The Arlo Solar panel is a great addition to the Arlo Pro Camera for those who don't feel like recharging batteries every few months. I believe the panel also works with the Arlo Go cameras.
I have had the panel installed for about a month now and it had kept my battery charged at 100%. There are some customers on the Arlo forums that seem to be having issues with the panels showing an error message in the app. I have never experienced any errors with my panel.
I have two Arlo cameras but only chose to purchase one panel as my front camera does not get that much activity and I only have to charge the battery every 6 months or so. Also the camera faces north so there would no easy way for me to face the panel toward the sun which is obviously key to solar panels.
If you are considering installing one of these panels male sure of the following:
- The panels are facing the sun, preferably south (if you are in the Northern hemisphere) and angled properly. There is an app called SinplySolar that can help you with angling your panel
- The plug for the panel is fully seated. To make the panel water tight the connection is kind of difficult to seat filly especially if you are on a ladder.
- Make sure there are no trees or other obstructions between the panel and the sun.
So far I am pretty happy with the performance of my panel. It will be interesting to see what happens when the days get shorter and colder and we start seeing some snow. Hopefully the panel will still be able to keep the batter charged. Time will tell I guess.
Update: November 2017
I noticed a message the other day on my Arlo App stating that "Charging Paused, Battery temperature is too low". It seems that the solar panel cannot charge the battery when temperatures are 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Although I am pretty sure I was seeing the message the other day when temperatures were in the 40s. Pretty disappointing. This basically means my solar panels are going to be useless from November through March. Kind of defeats the purpose of the panels as the main reason I bought mine was so I would no have to climb up and replace the battery when it is cold and icy out. So for those looking at getting one of these panels, if you live in a cold region be aware that they won't charge your batteries when it gets cold.
Update: November 2017
I noticed a message the other day on my Arlo App stating that "Charging Paused, Battery temperature is too low". It seems that the solar panel cannot charge the battery when temperatures are 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Although I am pretty sure I was seeing the message the other day when temperatures were in the 40s. Pretty disappointing. This basically means my solar panels are going to be useless from November through March. Kind of defeats the purpose of the panels as the main reason I bought mine was so I would no have to climb up and replace the battery when it is cold and icy out. So for those looking at getting one of these panels, if you live in a cold region be aware that they won't charge your batteries when it gets cold.
No comments:
Post a Comment