a replacement and they are shipping a new battery.)

Additionally, I was able to return my Tenergy LiFePO4. I kept the Tenergy Li-Ion 900 mAh since they came with a Tenergy four-battery charger and I bought 2 orders. So I have 2 chargers and can charge 8 at a time. As for the INCOMPATIBLE Tenergy Li-Ion 900 mAh batteries (which according to Netgear are COMPATIBLE).
I decided to buy a couple flashlights I can use them with. Very happy with the flashlights so if you're interested in a flashlight that uses either the batteries that operate your Arlo that you have spares OR like me and have Arlo-incompatible batteries and want to put them to use... I recommend looking into Olight. I purchased the Olight Olight-S20-XML2 Baton 550-Lumen LED Flashlight, Black on Amazon for $45.
I was so impressed I purchased a 2nd Olight, the Bundle:Olight M1X Striker 1000 Lumens Compact Cree XM-L2 LED on Amazon for $70. It came with a pouch and two Tenergy disposable batteries.
Both very good quality compact flashlights with metal clips, lightweight and BRIGHT.

[RobertRosal]

Agreed, EagleTac's run very very well.

See my post here https://community.netgear.com/t5/Buying-Options-Tips/Rechargable-battery-usage-vs-time-by-type-post-...

[TomMac]

Thanks for adding Eagletecs....

[RobertRosal]

You're welcome!

[TomMac]

I've been ask many time in PM what the Tangsfire batteries were that I tested... I know it's posted in the thread a few time, But I'll post it again.

They are Tangsfire 16340 cells at 3.7v/1000mahr

they look like this;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TangsFire-2Pcs-16340-1000mAh-3-7V-CR123A-Rechargeable-li-ion-Protected-New-/...

They were obtained with a travel charger which is needed for the Li-Ion type battery

In real whole, they really test out to about 700 mahr but still worked well in the Arlo cams, tho of course change out is more often than OEM due to the lower mahr rating.

[RobertRosal]

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hb13 wrote:
Tests Done-



Eagle Tac 3.7V 750 mAh Protected Li-Ion:
2nd Run
Installed at 4.2V
Camera 1: Total - 715.5 minutes, 11 Days.
Average 65 minutes a day.
Camera 2: Total - 697 minutes, 12 days.
Average 58 minutes a day.
Very High Traffic, Best Quality.
(15,20,30 sec recordings)
(85-100% sensitivity)
Batteries removed and non operational at 3.1-3.5V.
Area Avg Temp - 82
Area Avg High Temp - 93
(Cameras located in shade not direct sunlight.)

-------------------------------------------------
Ultimately, it looks like the Eagle Tac batteries are the winner by far. Even with less "triggers" and less recording, the On The Way batteries performed about half as well as Eagle Tac. (All batteries were ran completely and not removed until camera was inoperable.)

-------------------------------------------------

On the EagleTac's my results when batteries removed tested between 3.0-3.3V.

On my other camera I have the TangsFire, running less minutes and it does not look like they will last as long as the EagleTac's, though they are seeing less activity.  I will post my results, but am afraid to run them completely drained, since they are not protected, they may get damaged and if that happens, I won't be able to use them again.

[Aniraf]

Where are you guys buying these batteries and chargers? I can't find the EagleTac ones anywhere.

[TomMac]

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Aniraf wrote:
Where are you guys buying these batteries and chargers? I can't find the EagleTac ones anywhere.

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he stated Light Junction in this other thread;  http://lightjunction.com/

 https://community.netgear.com/t5/Buying-Options-Tips/Rechargable-battery-usage-vs-time-by-type-post-...

[Aniraf]

Ok, so it's the "EagleTac RCR123A (16340) 750mAh Protected Li-ion Rechargeable Battery" correct? Also, is there a specific charger for these? Sorry about the questions, but it is a significant investment and I'd like to get it correct the first time :). Thanks

[hb13]

Aniraf-
As stated in my July 21st post, I purchased my Eagle Tac batteries from LUMEN TACTICAL on AMAZON.
Also as stated previously, I am using my 2, Tenergy Li-Ion 4 slot battery chargers.

[Aniraf]

Nevermind, I found the charger…I just want to confirm the RCR123A size. Thanks again!

[hb13]

Aniraf-
The July 21st post also specifically states:

Eagle Tac 3.7V 750 mAh Protected Li-Ion

[RobertRosal]

Well finished testing the TangsFire, running approximately 3 minutes a day.  Got 43 days out of them, not what I was expecting, thought I would get more out of them based on Tom's results.  Probably could have pushed them to 45 days but did not want to damage the batteries as I do want to use them again.

The only difference that I can see and Tom correct me if I'm wrong, Tom runs his cameras mostly indoors.  I run mine 100% outdoors, now I don't know if that would make a difference and why. Well I charged them up again and going to try another run with them.

So far to compare EagleTac's and TangsFire, with my use, EagleTac's worked far better.  EagleTac's average daily use of 7 minutes and still lasting 50 days is so far the winner in my tests.

[TomMac]

The only difference that I can see and Tom correct me if I'm wrong, Tom runs his cameras mostly indoors.  I run mine 100% outdoors, now I don't know if that would make a difference and why.

Don't think it would make any difference other than more false alerts when using out doors... And yes, only 1 of 6  is currently outside.

But that's still on par with the usage for those batteries... the GTLs, Ultrafires ( at about 550-600mahr ) avg 40+ days and I think my avg use of all the sets ( including Tangsfire about 650mahr+ ) come in at 45days+/-

I opted for a change out at 35 days for all the sets so I don't have to keep track and still have a safety factor built in ( usage and running to low )

The easiest way I found was just to add the date at the end of the camera name when changed.

[RobertRosal]

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TomMac wrote:

I opted for a change out at 35 days for all the sets so I don't have to keep track and still have a safety factor built in ( usage and running to low )

The easiest way I found was just to add the date at the end of the camera name when changed.

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Thanks Tom.  I'll change out the TangsFire whenever I get the low battery email to not damage them and the EagleTac's when they are dead.

I took your advice on adding the date at the end of the camera name and that system is working out great for me.

[junthao]

Thanks for everyone posting on this thread.  I went ahead and ordered the Eagletac's from Lightjunction.  There was a 12% off code plus free shipping.  I purchased a 4 camera system and hope these batteries will work well.

[RobertRosal]

If you plan on using your cameras at spec time, I don't see any problems hitting 55 days or more of use before recharging when using the EagleTac's.

Don't worry about leaving the batteries in too long after they discharge if you forget, they will still charge perfectly and you will have no issues with a battery going bad.

[jguerdat]

Just wanted to update my TangsFire usage.  I just recharged them after receiving the 15% notification which was 93 days (1 day over 3 months). While my usage changed noticeably during that time, I still got ~398 minutes of recording out of them, with many of them in the first month which lead to 2 bars after one month.  I stopped doing detailed monitoring of them some time ago so I can't give more details but I'm pleased with the overall results.

[RobertRosal]

That is great!

[TomMac]

the less we play ( after having the system for a while ) , the longer the batteries last !  🙂

PS... that bested my 63 days with a low use cam....  Sounds great, any idea as to aprox daily usage?

[jguerdat]

I could work out the average but it wouldn't tell the whole story. The first 16 days had well over 300 minutes (i think it was on 60 second recordings, not 30) since I had it enabled for much longer time periods and it would get my granddaughter and friends playing out front a lot. I then changed it to night only, 60 second recordings, and usage dropped to maybe 5 minutes a week tops, more like 1 to 3 with a stray burst once or twice.