Wyze Lock Battery Status - Rechargeable Batteries

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I placed freshly charged rechargeable batteries in the lock, but the battery status reports red as in less than 20% charge left. Is this a known issue with using rechargeable batteries?

Thanks

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Yes and no. What you are observing is not unique to Wyze nor their products.

Many electronic devices require a constant voltage from the batteries. Typical NiMH batteries cannot provide a constant voltage at the necessary level, hence the hardware reports the batteries are dying.

The rechargeable battery technology you seek is Lithium Ion rechargeable. These have been exceptional, in my opinion, but they do come at a cost (note: I am not a Wyze lock user, but have experienced same with my August lock and traditional rechargeable batteries).

https://www.amazon.com/Capacity-1850mAh-Blackube-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B0821ZNWKW

Note: the downside to this battery technology is that when the rechargeable dies - it goes without warning. That is, you or a won’t get a “Low Battery” notification, as they maintain 1.5 volts until they simply cannot; that is, they don’t exhibit the typical drain you experience with alkaline or NiMH batteries. Upside is they can be fully charged in under 2 hours.

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I will have to put regular batteries in so I can at least install the updated firmware as that’s the biggest drawback for right now since the software won’t allow the upgrade to run without seeing that there is enough juice.

Thanks for the info, I’ll check out the Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries.

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The issue isn’t that they are rechargable but that they are only 1.2 volts. Most rechargable AA or AAA batteries are only 1.2 volts and while that’s fine for many devices, that’s not the case for everything.

A regular non rechargable battery is 1.5 volts so when you put a rechargable battery that’s only 1.2 volts, some devices think it’s getting low when it’s not.

There are 1.5 volt rechargable AA batteries but they typically have a proprietary charger or on some cases, charge with a microUSB cable. They are also much more expensive than a standard rechargable battery.

Your best option is Energizer lithium batteries. They will last much longer than standard alkaline batteries. (Many of us use them in our Wyze locks, including myself) You can usually buy a couple sets for the price of some 1.5 volt rechargeable AA batteries.

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Good info! Thanks!