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.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

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

Smart Home

Arlo extends end-of-life support for legacy cameras and doorbells

Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera casing

It looks like households equipped with older, legacy Arlo products won’t have to rush out and buy new gear after all, as the company has changed course on its end-of-life policy that was revealed last month. Previously, several aging cameras and video doorbells in the Arlo lineup were expected to lose access to seven-day cloud storage, notifications, and future updates -- but after reaching out to its community, the company has decided to extend coverage instead of roll it back.

As products age, it’s standard practice for companies to stop supporting them. The time and resources needed to manage outdated products aren’t insignificant, and newer products that are pegged as their replacement quickly become the new focus. However, there was a bit of backlash when Arlo announced its original plans, as a handful of the devices scheduled to be sunset had been released just over five years ago.

Smart Home

Blink Wired Floodlight Camera offers heaps of features and an affordable price tag

The Blink Wired Floodlight installed outside.

Blink, an Amazon-owned company that produces a wide variety of smart home gadgets, today announced the Blink Wired Floodlight Camera. The affordable device clocks in at just $99 yet manages to offer 1080p video capture, 2,600 lumens of LED lighting, motion detection, and several other premium features.

While Blink’s catalog is comprised of several indoor and outdoor cameras, this is the company’s first true floodlight. Previously, homeowners needed to purchase a Floodlight Mount for the Blink Outdoor Camera, and even then they would only benefit from 700 lumens of LED lights. The Blink Wired Floodlight Camera, meanwhile, is a standalone product that doesn’t require a secondary purchase -- pick it up for $99, and you’re ready for installation.

Smart Home

The Arlo Go 2 can go beyond Wi-Fi, and that’s really cool

Arlo Go 2

I've reviewed a lot of security cameras over the years, but I've never gotten my hands on an Arlo. When the company offered the Arlo Go 2 for a review, I jumped at the chance. After all, Arlo comes with a stellar reputation and a lot of awesome features, and the Go 2 sets itself apart even further by working off an LTE network instead of just Wi-Fi. That, combined with impressive battery life, makes it ideal for monitoring areas of the home that might not have the greatest connection to the router -- a gap that few current cameras address.

That's its main draw, but the Arlo Go 2 does a lot of other things right. I've had it for a few weeks now, and I'm quite impressed with this little camera.
Specs
The Arlo Go 2 has a whopping 13,000mAh battery. Arlo says the battery should provide eight months of life if used on Wi-Fi, or about two and a half over LTE. The good news is that it also comes with a charging cable, and it's easy to snap the camera out of its socket and charge it.