Batteries vs. Wall Power

When/why should or would I opt to use wall power over Perch batteries, and vice versa?

There are two ways to power your Perch camera - either plugged directly into the wall, or with a Perch supplied battery. There are pros and cons to using both, but both options should work effectively and efficiently!

Battery:

  • Pros
    • Flexibility - the Perch batteries magnet onto the rack, so you have the ability to move them around more easily. This includes placing the device in front of different machines like a Pit Shark using ground orientation, as one example.
    • Ease of use - you won't have to worry about contacting an electrician to make sure that the room itself is set up to support the power draw needed, as these won't be connected to any circuits in your room when on the racks.
    • Outages - if the power goes out, you can still use your Perch device with the batteries!
    • Cleanliness - don't worry about extension cords running power from the wall to the camera - the battery can go right next to the camera and keep the cords to a minimum.
  • Cons
    • Workflow - batteries will require charging, meaning daily you'll need to pull them down and charge them before putting them back out on the racks tomorrow.
    • Longevity - as is the case with any battery, performance will diminish over time, and they will eventually start to log fewer hours on a full charge than they did when you used them in the first place. 

Wall Power:

  • Pros
    • Cost - using wall power may eliminate the need to purchase any Perch batteries, which can benefit budget constraints.
    • Convenience - never worry about long lifting days, or whether or not a battery was charged overnight in preparation for an upcoming lift.
    • Consistency - the power will always be on and applied (barring outages), so you don't need to worry about turning batteries off or pulling them down.
  • Cons
    • Install process - installing from the wall could involve things like daisy chaining cords together in order to get them to reach the camera, or running cords up the racks that can look messy.
    • Power requirements - Perch cameras will draw certain amperage outputs, which needs to be supported by the power supplied to the room itself. If there's not enough power or not enough outlets in the room, you won't be able to properly supply the camera with enough power to run the system.

If you have any questions or comments that you'd like to speak with a Perch representative about, please don't hesitate to contact our sales team at sales@perch.fit, or our support team at support@perch.fit!