Is Blink A Good Security Camera
Since Amazon bought Glimmer, they've continually expanded their home security photographic camera offerings. In this review, we dug into the Blink Outdoor camera. From its phenomenal battery life to its live-streaming limits, we've got all the details on the good and the bad of the new Glimmer outdoor camera.
Blink Outdoor features
| Video quality | Up to 1080p HD |
| Field of view | 110 degrees |
| Night vision type | Infrared LED |
| Connectivity | 2.4 GHz Wi-FI |
| Audio | 2-way audio |
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Showtime Impressions
When we first got our hands on the Glimmer Outdoor camera, we noticed it was definitely sleeker and nicer to wait at than the Blink XT2. Withal, it maintained actually strong weatherproofing for safe outdoor utilise. The Blink Outdoor photographic camera'south IP rating (how protected it is against liquids or solids) is 65. That means information technology'due south protected from all directions from water (like pelting) and is dust-tight, which is a good affair since we accept a bad habit of forgetting to watch where we bespeak the garden hose sometimes when watering the plants. The temperature rating is negative four to 113 degrees Fahrenheit, so some areas with extremely high temperatures, like LA or Arizona may observe the Blink Outdoor camera to exist not well suited for them.
We also noticed that the Sync Module that Blink cameras use to connect to the Cyberspace and store footage has been upgraded to a Sync Module 2. The new Sync Module two supports upward to 10 cameras and offers local storage for our Blink Outdoor to shop its footage on directly. Nosotros loved being able to automatically store the data for all our Blink cameras on one retentiveness menu, making it really easy to give the footage to constabulary enforcement like that time someone ran over our mailbox and didn't cease to exit a note. Rude!
Programme Ahead: To change the batteries on the Blink Outdoor camera, we had to take it off the mounting base of operations and remove the back of the photographic camera, so be certain to mountain it somewhere that'southward easily accessible in order to change the batteries.
What'southward in the Box
And so what came in the Blink outdoor camera kit? It came with everything we needed to get started except for a screwdriver and a flash drive, which included:
- Glimmer Outdoor camera
- Mounting hardware
- Sync Module two
- Camera tool
- USB cable
- Power adapter
- Four AA Energizer batteries
Strengths and Weaknesses
Let's become right into information technology. The Blink Outdoor camera is more than of what we expected from Blink. It seemed to have it all: sleek styling that didn't immediately scream "security photographic camera" with its rounded foursquare look, an easy installation process, a strong app, and a solid functioning overall. But, information technology wasn't perfect, then we'll embrace the cons, besides.
Potent Points
- Two-mode audio: Most security cameras have two-way audio now, but it's still really important. With the Blink Outdoor, nosotros could communicate in real-time with delivery personnel or repair workers directly through the camera'south speakers and microphone. Information technology also immune usa to alert intruders that we see them. Sometimes a "can I help you?" in a firm vocalization is all it takes to convince potential troublemakers to leave quickly, as nosotros found in multiple instances.
- Ii-year battery life: That's right, the Glimmer Outdoor should final for up to an entire two years from two little AA batteries. Of class, the video-employ pattern and the quality of the AA batteries tin affect actual performance time, and since the camera just came out, we haven't been able to verify the two-yr bombardment life, but nosotros'll study dorsum in a couple of years!
- Solid video functioning: We appreciated the Blink Outdoor's articulate, 1080p HD video, although its field of view was a little more narrow than we needed at only 110 degrees diagonally; while we could see our stoop, we couldn't come across what was happening on our entire sidewalk. And while the camera couldn't zoom in optically, we zoomed in directly on the Blink Home app 4 times to take hold of those smaller details, like an exotic bird landing on our recycling trash tin one Tuesday morn. Now, if but the photographic camera could tell us what kind of bird information technology was, we'd exist psyched!
- Motility detection sensitivity: Nosotros kept getting alerts when there were particularly potent gusts of wind, which was annoying and unnecessary. But wait; once we looked deeper into the Blink Home app, we constitute that we could adjust the motion detectors' sensitivity then we could avoid these types of alerts, which worked well. Since the camera lacks person detection, this was a decent way to make our notifications matter more, although we even so wish the camera could tell people apart from moving inanimate objects or animals.
- Privacy zones: When it comes to smart home security, privacy has been a huge issue across the industry, and Glimmer is no exception; just last year, Tenable Inc constitute seven different vulnerabilities in the Blink XT2 photographic camera1 that could lead to the camera'due south footage beingness viewed remotely. The thought of someone looking out our front window along with our outdoor cameras truly creeps usa out, but Blink has addressed this issue with the new outdoor photographic camera in the class of privacy zones. Basically, privacy zones let us describe areas nosotros want the camera to black out and then it won't exist shown on our alive stream. For example, when we had the camera installed in our backyard, nosotros blacked out our neighbour's backyard then that we wouldn't be spying on them. Only our g was visible, which besides helped to cut downward on our notifications. It was a win win!
- Local storage: As we already mentioned, our footage automatically backed upwardly on our Sync Module 2, which was nice, although we had to buy the flash bulldoze ourselves.
- Alexa integration: Given that Amazon owns Glimmer, it was no surprise to see that, like the rest of the Blink cameras, the Blink Outdoor worked with Alexa. We used our voices to bear witness our cameras' footage on our Burn Goggle box or Echo Evidence smart displays, arm and disarm our camera, ask when our latest motion alerts were, and more. Glimmer has some of the most extensive Alexa commands we've seen from a security camera, so the Glimmer Outdoor is a keen choice for those already in the Amazon ecosystem. And if you're interested in becoming part of that ecosystem, our Repeat Bear witness review and our Echo Dot with Clock review are great places to start.
Weak Points
- Keep button: The Glimmer Outdoor photographic camera can merely live stream for five minutes at a time earlier starting a new stream, not to mention that we had to tap a "continue" button every 30 seconds fifty-fifty within that short, five infinitesimal timeframe. While this feature did help with our photographic camera'due south battery life, it was pretty annoying, especially when we were trying to watch how the squirrel is getting into the bird feeder that was supposed to exist squirrel-proof.
- Disappointing night vision: While we're fans of infrared night vision in general, the Blink Outdoor but had a single infrared sensor, so rather than seeing the familiar faces of our visiting friends and family, we only saw white glowing blobs. Later, we ended up adjusting the photographic camera'south setup to improve the night vision slightly, only this can exist tricky and was definitely not platonic by any ways.
- Narrow field of view: With no pan or tilt feature once it's ready in place, the Blink Outdoor'southward 110 degree field of view isn't great; normally nosotros like our cameras to have fields of view of at least 120 degrees. But, the mountain was flexible and then adept former trial and error let us find the best location for our camera to make up for its limits.
- No free cloud storage: Some sad news is that, although Glimmer'due south previous cameras had some complimentary deject storage, that'll be over past 2021, unless your Blink account was made earlier April fifteen, 2020.two Like united states of america, you'll need to pay for cloud storage, but fortunately information technology's not that expensive. Nosotros could become away with paying $ten a calendar month for 60 days of footage, which was generous.
| Free | Basic | Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video recording | No | Yes | Aye |
| Days of rolling video storage | No | 60 | 60 |
| Video sharing | No | Yeah | Yes |
| Number of cameras supported | n/a | 1 | Unlimited |
| 10 percent off Blink devices on Amazon | No | No | Yes |
| Length of Warranty in Years | 1 | 1 | Length of subscription |
| Monthly Price | $0 | $3 | $10 |
| Yearly Cost | $0 | $thirty | $100 |
| Savings with Yearly Price | $0 | $half-dozen | $20 |
- Short distance to router: Our camera had to be no more than 100 feet away from our router in lodge to connect to the Wi-Fi. This was fine for our brownstone, but may not piece of work for larger homes.
Overall, the Glimmer Outdoor camera is a solid performer with the IR night vision being its biggest weakness. Simply the daytime video is so crisp that we're considering merely adding some nighttime lighting in the k to get that quality day and night. Compared to other Blink offerings, like the Glimmer XT2, the Blink Outdoor camera kit starts in the same price range. Plus, the new Sync Module 2 and its back up of up to x cameras paired with the powerful control app made setting up an entire domicile security camera network easy.
Setting Up the Glimmer Outdoor
Prepare with the Blink Outdoor photographic camera was pretty easy, but we notwithstanding had to take our time and non skip whatsoever steps.
- We already had our Blink Habitation app downloaded, but if you don't, that'southward the outset step you'll take.
- We grabbed the Sync Module 2, plugged information technology in, and got information technology connected to our Wi-Fi.
- We scanned the QR code on the camera using the Blink app, which connected the photographic camera, app and Sync Module ii.
- Next, we used the camera tool that came in the package to accept the back off of the Blink Outdoor camera. It was actually simple to pop the case bankroll off. Once the back was off, we installed the 2 AA batteries and put the back, well, back on.
- Side by side, we mounted the Blink Outdoor camera base of operations, remembering to stay within our 100-foot Wi-Fi range.
- Finally, we snapped the photographic camera onto its mountain and adapted the angle for optimal viewing.
Working With the Blink Home App
We found the Blink Home app to be pretty powerful and easy to use. It included intuitive controls that didn't require us to go digging for an instruction manual, thankfully, laying out privacy zones, motion sensitivity, clip length, notifications, move recording, audio, and night vision controls.
Our biggest issue was the demand to keep tapping the screen every 30 seconds while alive streaming. While information technology makes sense for saving battery, it was particularly annoying when we were trying to converse with a friend who was in our backyard when we weren't habitation. On the other paw, our favorite feature was managing and sharing recorded clips, which was really piece of cake and fun.
Video Review
Prefer watching a demonstration of the Blink Outdoor photographic camera? Take a look at our video review below.
Notation: For more than video reviews and informative videos, subscribe to our Youtube channel so you can stay upward to date on the latest in home security.
The Bottom Line
Overall, the Blink Outdoor camera is a solid outdoor security camera and priced pretty affordably at $99.99. We really liked the local storage option on the new Sync Module two, particularly with Blink going to a paid subscription model for deject storage in 2021. Plus, the powerful Glimmer Habitation app really let u.s. easily customize what alerts the arrangement sent and how the camera functioned. See how much y'all can save by buying cameras in bulk on our Blink pricing page. Or, if yous're looking for a camera with excellent nighttime vision or a wider field of view than 110 degrees, we recommend reading about the best wireless security cameras.
Source: https://www.security.org/security-cameras/blink/review/
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