If your Arlo camera battery is draining faster than expected, dying in days instead of months, or depleting even when not recording, this guide covers the most common causes and fixes from the community.
Check WiFi Signal Strength
Poor WiFi connectivity is the most common cause of rapid battery drain. When cameras struggle to maintain a connection, they continuously attempt to reconnect, consuming significant power.
One community expert explained: "The cameras keep trying to connect to a non-existent network. That drains the battery as you've seen. These cameras are all cloud-based and require that connection to be constant."
What to check:
- Verify your WiFi is on and stable 24/7
- Check signal strength in the Arlo app (look for at least 2-3 bars)
- Move the camera closer to your router or base station if signal is weak
- Don't turn off your router during the day—this will drain batteries rapidly
Base Station Communication Issues
For Arlo Pro cameras that use a base station:
A common finding from users: "In my experience, if a camera is struggling to communicate with the base, even if the camera is turned off, the battery will drain quickly. Rapidly draining batteries is often a sign that the base is trying to constantly communicate with the camera and failing."
Try these fixes:
- Move the base station away from your WiFi router (at least 3 feet)
- Avoid placing the base between the router and cameras
- Place the base station on a high shelf for better line of sight to cameras
- Ensure the base station's ethernet connection is stable
Check for Firmware Issues
Firmware updates have been known to cause battery drain issues across multiple Arlo models:
As one user noted: "There are a dozen threads in this forum on this issue, one with 800+ posts. It's not the batteries, it's the firmware. After the last few firmware updates, some people reported abnormal battery drainage while others have no issue at all."
Possible solutions:
- Check if a new firmware update is available that addresses battery issues
- Arlo sometimes releases firmware rollbacks—check for updates in the app
- One user reported: "Arlo has made the decision to reverse the update that causes this issue for the Arlo Pro 4s. Please update it and it will then be reset to the old firmware."
Adjust Camera Settings
Certain settings significantly impact battery life:
Video Quality:
- In the Arlo app, go to camera Settings → Video Settings
- Select "Best Battery Life" instead of "Best Video"
- Lower resolution recordings use less power
Motion Sensitivity:
- High sensitivity means more recordings, which drains battery faster
- Reduce sensitivity if you're getting many false alerts
Activity Zones:
One user explained: "If you use activity zones, you might be getting more video streaming than you know. All detected motion results in a stream to the cloud. The cloud then applies the activity zones and will suppress recordings and notifications if the motion is out-of-zone."
- The camera still records and streams everything—activity zones only filter notifications
- If there's constant motion in view, consider repositioning the camera
Cold Weather
Batteries perform poorly in extreme temperatures:
- Lithium batteries lose capacity in cold weather
- If your camera is outdoors in winter, battery life will be significantly shorter
- Consider using a weatherproof charging cable instead of batteries in cold climates
Factory Reset the Camera
If battery drain started suddenly, try resetting:
- Remove the camera from your Arlo account in the app
- Insert a fully charged battery
- Hold the sync button for about 15 seconds until the LED flashes amber
- Add the camera back to your account
- Monitor battery life over the next few days
A community member suggested: "You might try putting in a fresh battery and doing a factory reset. Remove the camera from the account, hold the sync button down until the camera flashes amber, then add it back to the account and see if the battery drain still happens."
Check for Constant Recording
Make sure the camera isn't recording more than expected:
- Check your Library in the Arlo app for unexpected recordings
- Look for motion events you weren't aware of (insects, tree branches, shadows)
- Night vision can be triggered by bugs flying near the camera
Battery Health
Older batteries lose capacity over time:
- Arlo batteries typically last 300-500 charge cycles
- If your batteries are several years old, they may need replacement
- Try a new battery to see if that resolves the issue
Contact Arlo Support
If none of these solutions work:
One user shared: "I have raised a complaint or case. They say this is an issue they are observing of late, and working on fixing it."
- Arlo support may be able to push a firmware fix to your camera
- They can also check for known issues with your specific camera model
Community Discussions
- Battery Draining Quickly On All Cameras – Arlo Community
- Arlo Pro Battery Lasting 2 Days – Arlo Community
- Arlo Pro 4 Camera Battery Draining Rapidly – Arlo Community
- Arlo Pro 3 Battery Draining very fast – Arlo Community