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Battery or continuous power: how long do you actually need?

Battery life is the most misread specification in surveillance — mostly because "3 days" on a box rarely means three days of recording.

By Indo Spy · Updated

A battery device goes anywhere and needs charging. A mains device never stops and has to live near a socket. Almost every disappointed customer picked the first when they needed the second.

Standby is not recording time

Manufacturers usually quote standby — how long the device survives waiting. Actual recording time is shorter, sometimes much shorter. A device advertised for days of standby may record for hours.

This is why voice activation and motion detection matter so much on battery devices: if the unit only wakes when something happens, a real day of coverage becomes achievable.

When continuous power is the honest answer

If you need coverage that does not stop — an entrance, a counter, a storeroom — buy something mains-powered. Several products in the range are disguised as things that are plugged in anyway: a charger, a clock, a bulb. Those record indefinitely because the object they imitate is powered indefinitely.

What the catalogue publishes

Where the manufacturer states a backup time, it is on the product page — several audio recorders are named for it. Where it is not stated, we have not estimated one. Ask us, or come and see how long a unit lasts in practice.

Frequently asked

How long will a battery camera record for?

It depends on the model and whether it records continuously or only on motion. The backup time is on the product page where the manufacturer publishes it.

Can I leave a battery device recording for a week?

Not continuously. For week-long coverage you want mains power, or a device that only wakes on motion or sound.

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