Imagine for a moment that you’re a new parent. You are leaving your baby home with a fully vetted caretaker on your first day back at work, and you’re confident that you made the right choice, but in the back of your mind you’re still incredibly nervous.
You make the short drive to work, pull into the lot, and open your phone’s Arlo app. You breathe a sigh of relief as you see your baby in the loving arms of her caretaker, drinking a bottle with sleep in her eyes. Relieved, you leave the app on and check it periodically throughout the day, feeling better every time.
Wi-Fi cameras like Arlo are increasing in popularity every day. They can help to keep your home and family safe, allow you to see what’s happening in your home while you’re at work or away, and give you an overall sense of security that is so often missing when you’re pets or family members are home alone.
Unfortunately, wireless cameras do require batteries, and if those batteries fail, you could miss very important footage of what is happening both inside and outside your home. For some, those missed moments can be the difference between catching a burglar in the act and losing everything of monetary value in your home.
It’s for these reasons that picking the correct batteries for your Arlo wire-free camera is so important. We want to help you feel secure in knowing that your batteries are well charged and ready to capture the day.
To that end, we will talk about what to look for in batteries for your Arlo, the best options for different needs, and how to get the most life out of your Arlo batteries.
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.
1. Best Overall Battery for Arlo
Energizer 123 Lithium Battery
About: Our choice for the best overall battery is the Energizer 123 Lithium battery. When you buy a pack of Energizer batteries you are getting a guaranteed shelf life of 10 years, so you know your batteries won’t go bad, even if you stock up ahead of time and keep extras on standby.
Energizer has been time-tested as one of the favorite brands of battery overall, and it stands up to the cold better than some other batteries we’ve seen.
Even when used regularly, Arlo cameras with Energizer brand batteries seemed to last the longest. Energizer is a solid brand with great results to help your Arlo run at its best.
Pros
Cons
2. Best Budget Battery for Arlo
Duracell CR123 Lithium Batteries
About: For the best budget battery, we chose Duracell. Although Duracell is still a name brand, their CR123 Lithium batteries are less expensive than Energizer and carry almost as much power. These batteries can carry your devices a lot further than store brand batteries and have passed numerous tests on use in high drain devices.
Duracell CR123’s are available at many retailers because of their name brand status, and are easy to find online as well. They have a high shelf life and will do a decent job in all weather. They are created specifically not to malfunction in cameras, so you won’t have to worry about low voltage messing up your view.
Pros
Cons
3. Best Arlo Battery for Cold Weather
Panasonic CR123a Batteries
About:
For cold weather and extreme conditions, we love the Panasonic CR123a batteries. Just being manufactured as a lithium battery helps them to perform well in chilly weather, but in addition to that these are some of the best batteries on the market and they are made knowing that extreme temperatures are out there.
Panasonic batteries are manufactured specifically for cameras and recording devices, so they have learned from people in the industry and have a better understanding of what is needed in these machines than many other brands that manufacture batteries for other purposes as well.
Panasonic does a great job of creating a product that will last longer in cold weather and that won’t lose energy just sitting out in the cold like some other brands. These are the clear leader in the cold weather battery fight, and we highly recommend them for that purpose.
Pros
Cons
3. Best Arlo Battery for Cold Weather
Panasonic CR123a Batteries
About:
For cold weather and extreme conditions, we love the Panasonic CR123a batteries. Just being manufactured as a lithium battery helps them to perform well in chilly weather, but in addition to that these are some of the best batteries on the market and they are made knowing that extreme temperatures are out there.
Panasonic batteries are manufactured specifically for cameras and recording devices, so they have learned from people in the industry and have a better understanding of what is needed in these machines than many other brands that manufacture batteries for other purposes as well.
Panasonic does a great job of creating a product that will last longer in cold weather and that won’t lose energy just sitting out in the cold like some other brands. These are the clear leader in the cold weather battery fight, and we highly recommend them for that purpose.
Pros
Cons
Final Thoughts
Of the batteries we have discussed here, the clear winner is the Energizer 123 Lithium battery. Although cost is slightly more with these batteries than with some of the other brands we have looked at, Energizer is a well-trusted brand. They hold a charge in a variety of conditions, and they don’t let any power run away without being used.
Energizer has done a great job of manufacturing high quality batteries for high drain devices. These batteries are sure to last you for much longer than you expect, saving you money in the long run, and giving you peace of mind that your home and family are being protected while you are away.
These batteries are safe, effective, and won’t cost you an arm and a leg over time. They can even be purchased as rechargeable if you so desire, which makes them an excellent choice for any Arlo owner.
No Comments