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We finally received our Blink smart home security camera (after a painful 8 day shipping journey from California to the East Coast). The item was a pre-order so we knew it would take a little while to ship (though it actually only took 9 days from the day we ordered it before it shipped), but we were definitely disappointed in the 8-day, FedEx SmartPost shipment (especially since Blink charges $10 for shipping).
update: Blink is now available on Amazon!! Choose your system:
In any case, once we received the shipment we forgot all about the slow shipping! So far the Blink home security camera has completely lived up to expectations. The camera and sync module are actually even smaller than we expected (which is great), setup was a breeze, and the picture quality is fantastic. Really the only thing that remains is to see how well the batteries do (2 AA batteries is all it takes) and to see if/when Blink enables IFTTT integration (among other features that they are promising). Now, without further ado, here is our full Blink smart home security camera review:
Upon opening the package, we were delighted to find out that the camera and sync modules were even smaller than we had expected:
Upon open the boxes, we were even further excited to see how small the equipment truly is (barely 2″ across):
Setup was as easy as can be (aside from looking/feeling like an Apple product, the Blink sync module and camera are also just as simple to setup):
Following the simple 3 step instructions took just about a minute (we already had the app downloaded so that saved a few seconds). Plugging in the sync module is, of course, as simple as can be. Within seconds the sync module lights came to life. We then connected our phone to the Blink WiFi, it found our existing wireless, and we entered our WiFi password. We then moved to step three, add a camera. The app simply needs the 9 digit serial # on the camera, and it then instantly finds and activates the camera:
Once the camera is connected there are various settings (which we will test and review shortly) that can be changed, but for the most part we think the standard/default settings look to be the best option.
It’s also nice that the app shows the temperature (again, this can hopefully be used in conjunction with IFTTT or maybe even Nest one day), as well as the WiFi strength of the camera and sync module (so you know if you’re putting the camera too far from the module). So far we’ve been able to put the camera anywhere in our office and it’s worked just fine.
Once everything is setup and you’re ready to use the camera, it’s as easy as opening the app and arming/disarming the camera system:
In summary, we are very pleased so far with the ease of setup of the Blink security camera. We will continue to use/review the system and will post our Blink Camera Review: Part 2, in the near future. In the meantime, Blink has a great help/information section which covers all of the different settings options. Here are some great examples:
Blink also has a great FAQ!
as mentioned above, Blink is now available on Amazon!!
Also, Home Depot now has a wide assortment of smart home security cameras and more.
This is not a good review. You missed the fact that the cameras are wide open from a hacker perspective. The Blink people can see the camera names that people rename their cameras. They can see live video in your home, they can take still photos from the cameras. They can listen to the live audio and watch the live video. You have missed several very important issues with these cameras. My review is at http://www.dtig.net and I’ve sent emails to Blink that have gone unanswered for five days.
Thanks so much for your comment. We contacted Blink and actually heard back within 24 hours. Here’s what they had to say:
Statement regarding Blink Security Policy:
The security of our customers’ video records is of paramount importance to us, and Blink has been designed with that in mind.
• General Access –
Blink is an internet /cloud based system and relies on Wi-Fi connectivity and access to the Blink servers via the internet to function. All commands and status for the Blink system go through our servers. We monitor some types of activity such as setup and sync module on line / offline status to proactively determine if a customer is having issues. We also keep statistics on what actions are being executed in the aggregate. These statistics are important to us and are used to determine if the system is working as efficiently as it needs to be and to help us set the direction for product enhancements.
• Video Storage
Video clips are stored on the Blink secure servers in the cloud, not in the cameras. Blink uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for storage and servers, the Amazon security policy may be found here:
http://aws.amazon.com/security/
All video clips are encrypted using AES-256 encryption. A unique key is associated with each customer account for this purpose. Keys are stored only on the servers.
• Video Transmission
Video transmissions, either motion clips or Live View streams, are transmitted using Transport Layer Security (TLS) between all devices, from the camera to the servers and then to the mobile app.
• Can Someone Steal a Camera and use it?
During the initial setup process, Blink cameras are registered to a particular user account. Once a device has been registered, it cannot be added to different account unless it has been explicitly removed from the current account. This is done through the Blink application by the current account holder.
We can not see live video or hear audio from your home. We can not see still photos from your cameras either.
Blink Customer Service
To set up Blink you have to download the Blink app, but once you do it’s really easy to follow the steps. The only hang-up/thing I found annoying is that I have our wireless network set to not show up in lists of available networks, so the camera couldn’t find it to register. Other devices/services have the option to manually enter/search for a network, but to make this work I had to make my network visible, connect, then make it invisible again. Not hard to do, just annoying. Once that was done though it was incredibly easy to set up (just a few minutes).
The quick start guide that comes with the device is really thin. The online FAQs/Knowledge Base seem to cover a lot but I just stumbled my way through the app figuring out everything it does. I like that you can turn the motion sensor on/off and edit the recording delay and length. I get a pretty much instantaneous alert on my phone when the motion sensor is triggered which would be good if it happened when I know nobody’s home. You could instantly start up the app and see what’s going on while calling the police if you needed to.
We just have the one camera at the moment to try it out but I can see how a couple of them could really cover the house entry points and alert you to anything happening inside.
However, after using it for a few days I’m not overly impressed with the network connectivity. We have a strong signal in the house with the sync module about 2 feet from our router and the camera about 8 feet away. I frequently get errors trying to view the video feed or arm the camera and have to attempt it multiple times. It ultimately works, but it takes way too long to get what I need done.