We use quite a few AA and AAA batteries in our solutions – they are especially prevalent in wireless sirens, remote keypads and the like. We find that they last a reasonable length of time, but from about 18 months out, all bets are off. What would you recommend using and would you endorse rechargeables?
A: We would recommend rechargeables – we favour Panasonic’s Eneloop. If you go down this path, you’ll find there are 2 choices – standard (white case) and pro (charcoal case).
The standard batteries deliver 1900mAh, while the pro versions deliver around 2500mAh – similar to an alkaline battery. The extra hustle comes with a performance variation – the standard versions can be charged 2100 times, while the pro versions can only be charged 500 times.
In the case of security gear, we think this means the better choice is the pro, which will outlast the security device many times over at a slight price premium, while giving a 25 per cent increase in time between charges. Which choice makes more sense to you, depends on the application.
Eneloops continue to hold more than 90 per cent of their charge after 10 years, which makes single use batteries seem a waste of precious resources. The only difference is upfront cost and over device lifetime, rechargeables will pay for themselves hundreds of times over.
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