Know Who’s knocking Without Getting Up: Blink Video Doorbell

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Like most people, you don’t love getting up to answer the door, especially if you don’t know who’s there. Blink Video Doorbell is a game-changer. Now, you can see who’s at your door without getting up! Blink is an affordable, battery-powered doorbell that gives you peace of mind. It has a free app that notifies you when someone is at your door and lets you see and speak to them from anywhere.

Pros

Value for Money

I liked Blink Video Doorbell‘s price and value for money. It was one of the more affordable options on the market, and it offered a lot of features for its price. I also liked that it was easy to install and use. The video quality was good, and the doorbell worked well with my existing home security system. 

Installation

Like some leading video doorbells, Blink provides various methods to connect with it. As it’s becoming more widely available, it’s a wonderful option for a doorbell this cheap. Suppose you avoid connecting your Blink setup to your existing doorbell wiring (or should that not be a possibility). In that case, a bit also takes two AA batteries, which Blink estimates can power your doorbell for as long as two years.

No Monthly Subscription

Blink’s Video Doorbell allows you to forego a monthly subscription when you don’t want it. Subscription can enhance some features, but if you spend cash on a doorbell you already have, this can be a hard sell.

Local storage is also available with the optional Sync module 2 (paired with an external USB flash drive, up to 256GB). Keep in mind you pay extra for the necessary hardware upfront. If cloud storage appeals to you, Blink offers two paid monthly plans starting at $3 per month, which unlocks the ability to share clips, view the camera’s 60-day event history, and use cloud storage.

Good Video and Audio Quality

The Blink Video Doorbell records in 1080p HD, the regular choice for most monitoring systems and security cameras. Unlike the doorbells from Ring and Nest, which routinely record in a 4:3 format for a full-length view, the Blink Video Doorbell records in a 16:9 format.

You won’t be armed with color night vision. Still, the black-and-white infrared high-resolution night vision is typically sharp and clean, especially nearby. During the day, the video quality occasionally seems overexposed if it gets too much sunlight.

Of course, two-way talk is also available. The audio sounds clear when heard on the doorbell from a speaker, but we heard a lot of background noise while listening through the app.

Works well with Amazon’s Alexa

As a product owned by Amazon, it is not compatible with Google Assistant or Siri; however, it is fully compatible with Amazon Alexa.

Cons

Performance

I often needed help accessing the camera’s live stream after clicking through multiple notification alerts on Wi-Fi and LTE. After several seconds of trying to connect, a message appeared in my app: Live view failed. Also, I encountered more streaming problems than anticipated, given my familiarity with the product.

The camera didn’t notice motion pickups from time to time. There have been instances when only the middle part of an event has been photographed and has yet to be immediately started. Bear in mind that, to get intelligent alerts, the doorbell should be in armed mode.

Build Quality

The Blink Video Doorbell is lightweight and feels light and thin. Be sure you don’t over-tighten the screws when you install the doorbell, or otherwise, you might crack the backplate. Otherwise, the rest of the doorbell’s construction is sturdy, and the mounting device is lightweight.

Privacy

The red light on the front of the doorbell will illuminate when the doorbell and video recording are in use. The video and audio recording settings can be disabled in the Blink app. Blink requires you to provide your password to make changes to your phone numbers, email addresses, and other information linked to your account.

Blink accounts can include multi-factor authentication to keep your smart home secure. The feature will warn you whenever someone tries to access your account without permission.

Conclusion

At $50, it’s difficult to ignore the Blink Video Doorbell‘s shortcomings. Sure, it lacks much more than some more advanced products. Still, it can easily store video recordings locally and does not require a subscription for any of its features.

The Blink is ideal for those who have set up a Blink security system and can utilize it in versatile installation requirements or that desire local storage. The Blink will be a good deal for anyone in those specific scenarios.