Will it drain my battery?
Updated
It depends on how you arm.
A camera session runs the camera, the microphone, and the motion sensors, so it uses noticeably more battery than an idle device. A sensors-only session skips the camera and microphone and uses much less. (See Camera sessions and sensors-only sessions for what each one notices.)
What to do
For anything longer than a short break with the camera on, leave the watching device on power. A café table with an outlet, a desk, or a portable charger all work. On a full charge a device will still watch for a while unplugged, but power removes the worry entirely.
Stealward looks out for low battery
Stealward watches its own battery too. If the watching device is unplugged during a session, Stealward tells you right away — and if the battery keeps draining and runs low, you’ll hear about that too. And to save power, Stealward keeps guarding even if the live video preview pauses; the sensors and alerts stay active whether or not you’re watching the live feed.
A quick rule of thumb
- Short step away, device well charged: unplugged is fine.
- Long session with the camera on, or a device that isn’t near full: keep it on power.
- Sensors-only: battery is rarely the deciding factor.