Blink smart cameras are a simple and affordable way of watching over your home. In this article, we’ll help you decide if they’re right for you.
The Blink Indoor and Outdoor are two of Blink’s most popular smart security cameras. The cameras are compact, wire-free and use two AA batteries that can power them for up to two years. Unlike traditional security cameras, Blink smart cameras aren’t designed to record video continuously. Instead, they record video when they detect motion or when you start a recording in live view. As with all smart devices, they have their pros and cons, which we’ll highlight.
The Blink Lineup
Blink has a small but growing range of smart devices for watching over your home, the majority of which are wire-free! The most recent addition to the family is the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt. This is basically a Blink Mini attached to a motorised base that increases the coverage of the camera considerably.
Blink Smart Camera Features
Blink smart cameras have a resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080) which is the minimum resolution you should look for in a home security camera. The video quality they offer is very good during the daytime, while the infrared night vision does a decent job of helping you see what’s happening when its dark. The cameras can detect motion up to 6 metres away, but they aren’t able to differentiate between people and pets. However, to reduce the occurence of false notifications you can lower the sensitivity or set activity zones to mask off certain areas.
Features such as motion-activated alerts, live view and two-way talk are free to use with all Blink smart cameras. Advanced features such as saving videos directly to the cloud do require a subscription. You can compare the free and paid features below.
Free features
| Live view | Watch a live video feed from a camera. |
| Two-way talk | Listen and talk to people in front of the camera. |
| Motion-activated alerts | Receive alerts on your smartphone whenever motion is detected. |
Features requiring a subscription
| 30-day unlimited video history | 30-day unlimited cloud storage for motion clips (a video clip recorded by the camera when it detects any motion) and live view recordings (see below). Recordings are stored for 30 days (60 days in the US) where you can view them using the Blink app. |
| Live view recording | A live view session is a recording you make when you’re watching the live feed from a camera. Live view recordings can be up to 5 minutes long and are always recorded to the cloud when you have a subscription. They can be transferred to a USB flash drive after the recording has ended. |
| Rapid video access | Watch videos on the cloud as soon as they’ve been recorded. |
| Photo capture | A photo is taken every hour by the camera and stored on the cloud. Blink Indoor/Outdoor/Video Doorbell only. |
| Extended live view | Watch live view for up to 90 minutes continuously without having to tap ‘Continue’ every 60 seconds. Blink Mini only. |
| Auto local storage backup | Automatic backup of cloud-based video clips to a USB flash drive. Requires a Sync Module 2 and USB flash drive (1 – 256 GB). |
Blink Subscription Plans
Blink have two subscriptions plans available – Basic and Plus. The plans have monthly and yearly payment options, with the yearly option being cheaper in the long run. In the UK, a free 30-day trial of the Plus plan comes with all new Blink cameras, which helps you decide if a subscription is right for you.
Free
£0.00
all devices
Blink’s free features include:
- Motion-activated alerts
- Live view
- Two-way talk
- Motion clip recording (Sync Module 2 and USB flash drive required)
Basic
£2.50/mo or £24.99/yr
per device
All the free features +
- Auto local storage backup (Sync Module 2 and USB flash drive required)
- 30-day unlimited video history
- Live view recording
- Rapid video access
- Motion clips saved to the cloud
- Photo capture (Blink Indoor/Outdoor/Video Doorbell only)
- Extended live view (Blink Mini only)
Plus
£8/mo or £80/yr
unlimited devices
All the free and Basic Plan features +
- 10% off Blink devices and accessories on Amazon
- Extended warranty (US and Canada only)
Choosing the Right Subscription Plan
If you feel a Blink subscription plan is something you need, which is the right one for you? Well, that really depends on how many cameras you have.
| 1 camera | The Basic plan is the cheapest at £2.50/mo or £24.99/year. Paying yearly saves you £5.01 or 20%! |
| 2 cameras | You can purchase two Basic plans if you have no interest in the 10% discount off Blink devices. Two Basic plans will cost £5/mo or £49.98/yr. |
| 3 cameras | It’s slightly cheaper to buy a Basic plan for each camera, but only if you pay yearly (£74.97/yr). For a bit more you can buy a Plus plan (£80/yr) and get the 10% discount. |
| 4 or more cameras | The Plus plan (£8/mo or £80/yr) is the best option if you have four or more Blink cameras. |
What’s a Sync Module 2 and Do I Need One?
The Sync Module 2 is a hub that can manage up to ten Blink devices. The hub is free to use and available with a camera in what Amazon calls a ‘camera system’ or separately (usually £29.99/€34.99/$34.99).
The Blink Indoor and Outdoor (3rd Gen) cameras require a Sync Module 2 to work, while the Mini and Video Doorbell can work without one.
A key feature of the Sync Module 2 is it lets you store video clips locally to a USB flash drive (not included).
Finally, having a Blink subscription plan will affect how video is stored locally using the Sync Module 2.
“I don’t have a Blink subscription plan”
The Sync 2 Module will save motion clips directly to a USB flash drive. A motion clip is a video made when motion is detected.
“I have a Blink subscription plan”
All video clips are saved to the cloud when you have a Blink subscription. A backup of these clips is automatically saved to a USB flash drive each day.
“I don’t have a Sync Module 2 or a subscription plan”
You’ll still receive motion-activated alerts on your smartphone.
Blink Home Monitor App
You will need to install the Blink Home Monitor app on your smartphone to control and manage your Blink cameras. The app is free and available for Android and iOS users. We found the app easy to use and adding new devices a straightforward process. Each camera has its own settings that you can adjust, including video, audio and motion settings.
Example Setups and Cost
A big advantage of Blink smart cameras is the ability to mix and match them to suit your needs. We’ve put together some examples of the cameras you can buy depending on requirements.
“I need two cameras, one for my living room and the other for my kitchen. What are my options?”
| Cheapest | Blink Mini x 2 (£59.98) The Mini is the most affordable Blink camera. You can add a Sync Module 2 for £29.99 if you want to save videos locally. |
| Most Coverage | Blink Mini Pan-Tilt x 2 (£99.98) The Pan-Tilt cameras cost more, but give you more coverage. |
| Wire-free | Blink Indoor 2 Camera System (£119.99) The wire-free option is the most expensive, but you won’t have to worry about any cables. |
“I’m looking for two cameras, one for indoors and one for outside.”
| Cheapest | Blink Mini + Blink Outdoor 1 Camera System (£119.98) Includes a Sync Module 2 for storing videos locally. |
| Wire-free | Blink Indoor 1 Camera System + Blink Outdoor Add-on Camera (£149.98) A wire-free set up that includes a Sync Module 2. |
| Flexible | Blink Outdoor 2 Camera System (£154.99) The Blink Outdoor camera can also be used indoors, making it more flexible than an indoor-only camera. |
| Floodlight | Blink Outdoor + Floodlight 1 Camera System + Blink Mini (£154.97) Includes Blink Outdoor + Floodlight, Blink Mini and a Sync Module 2. |
Final Thoughts
Blink smart cameras are a good choice if you’re looking for a simple and affordable way of monitoring your home. The wire-free cameras in particular will appeal to those who don’t want the hassle of wiring. However, if you’re looking for smart cameras with a higher resolution, colour night vision, or more advanced motion detection, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Pros
- Affordable
- Impressive design and build quality
- Good video quality
- Easy to install
- Wire-free camera options
- Two-way talk
- App is easy to use
- Works with Amazon Alexa
- Free 30-day trial of the Blink Plus Subscription Plan
Cons
- Video resolution limited to 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Basic motion detection
- Requires a Sync Module 2 hub for local storage
- Not compatible with Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant
