*UNSPONSORED* Detailed review of the BLINK OUTDOOR cameras and how they compare to the Arlo system

[@СлаваСлава-з4х]

I was looking for an outdoor camera to keep an eye on my dogs in the yard when I'm not home. kzbin.infoUgkxOXxsTZ3ptV_Pk0fFl8bNZvVqeoqBQFwe Tried a different one that was absolutely terrible, so I got these instead. They work perfectly! With 3 of these cameras I can see every corner of the yard, and they were very easy to set up. The best part is I only get the footage I want to see, not hours of videos of the bird feeder swaying in the breeze.

[@thehistoryprof6750]

My blink system is 3yrs old in Jan 22. It's been flawless and my first gen, five blink xt cams are still running on the original batteries (low activity areas). Very pleased.

[@Ms._Purple_Apple]

Wow! Lucky you are still using the original batteries!

[@joeyboyer6771]

Thank you for the detailed video! I work in the electronics department at Costco and now I feel much more confident when explaining the differences between these products since we sell both. Thanks again

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mouseys83]

Lol I am too and that's exactly why I watched this video 😂

[@Aprival]

Excellent and really professional review. It's been a long time I was looking for such comparison. Nicely done!!!!

[@keithrose6931]

After over 2 years of having my blink system I can honestly say that they are reliable, easy to use and as yet not needed to change batteries. None are in a high usage situation but even so all batteries are still in the green .

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Yep! I still have both systems in place, but I find myself mostly relying on the Blink system at this point. It just checks all the boxes - convenient, affordable, easy to use, decent quality.

[@keithrose6931]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors l'm looking forward to the doorbell when it arrives in the UK . Two years life on a doorbell will suit me fine . All the best !

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

@@keithrose6931 I'm still using a Eufy doorbell cam. I'm happy with it, but it'd be nice to have all my feeds in one place, for sure.

[@keithrose6931]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors Yeah that's what I was thinking . Keep it simple ☺️

[@Azteca619]

Which would you recommend best ?

[@tickingtime]

Hi great review very informative, Please nay I ask do you still recommend the blink without a subscription ive read they dont work that well without subscription, was thinking of this or zosi

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

I can't offer any insights on the Zosi, but I'm still using the Blink cams and still don't pay for the subscription. I find that using an inexpensive USB drive with the hub gives me all local storage I need. And recalling videos from the clips library only takes a few seconds from the mobile app. So yeah, I think the system works great even without the subscription. (Unless the newest models work differently than the one I have)

[@hellolau]

Thank you 🙏 This is the most comprehensive review out there and I gave watch a lot 👍

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Thank you for the kind words! :)

[@HalfPro]

Thank you for the detailed video and the review. Didn’t waste time in boring stuff and your own sound quality and the pace were relaxing to watch. Not to mention, un biased opinion.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

I appreciate that!

[@prixinc1]

As arlo is taking away the free 7 day cloud storage and EOL the previous generation cameras (which work perfectly fine) I am looking to find an alternative and am leaning towards blink. It's sad that arlo is doing this, been an arlo customer for years, I won't be giving them anymore money. Thanks for the review.

[@srikantkhadke8578]

very good content and covered most of the points anyone can have before choosing between two. Thanks

[@FRANKLIN-nu6wo]

I have the blink and the batteries have last two years! I live in a low traffic area.

[@Ms._Purple_Apple]

WOW, lucky you are getting good battery usage!

[@wescat2]

I have the original Arlo system that took (4) of the CR123 batteries per camera I have 3. It got expensive. I'd have to buy a new kit as my base model doesn't support the rechargeable Arlo cameras. Started looking at the Blink cameras and this review was great.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Thanks! I continue to use both platforms and I do like both. But if I was going to start over, I'd definitely go Blink. The battery life is exceptional - as long as you use the recommended higher-end Lithium AAs. Standard AAs seem to last somewhere between 6-12 months depending on configuration/use, but the Ultimate Lithiums will last 18-24 months or more!

[@bashfullJ88]

Try the wyze. It has a magnetic base, easier to charge than the blink.

[@christophervanderhoof4138]

How well does the blink recognize movement. I have an edge camera and it seems to always pick up the delivery man leaving not coming to the door?

[@adeayomiadeyemi4441]

Do you think they are designed to handle weather like -45 degree?

[@biggersound]

Do you have to use the biometric authentication to use the app or is there another method? Thanks.

[@lynnellisonii4675]

Can you use the the subscription and USB thumb drive together? Since the cloud storage is only kept for 60 days before it refreshes the oldest recording. I'm currently have Ring in my front of NY house with no issues just the price is a bit high for what I'm looking for in my backyard. If you can not use the subscription and thumb drive at the same time can you download the recording to your phone? And if there is an incident, on Ring I can Star 🌟 it and download it. Can I also do that with Blink? Thanks!

[@mitchdante1323]

Hi and thx! It sounds like i would like the usb card. Where does it go ? So free download app in my Iphone and two wifi cameras with USB card so I can see all my recordings ?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

SD card plugs into the base module - which you can tuck away out of sight. Then you can view all of the saved events from the app whenever you need to. Pretty cool.

[@sethi100]

With the blink sync module can I view live videos or do I still need to pay for a subscription? Any magnetic mount for the blink? And how is the video quality compared to Arlo essential and Pro? Thx.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

You can definitely view the live feeds without a subscription. I do it all the time and I've never paid for the subscription. As far as the magnetic mount, you might check this website: wasserstein-home.com/ they have a ton of accessories they make Blink cams and a bunch of related products. I think the video quality is going to be very comparable to the Arlo Essential - both at 1080P resolution. The Arlo Pro cams are going to be able to produce a bit more detail at 2K.

[@sethi100]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors thanks. I read that the subscription service gets you live views. But that’s what I thought the module sync was for. At 100 feet though that might not be enough. I have older arlos that have end of life coming up in April, so need to decide if go Arlo Pro or blink. Both seem slow on recording when motion detected and apps on both seem to be a complaint with some users. If not for the price, I’d go Arlo. Better resolution and range of view and range from its base station.

[@fatemehnazari6847]

Hi, how is the batter life now? Have you considered using a solar panel mount.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

I did consider the solar mount but haven't yet gone that route since battery life has been extremely good, especially on the Blink system.

[@fatemehnazari6847]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors Thanks, I bought two just to test them. Are you happy with the nighttime quality? I'm concerned it's not high resolution enough to get a clear photo of someone's face if something does happen.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

@@fatemehnazari6847 yeah that's a valid concern and a bit of a challenge. My solution is to have a motion light illuminate the area being monitoring by the camera. Without that, you're never going to be happy with the night-vision resolution on these small-sensor devices.

[@fatemehnazari6847]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors Ok Thanks. I'm going to go with a mixture of Eufy and Blink. The eufy one has a built in flood light so I guess I'll just use both.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

@@fatemehnazari6847 cool. I have a Eufy video doorbell and it's been great!

[@santiagojuliao1114]

I put the batteries on the Blink cameras and they were blinking for a few days. Then, it seems to be that the batteries run out of energy since they stop blinking w/o any response...!!!

[@garyd600]

Hi, great review thanks. On the Blink if you click on live view is it right that there is no sound?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

You can definitely get sound in Live View. You have to first enable sound in the camera settings, then once you're in Live View you have to click on the speaker icon and it will then stream sound from that camera as well. I think they turn all of these off by default for maximum battery life.

[@garyd600]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors Brilliant! Thanks for the reply. My Blink is arriving tomorrow! So I'll probably be back in touch 😀

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

@@garyd600 Ha! You'll be delightfully surprised at how easy they are to deploy and use. :)

[@MikeyG1212121]

I purchased Arlo from COSTCO and about lost my mind trying to get it to work. Tech support (when I finally got a hold of someone) was no help. Could not get it to connect to my home network, no matter what I did. Changed routers, etc. No go. Packed it all up and returned it. Purchased Blink and have not looked back. Simple for me to set up and really like it. Have had it for about six months now.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Great! And I think you'll be delightfully surprised at how long those Lithium AA batteries last, too!

[@MikeyG1212121]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors ...just found an Android emulator and can now watch/monitor my Blink cameras on my PC.

[@kendus01]

I'm guessing I'll stick with adding more blink cameras to my system . Thanks

[@michaeljames3694]

Great video. I can't seem to get the cameras to recognise my greyed out zones. Any tips? Thanks

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

YES! I actually originally had this backwards. The gray blocks actually represent areas it will NOT trigger. I made the same error initially.

[@losmoore3358]

Hows the night vision? How many cameras can be connected? Does it need another base station to add additional cameras ?

[@robertbauer9230]

Thank you, this is a really comprehensive review.

[@denisdeslauriers7277]

I just installed a Blink 3 camera system (they came on sale AFTER I bought them, ugh...), and added 2 more (on sale, yeah!). I installed the first 3 in our attic, because we have mice. Surprised, we have bats too!. Showed the video to the exterminator so he had an idea of what we are trying to get rid of. Night vision on the camera is great indoor. But the two outdoor ones are not. I have also bought the floodlight module for one of the interior camera. It probably scared the bats, because since the last detection of bats, we haven't seen any. I only wish there was a web interface I could access through my computer instead of relying on the App. Also, a little more features, like snapshots on movement detection would be appreciated. You did not mention it, but the cameras come with a right-angle adaptor (which doubles as a tool to open the back cover), that allows for better placement of the camera mount.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Thank for contributing to the conversation, Denis! Good stuff. Yeah, I would also prefer PC-web access to the video/event feed instead of just on the phone app. That said, I'm still extremely satisfied with the Blink system. Battery life is fantastic as long as you stick with the recommend Ultimate Lithium batteries. I've only had to replace batteries on my 1 most active driveway cam so far and it's been a full year since I installed them!

[@MatthewRSimpson]

One thing the Arlo does better is the preview. With the Arlo you can live preview 2 (or more) cameras at the same time. With the Blink you can only live preview one at a time.

[@tca_81]

Thanks for your review. Very helpful!

[@jsmith3772]

My blink system crapped out after 3 years, just would not sync anymore. Bought a second Blink system and it had connectivity issues, contacted customer service who didn't respond after 5 days so I replaced it with a third new system and it said it was already paired to someone else's system. Finally go in touch with Blink support who asked for my proof of purchase on all three systems and the serial numbers for all three sync modules and all the cameras then after receiving that info stopped responding to my emails without ever solving attempting to solve my problem, I will be switching to Eufy, hope I have better luck there.

[@candyarchie7695]

Thats very unfortunate! I have had my blink outdoor cameras, and 1 blink indoor mini camera for 3 months and haven't had any issues. I have the outdoor version though. I hope blink can help you. Oh maybe it's your internet connectivity.

[@armourbl]

What is the longest record time setting for the Blink?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Looks like 60 sec. per trigger

[@armourbl]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors Thank you, I'm going to give the Blink setup a try. Prime-day deal too good to pass on it.

[@yolandagomez9255]

You can use rechargeable batteries? I have blink and Would like to use rechargeable batteries, how can I get some?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

You probably can, BUT Blink Outdoor Cams specifically state to use Lithium AA which output 1.5v. You might run into some issues with the rechargeable unless you can find rechargeable rated at 1.5v (often they are 1.25v). But I just searched AA Lithium rechargeable on Amazon and there are some options there that should work for you!

[@yolandagomez9255]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors thank you, I’ll try

[@candyarchie7695]

Also the regular lithium battery will essentially last longer without constant annoying battery changes.

[@Seasniffer69]

There are solar panel integrated camera mounts for the blink system now.

[@AlexRocks24-7]

Great review 👍 Thank you for taking the time. I had Arlo and changed it to eufy and super happy.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Yeah I have the Eufy video doorbell and have been super happy with that too. :)

[@bobstewart420]

Thank you for a very informative comparison video. As you stated on the Blink if you’re watching live feed and wish to save video is subscription the ONLY way to record?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

As far as I'm aware, yes...unless you're willing to use a screen capture utility.

[@motafarraghe]

Thanks for the review. You didn’t cover the important comparison point about the video recording length. Blink seems to only record for 10 sec. Is that enough? How about Arlo? Can you record live unlimited with Arlo if needed?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

The Blink cams will let you set the clip length to up to 60 secs for motion triggered video, but it defaults to 10s to conserve battery. The Arlo writes video to cloud storage and so in live recording captures, it can record very long clips if you really want to (there are limits I'm sure) and then download them to your phone. Arlo doesn't seem to give you the option to specify motion triggered clip length, but I think it basically just keeps capturing as long as there's motion.

[@foothillsreadiness]

Like the Drum Corps shirt.

[@MR-Santos-PR]

What a nice review. Amazon blink is my choice then. Thank you

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MegaFranceschini]

The Blinks security cameras system is a very good n reliable system, the only thing about the system is the cloud service, Blink should have a lifetime service with a one-time payment. Let me say they may not be the best camera system on the market but they're not bad either. Is the could service that i don't like.

[@Ms._Purple_Apple]

I don’t think you unscrew the back of the Blink-XT2. You need to push down on the arrow then pull the back off.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

The ones in the video aren't the XT2 though - they're just marketed as Blink Outdoor. To get the back off, you have to pry off the mount (if it's on a mount) and then that exposes a slot-screw about the size of a dime that you unscrew to access the battery compartment.

[@garynicholas4334]

I bought 2 Blink outdoor cameras and put them in position 2 weeks ago. They are the worst cameras I have ever purchased. 1, They don't tell you that these cameras cannot maintain a live feed for more than 60 seconds. 2, The lenses cannot cope with rain (at least not in the position I have my cameras)! 3, Even with the sensitivity turned all the way down to "2" I still get false alarms seemingly caused by rain drops, bugs and reflections from my car numberplate. 4, Then there's the nasty noise / feedback / problem with the sound / microphone. You will not get rid of this nasty noise. (sounds like crickets but it's not). I could also moan about the short range of the motion detection in the dark and the malfunctions in the settings. Buy the blink outdoor camera & come back and tell me I'm wrong!!

[@matrox]

do these have zoom? do the work with pc?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

You can 'pinch zoom' in the app. And yeah, you can get the files onto a PC.

[@matrox]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors I need to monitor a parking lot from about 150' up on a Condo balcony. Will this work.

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

@@matroxif the cameras are going to be 150' away from what you're monitoring, I think you might want something with 4K resolution so you can zoom in further and still retain sufficient detail. Maybe consider the Arlo Ultra, but will be twice the price.

[@matrox]

@@ReeWrayOutdoors OK thanks, Have you reviewed them?

[@ReeWrayOutdoors]

@@matrox I have not. But i do have an Arlo system (HD res version) and they a quality products. The Ultra is fairly new.

[@noah8915]

Arlo cameras are garbage, don't waste your money.