Choose to save & share clips in the cloud with a free 30-day trial of the Blink Subscription Plan. After your trial, continue the subscription for a fee. The Sync Module 2 contains a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio to connect to your home network and an RF radio to communicate with the camera. It has blue and green status LEDs on the front, a mini USB port for power, and a USB-A port for connecting to a storage device such as a thumb drive (not included). You can store video locally on the drive and share it, or you can enroll in a Blink Subscription Plan for cloud-based storage and access to certain features.

Like all other Blink devices, the camera works with the Blink Home Monitor app (available for Android and iOS). Once connected, the Blink Outdoor 4 appears on the app’s home screen in a panel that displays the camera's last captured still image. The panel contains a photo button for taking snapshots and a video camera button that launches a live video stream. To view the video in full-screen mode, turn your phone sideways or tap the box in the upper right corner. Overall, the Blink Outdoor 4 is pretty similar to its predecessor. It offers the same 1080p resolution and about the same field of vision. It does differ; however, in three pretty substantial ways: One reason to reset a Blink Camera and Sync Module is if you plan on selling or giving away your system. You don’t have to reset the cameras, however, some people might feel more secure that way. Simple to install with great video quality. Could not believe how simple it was to set up. Also, how simple it is to arm and disarm. This is worth the money people! I am buying 3 more cameras soon.”Editors' Note: There is a new version of the Blink Outdoor camera available. See our review of the Blink Outdoor 4 . Designed so you can set it up yourself in minutes. No wiring or professional installation required. Even with these changes, it’s nice to see that in 2023, Blink is still putting out solid battery-operated cameras that provide up to two years of continuous use and affordable video storage, keeping both up-front and monthly costs low. They’re not the only cameras Arlo offers, it's more affordable Essential range features three models of Full HD camera that don’t require a base station. Blink cameras are affordable and offer 1080p HD resolution, motion alerts, and affordable cloud storage.

The differences aren’t night and day, but they are enough that you’re going to notice a enhancement from the 3 to the 4. I certainly did. Works with Alexa: use your voice to monitor your home with live view and motion alerts, you can also activate lights with selected Alexa devices. The Arlo Pro 4 can only record video at a resolution of 2K, but aside from that, it offers the same features as the Arlo Ultra and Ultra 2, along with the ability to connect directly to your home Wi-Fi network rather than needing a base station. Alternatively save motion clips & photos from up to 10 Blink cameras connected to the Blink Sync Module 2 locally in your home & view them through the Blink app or the computer by plugging in a USB flash drive (sold separately) for no additional fee. Both Blink and Arlo cameras will integrate with voice assistants, so you can use the best smart speakers to converse with anyone in the camera’s field of view and see a live feed from the camera through the best smart displays.I’d like to note that since my last testing of the Blink Outdoor, Blink has come out with a newer version called the Blink Outdoor 4. The one I tested was the third generation, which replaced the Blink XT2 (2nd generation) and the Blink XT (first generation). However once again Arlo just pips Blink to the post here thanks to its smart features. As well as being able to identify whether the motion has been created by a persona, animal, vehicle or another source such as wind rustling in the trees, Arlo cameras also offer rich notifications to your phone, providing you with a snapshot of the motion - so you can easily decide if you should launch the app and investigate, or ignore the alert. If your camera or Sync Module is offline, we recommend trying to power cycle before resorting to a reset.

That said, if a wide-angle lens camera sounds appealing to you, take a peek at my Amcrest camera review, where you’ll learn about a pair of solid devices with wider viewing angles, and better night vision, too. Managing Recordings With Blink Indoor At the risk of rehashing old grievances, night vision was pretty weak in my hands-on Blink Outdoor camera experience. In an outdoor camera, this is a bit of a letdown.

The Blink Outdoor uses the Blink Home Monitor mobile app for Android, Fire OS, and iOS devices. It opens to a home screen with panels for each installed camera. Each panel contains a still image of the camera’s field of view and has a button for taking a snapshot and a button for launching a live stream. You can view the live stream in full-screen mode by turning your phone sideways, and initiate two-way talk by pressing the Talk button. A motion icon appears in the upper right corner when motion detection is enabled, and next to that is a settings button. These extra features offer plenty of different ways to tweak things to your liking. The most basic thing you can and should do is rename the camera itself to something like ‘garden’, which also makes it easier when asking your Echo Show device to bring up a live feed. You can also play around with the activity zones for motion detection, selecting rectangular segments from a grid overlay where motion will be ignored. This is particularly useful for ignoring notification from, for example, a swaying tree, or the area where your cat prefers to nap out and stretch.