Battery Powered Security Cameras: What You Need to Know
Maximize your security coverage with these energy efficiency tips
Maximize your security coverage with these energy efficiency tips
Reduces gaps in security: Battery powered security cameras only work when they have a charge. As soon as the battery dies, the camera stops recording, potentially forming blind spots in your security grid. Cameras with long battery life minimize the chance of unexpected outages, giving you a chance to keep your cameras charged on your own schedule.
Convenience: A long lasting wireless camera battery can operate for months, if not years, allowing you to stop worrying about whether or not your cameras have enough power.
Lower cost: When your batteries last longer, you won’t need to replace them as frequently, saving you both time and money in the long run.
Chargeable batteries are essentially a box full of chemicals that react to produce energy. Extreme temperatures in either direction can significantly accelerate or slow down those chemical reactions and reduce overall battery life. For example, freezing cold weather can reduce battery capacity and charging speeds, while hot summers can cause the chemical components in the battery to degrade much faster than usual.
When cameras are inactive, they’re put in a low-power sleep-like state. As objects move into the camera’s frame, they reactivate the camera to record footage. This process of moving between sleep and active causes a drain on battery — activate the camera too much and your battery will run out much faster than you think. Adjusting motion zones to only capture the most important parts of the frame will minimize the camera’s drain on its battery.
4K video is great for capturing every detail in your security grid. But it comes at a cost to your battery life, thanks to the additional computing power needed to record and process video at higher quality. If battery life is a concern and you’re able to sacrifice some detail, consider bumping the resolution to 2K or 1080p to reduce energy overhead.
Night vision relies on a variety of sensors or infrared LEDs to capture footage in complete darkness, which of course requires extra battery power to perform. Relying on activity sensors can help mitigate some of this drain.
Wi-Fi signal strength may be significantly reduced if your cameras are too far away from your central security hub or there are too many obstacles in the way. And if your cameras constantly attempt to reconnect to the network, they’ll drain your batteries fast. Ensuring a strong, steady connection will minimize your network’s impact on battery life.
Avoid installing cameras in locations that fall outside of the recommended minimum and maximum operating temperature. For example, the Arlo Pro 6 XL features an operating temperature range of -4° F (-20° C) to 113° F (45° C). As long as it doesn’t get much hotter or colder than that range, your Arlo cameras should operate normally.
To preserve battery life, try to strike a balance between energy efficiency and security coverage. Optimizing your motion sensor activation zones can help you avoid unnecessary sleep/wake cycles and reduce the strain on your battery while ensuring every important moment gets captured on camera.
Longer video files means more strain on your battery powered security camera. Reduce the length of your saved clips to between 10-15 seconds to capture the most essential footage without leaving your camera on for longer than it needs to be.
4K video offers incredible image clarity, but it may not be needed for every use case. If you don’t need to capture every minute detail, you can turn down your video resolution to reduce the amount of energy needed to record your security footage.
Standard batteries tend to last for a few months between charges. But if you need more power, consider upgrading to Arlo XL rechargeable batteries. Cameras like the Arlo Pro 6 XL or the Arlo Essential XL provide all the benefits of Arlo cameras with 2.5 times the standard Arlo camera battery life. That means you can go almost a full year without needing to recharge.
If you need extra assurance that your battery powered security camera will last for ages, consider installing a solar panel nearby. For example, the Arlo Solar Panel Charger is compatible with most Arlo cameras and floodlights and keeps your camera batteries charged without needing to swap them out. Plus, adjustable 360° rotation mount and eight-foot-long power cable make it easy to hook up anywhere you have available space.
A smarter security system means better battery life. Sign up for Arlo Secure and you’ll get the powerful AI-backed Early Warning System, complete with Person, Animal, Vehicle, and Package Detection and Smart Activity Zones that help you squeeze the most out of your battery. More accurate recognition means fewer false positives, which means a more efficient, longer-lasting battery. You’ll also get 60-Day Video History and 24/7 Professional Monitoring and 24/7 Emergency Response with an Arlo Secure Premium plan.
Unlock your Arlo Security Camera’s full potential and sign up for Arlo Secure today.
Typically, yes. While there may be some exceptions, a camera that relies on battery power will try to remove as many cords as possible so it is easier to install and manage. However, some battery powered security cameras can hook up to external power sources, like solar panels or larger external batteries, to use an even larger energy source without sacrificing versatility.
It depends. The best battery life security cameras get is often limited by climate and usage. If your camera is constantly recording, you will have a lower battery life compared to a camera that is activated infrequently. Typical battery range tends to last between three to six months. However, a CNET review of the Arlo Pro XL 6 found that Arlo battery life could last up to a full year between charges, making it one of the longest-lasting batteries they tested.
