Battery Level
Here are some things you should know about the battery level on the website and mobile app. With our new updated website and JAGER PRO wireless mobile app, many people are looking at it and seeing that they have 5.7 volts but their camera has stopped sending photos.
Even though you look at the website or mobile app and still see 5.7 volts, the system updates the status report after each photo taken and has one set defaulted to send daily at midnight. Don’t always rely on this report to be accurate, the only part that is accurate is the number of photos the camera has sent to you, Photos Current Month and Photos Lifetime, this part is saved when each photo comes in. The first thing you want to look at is when it was last updated. In the photo below, you can see the last update was 2017/01/16, the last photo was 01/26/2017, ten days without an update.
The best way to actually know if your batteries have died is to look at the bottom right of the photo for the current power level in your batteries. P5 is fully charged, anything less and your batteries are starting to die or have died. Above you can see that the third photo is showing P3.
Battery Types
Most people ask about battery types and what the difference is with them. We recommend Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries in our cameras for several different reasons. They can be used in extreme hot or cold environments. These batteries retain power 3-5 times longer than any other battery which is great, the drawback to that is you will not know when they go out. Reviewing the last 8-12 photos and look at the P level, the last 5 might be P5 and then the 6th one will be P3 or P0. This is where you will know that the batteries are all used up. The camera in the photo above is using Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries and showed a P5 in the last 2 photos and a P3 in the 3rd to last photo received.
Using Alkaline batteries of any type will show a slower degradation in power level until they run out. Below is a camera that was using Duracell Alkaline batteries. Notice the degradation of power level but the last update was 16 days prior with no indication that the batteries were going down.
While it is good to see the power level slowly degrade, Alkaline batteries only last one third (1/3) the time that Lithium batteries do and do not work as well in extreme hot or cold environments. They also tend to leak over time and could cause internal problems with your camera, corrosion will eat away at the springs and will also cause polarity issues and could overheat and melt the inside of the camera, this portion isn’t covered under the camera warranty.
6V Battery
We specifically designed our battery box to accommodate for extended use in a field environment. We have tested multiple solar configurations with various 6V battery sources and none of them have passed our quality control standards. The solar charger size needed to charge a twelve amp/hour battery source during winter months (with a shorter charging window) is too large and too expensive for practical swine control purposes.
From our experience, the most favorable bait/trap sites are often shaded with limited solar opportunities anyway. Therefore, our solution is to implement a larger power source capable of operating our cameras for extended periods of time (8-12 weeks) without a charge.
Our 6V 12Ah battery automatically takes over from the internal batteries when it is plugged in. It will maintain power until it drops to 5.7 volts, then it will revert to the internal batteries.
The best way to monitor power levels is to use a Voltmeter every 2 weeks and monitor the power level in the 6V battery box. Once it gets to 5.8 volts or lower, replace or recharge the battery. During this down time is the only time the camera will draw from the internal batteries and if monitored properly can continue use for several years.