When we talk about smart home devices, we usually think of speakers, bulbs, and plugs. However, smart cameras and video doorbells are not only a great way to keep your home secure, but they can also bring an extra layer of automation to your life. The Blink Video Doorbell is one of the most affordable options available on the market, with some of the same features as more expensive rivals, including motion detection, night vision, video recording, and automation.
ANDROID polisvideo för dagen
Blink’s parent company, Amazon, is an expert when it comes to video doorbells, considering its subsidiary, Ring, is one of the market leaders in this domain. Ring doorbells are also known for their relatively high price, which can make them less attractive. That’s where Blink’s alternative could get more interesting. Let’s see if it’s worth a few bucks.
Amazon’s Blink Video Doorbell includes most of the essential features without any expensive extras. While this doorbell is wireless, you can also wire the Blink doorbell to ring with your home’s chimes. It also comes with a simple mount to secure and attach to your doorbell for wireless setup. Plus, it’s battery-powered and uses a standby mode to conserve charge, so you won’t need to replace batteries as often. To receive alerts on your mobile devices, you can connect Amazon’s Blink video doorbell via Wi-Fi to all devices with compatible Blink apps.
It is highly recommended to use it with Sync Module to benefit from most of its features and enjoy better response time. It will also let you save video footage locally, as long as you have a USB drive. Alternatively, you can sign up for a Blink subscription plan to save them to the cloud, but it’s not required to unlock any features.
Specifikationer
- videoupplösning: 1080p hd
- Synfält: 135°Horizontal, 80°Vertical
- energikälla: 2x AA batteries or wired
- varumärke: amazon blinkar
- Hub Required: no (but recommended)
- Integration: Alexa, IFTTT
- Anslutningar: wiFi
- rörelsemarginal: -4 till 113 grader Fahrenheit
- Mått: 130 x 42 x 34 mm
för-
- värt
- smal design
- två färgalternativ
- ingen prenumeration krävs
Brist
- response time and reliability
- Video and sound quality
- Doesn’t work properly without sync module
- dåligt mörkerseende
- No Google Assistant integration
köp den här produkten 
Blink Video Doorbell: Design, Hardware, What’s in the Box
The Blink Video Doorbell stands out relatively, thanks to its slim design and cool color choice of white or black. It’s tall and narrow, which makes it easy to fit into tight areas like next to your gate or door, as long as you mount it vertically because you can’t rotate the image.
The actual camera is located at the top of the doorbell, housed in a black square module with IR illumination. Just below this is the microphone, which houses the doorbell’s button at the bottom of the product. The speaker is well hidden at the bottom and is not visible after the doorbell rings.
According to Blink, Blink has done a great job of making the camera safe and easy to set up while simplifying the replacement of the two AA batteries, which should be about once a year. To achieve this, the doorbell is securely attached to the wall plate using the screws and anchors provided in the box. In addition, a small tool is provided to detach it, thereby preventing malicious visitors from removing the doorbell from the wall or door frame.
Unfortunately, even though corner mounts and wedges are available for mounting the doorbell anywhere, they are not included in the kit and must be purchased separately. Thankfully, the Blink Video Doorbell is IP65-certified and operates within -4 to 113° F, similar to most other smart doorbells. Blink has thought of everything and has even included a template to clearly identify where you need to drill for the anchors.
You’re also given a choice when it comes to powering your doorbell, as Blink provides two AA batteries in the box and a cable, so you can choose the power source that works best for you.
Blink Video Doorbell: Setup, Software, and Features
Amazon products are known to be easy to set up, and Blink is no exception. To set up the video doorbell, all you have to do is insert the battery, install the app on your phone, and scan the QR code on the back. The app guides you through the setup and mounting process showing you the steps to get it going.
Also, it’s important to mention that unlike other Blink cameras, the Video Doorbell doesn’t require a sync module to function and can connect directly to your Wi-Fi network. However, you can use one to store video footage locally, view a live feed from your doorbell at any time, and save battery life. Otherwise, your doorbell will function exclusively as a doorbell.
Hardwiring your doorbell allows it to stream live video, meaning you don’t need a sync module to do so. However, if you don’t have one and use battery power, the doorbell operates exclusively in blink call event response mode, meaning the camera snoozes itself and only wakes up when the ringer is pressed Is.
This is a major drawback, in the sense that the camera feature of the doorbell is almost entirely unavailable unless you hardwire it or use a sync module, so it’s important to keep that in mind before your purchase.
The Blink app isn’t intuitive, but it does the job. In event response mode, it won’t do much and will ask you to ring the doorbell to apply the settings. When used with a sync module or wired connection, it doubles as a security camera that you can arm and disarm manually or via the app on a schedule.
Likewise, you can see a live feed of who’s at the door and even set motion zones to notify you when the doorbell senses movement in a specific area. There’s also an option to ask the camera to take a picture every hour to keep track of what happened during the day.
While these features require a sync module or hard wire, no subscription is required to use them. Sadly, the Blink app doesn’t support better features like person or package detection, but it’s not a major drawback considering the camera’s price.
Since Blink is part of Amazon, you can use Alexa and the Echo Show smart display to check who’s at your door. There’s no integration with Google Assistant, though, so you’ll have to look to another brand if that’s important to you.
Blink Video Doorbell: Video and sound quality
When purchasing a video doorbell, it is important to consider its video quality. The Blink Video Doorbell offers 1080p video, which is decent, at least during the day, especially considering that most people stay close to the camera when they ring the doorbell. You shouldn’t expect good colors, as sky lighting is often cast in pictures, especially on cloudy days.
Not even an impressive level of detail, but it’s enough for people to recognize and see what happens to your package, for example. Things are particularly bad at night as the camera directly faces people, as the IR beam is reflected off their faces, making it impossible to tell who is at the door. Things aren’t quite as bad at night when the camera is angled, and you can play with the IR settings to your liking.
What’s important here is that the Blink Video Doorbell does a good job at what it’s supposed to do: see who’s at your door and possibly keep a close eye on what’s in front of you.
In terms of audio quality, things are not great at all. First of all, when someone rings the doorbell, the chime is not necessarily loud enough to be heard through your home. Luckily, your linked smartphone and Alexa device can let you know about anyone at the door, and Blink Mini cameras can double as chimes. When you initiate a video call with the doorbell, the microphone picks up constant static noise, which is a recurring problem with Blink cameras.
You can still hear what people say (though not very clearly), with some background noise and a little echo. Likewise, they will have difficulty hearing your response, especially if some cars are passing even with the volume at full level. It’s really disappointing that Blink didn’t do a better job here.
Worse: The Blink video doorbell’s up time is too high when it’s in event response mode, both to notify you of someone coming to the door and to talk to a visitor. For example, we measured the time interval of six seconds between pressing the ringer and receiving a notification. Similarly, it takes about four to five seconds for the video feed to appear, which is enough for the delivery partner to look away.
Worse, there are a few occasions when the doorbell doesn’t notify me at all when someone rings, which makes me question its reliability. There’s also a slight delay in the audio being transmitted, which makes for a terrible experience when trying to exchange more than names.
or that things get much better with a sync module, which Emphasizes that you should not use the video doorbell with or without a wired connection. With both methods, the app sends a simple notification, unlike Ring doorbells, which vibrate as if someone is calling, making it much harder to miss when someone is at your door.
Blink Video Doorbell: The Competition
At only $50, the Blink Video Doorbell is very aggressively priced. The Wyze Video Doorbell costs about the same, but it needs to work harder. That being said, it has a 3:4 format that lets you see people from head to toe and ships with a chime and a horizontal keel.
The Ring Video Doorbell costs a bit more with a $100 MSRP, but this package offers more advanced monitoring features for alerts and person detection. It also doesn’t require a hub and can be battery operated or wired. Finally, its Quick Reply feature lets you play pre-recorded messages for visitors, which is especially handy when you’re busy or on a call.
Blink Video Doorbell: Should You Buy It?
The Blink Video Doorbell is one of the cheapest smart doorbells on the market, costing as little as $50, considering it often sells for less when on sale. It follows the same mindset as other Blink products: offering reliable cameras for a reasonable price, just like the Blink Outdoor. For the price, it’s fair that it doesn’t offer the best video quality on the market, but its audio isn’t great either. Worse, it’s too unresponsive to rely on, at least when used without a sync module or wired connection.
So, it’s worth considering whether you already use other Blink products at home and have the Sync module or don’t plan to use it with batteries. Otherwise, consider purchasing a slightly more expensive (and more reliable) doorbell, such as the Ring Video Doorbell.
