Battery Life Estimates - Barra Recovery
Written by Daan de Waard
Updated at February 16th, 2026
Table of Contents
Battery Life Estimates:
The Barra Recovery boasts a 'Deploy-once' battery life with 10+ years on only 2 x AA user-replaceable batteries. Battery life is dependent on a host of features, this article will help you make predictions.
Estimate Calculator:
The battery life estimate calculator can aid in estimating battery life.
Barra Recovery Battery Calculator Download
Critical Settings for Super-Long Battery Life
To maximize battery life, some key parameters should be applied for maximum battery life.
- Make sure to see the Critical Parameters
- Set up Energy Saving Stack (ESS) and see Optimizing ESS for additional information.
Factors that Influence Estimations
Please be aware that these are estimations, and can be influenced heavily by factors such as:
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Application and configuration: The battery life is dependent on the update rate and other settings
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GPS reception: If GPS reception is poor, the device has to work harder, and keep its GPS module on for longer to get a fix - or it may time out and fail to get a fix, draining additional battery.
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SIM Card Selection: Some Roaming SIM cards can trigger lengthy network scans, using up a lot of extra energy, see Roaming SIM Cards - Battery Life Impact
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GSM Reception: As for the GPS, the same applies to the cellular modem attempting to connect to the network
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Mounting position: This will impact GPS and GSM reception
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Battery type and chemistry: Different batteries are of different quality and capacity
- Temperature: Extreme temperatures reduce the lifetime of most battery types.
Standby versus Tracking Modes
Please note that the Barra Recovery is designed primarily as a secondary “ghost” tracking device. The settings outlined below apply when the device is configured in Tracking mode or when Recovery Mode is enabled, not when it is operating in Standby mode.
Periodic Tracking Mode Estimates
| # of Daily Updates | Battery Life - Barra Recovery |
| 1 | 8+ years |
| 2 | 7.5+ years |
| 4 | 5 years |
| 12* | 2 years |
| 24* | 1 year |
*We would not ordinarily configure a device for 24 updates per day using periodic tracking (i.e. hourly updates). We would use 'smarter' adaptive-tracking features. See Changing the Update Rate - Barra Edge
Trip Tracking Estimate Example
When in this mode, the battery usage is ultimately dependent on parameters and also how long the device spends on a trip.
Use the calculator found at the top of this article to estimate battery life.
Trips Per Week and Average Length of Trip are required when in movement-based tracking mode - the update rate is increased (using more energy) than when stationary.
Upload Period in Trip: The time between uploads when moving
Log Period in Trip: The time between location scans when moving
The picture details the calculator being used to determine the battery life if a device is performing 1 trip per day for an average length of 4 hours. The logging and upload time are set per the default parameters (2-minute logs; 30-minute uploads)
Recovery Mode Estimates
The Recovery Mode article explains how the device operates in recovery mode. With fresh batteries in and the device on the move, we should see about 1 - 2 weeks of battery life.
