Strange Battery Life

[MikeBravo]

I see they've changed the forum website a bit. Haven't restored all my posts that they deleted.

So, here's another one I'm sure they'll dump quickly.

Nearly two months ago I received the dreaded e-mail from Arlo that the batteries in one of standard arlos were tired reading at 15% and it was time to change batteries to avoid an interruption of service. Now two months later, the camera is still working fine and in fact in the past week has gained a charge now reading 24%. 

I guess I'm just blessed, right?

Meanwhile, another basic arlo that recieved a similar e-mail showing its battery level at 14% over has continued to work fine for more than a month and in fact the battery level fell to 3% more than a week ago and it keeps chugging right along.

I'm sure Arlo is working feverishly to solve this mystery.

[TomMac]

Was it cold where you are?

cold can make batteries show a lower level as they sag due to cold and go back up as it gets warmer

[MikeBravo]

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@TomMac wrote:

Was it cold where you are?

cold can make batteries show a lower level as they sag due to cold and go back up as it gets warmer

This is a situation that we have been experiencing since we first deployed the cameras years ago and occurs whether it is cold or hot. 

This past fall when it stayed in the sixties for weeks without dropping much at all a different pair of cameras did the very same thing.

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[ShayneS]

HI @MikeBravo

Have you tried contacting customer support regarding this issue? I have attached the link here for you - Arlo Tech Support

[MikeBravo]

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@ShayneS wrote:

HI @MikeBravo

Have you tried contacting customer support regarding this issue? I have attached the link here for you - Arlo Tech Support

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Shayne,

I have dealt with Arlo tech support enough and experienced the infuriating lack of response here in the forum to all our concerns to know that I would be merely wasting more of my time.

Thanks to a very short warranty most of my cameras are out of warranty and even if they weren't getting tech support to do anything about it has been a nightmare I'd rather not repeat. In my experience, only Dell is worse than you guys.

When you consider that many of my posts highlighting the strange behavior of our cameras are summarily deleted, I have little faith that Arlo is ever going to be willing to embrace us properly. 

I just keep posting for the benefit of those poor souls who might be quick enough to read my stuff before it is banished.

Thanks anyway.

[MikeBravo]

I am pleased to find this last message stil here so here's a follow up that is a general review.

As winter departs our experience with our basic Arlos has been confirmed over and over as by and large the cameras went about three months before we received the dreaded 'your batteries are tired and need to be changed'.

Rather than change the batteries out as is recommended, instead as an experiment we left the cameras to run completely dry and fail.

In each case thus far which so far encompasses five basic Arlos, each of the cameras went about another two months at the 5 to 15% range. As they failed, each one was checked and it was discovered that only two of the batteries were truly dead. The other two average around 3v of life left. Replacing just the two batteries brought the battery strength back up to 100% whereupon the cameras have now lasted another three months thus far and still read between 60 and 70%.

The only exception was a single basic arlo that was a replacement for a replacement that arrived defective which was a replacement for a basic arlo that quit after only a few months of use. This camera worked for two months before dropping down to 40% life and then------the very next morning was dead. This camera only required two replacement batteries and now is back at 100%.

Again, I urge all you folks out there to get a cheap multimeter and check the batteries very carefully on cameras that report low before discarding the batteries.

[MikeBravo]

As a postscript, I just spent five minutes completing the survey you guys requested at the end of my previous post only to find out at the end when submitting that it was limited to 500 characters.

Clever way to discourage genuine comments.

[Minburn57]

Ah yes.  The max text notification at the 'end' of your typing . . . major frustration . . . 

Anway, my question similiar to the lead post here and a rather troubling issue of late:  low battery readings and 'offline' cameras of late.  So many, and so similiar.  Offline cam, walk up to it and lights indicating needing battery replacement.  Or low battery notification just a few weeks into fresh batteries, the offline until I replace batteries.

Is there something going on with the more recent software?  

On another note, had this system for several years now and I don't believe I've ever had it run seamless for more than a month or so without some challenging and frustrating 'issue'.  On that, some of the more reliable running has been at coldest ambient temperatures which, up here, can be - 30 or more below zero.

[MikeBravo]

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@Minburn57 wrote:

Ah yes.  The max text notification at the 'end' of your typing . . . major frustration . . . 

Anway, my question similiar to the lead post here and a rather troubling issue of late:  low battery readings and 'offline' cameras of late.  So many, and so similiar.  Offline cam, walk up to it and lights indicating needing battery replacement.  Or low battery notification just a few weeks into fresh batteries, the offline until I replace batteries.

Is there something going on with the more recent software?  

On another note, had this system for several years now and I don't believe I've ever had it run seamless for more than a month or so without some challenging and frustrating 'issue'.  On that, some of the more reliable running has been at coldest ambient temperatures which, up here, can be - 30 or more below zero.

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To be fair, our nearly one and half year old system runs and pretty much does on a day to day basis the basic nuts and bolts stuff it is supposed to. What is so frustrating is that there doesn't appear to be a method to the madness that constantly ensues with the battery life. 

As it write this have four basic arlos with low battery warnings ranging from 9% to 24%. The length of service among the four cameras from full battery life until now ranges from two to four months. All the cameras invovled are ones that have experienced the basic average usage that Arlo literature states should have up to six months endurance.

I can predict that of the four at least two will run at 9% or less reported levels for at least one more month and the other two for almost two more months. Then, when they fail and I pull them down, I will find only TWO of the FOUR batteries fully depleted. The other two will have on average 50 to 75% battery life remaing.

This is our major issue: that you can't establish a baseline of reliable service because the cameras (at least my eight arlo basics) don't deplete their batteries in manner as advertised by Arlo and thus adhere to a plan for their maintenace. One of things I have not been able to get answered is how the batteries are paired for powering the cameras as I have been told more than once that the camera uses two batteries at a time until depleted then switches to the other two. 

So, how are they paired? Side by side? Diagonally? Why (in my eight cameras at least) aren't the batteries being depleted fully?

So far, weather doesn't seem to be playing a significant factor in battery usage. In fact, the cameras performance in really cold weather has been better than expected-----except for the strange depletion issues noted.

Like the rest of us, we have had to get used to the subpar motion detection and severe lag in camera response when viewing them live.

[MikeBravo]

Well, things have finally come full circle.

Of our seven original Arlo basic cameras, the one farthest from our home that records the least, only on rare occasions, perhaps four of five recordings in months, has fallen victim to the strange battery issues. 

Last night the battery level read 88%. This morning I get an email from Arlo that the batteries are tired and reading only 6%! So it's offcial, all seven have suffered this same bizarre battery life issue. 

This camera is the least frustrating so far as new batteries were installed in September of last year, so its had a nice long run----though its only recorded a handful of times.

Still, 88% to 6% overnight. Meanwhile, as usual, I have three Arlo basics that have been reading, 1, 7, and 9% respectfully and have been at that level for a month.

I suppose with with Arlo Pro 2 out, their own doorbell and security systems rolling out (Costco is already discounting the Arlo Pro 2 so I guess it's not moving well) they aren't that concerned with firmware updates for the basics. 

[Minburn57]

well, one of my cameras affected now has the troubling pink hue as of a day back . . . . . . . .

Simply put up with all of this and wait for the damn system to die . . . . 

Again, not 2 months over the years of ownership problem free . . . . . 

[MikeBravo]

Continuing my narrative which I hope will help some of my fellow users, I just had a camera which had been running for nearly seven months with very few recordings go from 40% over night down to 2%.  This camera unlike most others, failed the very next day. 

Taking it down, as is now my habit, I checked the batteries and one of the four still read 3.11v. The other thee batteries showed levels between 2.85v and 2.90v. I sure would like to know what the failure threshold really is in terms of volts remaining, but I guess Arlo won't be releasing that info anytime soon.

Anyway, I replaced those three batteries with used batteries reading from 2.98v to 3.01v. The camera is back up reading 88%.

More work, but saving money as these batteries even from the BatteryJunction are a buck each. 

Meanwhile, as has become commonplace, I have five other cameras reported by Arlo as needng to have their batteries replaced, with battery life ranging from 20% to 24% which have been at the level now for about six weeks recording a couple of times each day. 

All that being said and no matter who annoyed I am with the shortcommings of the Arlo system as it stands, with no better alternative, at least at this time, I wouldn't want to do with out what I have.

[MikeBravo]

Another chapter in the saga:

Yet another arlo basic camera, one that I have not detailed here thus far, showed 82% battery life last night and this morning reported as being offline. No e-mail from Arlo that the batteries were 'tired'. Just went offline.

This camera is located in a tree about twenty five feet from our house and about thirty five feet from our Arlo PRO base station.  Got the ladder out, pulled it down, and checked the batteries. Two batteries read fully charged with the basic battery tested and each with about 3.14v remaining confirming hefty battery life remaining. 

Two batteries read 'weak' at 2.89v which is not really dead. 

Replaced two batteries and the camera reads 98%. Good.

Back up the ladder, mount the camera and try to connect to Arlo with my high performance Google Pixel 2. No luck. So, down the ladder and a slow walk back to the house and into the garage and the app connects. The camera needs to be adjusted. 

A slow walk back, get up the ladder to the camera and the app freezes. Perfect. Adjust the camera by sight.

Back down the ladder, the slow walk back to the garage. The app has disconnected. Connect again and the camera needs further adjustment. The slow walk back, the app freezes, and the again a sight adjustment. 

Back down the ladder, the walk back, the app disconnects. Reconnect in the garage and it still needs adjustment but by this time I give up fearful that I might take a hammer in hand and smash everything Arlo.

Is it the Arlo Pro base station? Its not the WiFI as my phone keeps a WiFi connections at two hundred feet from my house. Is it the still junky phone app. That's my bet.

No Arlo Ultimate for me.

[Sandif16105]

I’ll jump in on this conversation because I use rechargeable batteries and have brand new ones. I started having the issue in the winter w/one particular camera draining and then the other. I made all the changes necessary had never had issues, replaced batteries etc. The most interesting thing is the drain was happening when the cameras were off. This week I pulled the one camera down, recharged it on Monday, put in the house and it has never been turned on. The battery is at 71% and is sitting 10’ from the base unit.
I searched the forum and found that just about a year ago they knew there was a battery drain issue and were working on a fix in QA and would post the solution. It has been closed and you cannot find the answer/solution. If someone can find it please let me know.

[MikeBravo]

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@Sandif16105 wrote:
I’ll jump in on this conversation because I use rechargeable batteries and have brand new ones. I started having the issue in the winter w/one particular camera draining and then the other. I made all the changes necessary had never had issues, replaced batteries etc. The most interesting thing is the drain was happening when the cameras were off. This week I pulled the one camera down, recharged it on Monday, put in the house and it has never been turned on. The battery is at 71% and is sitting 10’ from the base unit.
I searched the forum and found that just about a year ago they knew there was a battery drain issue and were working on a fix in QA and would post the solution. It has been closed and you cannot find the answer/solution. If someone can find it please let me know.

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Thanks for replying. 

Oddly enough, this is the one problem I HAVEN'T had with my Arlo Pro cameras. As others have already written about, my rechargable Pro camera batteries don't last as long as the basic Arlo CR123's, usually not more than four months even with very little recording, but the draining is pretty uniform. As I have written about before and may in some way have a tangential bearing on you issue, like the basic arlos my rechargable Pros will almost always discharge down to 10%-15% triggering an e-mail to replace them-----but then go on working for six weeks or more. Just recently I posted about a basic arlo that went overnight from 82% battery life to complete failure the very next day despite having two nearly fully charged batteries out of four.

I continue to wonder if these issues are caused by bad or poorly programmed firmware (two of my Pros which I changed batteries just updated) or an inherent flaw in the design the Arlo refuses to own up to. 

[Sandif16105]

Good thought. I had been using the disposal batteries forever and then switched to the rechargeable ones about 2 years ago. Never had a problem until around November then it started. As I mentioned in my previous post, this issue seems to be something they knew was a problem. I sent a direct email to an Arlo individual yesterday whose name was on the closed post who mentioned they were testing a fix last summer. I’ll let you know if I hear from her and get an answer on this issue.