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...

[TomMac]

---

Schorschi wrote:
I bought 24 NiteCore rechargeables a few weeks ago. After I charged them with a NiteCore charger and waited a couple days, they all showed exactly 4.08V without exception. No grouping possible. Is that normal?

Will they eventually exhibit different voltages after some discharge/recharge cycles?

---

maybe they're just good batteries.....  🙂

Voltage drop is normal , they may change but if they came out the same then don't worry about them. 

[MESMERIZE]

Thanks TomMac and jguerdat for the info I will do that. One of the cameras is now reading one bar and when it says change batteries I will check voltage again on all batteries I've been averaging about 4.14 volts but will recheck I have 12 eagletacs and 12 gtl's but have been using eagletacs.

[TomMac]

---

MESMERIZE wrote:

Thanks TomMac and jguerdat for the info I will do that. One of the cameras is now reading one bar and when it says change batteries I will check voltage again on all batteries I've been averaging about 4.14 volts but will recheck I have 12 eagletacs and 12 gtl's but have been using eagletacs.

---

In the tests I ran back then.... it appears that the battery algorithm trips off after about a 1 v drop with the rechargeables.

Cells come off charge at 4.2v , then settle to about 4.1v.

When removed you'll prob see in the 3v range.  BTW, I've run them on low indicator for a week then it's offline.

( for me with the different cells in use... I just swap them at the 35 days mark +/- so I don't worry about going dead even in cold weather .. I just add the date of install to the cam name so I don't loose track )

[RobertRosal]

Just finished my first use of olight batteries and with my typical usage for that one camera, I usually get 50 - 60 days on EagleTacs.

I replaced the olight's at 49 days and they were not dead yet.  I replaced the batteries as I had to leave for a 2 week trip and did not want the camera to die while I was away.

Now replaced that camera with NiteCore's and will see if the results will be the same or better.

As for olight's, I believe it is another good replacement for those who are using rechargeables.

[whamarshah]

Is it possible to directly attach an AC/DC Adapter 3V 1.5A to the cameras instead of replacing batteries all the time. I guess this would be a better solution on the long run? Please submit your comments and/or suggestions. Thanks

[Schorschi]

Not out of the box. But some people have modded their cameras by drilling holes into the battery compartment to connect a power adapter to the battery springs or the hidden USB port that is in there, though the latter is not recommended.

If you do want to try something like that, note that not all four batteries are in series, but only two each, and the pairs are in parallel, so the voltage to apply with a power adapter that mimics the batteries closest would be 6V, rather than 12V, though the cameras are said to handle a range of input voltages.

[CCNE37]

This is a very informative thread for an Arlo newbie - thanks to all that have contributed.

Does anyone know exactly what the longest battery that will fit into the Arlo cameras is ?

I have seen them range from a stated 33.5mm right up to 36.8mm, and wondered if there was definitive maximum length without stressing the battery cover to the point of losing the seal or breaking something.

Colin

[TomMac]

I posted some measurements a while back... re manf's variance

Have to get a few people to 'mic' the cells.... One brand , IIRR, was a tight fit.

[CCNE37]

TomMac

Thanks. I do remember seeing a few measurements, but I don't remember seeing s definitive maximum number - was it somewhere in the 29 pages

I don't think I have come across a brand IIRR ?

I was looking at some TrustFire 880mAh protected cells from FastTech - supposedly 661mAh actual as tested, but they are stated to measure 36.1mm which seems a bit longer than most. Any thoughts on whether they would fit ?

Colin

[TomMac]

There have been measurement somewhere with a brand but that was a while back ( can't find it ).

You may be better served with tested cells.... just go with the better rated batteries listed in this thread on page 2 only ( page one has china cells which work but overrated and no PCB )

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

See if you can find specs online of the tested cells online  to compare to the Trustfire cells...just make sure there is a PCB

Or buy them and test tham and add to list  🙂

[CCNE37]

Thanks. It looks like there is only EagleTac and Nitecore batteries listed than have protection (the others mentioned are unprotected). Eageltac seem to be quite difficult to get outside of the US. I have tried a couple of shops (BatteryJunction, LightJunction etc) and they will not ship lithium batteries internationally.

Nitecore appear to be available on a couple of the Chinese sites, but their price is somewhat higher - I think the best I have found is around $7 per battery, which starts adding up when you need 20 batteries.

Does anyone know of a decent source of EagleTac outside of the US ?

Thanks

Colin

[StiflersMom]

Hi Colin,

outside U.S. is a pretty large area, could you be a bit more specific? (-;

Search for geodox outdoor, it's a Dutch geocaching and outdoor shop and they ship within Europe. Got my Eagletacs there for under 5€ per piece last week.

[CCNE37]

Thanks. I am in Australia. It would appear that perhaps only the Chinese shops (DealExtreme, FastTech etc) are willing to ship loose lithium batteries, although even DX have suddenly listed ALL of their 16340 batteries as "Sold out" in the last couple of days, so perhaps something is up there as well ? I have tried several US shops and a couple of European shops, and none will ship internationally (ie. air freight).

I checked out Geodox, and they currently only list 18650 sized batteries.

So, basically I am looking for somewhere that is willing to ship 16340 batteries internationally (to Australia). There are very few shops in Australia that seem to sell any decent 16340 batteries. I found one shop that lists the Eagletacs on it's website and it would cost me around $225 for the 20 batteries I want, which seems pretty costly since I could get 20x Olight 650mAh (protected) batteries delivered for around $125, or 20x Nitecore 650mAh delivered for around $150.

Colin

[StiflersMom]

Nitecore's for 7,5 AUD  per piece seems like a great deal.

Air shipping of lithium batteries seems not so easy - many airlines ban those batteries. Even if Chinese shops take your order - you still have a kind of risk they not getting shipped or end at your customs office. Make sure you pay with Paypal in case something gets wrong - then you can use the buyer protection.

Geodox do have 16340 (they sell under several different geocaching shop URL's - just google  geodox and 16340) but they only ship within Europe.

[Jq]

I bought 4 non rechargeable Duracells lithiums @ $25 (Batteries & Bulbs), prefer not to deal with changing out the batteries often seen w rechargeables.
Does anyone know what's the longest lasting battery in the market?

[ctrack]

I have gotten 6 months out of the original batteries. But that has been with minimal usage. Usually checking them about 3-4 times a day. Very few recordings. Rechargeables are listed on the Forum so I won't mention those.

[jguerdat]

Longest lasting is relative - it depends on lots of things starting with the construction of the battery to how much recording and live viewing goes on.  The difference in construction, rated capacity (in mAH), etc. will be minimal between brand name batteries.  It might only be measured in hours if you can even tell the difference.  If you want to try to get the "best" battery, about all you can do is check the rated capacity.  And pray. 🙂

[ctrack]

Also, name brand means little in most cases.  Some of the best/longest lasting batteries are those that are considered off-brand...example: Walgreens store brand and Fry's branded batteries have beaten  the life span of well known national brands.  Selecting the highest capacity battery and praying is probably the best strategy. Everything is dependent on how they're used. As I mentioned before the OEM batteries lasted a long time (approx 6 months) as have the Tenergy 123s I purchased as replacements. I would personally just purchase 2 or 3 different brands and see how long they last under the conditions your cameras live in.

[MrsD]

I tried to find the most relevant info on rechargable batteries for the Arlo wireless cameras and I stumbled across your thread.  Can you please tell me what kind you bought and if you are happy with them?  There are so many pages and pages of discussion on this topic and I have zero clue about volts, rechargable batters, etc. please help 🙂

[BlueArlo]

I hAve been super-happy with the Insten CR123A Lithium rechargeable batteries with battery charger. I purchased at Walmart with a pack of 6 batteries. I bought 4 sets since I have three cameras. My review is there and it talks about using the batteries with my Arlo. Please give my review a thrumb's up st Walmart.com. My screen name is BLUEST. Thanks and hope this helps you.

[ctrack]

I've been using the Olights.  They have overcharge protection. Probably the best place to purchase them is from the Battery Junction website.  Prices are the best at Battery Junction, at least as far as I found so far.

[shojus]

Check out B&H on the Olights and other brands as well!  They have been the cheapest and mnost reliable source for almost any battery I have looked for.  The Olights that I ordered are out of stock and they are sending me (3) items ( which look to be packs of (2) batteries in each? ).  So at this cost these are a GREAT bargain for a good battery!  

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1227021-REG/olight_16340_650mah_card_olight_rcr123a_li_ion_rec...

NiteCore :  http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1018868-REG/nitecore_nl166_rcr123_battery_650mah_3_7v.html/prm...

Watson:  http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/761844-REG/watson_cr_123a_ii_cr_123a_rechargable_battery_1_pac...

I have heard that the Watson batteries are GREAT as well!  So I am going to try a few different combos to see, but they have very good prices and I have ordered from them many times.  If the Olights are indeed (2) to a pack, that's a hell of a deal for them!  If you place an order over $40 I think shipping is free so keep that in mind when pricing as well.  Hope that helps anyone in search of good batteries at decent prices.

[phattrance]

Hi Guys,

Im thinking about buying the Arlo today (3 cameras) but im hesitating about the batteries on the cameras. Im thinking about buying Rechargeable RCR123A batteries due to both environment and price. 

I Googled a bit yesterday and found these batteries: Solarforce RCR123A 3.7V  880mAh (http://www.handladigitalt.se/solarforce-rcr123a-37v-uppladdningsbart-batteri-p-6482.html  - In Swedish so use google translate). The battery has the highest mAh that i could count so ill guess they will hold the  charge a bit better than the normal 600-700 mAh batteries?

Anyone tried the Solarforce RCR123A  battery? Are they any good? Or do you know of any rechargeable battery thats better for the Arlo? Im kinda newbie when it comes to batteries and chargers, so feel free to give me some advice on which ones i should buy (rechargeable) 

Thx

[CCNE37]

I remember seeing Solarforce RCR123 come up during my searches, and I seem to remember seeing that the newer ones were better than the older version, but not sure whether these are the newer or older version. It may not be the case with these, but the vast majority of batteries seem to overstate the mAh, so I wouldn't trust it as 880mAh unless this has been independently verified. Your link says that they are 34mm long which should be OK (assuming the measurement is corrrect).

A quick Google revealed this review that claims that the Solarforce RCR123A are 36.1mm long, so buyer beware as I think this will be too long to fit into the Arlo cameras. The review mentions that the V2 versions were 721mAh.

http://budgetlightforum.com/node/881

At nearly US$10 each, these are getting quite pricey. I paid US$90 for 20x NiteCore RCR123 3 weeks ago, and they arrived today (from Gearbest), but no charger to charge them yet. They are currently US$10.87 for two Nitecores (free shipping), so just over half the price of the Solarforce. My experience with Gearbest was OK, but mileage may vary. I ordered a Nitecore charger from FastTech over 7 weeks ago, and still waiting, so I would avoid FastTech for future purchases.

[phattrance]

Thanks for the quick reply,

I went to Gearbest and searched for the "NiteCore RCR123" but couldnt find any batteries at all. The search results only shows me chargers!  Do you have any direct link?

Regarding the Solarforce price. Batteries (and pretty much everything else) in Sweden are pretty expensive compared to the US, due to high taxes etc. And most of the US.

Do you have any tip on good batteries (none of those super cheap, no-name batteries) that works well with the Arlo?