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Affordable HD security cameras perfect for small spaces, with basic features.
Editor’s Note: Blink is a good entry-level choice for security cameras. But if you want to uplevel your security game, we recommend ADT Self Setup. Read our ADT Self Setup review to see why they have one of the highest-rated security systems and security cameras.
Since their acquisition by e-commerce behemoth Amazon in 2017, Blink has experienced skyrocketing success as a brand of compact HD cameras that make self-monitoring and installation a breeze for almost anyone.
No matter who owns them, Blink has remained remarkably consistent over the years. They were and are committed to DIY home security, and they have kept things simple. And where they haven’t remained the same, they’ve improved. Blink started with three basic cameras, for example – the Indoor, the Outdoor, and the Mini. They’ve upgraded all of these, and they’ve added a Video Doorbell, a Wired Floodlight Cam, and a pan-and-tilt version of the Mini. They’ve even produced a solar panel that makes for easy outdoor charging. Most models feature battery power, making them wire-free, and Blink’s video storage plans are some of the cheapest available.
The bottom line is that Blink has carved out a niche for itself as one of the most affordable DIY options in home security.
Things change fast in the home security industry. Companies can improve, or they can let quality slip. I wanted to see how Blink is doing at the moment, so I purchased a three-camera pack from Amazon to see how well the cameras protect the nooks and crannies of my single-family home. The pack contained…what else: a Blink Mini, a Blink Indoor, and a Blink Outdoor.
Below, I get into the details of all three cameras, plus I look at whether or not the Blink system is dependable. And I let you know both the strengths and weaknesses I came across during testing, so you can be fully informed when you head online looking for the right home security camera.
First, though, a quick look at the basics of these cameras.
Days Tested | 50+ |
No. of Cameras | 3 |
Best Asset | Easy Installation |
Video Resolution | 1080p HD |
Price | $34.99+ |
>>Dig Deeper: Guide to choosing home security cameras.
Pro Tip: Need more than just security cameras? Blink may not be the best choice. Head over to our SimpliSafe review to see how integrating security cameras with a security system exponentially increases your protection — without breaking the bank, of course.
After I took these cameras for a test drive, I calculated a SecureScore™ of 7.6 out of 10. They are definitely solid cameras, but there is room for improvement. I docked Blink some points because these cameras require a separate hub and the features leave a little something to be desired. If you want to see how Blink matches up with our top picks, read our Ring vs. Blink comparison, Blink vs. Arlo comparison, or Blink vs. SimpliSafe matchup.
Home security equipment can be complex, from its construction to the software that runs it. That’s especially true for cameras. So, we’re always impressed when a company makes its cameras easy to set up and install.
Right away, we knew the Blink installation would be simple and straightforward. We ordered three cameras. We got exactly three boxes, each one containing one device. In addition, each box included one sync module, two mounting screws, one plastic mount, and a battery replacement tool. Everything we needed to install these cameras and nothing we didn’t.
Quick note here: Both the Blink Indoor and Outdoor require a Sync Module. The cameras use Wi-Fi, but they connect to the Sync Module hub rather than directly to the outside. The hub then sends the signal out. This can affect how quickly alerts get to you. In addition, the Sync Module isn’t battery-powered, so I had to set it up near an outlet while keeping in mind its distance from each of the cameras. It has a range of up to 100 feet, but in my experience, it needs to be a little bit closer than that to the outdoor camera to account for possible signal interventions caused by walls.
If you can believe it, the installation actually got easier from there. Once we scanned the QR codes on the boxes, complete instructions popped up on our app. We had to give each device a name – we went with Groucho, Chico, and Harpo – and the app synced everything up for us from there.
And OK, we did have to put a couple of screws into the wall. That’s pretty basic, though, and if you prefer, your cameras can sit comfortably on furniture, in which case you can leave the screwdriver in the toolbox. The whole thing took around ten minutes.
The only cameras I can recall that had an easier setup were from Wyze Cams. In fact, there’s a lot of commonality between these two brands. As a starting point, if you’re into simple wireless tech, you’ll appreciate both Blink and Wyze. Not only do they resemble each other somewhat in appearance, the cameras also cost less than much of the competition. We’re going back to talking about Blink now, but if you’re interested, you can find more on Wyze in our hands-on Wyze Cam review.
What was I saying? Oh, right – you almost have to be trying to make a mistake setting up Blink cameras. These are simple pieces of equipment to set up. You just pull up the Blink app and it makes all the connections for you.
Keep in mind, though – as we said in the beginning, these are complex pieces of equipment. They offer tons of features, and they afford you tons of control over your security. That means that, while setup was easy, fine-tuning these cameras can take a bit more time and patience. You’ve got Wi-Fi passwords to enter, for instance. You have to pair your cameras with your phone and other mobile devices. And that’s just for starters.
We had the power to adjust the sensitivity of the cameras’ motion detectors so we didn’t get alerts every time the neighbors’ cat happened by; we set the night vision to suit our front porch lighting setup; we made decisions about where to store footage. You can’t zip through any of this, but by the time we were finished, we had a much deeper understanding of our camera and its capabilities. We felt like we were really getting our money’s worth because we knew how to use absolutely every feature.
Pro Tip: If you’re looking for home security with a lot of customization, Blink might not be the best fit. Instead, Vivint, a professionally monitored system, might suit you better. Check out our hands-on Vivint system review.
Sometimes, big things come in small packages. The Blink Mini is a good example. Yes, it’s small, but it includes all the basics you need to monitor your home, and it’s just $30. That puts home security in anyone’s grasp. Plus, the Mini’s size works in its favor in another way – this camera can be put in discrete locations, the better to catch thieves unaware.
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.
Our biggest complaint with the Blink Mini has to do with its motion sensitivity settings. Motion sensitivity is important in any home security camera since it’s the difference between too many alerts and too few alerts. Too many and you’re less likely to check real alerts. Too few, and you miss important events.
The Blink Mini does allow you to make adjustments. There’s a handy slider that makes changing this setting intuitive.
As we note in our Blink Mini camera review, though, that slider doesn’t allow for much fine-tuning. You can set your camera to ignore dust and falling leaves, and that’s useful. They’re probably going to pick up pet movement, though, so you’ll get alerts when the neighbor’s dog is on the loose. Set it to ignore pets, and you’re likely to miss important moments.
Let’s be clear: for a $50 home security camera to have an adjustable motion sensor is fairly remarkable. You have to know going in, though, that the price of saving a few dollars is extra false alarms.
Just for comparison, let’s take a look at how the Blink Mini stacks up against its closest competitor, the Wyze Cam v.3. In past reviews, we’ve ranked Wyze a bit higher, but the Blink Mini v.2 has reversed the field.
Features | Blink Mini | Wyze Cam v3 |
---|---|---|
Resolution | 1080p | 1080p |
Viewing angle | 143 degrees | 130 degrees |
Person detection | Yes | Yes |
Night vision | Color night vision | Color night vision |
Usage | Indoor or outdoor | Indoor or outdoor (IP 67 weatherproof) |
Local storage | None | MicroSD card |
Camera price | $49.98 | $35.98 |
Blink doesn’t offer professional monitoring of any kind. That means you’re on the hook for all monitoring responsibilities. Every time you receive an alert, you have to check it by pulling up live video footage and, if necessary, reviewing recorded footage. Miss one alert, and it could be the alert that stops a robbery or prevents a housefire. Your job doesn’t end at checking the alert, either. You also have to decide on your own what to do in response to an emergency, and, if necessary, you have to notify emergency personnel. This is the reason why we always urge homeowners to invest in professional monitoring if it’s available.
That’s not an option with Blink, so let’s focus on what you do get. First, the Blink app helps with self-monitoring. It’s easy to switch between checking live footage and reviewing past footage. This came in handy when my smoke sensors detected smoke coming from my kitchen. The smoke on the live feed was so dense I couldn’t see what was going on, but after quickly scrolling through the recorded footage, I remembered I’d left my oven on while baking lasagna. Needless to say, dinner was ruined. I was able to rush home, though, and prevent a minor emergency from turning into a three-alarm fire.
The other positive of self-monitoring? Once you’ve purchased Blink equipment, you never have to pay another dime for your system. That makes those already great deals you can get on cameras even better.
FYI: Recordings are saved in the cloud, but you’ll need a subscription for cloud storage starting at $3 per month. More on this later.
The only gripe I had about Blink Mini, for the most part, is that it’s wired. But that’s also why it’s a cheaper camera than its siblings. To avoid a hassle, just plan on displaying it close to a wall outlet. You know, instead of standing on a ladder yelling, “Anyone got an extension cord?” for 10 minutes until someone answers. (We’ve all been there, right?)
Here’s the bottom line on Blink Mini: While it might be small and it doesn’t include all the features, it still packs the power and convenience of Blink’s other two devices thanks to a strong and intuitive app. That makes it a pretty worthwhile addition to the system.
That said, if you’re looking for slick features like activity zones, person detection, and facial recognition, Google Nest Cam review is another great place to look. Sure, the cheapest Nest Cam costs $99, more than twice as much as the Blink Mini, but you’ll get AI-powered features such as those mentioned above. Just something to consider in case the Blink Mini leaves you wanting for more.
The Blink Indoor Camera isn’t quite as compact as the Blink Mini, but at less than 3 inches tall, it makes for a discreet addition to any home security setup. Plus, this camera is wire free – no communication cords, and no power cords. That gives you the flexibility to install it anywhere. You can focus on maximizing coverage rather than where the nearest outlet happens to be, which is only going to improve your overall security.
We positioned our camera in our central hallway, which means we can see anyone who happens to be in our house. We can also report that the Indoor Camera’s HD video quality and motion detection were top-notch. We could see every twitch of our cat’s tail as he walked through. We could see those twitches in the daytime anyway. Unfortunately, Blink’s night vision capabilities aren’t as sophisticated as competitors like the Arlo camera system. Arlo features full-color night vision which allows you to see what’s going on in greater detail. Of course, while night vision quality is essential in outdoor cameras, it isn’t a deal-breaker when you’re choosing an indoor camera.
Blink Indoor’s viewing angle is somewhat narrower than other cameras- just 110 degrees. These days, it’s more common to see cameras that stretch out up to 160 degrees, as noted in my full unpacking of the Arlo Pro 3 cameras.
As with resolution, though, a higher number doesn’t always equate to better quality. The truth is there are pros and cons to different size fields. If you’re looking to focus on a specific target – like an entrance or a doorway – Blink’s narrower angel is better suited to capture what you need. Objects appear larger and more detailed in the image. In cameras with wide-angle lenses, objects appear smaller, and you’ll also see some distortions along the edges of the frame during recording.
Even taking all of this information into account, I found the Blink Indoor field of view a bit lacking. If you want full coverage of a decent-sized room, you’ll need more than one camera. You’ll see what I mean if you scroll down a little further and watch the sample clip from my Blink Indoor. Despite my best effort at placing the camera strategically, it only managed to capture about three quarters of my living room, leaving pretty huge blind spots.
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.
Blink’s video history produces a highlight reel of each day’s activity. With this history organized into individual frames, you can review everything with a glance. Because who wants to come home after a hard day of work and pour over video footage?
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.
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.
At $79, Blink Indoor is priced competitively, especially when you consider all that’s included in a kit: One Blink Indoor camera, one Blink Sync Module 2, durable mounting hardware, and four long-lasting AA batteries.
It’s a generous package, and with everything Blink has to offer, the camera still handles exceptionally well.
Turning to Blink’s dedicated outdoor camera, it’s evident immediately that this one was built to be discreet. It only comes in all-black, as opposed to the black-and-white indoor cam. As far as aesthetics, it’s got a sleek finish and takes the same minimalistic cues as Indoor. In fact, you’re talking about the same camera, essentially, as Indoor, only with a tougher (IP65) weather rating.
I should point out that I tested the third generation of the Blink Outdoor. Blink has actually released a fourth generation. However, the differences between the two are largely cosmetic. The newer version features a matte black finish with a slightly more rounded face. It does promise to offer a wider viewing angle than the third generation and person detection, and we’d say those upgrades, though minor, are absolutely worth the $20 extra cost. Keep an eye out for our upcoming review to see why, but we have the Cliffs Notes version a few sections down:
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.
We wouldn’t say that the Blink Outdoor can’t see anything at night; it’s a matter of perspective. In night vision mode, for instance, we had no trouble seeing the cat walking on our front lawn. Identifying which one of our many neighborhood cats it was proved a bit more difficult. The question to ask yourself is whether or not you need the fine details.
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.)
On that note, Blink does have other options if you prefer brighter and better night vision. One of these is the Blink Floodlight Cam Wired. As the name implies, it comes equipped with powerful floodlights. Otherwise, it offers most of the same features as the Blink Outdoor. You should know, though, that it needs to be wired to an outdoor junction box in order to work.
If you prefer a floodlight with a wireless configuration, you might check out the Blink Outdoor floodlight mount. It allows you to use the Blink Outdoor as the camera, but the mount itself provides two bright battery-powered floodlights.
Blink also recently introduced a solar panel mount that works with all of its outdoor models. For the most part, you can set up solar power and get worry-free video monitoring. No need to locate an outdoor outlet and no need to change batteries. Just more evidence of how forward-thinking Blink is.
Since it’s an Amazon brand, Blink doesn’t integrate quite as seamlessly with Google Home devices, so you won’t be able to say, “OK Google, show me my patio” and similar voice commands to control the cameras.
Amazon Alexa users, on the other hand, should be pretty delighted. If you’re taking an impromptu trip out of state in the near future, you can use the Alexa app to check the temperature in your home (via a Nest thermostat) and, at the same time, peek into the Blink Indoor camera to make sure the dog sitter has shown up. Actions like this are a quick, efficient way to get peace of mind when you can’t be home.
Of course, you’ve got plenty of other choices if you’re looking for cameras that do integrate with multiple platforms in addition to Alexa, like Google Home, IFTTT, and Samsung SmartThings. In my latest review of Reolink’s cameras, integrations were a bit easier thanks to a smart home tab in their mobile app. This way, almost every camera Reolink makes (and there are many) can be fed into a smart home ecosystem with little fuss, with plenty of cross-platform functionality to boot.
FYI: Affordable and simple as they may be, Blink cameras are pretty weak when it comes to automating with non-Amazon devices. Some brands don’t always play nice with each other; read our comprehensive home automation guide to learn more.
Smart home challenges aside, Blink Outdoor redeems itself in other areas, exhibiting the same strengths that made me a fan of the brand in the first place: Fluid video resolution at up to 1080p; seamless two-way talk; customizable motion detection; and that easy installation Blink is famous for.
Before pivoting into pricing and storage options on Blink, I think it’s worth pointing out that these cameras are not ideal as pet monitors. While they’re pretty sensitive to most types of motion out of the box, in my tests, none of the Blink cameras were triggered by the family dog, as wiggly and rambunctious as he is. It could be that more fine-tuning in the app is needed to remedy this, but it could also be that this $80 camera just isn’t strong in this way, and that’s totally okay.
Fortunately, there’s a camera or two out there that handles this much better. As noted when I tested and reviewed YI’s Home 3 camera, the camera seemed to enjoy sending entertaining recordings of said pup in all sorts of precarious positions – no app tinkering needed. Keep in mind, too, this camera costs $20, so there isn’t much tinkering to be done, anyway.
Who knows, maybe the dog ate jumping beans that day. But it’s just something you might pick up from time to time when comparing home security companies. Motion sensors sometimes work in mysterious ways.
Now that you have a pretty good understanding of the Blink outdoor 3, let me give you a brief preview of their newest iteration, the Blink Outdoor 4.
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:
The differences aren’t night and day, but they are enough that you’re going to notice an enhancement from the 3 to the 4. I certainly did.
One note on that last piece, though. To take advantage of the Blink Outdoor 4’s motion detection capabilities, you’re going to need to sign up for a subscription. It only costs $3 per month though, and we have more details below.
When comparing pricing in security cameras, I always like to start with a disclaimer: You do get what you pay for, so choose wisely. Blink is far from the cheapest camera brand you’ll find out there, as the industry is brimming with low-cost cameras these days. Some folks might bristle at paying $100 for a Blink camera, but keep in mind that this is a solid battery-powered camera, the likes of which usually isn’t available for under $100.
Of course, you could always go with the Blink Mini if you’d rather save on equipment costs – for $35, Mini is an all-around good camera.
Below is a snapshot of pricing for Blink cameras, keeping in mind that the cameras also come in 2-, 3-, and 5-pack systems, if you choose. Feel free to check out my Blink Camera pricing page for more info, and while you’re at it, head over to the latest rundown of Blink Prime Day deals and discounts.
Blink Model | Price | Features |
---|---|---|
Blink Indoor | $79.99 |
|
Blink Outdoor 3 | $99.99 |
|
Blink Outdoor 4 | $99.99 |
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Blink Mini | $29.99 |
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Blink Video Doorbell | $59.99 |
|
Blink Wired Floodlight Camera | $89.99 |
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Blink Mini Pan-Tilt | $39.99 |
|
Since Blink has discontinued their free cloud storage option, you’re now left with two options to store video history with Blink: A basic plan, for $3 per month, and a premium option for $10 per month.
These costs are pretty well aligned with Blink’s close competitors. Swann’s $5-per-month plan, for example, offers basic storage but not too many of the extras Blink includes in their subscriptions. With everything you’ll get in an affordable Blink system, I don’t think paying $3 per month to store videos (or $30 for the whole year) is stretching it.
Here’s a breakdown of Blink’s storage costs, keeping in mind that you also have the option to attach a hard drive to your Blink sync module to store video on your own:
Blink Plans | Basic | Plus |
---|---|---|
Motion-Activated Alerts | Yes | Yes |
Live Streaming | Yes | Yes |
Video History | 60 Days | 60 Days |
Two-Way Talk | Yes | Yes |
10% off Blink Products | No | Yes |
Warranty | 1 year | As long as subscription is active |
Number of Cameras | 1 | Unlimited |
Price | $3 per month | $10 per month |
With Blink, you’re promised a hassle-free experience, and you’ll get one. Indeed, these cameras are nothing if not consistent. For folks who don’t feel comfortable around security equipment or just don’t have the time to learn and interact with technology, Blink is a consistent leader. It certainly belongs in our roundup of the best cheap security cameras.
To summarize, here’s what I think Blink’s strengths and weaknesses are.
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Now it’s your turn to decide. Do the pros outweigh the cons? Will Blink work in your home setup?
With the extended-life batteries included in every Blink camera (except Blink Mini), you’ll get about two years of battery life with typical use. From what I’ve seen, that’s a whole lot of battery life in one charge.
Since they’re owned by the same company, Blink and Alexa play well together. You can set up your Blink cameras to use voice commands through an Amazon Echo. It does not work as smoothly with Google Assistant, though.
No. Blink cameras use standard infrared night vision that is not colorized, so you’ll get a pretty grainy picture at night.
Yes. The cameras have USB ports, and a power cord is included in the box, in case you’d rather wire the cameras for continuous use.
While not the cheapest camera on the market, Blink is generally considered an affordable brand. Their most expensive camera is $100, which isn’t bad for a battery-powered camera.
The Sync Module is a small, shallow box that comes with the Blink Indoor and Blink Outdoor cameras. The module receives information from Blink servers through your home Wi-Fi, and sends notifications to our phone. Cameras receive information from the Sync Module, then send images and notifications through your Wi-Fi. You can also use the Sync Module to attach an external hard drive via USB.
IFSEC Insider. (2017 Jan 4). CES 2017 sneak peak: Blink set to unveil home security system with moisture sensors for leak detection
https://www.ifsecglobal.com/global/ces-2017-blink-home-security-system-leak-detection/
Lorex Technology. (2021). Guide to Field of View & Lens Types.
https://www.lorextechnology.com/self-serve/guide-to-field-of-view-lens-types/R-sc2900041