What to Look for in an Arlo Battery

Arlo wire-free cameras use CR123 lithium 3-volt photo batteries which can be found at almost any battery specific retailer both online and in brick and mortar. Although rechargeable versions of these batteries do exist, Arlo has a contract specifically with Tenergy to create Arlo friendly rechargeables.

It’s important to note that Arlo Pro and Arlo Go wire-free cameras come with their own rechargeable batteries and are not what we are talking about here. We are giving you information specifically to use with the Arlo Wire-Free original cameras.

Battery Life

It seems counter intuitive that not all batteries of the same size and voltage will provide the same amount of battery life, but it’s an unfortunate reality. For the most part, batteries are something best trusted if you know the brand name. Store brands and cheaper brands found online are often not as strong as Energizer or Duracell.

However, knowing that name-brand batteries last longer is only half of the battle. The name-brand batteries also cost more, and studies have shown that the money to power ratio is about equal either way. That means that you’re spending the same amount of money per ounce of energy, so it depends on how often you’d like to buy.

Using brand names is still best for objects that draw a lot of power like your Arlo wire-free camera because they have more power in them, so when your camera needs to draw additional power, it won’t struggle or malfunction like it could with weaker generic batteries.

To Recharge or Not to Recharge, That is the Question

Although Arlo specifically states on their website that you should not use rechargeable batteries, and if you do, you should stick to those made by their partners at Tenergy, we don’t think you should take that as gospel. Rechargeable batteries do have their value, so they are something to consider.

Recharging Pros

Recharging Cons

So although rechargeable batteries haven’t had a great reputation in the past, they are being manufactured at much higher quality than previously, and may be a good option for you and your Arlo wire-free camera.

Recharging can be a pain, but if you have enough chargers and batteries that you can have all cameras stocked while charging another full set of batteries, you will hardly notice the difference between the rechargeable batteries you’re using and their disposable counterparts.

Cost is Key

You know what to look for when purchasing batteries for your Arlo cameras, and you know that rechargeable batteries are an option for you, but what is this adventure into camera ownership going to cost you in batteries? Like we’ve said, there will be a difference up front depending on which way you go.

Arlo does include the first set of four batteries with each camera it sends out, so you won’t have to worry right away, it will be replacement batteries that will cost you.

Brand Name Disposable Battery Cost

A twelve pack of Energizer or Duracell CR123 lithium batteries range in price from around twenty-one dollars to around thirty dollars. These batteries last approximately four to six months if you are using the camera around five-minutes per day. If you use the cameras constantly, batteries will go much faster.

You also need to take into account where you are placing your camera. If you use your Arlo outdoors as a motion sensor device, but you live in a land where cold weather is quite common, specifically temperatures less than 32 degrees, your battery life will be even shorter.

Rechargeable Battery Cost

We’ve already mentioned that rechargeable batteries are usually more up front, especially because you’ll need to purchase a charging base with them as well. These bases typically come with batteries and can run anywhere from fifty dollars to seventy-five or more depending on how many batteries accompany the base.

Rechargeable batteries will save you money in the long run because you won’t be buying new batteries every few months like disposables. Looking at the cost, even on the low end, of disposables, you could easily pay for the cost of rechargeable batteries within a year while buying brand name disposables.

Best Battery Reviews

Now that we’ve talked about what to look for in a battery, costs, lifespan, and more, let’s take a look at our ratings for the best batteries for your Arlo cameras. We have divvied these up into categories based on your uses, and we will give you some pros and cons to each along the way as well.