Blackbird Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I just bought 3 13bit tags and turned them on yesterday morning and the batteries were around 99 to 98%. Today the one in the freezer is 61%, one just in the livingroom is 82% and the other just in the livingroom is 87%. Last night the freezer was doing way better than the other 2. So why is this? At this rate I'll be changing batteries every week. Ridiculous. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwester Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Don't read too much into the first day or two, especially the one in the freezer. All batteries will "top up" when under no load and give a very optimistic voltage reading. After a while, they basically go to a normal state, where the discharge curve flattens out to what's expected by the manufacturer. Batteries are also powered by a chemical reaction -- and like most chemical reactions, the one in a battery slows down as it gets colder. So a battery in the freezer will show a more dramatic drop from that "no-load room-temperature" voltage level that it had when first installed/turned-on. That's not to say that your batteries aren't a problem -- they may be far from fresh, and I also note that most manufacturers ship no-name batteries with their products, and there's no telling what quality or capacity those no-name batteries have. You might check to see, if your batteries are replaceable, if they're a brand-name, and try a fresh one... (and if you can't replace them, well, then if they keep dropping, you clearly have a right to be annoyed!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo.Automates Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 You must have a short update time, the more you ping them or update the faster the batteries die. Mine go over six months, but I just schedule to swap them all every six months.Sent from my Pixel 3 XL with Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbird Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 I have the "record time" set to 4 hours. Thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumbershoot Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I've got them in two freezers, and the batteries last at least six months, if not longer. I buy good lithium batteries, so YMMV. And yes, they're reporting less than 50% when relatively fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryllix Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Blackbird said: I have the "record time" set to 4 hours. Thanks guys Have you set them to Low Power Mode, and/or calibrated their frequencies? These things have all kinds of settings to use. Many are hidden in today's usual fashion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbird Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 Still learning about it. I'll give it a try. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryllix Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 1 minute ago, Blackbird said: Still learning about it. I'll give it a try. Thanks As per @mwester above, also. The battery life is adjusted for temperature by some cloud service. I have found other tags with fresh batteries that seemed to drop radically in the first few days and then appeared to "heal" themselves a few days later??? I monitor battery voltages with ISY and I have divided my notification voltages into two levels. A warm battery at 2.78 volts is almost dead but in a freezing temperature is still 60% life left. I mark my battery change dates inside the cover on each Tag nd my batteries last between 9 months to 15 months. I use Sony or Eveready batteries available on ebay or amazon for under $0.70 each. I have tried the 3 for a dollar ones at the junk stores and usually get 7-8 months out of them if they are not dead when I finally use them. I read this is the case for the online sales also. Some report all dead, and some report they are fabulous. I don't know of any "premium quality" units or I would try some. The batteries mine were supplied with were the longest lasting of any battery I have found. No name on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jca001 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I put the date and volts when I change a battery in the Tag Comment of the Wireless Tag App. That way I do not have to go to the wireless tag itself to see when I last changed the battery. I also set the Low Battery Notification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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