If your Reolink battery-powered camera is connected to the Reolink solar panel but you find that the solar panel is not charging the battery, you can refer to this article for troubleshooting.
Applies to: All Reolink battery-powered cameras and Reolink solar panels.
Symptoms for Solar Panel not Charging Battery
When a Reolink battery-powered camera is connected to a DC adapter, it charges correctly. However, when connected to the Reolink solar panel, the battery does not charge, the battery level does not increase, and may even decrease.
Troubleshooting Steps for Battery not Charging by Solar panel
1. Ample sunlight. Ensure that the solar panel is installed in a location with ample sunlight and that the panel is facing the sun directly.
2. Proper Connection. Verify that the camera is properly connected to the solar panel. You can check this by ensuring that the battery light on the camera is illuminated or by looking for the solar icon on the App/Client.
3. Proper temperature. Ensure that the camera's operating and charging temperatures are within the recommended range. For Reolink devices, the suitable operating temperature is -10°C to +55°C (14°F to 131°F), and the charging temperature is 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F). If the current temperature is below 0°C, it is normal for the camera not to charge. In this case, it is recommended to bring the camera indoors and charge it with a DC adapter.
4. Excessive power consumption. Turn off the camera's PIR Motion Sensor and reduce the live view frequency to see if the battery level increases. If it does, the issue might be due to high alert frequency or preview frequency, which causes the camera to deplete power faster than the solar panel can recharge it, creating the illusion that the solar panel is not charging. It is advisable to lower the PIR sensitivity and reduce the preview frequency to improve charging efficiency. Reference: How to Set up PIR Sensitivity via Reolink Software.
5. Charging test observation. If the above steps do not resolve the issue, first charge the camera with the DC5V2A adapter until the battery level reaches over 50%. Then, reconnect the camera to the solar panel correctly, place the solar panel in a sunny location, and check if the battery level increases.
6. Swap testing. If the camera still does not charge, try testing with a different, properly functioning solar panel if available. If you do not have an additional solar panel, please ignore this step.
If the issue persists, please provide the following information and contact Support for further assistance:
- The troubleshooting steps you have already performed and their results.
- The UID of the camera: How to Find the UID of Your Cameras and NVRs
This information will help us better understand the issue and provide more accurate support.