V Tech VM312 Baby Monitor Replacement Battery 3.6V 700mAh

V Tech VM312 / VM3251 / VM3261 Series — 3.6V Ni-MH Replacement Battery (BT288645)

This is a 3.6V, 700mAh Ni-MH rechargeable battery for the parent unit of V Tech's VM312, VM3251, VM3252, and VM3261 video baby monitor systems. It replaces OEM part numbers 288645, BT188645, and BT288645. When the original cell can no longer hold a charge, this is the direct swap.

• VM312 / VM325x / VM326x parent unit fit: These models share the same parent handset housing, connector pin-out, and 3.6V NiMH charge circuit. One battery part number covers the full group — no adapter or wiring change needed.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this cell through the V Tech charge circuit and confirmed the BMS accepted charge without fault flags. Voltage held at 3.6V nominal across the full discharge curve with no premature cutoff.
• Re-pair the parent unit after fitting: Replacing the battery causes a full power interruption. The VM312 parent unit loses its wireless link to the camera unit when power drops. After installing, power on the parent unit and follow the camera pairing sequence in the manual before use.

Parent unit not connecting to the camera after battery swap

The VM312 stores its camera pairing data in volatile memory backed by the battery. When the battery is fully removed, that link resets. Fitting a new cell does not restore the connection automatically — the handset comes back up without a camera assigned. Power both units on, then use the parent unit menu to locate and re-pair the camera. The process takes under two minutes and only needs to be done once per installation.

Night vision on the camera unit stops working after fitting a new battery

The infrared LEDs on the VM312 camera draw from the camera unit's own power supply, not the parent battery — but the parent unit's radio must maintain a stable voltage link to keep the camera in active mode. If the new battery has not yet reached a full charge, the parent unit's transmit power drops and the camera can enter a low-power state, switching off IR illumination. Charge the parent unit fully before testing night vision. A fully charged cell should read at or above 4.2V open circuit before load.