Avigilon Battery Life Too Short? A Guide to Extending Power
For wireless Avigilon devices, battery life is a cornerstone of their convenience and effectiveness. If you're finding that the battery life of your Avigilon cameras or other wireless devices is shorter than expected, it can compromise your security and create a maintenance headache.
This guide offers professional, empathetic advice to help you troubleshoot the causes of rapid power drain and provides actionable steps to maximise the time between charges. Written in British English, our goal is to help you achieve long-lasting, reliable performance from your Avigilon hardware.
Top Causes for Shortened Battery Life
Understanding what consumes power is the first step. A battery-powered device is in a constant balancing act between being ready to act and conserving energy. The most common drains include:
- Excessive Motion Detection: If the device is in a high-traffic environment, it is constantly waking up to record and analyse movement, which is the most power-intensive activity.
- Weak Wireless Signal: The device needs to work significantly harder to maintain a stable connection to your network or bridge if the signal is weak. This constant struggle for connection is a major battery drain.
- Frequent Live Streaming: Actively streaming live video from the device consumes a large amount of power.
- Extreme Temperatures: Both very hot and very cold weather can negatively impact a battery's chemical efficiency, leading to faster discharge and a shorter overall lifespan.
- Sub-Optimal Configuration: Settings related to video quality, recording duration, and notification frequency can all affect power consumption.
Step-by-Step Guide to Improving Avigilon Battery Life
Let's work through the solutions methodically to get the best results.
Step 1: Optimise Motion Detection Configuration
This is the most crucial area for improvement. Your goal is to make sure the device only wakes up for meaningful events.
- Refine Activity Zones: In your Avigilon software (like ACC or Avigilon Blue), carefully draw activity zones to focus only on critical areas. For example, draw a zone around your doorway and garden path, but exclude the public pavement or a busy road.
- Adjust Sensitivity: Lower the motion sensitivity settings. A high sensitivity might cause the device to trigger from swaying tree branches or shadows. Reduce the setting incrementally until you find a balance that captures real events without excessive false alerts.
- Utilise Scheduling: If you only need motion alerts at certain times (e.g., overnight), set up a schedule. This prevents the device from triggering and sending notifications during times you're not concerned about.
Step 2: Check and Improve Wireless Signal Strength
A strong and stable signal is key to efficiency.
- Check Signal Status: In the device's settings within the Avigilon management software, find the network or wireless status page. This should give you an indication of the signal strength (often shown in dBm or as a graphical bar).
- Improve the Signal: If the signal is weak, consider moving the wireless access point or bridge closer to the device. Avoid obstructions like thick concrete walls or metal sheeting between the device and the access point. In some cases, a dedicated wireless extender might be necessary.
Step 3: Be Mindful of Live Streaming
While useful, frequently 'checking in' with a live view is a significant power drain.
- Limit Live View: Trust the motion alerts to notify you of events. Use the live view feature purposefully when needed, rather than leaving the stream open for long periods.
- Check for Unauthorised Access: Ensure that only authorised users have access to the system to prevent others from frequently activating the live stream.
Step 4: Account for Environmental Factors
- Temperature Shielding: If a camera is in a location exposed to direct, intense sunlight in the summer or freezing winds in the winter, its battery will be stressed. If possible, install it under an eave or use a protective housing to shield it from the worst of the elements.
- Bring Indoors for Charging: When it's time to recharge the battery, always do so indoors at room temperature to ensure a full and healthy charge.
Step 5: Update Firmware
Avigilon periodically releases firmware updates for its devices. These updates often include improvements to power management and operational efficiency. Ensure your cameras, bridges, and server software are all running the latest recommended firmware versions.
By taking a holistic approach and optimising these key areas, you can significantly reduce unnecessary power consumption and extend the battery life of your Avigilon wireless devices, leading to a more reliable and low-maintenance security system.