That’s where the Blink Mini lags behind compared to its closest competitor, the Wyze Cam v3. Although priced similarly to the Blink Mini, I’ve found the Wyze Cam v3 much better at ignoring less important motion events thanks to its built-in person detection. Esat Dedezade is a freelance writer, journalist, and content creator. After six years as a staff writer and deputy features editor at Stuff, he left to pursue a new challenge at Microsoft, where he was the editor of their European news centre for three years. The camera itself feels sturdy and well-made, while its weatherproof design promises to fend off downpours (though it’s not rated for underwater submersion). During our few weeks’ worth of testing, the Blink Outdoor comfortably shrugged off some of the biggest British summer downpours we’ve ever seen, filling us with confidence in its outdoor durability. The one thing we will add though is that the plastic can get scratched quite easily, not that you’ll need to worry about that once it’s mounted. Now, as helpful as such an upgrade might be, I do want to point out that a wider field of view isn’t always better. You’re more likely to find pros and cons for each configuration. Since Blink uses narrow-angle lenses in their cameras, they’re best suited for monitoring specific targets, such as doorways and entrances, because objects will appear larger and more detailed within the image. In cameras with wide-angle lenses, 3 objects appear smaller, and you might see some occasional distortions along the edges of the frame during recording. At the risk of rehashing old grievances, night vision was pretty weak in my hands-on Blink Outdoor camera experience. In an outdoor camera, this is a bit of a letdown.

Blink Smart Camera - HelloTech How to Set Up and Install a Blink Smart Camera - HelloTech

The Sync Module is powered by a mini USB AC adapter and contains a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio for connecting to your home network and an RF radio for communicating with the camera. It has Wi-Fi and power status LEDs on the front, and a USB port on the side that can be used to connect to a USB storage device, such as a thumb drive (not included), to store event-triggered video clips. From here, you can set up motion “Zones” to disable motion detection alerts in certain areas. You can also scroll down to change other settings, such as your camera’s motion sensitivity, how long it takes your camera to send you an alert after it just detected motion, and more. That said, if a wide-angle lens camera sounds appealing to you, take a peek at my Amcrest camera review, where you’ll learn about a pair of solid devices with wider viewing angles, and better night vision, too. Managing Recordings With Blink Indoor

Not really a DIYer? Don’t worry — like many “DIY” cameras on the market today, if you can turn a screwdriver, you can nail the install. The setup for Blink cameras in particular is especially easy. It consists of scanning a QR code with your phone, giving the cameras a name, and following the in-app instructions to sync everything up. Note: If your system didn’t come with a Sync Module, or you are setting up a Blink Mini smart camera, you can skip to the next section. My tests of Blink Mini centered around home entryways. Like all Blink cams, Blink Mini runs on fluid video, meaning it regularly fluctuates from higher (1080p) to lower video resolutions to allow it to run more smoothly and without gaps in your timeline. So the first thing to note: You won’t find much to gripe about in terms of video quality. This camera won’t let you down there. Motion Sensitivity Then wait for your camera to update and tap Next. You will see this appear in the top-right corner of your screen when your camera is finished updating. But first, here’s a brief look at Blink’s stats, including how we review them: Blink Camera Features Days Tested

Blink Outdoor review | TechRadar

Overall, the Blink Outdoor 4 is pretty similar to its predecessor. It offers the same 1080p resolution and about the same field of vision. It does differ; however, in three pretty substantial ways: Then verify your phone number. First, enter your phone number and then enter the verification code in the text message you receive. You can also receive a code over the phone if you tap the Voice Call option. Another option if you prefer a wireless configuration is the Blink Outdoor floodlight mount. This one uses the Blink Outdoor for the camera part, while the mount itself provides two bright battery-powered floodlights. Smart Home Limitations Can't find the answer you're looking for? Don't worry, we're here to help! Visit HelloTech.com CategoriesThen insert two AA batteries. To make your smart cameras last as long as possible, it is best to use lithium-ion batteries. The differences aren’t night and day, but they are enough that you’re going to notice a enhancement from the 3 to the 4. I certainly did. You’ll find better night vision in one of the Ezviz cameras I reviewed recently, but generally, a camera with exceptional night vision needs some integrated lighting feature to do its best work. (Visit my Reolink Argus 3 Pro review for a really stellar night vision experience.) This clip above is an example of Blink’s highlight reel. I see this is another effort on Blink’s part to make their cameras as convenient as possible – and an impressive addition, considering the low price.

Blink Outdoor Wireless Battery Smart Security System with Two Blink Outdoor Wireless Battery Smart Security System with Two

Even with these changes, it’s nice to see that in 2023, Blink is still putting out solid battery-operated cameras that provide up to two years of continuous use and affordable video storage, keeping both up-front and monthly costs low.And in another nod to Blink’s energy efficiency, the Blink Indoor has a low-power mode to conserve battery life. The only difference in using this mode, in my tests, was about 3-5 seconds of delay from the time motion began to the time the camera began recording. By and large, that’s a negligible delay.

Blink Outdoor 2-Camera System + Blink Mini Camera

Okay, maybe that’s oversimplifying it, but the setup process doesn’t really require much expertise. All instructions were provided by the app – even my teenager could do it. Overall, it took me less than 10 minutes to get each camera up and running. That’s 30 minutes of my lazy Tuesday afternoon well spent, don’t you think? Then wait for the green light to turn on and the blue light to start blinking. The bottom light should be solid green, while the top light should flash blue – just like you see in the app.Next, plug the Sync Module into a wall outlet. You can use the provided USB cable to plug the sync module into the provided power adapter. The micro-USB port is used for power, while the bigger USB-A port is used to record video onto a thumb drive. I’d like to note that since my last testing of the Blink Outdoor, Blink has come out with a newer version called the Blink Outdoor 4. The one I tested was the third generation, which replaced the Blink XT2 (2nd generation) and the Blink XT (first generation). You can also change your motion detection settings by tapping the gear icon at the bottom of your screen. Then go to Notification Options and select what type of notifications you want to receive. How to View Your Recorded Videos