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Recently we have covered the excellent Netgear Arlo and the not quite as good but cheaper Kidde Lync. Today we have the review of Blink Home Security.
This works in a similar manner to Arlo, there is a sync module and then, however, many wireless cameras you want to add to the system. Blink currently sell kits with 1, 2 or 3 cameras for £110, £190, £260, then additional cameras are £90.
The Blink system uses a slightly different design concept than others, the camera is a square shape that can sit on your wall a little less obtrusive than round shaped cameras. There is a mounting bracket that allows for easy mounting anywhere you want, and you can mount either with screws of the supplied 3M tape. The flat bottom of the camera means you can just place it on a table with no bracket if you wish.
The cameras can be powered via AA batteries or MicroUSB. Not as good as the Kidde built in battery, but AA is considerably more convenient than the expensive C123 batteries the Arlo uses.
The set-up is similar to the other systems, you need to set up an account first, then go through the installation procedure to add the sync module by connecting to its WiFi SSID then adding the serial number.
One the sync module is added you can add the cameras by using their serial number. A useful setup feature is confirming the placement of the camera via its live feed. No other camera did that and I had to manually do it.
Once set up you can leave the cameras to do their thing. Just like Kidde, you can arm and disarm them which will switch on and off the motion detection. This is obviously handy for when you are at home, you don’t want loads of motion alerts for your own movement. The camera has a scheduling feature to automatically carry out these functions
When motion is detected you get around 10 seconds of recording in 720P. While 1080P is nice, the video quality it provided was more than acceptable. Similar to Kidde, you can download video clips directly to your smartphone. Blink doesn’t put a time limit restriction on how long it stores your data, but instead it limits your to 7200 seconds, so around 100 clips. This is obviously better than the 24 hour limit of Kidde, but I am not sure if it is any better, or worse than a 7-day limit. It is perfectly fine for my use, though. If someone robs me, I am not going to wait 7 days, or activate the motion sensor 100 times before I get round to viewing and downloading the clip.
The Blink Android app is decent, much better than the Kidde one with a lot more settings, but not as good or as many settings as the Arlo. For me, the most important settings were being able to control the trigger time, sensitivity and clip length. The scheduling feature is also good, with the option to have specific times any day of the week.
The main area it was missing compared to Arlo was the ability to select an area to monitor motion. So, in theory, you can have the camera in a hallway, but motion is only triggered when the front door is opened. Though I guess this feature is more useful for an outdoor camera really.The ability to download clips is obviously a huge advantage over Arlo though.
Lastly, while I don’t currently have an Amazon Echo, or Dot to test this, Blink have integrated Alaxa functionality into their cameras, so you can tell it to Arm/Disarm, and current system status.
Overall, this is a fantastic system for the price. It is better all round and cheaper than the Kidde Remote Lync. It may not have as many features as the Netgear Arlo but the wireless Arlo is a bit ugly to use indoors and costs a painful £190, while the wired version has a great big wire, is also a bit ugly and still costs £20 more at £130.
There are also a lot of other big name indoor home security cameras such as Nest, Canary and Neatamo, but looking at Amazon, they all cost significantly more.
So if you are looking for an affordable indoor camera solution then the Blink system is a great buy.
You can buy the Blink direct from their website here, and it is also available from Amazon from £109 or £189.99 for the 2 camera system I tested
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
