battery life

[gillespie]

Purchased Arlo on 7/1/16

I have replaced batteries (using recommended batteries) 4 times since 7/1/16.  Camera is outside & I have not been using motion detection & have it disarmed.  Just using it to monitor parking lot.  At this rate I will have spent more on batteries than the whole unit.  I can not afford this expense.  What is wrong?

[jguerdat]

2 possibilities:

1) You're using live view frequently.  Stated battery life is for ~5 minutes per day.

2) The cameras are too far from the base, causing them to have to struggle to maintain connection.  Moving the base closer by way of a long Ethernet cable or use of a WiFi extender with an Ethernet port would be needed.

[gillespie]

1:  what's the point if I cant's use the camera for monitoring.  All day or night if I need to.  Isn't that what it does?  I need more info on how to with this camera.

2:  If I bring the camera closer to the base it will be inside & I need it for outside.  Again I need to inderstand more.  It seems to me it only works wireless when in the same room as the base.  Do I need to get equipment that is hard wired?  I like the Arlo but can't handle the battery problem.  Any help is much appreciated.  I have read what paperwork came with the unit which wasn't much. 

[jguerdat · Accepted solution]

1) Nope, that's not what it does.  It activates on motion and was never marketed as a 24/7 monitor.  You won't find any small, battery-operated camera that will.

2) I didn't say bring the camera closer to the base - I said move the base.

Your issues sound like you do need a hard-wired system. 

[gillespie]

I told the salesperson at Best Buy I needed a security system for in & out doors & if they had a wireless system.  They sold me the Arlo.  What am I missing here?  Can you tell me what the Arlo does? 

[jguerdat]

As shown in all the literature, it's a wireless, battery-operated system (for the cameras - the base station is wired).  That means the cameras must rely on motion detection to record - all day recording/viewing isn't possible.  Imagine your car (non-electric) using headlights, radio, etc. all day - would you expect the battery to last long?

Arlo does have the Q cameras which are powered so can be set up to monitor all day but they're indoor only unless you want to work through issues to take them outside.

You won't find a battery-operated camera that will work as a 24/7 system.  You need to decide whether you actually need 24/7 viewing or will motion detection work ok for you.

[goingtoapogo]

Reading these posts on the battery life and what Arlo was not designed to do is very disappointing.  It has been 11 days and my first set of batteries is already dead.  Luckily I can take this back to the store and get a refund.  

[jguerdat]

Or set up and use the cameras as the various posts and FAQs suggest.  Battery life is dependent on live viewing and recording - 5 minutes per day gets you 4-6 months with less usage going maybe double that - as well as WiFi connection between the base and cameras.  What signal percentage do you see in Settings, My Devices, your cameras? Are there any wireless devices that operate on 2.4GHz nearby?  Sometimes just moving the base station a little or a lot can make a huge difference.

[Tdluzak]

I am having a similiar problem with my batteries too. I set up 3 cameras  7 days ago. one is at 85% and other 2 are about 30%. I have 2 in the back yard and 1 in the front yard. the one in the front yard is really good at catching every car going down the street. (should be way out of sensor range) but does not even detect me when I leave for work or when my wife leaves or comes home with the car in our driveway. I am guessing the cars going down the street are putting more heat. I have tried to increase the sensitivity to get the driveway motion but just get more cars passing by. At the rate my batteries will need to be replaced every two weeks.

Thank you

[jguerdat]

Post screenshots so we can make suggestions.