Blink Video Doorbell - Black

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Installation was straight forward removed the old doorbell and connect the 2 wires to the blink video doorbell. Make sure wires were tight then test doorbell after setting up blink app. If all works connect to door frame and make sure you line up the 4 connecting points, push in and slide down to lock.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Overall, a decent choice. On opening the package, everything was well laid out and packed quite tightly. Install was simple. Download the app and it walked right through the wired installation process. From open box to mounted operational system was maybe 10 minutes. Easy money. One very cool aspect of this device is that it can tie into your existing wired home doorbell. The installation was simple. It came with a backplate that you simply wired your two existing wires into, mount to the wall and then place the camera on. Very cool. While I love this feature, my dogs HATE it but it's nice to be anywhere in the house and know someone just pushed doorbell without having your phone near you to know. Nice feature. The app is fairly straightforward and simple and offers a decent suite of tools. However compared to the Ring app, this one seems a little light weight but it is certainly serviceable. The only couple issues I have is that the Blink product is a sister company to Ring, both under the Amazon umbrella. That said, I had a Ring doorbell camera at my other house and in order to use the neighborhood feature, it took me to the Ring app. I had to do some finagling to get the 2 apps setup in the correct new neighborhood. Deal breaker? No, just seemingly unnecessarily hassle. The second minor issue I have is that I can't get into live mode from the app for some reason. The setting show that it is indeed wired into my power, but the "camera icon" that the help page shows is nowhere to be found on my app. I un-installed and re-installed to the latest version and still no "camera icon". Everything on the internet shows that camera icon, but for some reason, I do not. I have submitted a support ticket but have not heard anything back yet. For the sake of this review, I will offer the benefit of the doubt that it can get resolved but it is disappointing. In all, a decent choice and I would recommend to a friend.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I had super high hopes for Blink....... Installation Just Ok...... I wished it would follow existing hole pattern but it did no so I had to drill more holes in my stucco. But it did not so I had to drill more holes. Also the rear of the mount did not have enough space or depth to hide the wires so I had to improvise and make a plastic spacer from a zip tie that has a plastic washer where a screw can be used on. This created enough space for me to mount the device to the wall. Set up Easy... I bought the blink module to compliment this doorbell and setup was seamless and easy. Downloaded the android app. Walked through everything and it was all good. Operation Not bad. User interface was easy to use Events were easy to scroll through and pick and look through. Filters were good and easy to use. I take issue to not being allowed to take screenshots. Everytime I tried it said this function was not allowed. For the most part it caught and differentiated between rings and motion pretty good. Although I was surprised it did not catch Amazon Fresh delivering my groceries this evening... Mmmmmmm. Might have been a fluke. "Arming" and dis"arming" function is neat. Lag was minimal. Both Wifi and 4G LTE was minimal lag. Video resolution. Not so great in my opinion.. Blink could have done better here. Night images in low light was a bit blurry even at highest resolution Aperture field of vision also could have been wider and taller. This area was were I was let down by Blink. I thought that the image would be much clearer and field of view would be greater. Video storage Locally I have 64 GB USB attached to he blink module and several days of continuous use only made a 1% dent in the storage. So its compression is probably pretty good. Was able to integrate with Alexa pretty easily. Overall I would recommend this if you are looking for a budget doorbell that does not need cloud storage this would be the way to go.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The Blink Doorbell is a simple straight forward video doorbell. It can be installed as a wired doorbell or operate on two (2) AA Lithium Batteries, and it is designed to operate on batteries for up to two (2) years. The doorbell provides HD Live Views (day and night), a two-way audio and alerts via a chime on the app where one can then proceed to interact with the person at the door. When wired into an existing chime system, the chime will ring the system inside of your home and the video will still be viewable on your phone’s device. The doorbell is extremely easy to install. The app that is provided for both android and iOS devices provide step-by-step instructions on either type of installation. I was able to pair the doorbell and install it in under a minute. Taking a view of the Q code next to the serial number on the inside of the doorbell or typing in the serial number is the first step of installation. Then, much like Alexa or any other product that can be controlled through the use of an app, the doorbell just needs to join with your network. If wiring the doorbell, then the circuit breaker to the existing doorbell needs to be turned off and the old doorbell removed. The two doorbell wires connect to the back of the plate and then the plate is secured with two provided screws that come in the packaging. The doorbell face with batteries is then attached securely to the backing. In order to deter theft, there is a tool that needs to be used to take the face from the backing. It, too, is included in the packaging. Blink offers an optional subscription plan that allows you to save and share your videos, or you can choose to save and share your photos and videos without a subscription plan by using the Sync Module 2 and a USB, both sold separately. The doorbell also works with Alexa, or you can turn this feature off, under settings on the app, if you prefer not to use it with Amazon Alexa. This is a good alternative to more expensive video doorbells. I would give it five stars because it connected quickly, installed easily and the video works well; however, I did seem to have some static in the 2-way audio which keeps me from giving it five stars. Unfortunately, this could have been my phone’s service just as well as it could have been static in the doorbell. At the present I am not sure. I do recommend the doorbell as it is made to handle weather conditions and the video works well in both the day and night. The body of the video doorbell is made of plastic, and I am not sure how that will handle extreme heat and sub-zero temperatures that we have in my area. I have installed the doorbell and will be testing it to find out how well the casing holds up in extreme weather. Still, for $49 dollars, I think that it is a very good bargain if you are looking for a video doorbell in a lower price range and I recommend that you give it a try.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] With more and more homes beginning to take advantage of smart home technologies, video doorbells tend to be one of the most impactful options to add first. It allows you to make an informed decision to open your door to visitors, communicate or avoid solicitors, and even provide instructions for deliveries. You can also use a variety of features to monitor motion and protect packages sitting at your doorstep, acting as a deterrence against theft. In the box you’ll find the video doorbell, a mount plate, two AA lithium batteries, a removal tool that looks like a SIM card style key on a paper mount template, power posts for wired installations, and some mount hardware screws. Setup requires the use of the free Blink App, a wireless router, and an active internet connection on the device being used for setup. The installation instructions also advise you to have a power drill, screwdriver, and some tape handy for use when mounting to your desired location. If you’re using an iPhone or Android device, you can use the camera to scan a small barcode on the back of the doorbell, or simply type in the serial number to add the device in the app. I did encounter a couple of odd hang ups when initially adding the doorbell but was easily resolved with a simple reset of the device and the app. Assuming you don’t encounter a similar app lock up, the setup will finish in just minutes. If you have an existing wired doorbell, you’ll use the included posts to attach the wire and install the device. While this isn’t the only Amazon owned doorbell brand, the Blink Doorbell offers the flexibility of using their subscription-based cloud recording service or using a Sync Module to store them locally to a USB drive (both sold separately). The Doorbell included a 30-day trial to give the cloud recording a test run. While the Sync Module isn’t required for installation, there are some limitations, which you’ll likely find annoying without having one. In my quest to see the differences, I set up the doorbell without the Sync Module 2 first. Without the Sync Module, you’ll be required to use the cloud service to store recordings, there won’t be any live viewing available on your Amazon Echo Show devices and are limited to a 60 second response to answer the doorbell via the app. If you don’t answer within the set time, your doorbell goes back into a sleep state waiting for the next doorbell press. These limitations exist to prolong the battery life over time by disabling the Wi-Fi connection until it’s actively engaged. You’ll also have to push the doorbell button to save any setting changes done in the app every time you hit save (with a 24-hour window to do so). Due to these limitations, I would highly recommend the Sync Module for anyone wanting to take advantage of motion detection, live viewing, or alert scheduling. If you have an existing Sync Module 2, you’ll need to make sure it’s setup prior to adding the doorbell to your account. With the module setup, you’ll be able to enable a live viewing session in the Blink App or your Amazon Echo Show devices on demand. It’s important to note that the Blink Doorbell will only allow for one live viewing session at a time, so you’ll need to decide on answering via the app or your Echo Show at any given moment. Otherwise, you’ll get a connection or busy error when trying to view a live feed simultaneously on one of the devices. The Sync Module 2 has a USB slot for use with USB drives, up to 256 GB, to store recordings locally or save backups of your daily cloud-based recordings with the subscription service. You can decide to either store every live session or toggle a button in the app to save recordings at your discretion when viewing in the app. The USB drive makes it easy to remove the drive and plug into a PC/Mac and view or download the recordings at any time. You also get the option of scheduling arming and disarming throughout the course of the week. This essentially allows you to turn on motion detection within the time windows you set and disarm alerts to during later times in the evening or overnight. I love the schedule feature, as I arm the doorbell during peak times during the day when deliveries are more likely to happen and keep the alerts quiet during the nights and weekends when visitors are less likely. You will need to enable and link your accounts in the Alexa App if you want Alexa Echo/Show to call out doorbell presses or motion alerts. If you install the doorbell without the Sync Module, Alexa will still announce, but won’t be able to answer. So, for the best experience, I’d highly recommend picking up the Sync Module 2 along with the doorbell. The variety of features and their settings can be enabled or disabled in the app. The blink app will give you general health of the battery life, your Wi-Fi connection, and connection strength to your Sync Module. You can turn on detection zones using a simple to use grid, enable motion activated LED to illuminate the button when someone approaches, set the clip length, and even set the night vision IR intensity. Video quality was better than my last video doorbell, capturing recordings at 1080P, and you can even set the speaker volume to ensure the entire neighborhood isn’t hearing the doorbell ring. If you forgot how to install the device, it even includes the same doorbell installation instructions in the settings within the app. I rarely encountered false motion alerts, with every motion even captured and easily viewed in the app. I found that live viewing was quick on my Echo Shows, and in the App, compared to another popular doorbell I replaced. The flexibility of the local recording was a feature I plan to take full advantage of, and the size of the doorbell was about 2/3 the size of the previous video doorbell I was using. This can use off the shelf AA lithium batteries, versus needing to purchase more expensive proprietary ones, and the longer battery life means fewer need to take the doorbell off the mount to replace them. The price point feels right, but you will need to invest in a decent storage size USB drive and a Sync Module 2 in order to take advantage of all the features available and on-demand live viewing without significantly impacting battery life. Removing the device from the mount does require the small key tool but can be removed with a smaller flat head screwdriver if you’re having issues gripping the small tool it comes with. Overall, after a week of use, I’m happy with the performance of the device, even if you do need to invest in an another accessory.