Blink Security Camera System

There are a lot of security cameras and systems to choose from. We really like the Blink Camera System. Users pay no additional fees and don’t sign any contracts. Since the cameras work via wifi and are powered by batteries, there’s no need to drill holes in walls or run wires. There are no hard drives to buy or worry about. Blink indoor and outdoor cameras work with Alexa.

Since Blink cameras are compatible with Alexa, users can view Blink camera feeds on smartphones, smart hubs and on televisions. For example, I can say “Alexa, show me the front door.” and the front door camera’s live feed pops up on my television. The systems come in 1, 2, 3, and 5 camera kits. Of course, you can add additional cameras as you need them. Each base unit supports up to 10 cameras.

Easy Setup

Ease of setup makes Blink the perfect choice for homeowners. The cameras work over wifi and are battery operated. There’s no need to drill holes through walls and run wires. Setting up the camera system is fairy straightforward. The included instructions will walk you through the set up process.

I suggest downloading the Blink app to your smartphone and setting up all your cameras before you jump into mounting them. You’ll have the option to customize the names of each camera. I simply named them using their locations-“front door”, “back yard”, etc.

Video Quality

Blink XT2 Cameras record in 1080P video resolution. I’ve found the video quality to be simply amazing. Colors are vibrant and every small detail is picked up. The infrared night vision is very good too. Users can customize the infrared settings to suit their individual situation and preference.

Free Cloud Storage

There’s no hard drive to buy or crash. All the videos and photos are automatically stored in the cloud on secure servers. You can access them anytime through the Blink app on your smart phone or tablet. Users can easily save your videos and photos to your device.

My camera caught this guy one morning. Notice the detail picked up on the bird.

Battery Power

Each camera is powered by two lithium ion AA batteries. Yes, batteries are included! Battery life is quoted to last “up to two years”. Battery life depends on how much use the camera sees. For me, batteries seem to last about a year. I do have the motion sensor sensitivity and video record length settings set a little higher than the default settings. This means the cameras turn on more often and stay on longer which in turn taxes the batteries a little more. Users can adjust these settings to suit their individual situations.

I’ve tried some different brands of lithium ion batteries hoping to save a few bucks. None of them held up as long as the Energizers that Blink recommends. Amazon sells them for about the same price as my local Walmart. Please note: standard alkaline batteries and rechargeable batteries will not last very long. Lesson learned!

If you want to use FREE solar power from the Sun to power your Blink cameras, check out these cool solar panels designed specifically for Blink Cameras.

Other Cool Features

The cameras allow for two way audio transmission. If someone knocks on your front door, you can speak with them without opening your door. Motion detection sensitivity can be adjusted to suit your needs. Users can turn it on or off right from your smart phone or tablet.

Users can set alerts to send notifications when motion sensors are triggered, when the system is armed or disarmed, etc. Video clip recording length and retrigger times are also easily adjusted via the Blink app.

Advanced Features

For those who like to optimize their systems, Blink give users a lot of settings to tinker with. Users can easily customize motion sensor sensitivity, recorded clip length and video recording quality just to name a few. I like that the settings can be changed for each individual camera.

One of the coolest advanced settings allow users to prevent motion false alarms. For example, we often have a flag flying on our porch. When the flag waved, it triggered the motion sensor in a nearby camera. I was able to precisely exclude certain areas of the nearby camera’s field of view. This keeps me from getting a barrage of false notifications and preserves battery life.

Mounts and Other Accessories

Blink camera systems come with basic swivel mounts. They seem to work pretty well. Installing them is as easy as drilling three small holes. All hardware is included. For those who want to mount cameras on siding, gutters or other places, special mounts are available. I have one of the gutter mounts. Installation was as easy as turning two small knobs. These are nice if you don’t want to drill holes or feel you may move the cameras later. I use some of the inexpensive bird house style protective covers to protect my cameras.

Update: I recently used some of the vinyl siding clips to mount two cameras to my home’s siding. These handy clips allow you to mount cameras on vinyl siding without drilling any holes. I’ve had zero issues with them.

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Be sure to check out the new Blink Mini Indoor Cameras!