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How to set up Privacy Zones on Blink cameras

The Blink Outdoor 4 installed on a fence
Blink

While Activity Zones are available on most Blink cameras, only a handful support Privacy Zones. The short list includes the Outdoor 4, the Wired Floodlight, and the Video Doorbell. Unlike Activity Zones (which don’t trigger motion alerts, but are still recorded), Privacy Zones are grayed-out areas that are not recorded at all.

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Difficulty

Easy

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • Blink camera

  • Blink smartphone app

It’s a useful feature, especially if you live near a neighbor and want to respect their privacy.

Interested in testing the feature? Here’s how to set up Privacy Zones on Blink cameras.

The Blink Outdoor 4 installed on a fence
Blink

How to set up Privacy Zones on Blink cameras

Keep in mind that not all Blink cameras will let you set up Privacy Zones. If that’s the case, consider using Activity Zones instead — they’re not quite the same, but at least they’ll help prevent unwanted alerts. To set up Privacy Zones (and check if they’re supported by your camera), follow these steps.

Step 1: Load the Blink app on your smartphone.

Step 2: Enter the Settings menu for the camera you’d like to modify.

Step 3: Navigate to the Motion Settings menu, then pick Motion Zones.

Step 4: If Privacy Zones are supported by your device, you’ll see another menu called Privacy Zones. Select this to begin the setup process.

Step 5: You should now see an image that represents what your camera is currently recording.

Step 6: Tap on this screen to draw a large square over the portion of the image you don’t want to be recorded. You can tell which section won’t be recorded, as it’ll be blocked on your screen by a large gray rectangle.

Step 7: Up to two Privacy Zones can be created.

Step 8: If you mess up, select the Reset Privacy Zones button to delete any Privacy Zones you’ve created.

Step 9: Privacy Zones can be moved and resized by clicking on their corners.

Step 10: Once you’re happy with the layout, select Done > Save.

Step 11: That’s it! Your Privacy Zones are now installed. Any motion in the zones will not be recorded.

Step 12: If you decide you don’t like the Privacy Zones and want to remove them, you can dive back into the Settings menu and select Reset Privacy Zones.

Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
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