Useful tip for those not wanting to climb ladders

[MichaelRogers]

(Posted on wrong board initially)

Most of my cameras are mounted 3-4 feet out of my reach on the silver magnet ball mounting mechanism. I'm not old or decrepit, yet the thought of climbing a ladder up to 10 times every few months to change batteries gave some discomfort. It's just a matter of time before I hurt myself... So I went out and ordered one of those reach extenders (51 inches) not knowing if it would be strong enough to pull the Arlo camera off the magnetic mount. In any regard, it arrived yesterday and it worked beautifully. The strong gripper is even precise enough to manipulate the cameras aim pretty well and all without having to climb a ladder.

I posted a link to the product I bought below (51 inch reach), but I suspect other similar ones probably would work fine.

Unger Nifty Nabber Extension Arm with Claw, 51 Inches, Black/Green (NN140) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KPUAN6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3vXyxbJD2Q26G

[jguerdat]

Huh.  Hadn't thought of that.  I have one from years ago that I'll try.  Thanks for the tip!

[RobertRosal]

That's a great idea!

[MichaelRogers]

I ordered a second gripper (different product) for a different floor, and this "Grip 'n Grab" probably has a little better functionality given its shape and the shape of the Arlo cameras. In terms of grabbing, it's no different, but it's a little easier to aim or manipulate the camera with this one.

Ettore 49150 Grip 'n Grab Reach Tool, 50-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KUBWZ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Q7Qzxb0BHDBPB

[MichaelRogers]

I just changed 8 camera batteries in about 15 minutes doing this. No ladder or sweat. Re-aiming all cameras with the gripper was also breeze.

It makes the OEM vs rechargeable decision much easier.