Blink XT2 Camera System - Complete Overview and Setup Guide

[@michael4962]

Wow. This guy is a pro when it comes to delivery. Very articulate. Good info. Thank you.

[@raullcalzadilla3541]

Your video is excellent and thorough. Thanks How about a video about the router vs synch module strategy for that essential signal reach requirement. I have tried seral outdoor wifi cameras and invariable have a wifi signal problem. For instance, I have 20-29.9 Mbs Down and 1.8-2.3 Mbs Up with a TP-Link Archer C1900 (C9) router in a 1500 sq. ft. house. Good WiFi inside the house but not so good outside for wi-fi cameras.

[@joponejopone]

Great tutorial! It helped me a lot. Thank you so much! Look forward to more!

[@nate7046]

I’ve had one of these looking down my drive way for about 3 years now and it does work pretty well the apps a bit slow and out dated feeling but I have found that I can’t really trust it 100%, so I’ve come home and got no video of anyone come down my drive way but I’ll have a package at my door or more commonly I’ll only have the video of someone leaving my driveway witch is nice and all but they would have all the time in the world to do whatever they want to with my house and I only get notified when they leave

[@justine9980]

Thank you for this great video! so much helpful info. I have never owned a security camera so this will be my first. Thank you for helping me make that decision :)

[@GalvTexGuy]

I love my five Blink XT2s. Very informative video, Rick. Thanks!

[@jayvee3266]

Thank You, Very great and comprehensive review

[@JimzAuto]

Ordered a 5-camera XT2 kit today. Appreciate your thorough & efficient review. Thanks.

[@canifax]

Are you happy with the 5 camera pack you bought?

[@bugatti314159]

This was my choice for a good compromise between ease of setup, cost and reliability. I've had some in use for nearly a year and have been happy with them. I like that no subscription is required. I didn't expect much at first since they only take AA batteries but I'm still on the first set and view the cameras online at least once daily. So 5 stars for battery use. Night vision is excellent, reaching all the way across my back yard (over 30 feet). Day viewing on bright snowy days is not good though - way over exposed and blown out picture. Any other conditions produce acceptable image quality. The factory provided mounts are a little flimsy and pop loose with a light touch, so any other mount is usually preferable. One thing to be aware of is the LONG buffering time - like 45 seconds or more - between motion sensing and notifications to the app. The camera activates, takes a video clip, uploads it to the server, then notifies you. So you can't use it as a doorbell camera. Overall, I love these cameras and plan to buy a few more. And thanks for the heads up on those siding mounts! I've been wanting something like that. I'm ordering a few of those.

[@BirdWhisperer46]

" bright snowy days"? I have been wondering how they hold up in cold weather. Did yours make it thru a freezing winter?

[@bugatti314159]

@@BirdWhisperer46 They do really well in winter. We had some minus 10 nights last winter and battery life was better than expected.

[@mikek9090]

Very good video! I have five of these coming and this was a great help !!

[@HektorBandimar]

Great presentation, very useful information, just what I was looking for, thank you.

[@1955JAZZY]

Well done Rick! This video helped me a great deal. Thanks!

[@donkeninitz4590]

Excellent video. I recently bought a 3-camera set and am getting ready to set it up. My house has vinyl siding (it looks almost identical to the siding in your video) and I bought the clips, but when I saw your gutter installation and the recommended brackets, I ordered a couple through your link; I think those are better for the front side of my house. Thanks for posting this. All the others I've seen are amateurish in comparison. Great advice about the 2nd sync module too; I inadvertently ended up with two, and since I plan to add more cameras that will be more remote from my house, I can see how it will be useful (and so don't plan to return it).

[@Arcvious]

Amazing video. This video alone made me order some cameras. Very informative 🤙🏻 Thank you sir.

[@HowlingFunRVAdventures]

We are actually looking for something for our RV. We just had a generator stolen during the day with me and my daughters at home. So crazy and scary. Our doors was unlocked to. That scared me.

[@Dronevalley]

This would be a great addition to your RV since it's battery powered and stores it video in the cloud. You can easily pop it into a mount on the side of the camper when needed and pop it off when driving. Sorry to hear about the generator, some folks just don't play fair and I hope you catch them next time.

[@ranceysparks]

We purchased the original blink cameras from the kickstarter back in 2014 or so and we still have all 5 of them working. we actually have 3 of them outside under the eaves and they have done just fine. it is a very reliable product assuming amazon hasnt cut corners on manufacturing since buying them out. I highly recommend the blink system.

[@niallpollard3198]

This is an excellent video. I watched it once and played it whilst setting up the camera and found the whole process very easy. Thank you for the information👍

[@gps-gps]

Good review thank you. Can advisd me please, can these camera's be added to a dvr as an IP camera?

[@davidstorey4953]

Is this guy being paid by Amazon to endorse this piece of crap! Number One. OK picking up images moving from left to right. Anything coming straight at the camera (the way most crims approach your property) so pretty useless picking up intruders getting into your property. There are no cheap short cuts if you want home security this system is about as good as a one legged man in an arse kicking competition. I bought one six weeks ago, it has disconnected itself from my wi fi so I do not have any CCTV cove ride

[@stephenmead7296]

Hello All I have full strength & sync to module but 2 of my cameras take between 6 and 8 seconds to load, and over 1 minute to Notify I do have early notification set too. Any tips for improvement. Thank you for your knowledgeable videos 👍👌

[@ikezarrabi8098]

Awesome, very detailed and best review I've seen on Blink cameras... Thanks.

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and I'll have a few more posting soon on the camera and other gear. I just put one up on the channel covering the Blink Mini that you might want to check out. It's a great interior camera that works with the system and is less expensive.

[@melindaburnside7189]

2 👍🏻 👍🏻 THUMB'S UP

[@thebellamayra]

Thank you so much for all the great tips with us. I purchase mine should get tomorrow I think I’m all ready to get started.

[@samtea1882]

I need help with my blink I forgot my security password and I just need help to get another password so how do I go by doing that cuz my cameras are off and I have a bad neighborhood I need some help quick

[@eduardpuchol8327]

Hey Jeff. Does this camera needs to be connected to wifi network? I want to leave one camera in a place where the wifi signal does not reach. Thanks. Eduard

[@Videpedia]

Can you recommend reliable solar powered WiFi outdoor security cameras ? Thanks.

[@billwar]

my sell phone dos not make a blink blink sound when some buddy walks by. can you help.

[@waynebarryfthays5372]

bought 3 camera system, I just can't get it installed. old man and not very tec savey. Think on it for a day or two hate to go to the trouble of sending it back, cost to much to just throw it out.

[@gedhart9311]

Best explanation on you tube yet

[@tmitchable]

thanks for your link mount over, I just got some it's really help

[@msmolley]

Wonderful video! Thanks so much for the helpful information.

[@Mywhtjp]

I've had my Blink system in use here at home for over a year now. I have 2 cameras, the XT1 and XT2. They work great. Even the UPS guy who delivers my Drone Valley goods doesn't even know it's on the tree 5' away from where he parks. My question is: Why are you promoting this product..? Drones and home security are 2 different categories.

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and I'm glad that you enjoyed the clip. I have been expanding the channel over the last year to include more high-tech gear outside of drones. I'm a nerd at heart (and an Engineer) and play with a lot of new tech that I'd like to talk about on the channel. Folks seem to like the fact that I'm covering other gear so I'll be adding more clips on things like home automation, security cameras, Ambient computers (Echo, Google Home), Wifi networks and anything else that catches my interest. If you see me post a clip on something you're not interested in, feel free to skip it. It's just hard for me to not talk about the gear I love on the channel and by sticking only to drones, I'm missing out telling others about how I use it. I'll still have a ton of drone content posting too so no worries there. I hope you'll stick around and find these other clips useful. Rick

[@Mywhtjp]

@@Dronevalley Hey Rick.. Thanx for sharing your "Geeky interests".. Bring it on..! I'm a "Gadget guy".. Love high tech stuff and toyz. Check this short video out.. Something wild my Blink camera caught... kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4iWoqmugbGrp7s Keep posting and I'll keep watching..

[@tdotcarter7013]

Just wanted to say thank you for the helpful information. I set mine up and works great!

[@guinearose1]

Will the cameras start recording if there is loud noise but doesn’t detect person or animal

[@MyweathernetreportsBlogspot]

We love our Blinks. Easy to install outdoors.

[@pgannon1948]

Thanks for the video. When you were showing the Sync Module I noticed that there was a USB port on one side but you didn't say anything about it; disappointing.

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and there are actually 2 USB ports on the side of the sync module, a Micro-USB that is used for powering the device and a full-sized USB-A that isn't used on the product. Initially, this was supposed to support a thumb drive for local storage of camera footage but was never implemented. On the new Hubs it has been enabled but there is no way to activate it on the original hub and that's why I didn't cover it. I hope that helps and please stop back for more content soon. Rick

[@shakslondon1]

Is there any information on the likely hood of the system being hacked

[@lynngeosits7138]

Can I tell Alexa to arm and disarm with Echo Dot Alexa?

[@midwestrebel655]

Great information. I have one XT2 I want to add more, however, I do not want to pay fir cloud service, the cloud I gave now is just fine, now , on the XT 2 is that free cloud service going away on 12/30/20 like it is on the new Outdoor cams, then all of Blink cams would require paid cloud service?

[@drinternatg6391]

Have you got details of this Drone-to-Phone thing DJI has released info on?

[@jillrsimmons]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fna6fWlshMxsqrs

[@kodak_jack]

If I want to mount mine on a wide overhang, will the wall mount work or do I need something different? I'd prefer not to attach it to my gutter where it would stick out like a sore thumb. If they recommend using the Energizer Li-ion batteries, and you can usually get a charger for them, would you need 4 batteries for a single camera, so they can be swapped out, or do they need to be replaced? Thanks.

[@robert19709]

Great review. I have a dumb question: can these be mounted inside of the house and aimed through a window? Not sure if the motion detection would work.

[@CaliforniaTravelVideos]

Yes and No! Huh? Yes, during the daytime the light and image source will change on the camera sensor so it will detect motion. But at night, the infrared beam will bounce off the window and blind the camera sensor so it won't detect motion movement in that situation.

[@borislipschitz2740]

Does killing the connectivity (killing power to the router or the sync module, your internet going down, jamming the wifi, anything goes) pretty much disables the camera for the time the connectivity is down, just like the original "blink"? I'd totally expect it to store the footage, and send it out the moment it can, but the original just doesn't do that! Also, still no PC app or web access, right?

[@ItsMe-mc9tl]

Does Blink keep your recordings (you are connected to WIFI)? That was the trouble with Ring. If you had a burglary, Ring would send the whole file to the police without your permission.

[@roamlikekane]

How about less praise and more demonstrations. Why not show some footage, test the sensors in real time. I mean God it's one thing to like something, but you'd want to show it off too.

[@ctlaurie5693]

EXCELLENT video, ty. Very clear and informative. Where is part #2... I'm interested in learning more about the App and settings... ty!

[@jamesdibenedetto2330]

Good video one question for anyone who can answer, i read in other you tube videos this camera doesn't starts filming a live video for a few seconds (if not longer) and does not show show live video when some walks through the filming area is this true??? this is the only reason why im still Leary about biying this camera for my home ...thanks

[@kathytaylor2605]

So far the best info on these security cameras and set up I've seen, you explain so well! Thank You. Just wondering is there any easy way attaching one of these cameras to the side of my house which is brick?

[@rosej2822]

Is there anyway you can retrieve old video clips going months back after being deleted? I have the Blink XT. I was told that they can't be recovered! PLEASE RESPOND!!

[@LindaFoyle]

Can you put camera inside your home, to see outside? I live alone and am a senior. I hear noise out side of my bedroom window. I don't want anyone take it.

[@tomstradinger5958]

Second video I seen on blink yours is the best.

[@scooter2d2]

Good vid! Question: Does the case on that mount hinder the wifi signal on the camera?

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for posting and no worries about the case. The plastic is "invisible" to the Wifi signal and it will pass right through it. Please consider subscribing to the channel as I'll be doing a lot more tech reviews around Blink and other home security cameras. Rick

[@scooter2d2]

Drone Valley that’s good to hear and thanks for the reply! Keep them coming 😁

[@clay3544]

Great video, lots of info. Thanks

[@sandyleewhite]

Thank Thank you so much for this review, as I have been looking for a security camera for indoor use. I would appreciate if you can answer a few questions for me, and fair warning, these are girl questions, so please limit the laughing to a minimum 😀 As crazy as this may sound, I do not own a cell phone, so would I be able to use all the functions for viewing, storage & setting up this camera, from my laptop, & how long will the battery last on a full charge, before I would have to take it down & re-charge it, & is it chargeable from my laptop? Your help would be greatly appreciated 😊

[@twistof-faith1170]

You'll need to buy and carry a cell phone around with you to use this.

[@purdyboi8078]

Hmm, which TOTALLY makes sense, because like he pointed out in the video, you'll need to download the app. Plus, it seems as though 99.9% of the people on the face of this Earth currently HAVE & already DO carry their smart phone with them everywhere they go! I guess what I'm really trying to say is... Hey, thanks a lot there, Capt. Obvious 😉👌

[@patrickdevaux1468]

Well done Rick, thank you 👍

[@lowhombre]

I got 11 total with a mixture of XT, XT2, indoor and a mini around and in our house. These are great cameras and my 11th one is a mini. Great video Rick.

[@jdubb0113]

Just bought me one for 70$ Amazon!

[@Dronevalley]

That's a great deal and you're going to love it. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stay tuned for more content this week. Rick

[@xflyingtiger]

What is a feature set? Isn't it just features?

[@jrivera1963]

The best Blink camera set up review!! Thank you!!!

[@bzsaydman4130]

Did you complete Part 2 about the Blink settings?

[@NicoleTurtles]

Very informative! I recently purchased the blink security cams, and I have the cameras connected to the WiFi, and my question is if I am not home and let's say there's motion detected would I still get notified if my phone is not connected to the WiFi?

[@davidkai2694]

Thank you so much for sharing with us I've got three of the cameras and they're really good very happy with the purchase

[@Dronevalley]

David, thanks for the comment and I'm glad you like them. They seem to multiply like rabbits at my house and I'm always finding a new place I want to mount one to watch something cool happening. The "chipmunk cam" was the latest addition in the backyard ad I'm having a ball watching those little guys popping out of their hole and staring into the camera. I'll have a few more clips posting soon on the Blink XT2 so be sure to stop back. Rick

[@davidkai2694]

@@Dronevalley looking forward to seeing that Rick.... we have one in the driveway and one in the back garden and see the foxes what come around

[@captain5104]

Do I use my network wifi or does it work off cloud and not local wifi

[@telman5221]

this cameras are total garbage, try them but make sure you can get a full refund, these are pro videos who get a rewards from amazon for posting a fake review

[@Dronevalley]

I'm not sure what your issues with the cameras was but they work great for me and I have no affiliation with Amazon. I have 9 of these around my property and they work great both day and night. In the less busy areas, I get about 12 months out of a set of batteries and half that in busier areas like a drive way. They alerts work great and I see anything that goes on when they are triggered. Honest reviews are all I do.

[@TeddyBear-le7ho]

Can you access the camera on 2 different phones?

[@hayc59]

Hello Rick...you are everywhere dude. I used these for two years and have 6 of them they are real nice

[@ml66b]

Thanks Rick. Cash you get a live view from the app?

[@tonykirkman3554]

Great video very helpful indeed thanks

[@alkutchera1093]

The big question is the Amazon "Ring" problem. They share with third party vendors and law enforcement, put a lot of personal information on the internet, etc.. Why is this any different than Ring in this respect? In addition, there is certainly incentive to hack and monitor this device. Hence, know daily movements, timing, and so on. Just asking?

[@Dronevalley]

Al, thanks for the post but I have a ton of ring gear at home as well and the only way that information is shared is if I give the application permission to join my "neighborhood", which I've done. This gives my neighbors the ability to monitor my front porch if I'm away. The same goes for law enforcement, I only grant permission to view if there has been trouble in the neighborhood. With the Blink XT2, its a totally private network and no sharing takes place. I'm sure some smart 14 year old could figure out a way to hack into my system but I'm not worried since the camera are all outside of my home so not much to see there except my dogs (and a few squirrels) running around. I hope that helps and thanks for stopping by! Rick

[@alkutchera1093]

@@Dronevalley Rick, thanks for the clarification. Amazon has become a little too "Big Brother" for me with $$$ the end goal, not my well-being. Al

[@TheDagat]

Easy to understand. Thanks a bunch

[@cryptosavy9716]

Just bought those clips for the siding

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and they make mounting these cameras SO much easier and don't require any holes. Stop back soon for more content I'll be posting soon. Rick

[@cryptosavy9716]

@@Dronevalley just put them up. Clips work flawlessly!

[@moeshickenyay]

Thanks great demo video.

[@nickfountain8420]

Good video. Think I may pick a couple of these up.

[@rodswanson1505]

Awesome presentation; RICK

[@sr71ramjet44]

As usual great video Rick. Perhaps you could include actual video to see the resolution of both day and night. Resolution and clarity is always a concern.

[@rogerc6832]

Yeah, George, unlikely we will see such video,,,

[@yonderoutdoorsuk]

Hi. Great review thanks. Does the sync module require mains power or will it run on battery as well?

[@scottyscottministries3199]

MAIN POWER

[@nevas7138]

Can you ADD extra camera on same system if needed?

[@Dronevalley]

Sure, you can add as many as you like and each of the hubs support a few of them. If you add a lot of them, you'll need to add a second hub, but that's easy. I appreciate the post and be sure to check back for my review of the new Blink Indoor and Outdoor cameras that Amazon just released.

[@StacyStonesMusic]

great simple video

[@RemonaDRiley]

Great job! Thanks

[@Mimiclobster]

Very useful review! Thx

[@rodsmith256]

Great job very good

[@BTs-BackToThesFeaturingBobbyMc]

awesome job.

[@nameyoufriend]

Great review

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks a lot for the post and I'm glad you enjoyed the clip. I have a few of the new version of the Blink Outdoor camera arriving next week and will be doing a full review of those as well. Stay tuned for that! Rick

[@mikehaney2583]

Why no sample of the video output?

[@Dronevalley]

Mike, when I was putting the clip together I intended to include some of the software setting and sample footage. When I realized that the overview, setup and tips would already make it 25 minutes long I decided to split it into 2 clips so stay tuned for part 2 this week with some sample footage and software setting. Thanks for the post! Rick

[@mikehaney2583]

@@Dronevalley I was just curious of the quality of the video and/or still image. I have dropcams now and I'm not happy with the resolution.

[@Dronevalley]

@@mikehaney2583 Mike, it's 1080p and the image quality is really decent. The challenge is finding the right mounting point, not too far away from the action. The perfect height is about 10-12 feet above the area to get the best coverage and highest resolution image. I'll have day and night samples from the camera that I'll be posting this week so stay tuned.

[@Gibson_Angel_Rene]

👍👍👍👍🎮🎮🎮👍👍👍👍🇳🇱🇺🇸

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post!

[@humptydumpty9177]

This system is great!

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and you must have an issue with your network. I can tell you that I have 8 of these cameras at home and some of them are very far away from the Wifi router and they work great. The thing you have to remember is that the signal decreases through walls and other obstacles so you need to place the hub in a central point of your home and as high as possible for the best coverage. You might also have other devices causing interference that could degrade the performance of the cameras. I have installed these for friends as well and they are some of the easiest and most reliable wireless cameras I have setup and the battery life is amazing. On another note, I just finished testing the new Wyze Outdoor Cam, which is a decent alternative to the Blink system. I'll have that clip posted soon so you can see if it fits your needs.

[@humptydumpty9177]

@@Dronevalley Thank you for replying DV. Late last night I moved one camera to a different position and yes, the signal picked up a lot which is odd as it had a lower signal when it was directly adjacent to the router. Today i'm going to have another few hours of fiddling with the thing before I give up completely. The signal does have to travel through a few walls but the distance is only about 25 feet. I'll update later.

[@humptydumpty9177]

@@Dronevalley First of all, SUCCESS! My intention is to delete my previous negative comment, it was not fair. It appears that the Netgear Range Extender was not connecting correctly and not the fault of the Blink system. The Blink system is now up and running and with 100% signal strengths! You were 100% correct DV, thank you.

[@TSutro]

Thank you for a very informative video. I have the cameras mounted both inside the house/garage and outdoors as “trail” cameras. One of the features I have discovered is the “Photo Capture” which is great to get a time lapse video over a 24 hour period. I think I have 3 generations of the camera and 2 generations of the sync modulars. Can the firmware of the older cameras be updated to take advantage of new features? I’m assuming it needs to be synced with the newer sync module. Thank you for a great video.

[@gildenuro]

I like this kind of security camera compared to the one i have.

[@davidwalker2402]

Great job just what I was looking for.