Blink Video Doorbell review

Summary

Blink Video Doorbell review.. For an eye-catching $1 billion, Amazon purchased Ring at the beginning of 2018, making it the most popular video doorbell brand available. At the time, most people were unaware that Blink had also been acquired by Amazon covertly, only two months earlier, and for a sum that was around a tenth of what it cost.

It may seem strange that Amazon has maintained both security camera brands after more than four years. Among other reasons, Blink caters to a distinct market, which is one motivation for doing this: Its very low-cost cameras are among the few that can take on wallet-friendly manufacturers like Wyze, the affordability king that single-handedly changed a lot of the security camera industry’s conventions.

Blink Video Doorbell review

The most recent example is the cordless $50 Video Doorbell from Blink. It may be the most reasonably priced wireless video doorbell available, undercutting both the $100 Ring model and the $90 Wyze model. That in and of itself is amazing, but the real issue is whether the Blink Video Doorbell can still perform the kinds of things you would expect from a contemporary video doorbell at such a cheap cost. (International pricing, with the doorbell expected to launch in the UK later this year, translate to around £40 or AU$80.)

The response is, in a way. Depending on your goals, yes.

Blink Video Doorbell review: Configuring a Blink Doorbell

It’s likely that those who are reluctant to spend a lot of money on a video doorbell will also be reluctant to devote a lot of time to setup. Blink appropriately simplifies setup: Simply use two screws to attach a plastic plate to your door frame, and then clip the doorbell to it.

It was easy to determine the proper angle to clip on the doorbell, even though it was harder than I thought it would be. Additionally, because the batteries are just lithium AAs, there is no need for extensive pre-charging. The whole process, from unpacking to operation, took around five minutes.

After you’ve set up your doorbell, Blink will notify you anytime someone rings or even simply passes by. From there, you may converse with the guest or the delivery person via two-way speak.

These alerts were usually accurate and timely. The only issue I had with it while testing was that there wasn’t always enough time between when it detected motion and when I could view the live stream on my phone, leaving me unable to stop someone stealing a box. However, this little delay is common for video doorbells.

The most distinctive restriction on Blink’s video doorbell is that it requires a motion alert or a buzzer hit before allowing you to see a live stream of your entrance. That implies that if you want to see how much snow has accumulated while you’re out of town, you’re out of luck. This function has the advantage of using less battery life. According to Blink, the battery may last up to two years, although I was clearly unable to confirm this during my evaluation time.

There are two methods to get over the streaming restriction using Blink. Initially, the doorbell takes a high-resolution picture of your doorway once per hour so you can view it in a still picture. Secondly, you may see the live stream and get additional benefits like local storage if you purchase the $35 Blink Sync Module 2 as an add-on.

Although I’m not a huge fan of either of these options, it’s good that you can still watch live content at any time.

Blink Video Doorbell review: Checking the video quality on Blink

The Blink Video Doorbell has a wide-angle field of vision, night vision, and 1080p resolution. The viewing angle is 135 degrees horizontally and 80 degrees vertically. That’s not too awful, particularly for a device in this price bracket, but having such a small vertical viewing angle seems like a lost opportunity here since a 1:1 aspect ratio that provides decent head-to-toe coverage is becoming more and more popular, even in more budget doorbells.

The lack of dynamic range in Blink was another problem I was having. I was able to get good pictures when I positioned the doorbell on the side of the home that didn’t get much shadow. I had an issue when I set it on the front porch, which had a fifteen-foot shaded region right in front of the camera before the completely sunned area beyond the stairs. The backdrop was completely blown out, and the foreground become extremely black. This meant that guests would often appear as nothing more than outlines as they approached the door, becoming distinguishable only when they were in close proximity to the doorbell.

Having said that, Blink’s resolution is remarkable whether you place the doorbell in a completely sunlit or totally shaded environment. I could see the top row or two of letters on a typical vision chart even at a distance of around thirty feet, which isn’t the case even with other video doorbells with greater technological characteristics.

Blink Video Doorbell review: Features and storage costs of Blink

As I noted earlier, Blink offers a lot of features that I appreciate, like weather resistance, motion detection, night vision, 1080p HD color, and two-way conversation.

The Blink Video Doorbell lacks person, package, and vehicle detection—features that many of its rivals offer—despite having customizable motion zones like other Blink cameras. Particularly now that deliveries are happening more often and resulting in porch theft, package detection is crucial.

Video clips may be stored locally on your device or via a Blink membership plan. Since the $35 Blink Sync Module 2 comes with a USB stick that can be put straight into a module and enables customers to keep video clips locally without a membership, Blink advises getting one.

You may try the Blink Subscription Plus Plan, which covers all of your Blink devices, for free for 30 days when you buy a new Blink Video Doorbell. Following that, Blink’s premium membership options are $3 per device per month or $10 per month for an account with an unlimited number of Blink devices and cameras.

Compatibility between Blink’s app and smart homes

The home screen of the Blink app will display a current static image captured from the video doorbell camera. From there, you may choose between seeing the live video stream and browsing through more photographs.

You may choose from a broad range of features and modifications, such as custom motion zones, camera sensitivity, motion detection, clip length, night vision sensitivity, and doorbell ringer volume, among many other choices, by toggling to the Settings icon on the doorbell.

Given that Amazon owns both companies, it is not unexpected that the Blink Video Doorbell and Alexa get along well in terms of smart home compatibility. However, it is incompatible with Apple HomeKit and Google Home devices.

Conclusion about the Blink Video Doorbell

When everything is considered, Blink is a very strong product. Sure, it won’t be as dependable as a more feature-rich security system, but if all you need is the essentials, this small gadget is dependable and comes at an almost unbelievable price.

In the unlikely event that you purchase the Blink Video Doorbell, you’ll need to find a way to store it. If you would want local storage, you may utilize the $35 Sync Module 2, or you can pay $3 per month for a rolling 60-day history of video clips. Although neither option will cost more than $100 overall for more than a year, they both take away from the Blink doorbell’s initially affordable appearance.

Although the Wyze Video Doorbell Pro, a little more costly but smarter wireless option, will likely provide greater value for most purchasers, Blink has hit upon something with its very affordable video doorbell. I’m curious to follow them wherever they go next.

Is there a monthly charge for Blink Doorbell?

For $3 a month per device or $10 a month to link an infinite number of gadgets and cameras to your account, Blink is available.

Is the live stream available for Blink Doorbell?

Yes, live stream viewing is included with the Blink Video Doorbell. You may access live video and audio with this feature on some Alexa-compatible devices or via the Blink app.

Only those who have a Blink membership or have used the 30-day free trial that comes with your purchase are able to store Live Views to the cloud.

PROS