Amazon’s new Blink cameras aim to go the distance with 2-year battery life

By Patrick Hearn September 2, 2020

Amazon has announced two new wireless Blink security cameras. The Blink Outdoor and Blink Indoor capitalize on the design features and choices that made Blink a popular option in the past, including 1080p HD video, IR night vision, two-way audio, and motion detection. Perhaps most impressive of all is that both cameras are said to run for two years with only two AA batteries.

The Blink Indoor and Blink Outdoor cameras connect to the Blink Home app to provide the user with a live view of what the camera sees. The app will send push notifications if motion is detected. You can set up custom activity zones to cut down on alerts in high-traffic areas, as well as remove parts of the camera’s field of view from video recording as part of Blink’s new privacy zone feature.

In addition to new cameras and new features, Blink also offers two different video storage options. The first is local storage. This requires no monthly fees and uses the Sync Module and a USB flash drive. The Sync Module can connect up to 10 Blink cameras to allow for the creation of a more robust network of devices.

The other storage option is cloud storage, starting at $3 per month for a single camera or $10 per month for unlimited cameras. No long-term contract is required. Both the Blink Indoor and Blink Outdoor cameras include a free trial of the cloud storage plan to give customers a feel for how it works.

Blink is also going to offer a battery expansion pass that allows the cameras to use four AA batteries instead of two, effectively doubling the battery life to four years. That’s pretty ambitious, so it will be interesting to see how they stack up in a real-world situation.

The cameras also work with Amazon Alexa. You can ask Alexa to arm or disarm the cameras and play recorded motion clips, or to see the feed of a specific camera. Alexa can also announce when motion is detected and act as a hub for preset routines, such as turning on the lights in the home when motion is detected.

The Blink Indoor and Blink Outdoor cameras are available for pre-order today, starting at $80 and $100 respectively. The all-new battery expansion pack will be available later this year.

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Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…

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