Initially founded in 2014 as a division of Netgear (a San Jose-based computing company), Arlo separated in 2018 to form its own company, becoming Arlo Technologies Inc.
Focusing their attention on the security industry, creating products such as the Arlo security camera, as well as baby monitoring devices and video door bells, the company has allegedly shipped over 21.6 million devices, amassed 5.82 million registered users, and has 877 thousand paid accounts, as of January 2022.
But what makes Arlo such a popular choice?
Key Attributes
With a series of versatile magnetic mounts to ensure a secure fitting, and excellent weather resistance against all manner of environmental conditions, people know that they are getting a product that they can rely on, something that is important above all else.
With premium supporting features like Arlo Secure, which provides 2K (on the basic package) and 4K (premium) cloud based recording capabilities for 30 days, as well as unlimited cameras included with any plan, Arlo has become one of the most popular and rewarding choices in home security.
When you also factor in the advanced motion detection that can distinguish small wildlife and pets from human beings, as well as being resistant to weather that might otherwise trigger lesser devices, Arlo has developed a name that has become synonymous with trust, reliability, and quality.
Battery Life
However, what really sets Arlo cameras apart from other similar brands and products, is their superior battery life that has become a characteristic of the Arlo name.
Arlo Batteries
When it comes to the batteries that Arlo products run on, it very much depends on the particular product in question.
The Arlo Ultra and the Arlo Go operate on lithium polymer batteries (3.85V/4800 mAh/18.48 Wh).
These are rechargeable batteries, and offer 3-6 months, and 2-3 months of charge respectively.
These batteries are not interchangeable, and require recharging (or new batteries of the same type) to function.
The Arlo Wire-Free range uses 4 3-volt batteries (CR 123 Lithium), which are rechargeable and interchangeable with similar battery types from trusted vendors.
With good quality batteries that can successfully be recharged over 500 times, these offer around 3-6 months on a single charge, making them extremely reliable.
For the Arlo Pro and Pro 2 cameras, they can be powered by lithium-ion batteries (7.2V/2440 mAh/17.57 Wh), which are rechargeable and interchangeable with good quality batteries of similar types.
The most reliable of the collection, these batteries can provide 4-6 months of use on a single charge.
Other Factors
Of course there are also environmental factors when it comes to battery life, as well as frequency of usage.
The temperature of the environment in which the batteries reside can be a major factor when it comes to battery life.
Experts have suggested that, as the temperature of the environment drops lower, the capacity of a battery decreases, making them less powerful, but maintaining their lifespan.
On the other hand, when the temperature rises, the battery’s capacity increases, making it more powerful, but the overall lifespan also decreases, so it is important to factor these things into your maintenance routine when purchasing an Arlo camera.
Similarly, most predicted battery life spans are based on generalized use, which suggests that busy areas or places that receive a lot of visitors (that trigger motion detection) will cause the battery’s life to decrease, and increase the amount of charges needed.
Similarly, a battery can only undergo so many discharges and recharges before the internal chemistry of the battery begins to deplete.
For this reason, it is important to examine the battery life you can achieve from your Arlo camera with general use, and then form a charging schedule according to your findings.
How To Improve Battery Life
The best way to get a general sense of your battery’s capabilities, is to run semi-regular tests on the device to gauge the overall capacity, and any declines that may occur.
Whichever way you choose, the battery will ultimately degrade and lose capacity, but with the right amount of testing, a smart, effective charging schedule, and frequent essential maintenance, you can ensure that you get the longest lifespan possible.
However, there are also other methods available to extend the battery life of your Arlo device.
Firstly, you could ensure your device is updated with the latest firmware. Firmware allows updates to be undertaken on specific devices, allowing the devices to operate as intended to the highest degree possible.
Secondly, you could program your device to record short video clips during motion detection instead of longer ones, meaning that the device is in use for less time with each recording, as well as meaning that the storage is operating at a lower capacity.
Optimization settings are also an option, as is the use of solar panels to add an additional power source and reduce recharging.
You could also reposition your Arlo camera closer to your own WIFI router, and away from areas where several routers border on one another, so as to reduce potential activity within the device.
Other ideas include positioning your Arlo somewhere that has a lot of natural light (to avoid using infrared as often), ensure portable cameras are positioned in areas with the most signal strength (making them work less hard), and only use batteries that are registered with the company for best results.
Final Thoughts
And there we have it, everything you need to know about the battery life of your Arlo device.
For most Arlo products, the average lifespan appears to be around 2-3 months under the correct circumstances, but we hope this article has given you plenty of tips and hacks to help you get the best from your device.
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