Blink Outdoor 4 (newest model), Wireless smart security camera, two-year battery, 1080p HD day and infrared night live view, two-way talk – 5 camera system

Overall, I’m very happy with the Blink camera system (and I’m not paying for the subscription). One of the reasons I decided to buy into this system was because I didn’t need a subscription for: 1) Live view option, which means, see the live video from the cameras any time I want via the app, from anywhere. 2) Save videos that were triggered by motion to a USB flash drive (memory stick) inside my house (not cloud only and not stored in the camera itself). Keep in mind, most of my comments here will be related to using the system without a subscription, but I’ll comment on the differences where possible. Also, my comments may be a little more technical than most people would like, but for anyone interested, I’m being as detailed as possible :-) These comments are relevant as of Feb 2024 (the date I wrote this review).Viewing/Storing Your Videos: During the trial subscription period when I could view my motion-triggered saved videos in the cloud, I noticed the videos load/play quicker than if you’re accessing the videos stored on the USB flash drive in the Sync Module 2. Anyway, not a big deal, but it’s a difference. You need to provide a USB flash drive to plug in to the Sync Module, but those are very cheap these days and a 128GB drive will give you TONS of storage for videos since the file size of the videos is not very big. Also, with the cloud subscription there’s a thumbnail for each video saved, which can be helpful in finding important videos if you’re trying to find one with people in it, rather than a video triggered by a dog. Without a subscription, there’s no thumbnail on the saved videos which you view in your app, and it takes several seconds for them to load/play in your app, but it’s bearable. The nice thing is, if you don’t have a subscription, the videos save to your flash drive/memory stick in the Sync Module 2 immediately after the recording is finished. If you have a subscription, the videos only download to your Sync Module’s USB flash drive once per day, at night (as I understand it).Sync Module 2 & Wireless Signals to Wi-Fi & Cameras: The Sync Module is required for the cameras, but you get one of those if you buy a package, like I did. I bought the bundle that included two Outdoor 4 cameras, one video doorbell and the Sync Module 2. It’s important to know the Sync Module and the cameras have TWO wireless signals. One that needs to connect to your home (or business) 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network and one that is only for use by the Sync Module and cameras and that signal is a ‘Low-Frequency Radio’ (LFR) signal. It does not have 5GHz, but you don’t want that anyway because the 5GHz signal is weaker than 2.4GHz signal. The Sync Module is where you connect a USB flash drive (memory stick) to save your videos if you’re not paying for a subscription (and also for once-daily backups of your videos if you ARE paying for a subscription). PLACEMENT OF THE SYNC MODULE IS IMPORTANT! Remember, it has TWO signals. It needs to be placed in an area that has a good signal to your home/business Wi-Fi AND so that it also has a good signal to all your cameras (if you have them spread out in different areas around your home or outside your home). To give you some perspective, my house is a single-story ranch style house (around 1,700 sq ft) and I have a camera outside on each wall (each wall is brick). I was able to place the Sync Module and my Wi-Fi access point in the center of my house. Even in this central location, I have one camera (the video doorbell, about 38’ away from sync module and Wi-Fi access point) that has only 2 to 3 bars (out of 4) for the Wi-Fi connection but usually 4 bars for the Sync Module connection. Long story short, make sure you place the sync module, your Wi-Fi access point and the cameras so they all connect to each other with as strong a signal as possible for best performance/reliability. It worked out well for my house, especially since I have flexibility on where I can place my sync module and home Wi-Fi access point and the technical knowledge and tools to move it wherever I needed it.Outdoor 4 Camera: The image quality/exposure for these cameras is very good. The nighttime IR (infrared) view is very good also (it will appear like black and white footage). The coverage of the IR light when it’s dark is also very good and has better coverage than I would have expected. I have motion-triggered flood lights outside my house anyway, so if my lights are triggered, the camera may not use IR because it sees enough light (at that point it will record normal video in color just like it does during daylight). I bought 25 ft long third-party USB-C cords with a power supply to use as the power source for my Outdoor 4 cameras so I never have to replace batteries and so I can view live video from the cameras as much as I want and also have the infrared light set to High without impacting battery life, because there are no batteries to worry about :-). I don’t know if it’s different WITH a subscription, but the longest period you can record when the camera is triggered by motion is 60 seconds. For the video doorbell the max record time per motion trigger is 30 seconds, just so you know. Regarding the power, I drilled a hole in the bricks of my house (in the mortar actually) to feed power to my Outdoor 4 cameras. One camera is directly under a soffit, so there’s no danger of rain getting in there where the power cord connects (but the cord I bought is weather sealed anyway, not a normal USB-C cord). The other camera is mounted under a third-party security camera cover to keep the sun from beating down on it all summer (it’s on a south wall) and to keep rain off it, just in case…because again, I decided to power this one by a cord that plugs into the back of the camera instead of using the batteries). The included mount is very nice and flexible. If you mount an Outdoor 4 camera under a white security camera cover like I did, you may need to paint the underside of that cover with flat black paint because at night (in my case) the infrared light reflected off the underside of the cover/shield I’m using over my outdoor 4 camera and that made the video made difficult to see clearly. Daylight videos were unaffected, it was just at night in low light when the IR light was active for video recording that was a problem with that aftermarket cover I bought.Doorbell Camera: For the video doorbell the max record time per motion trigger is 30 seconds. Why, I don’t know. Technical limitations? The Outdoor 4 cameras can record 60 seconds of motion triggered video. The wireless signals for the doorbell camera seem to be a little weaker than the outdoor 4 cameras. One big disappointment is that the video doorbell camera can NOT be powered by your existing doorbell power wire. My old Skybell brand video doorbell CAN be powered by the doorbell wires, so it’s a bummer that Blink can’t do the same. You can connect your existing doorbell wires to trigger your indoor doorbell, so that’s good…but like I said, you can’t use that wire to power the video doorbell. I confirmed this with Blink tech support. I hope they have a new version in the future that is able to be powered solely by the doorbell power wires, but for now, I have to keep batteries in it. The video doorbell device has a weaker infrared (IR) light than the Outdoor 4 cameras and lesser quality video than the Outdoor 4 cameras, but overall, it’s good (especially during daylight hours). The included mount is very nice and easy to install.Motion Triggering of Videos + Privacy: The settings/customization for when motion triggers video recording is very good. You have the option to block out as much of the scene as you need to to prevent unwanted triggering of video recordings, such an area of the scene where tree limbs often blow around or something like that. For privacy, you have the option to block out 2 custom size areas in the scene you select for privacy reasons so that area in the video is grayed out. The selected privacy area does not trigger when motion happens in that privacy section and also, when other sections in the scene that you allow to be seen trigger video, the video that's recorded has a gray box in the privacy section (all you see is a gray box). That's pretty powerful and useful, if you need it. Regarding motion triggered video recording in general, I've noticed the cameras can accidentally trigger (record) when it's really misty/foggy outside. If there's a lot of mist in the air floating by the motion sensor, it can trigger a recording. Just something to keep in mind because you may need to adjust the motion sensitivity and/or 'disarm' the cameras for a while until the mist clears because you may be getting lots of unwanted/accidental recordings. I have mine adjusted to the point where the cameras almost never accidentally record unless it's very misty outside, which isn't too often where I am.Audio Quality: The microphones on the Outdoor 4 and video doorbell camera pick up sound very well. I can clearly hear anyone speaking. The closer they are, the better of course, but it's very good. The speaker volume for the cameras is very good as well. It's plenty loud and if anyone is nearby when you activate the camera and start speaking, they'll hear it clearly :-)Blink App for Phone: The app you can download on your phone for managing the cameras/sync module is very nice and has plenty of options to configure/customize the cameras (motion settings, video quality, audio settings, check status, etc). The app is where you view your videos, but of course if you’re storing videos on the flash drive connected to the sync module, you can remove that flash drive and plug it in to your computer to see the video files there or make copies of the files for long-term storage…but of course you can also use the app to save a video file to your phone if you want to keep a copy of share it with someone, like the cops :-). I wish they had an app for Windows so I could view the cameras live and see saved videos on the sync module’s flash drive right from my computer, but at this point there’s no PC app. I think there used to be one?...but if there was, there isn’t one now (Feb 2024).Price: I compared the price of this system and what it can do with other systems like Ring, Nest and Skybell and at this time, the price difference is significant, in my opinion. The Blink system (and what it offers even without a subscription) is better than the other systems I checked out.

Just received this today, and it does show an improvement on the quality. Feels and looks beefier. When updating your activity zones, there are more squares to select than the previous versions of these cameras, which I like, to fine tune the areas I want. ** And, I think the inactive zones you set up, are ‘actually’ enforced and work as expected than the older generation cameras.TIP **25 September 2023 - For those having issues about wifi signal strength, you may need to mess with the router’s settings to increase signal power. If your router is between walls, behind the tv, etc. you will see degradation in performance and responsiveness in live view. I have a gaming router set on a high shelf, because routers work best when they’re in a high spot. My cameras that are outside have no issues with Wi-Fi strength and are responsive when live-viewing.Field of view has improved significantly and you can see a large difference between versions of cameras.Good thing is that the mounts for the previous cameras WILL work on this camera. The mount it came with is an improvement to previous versions. Flat base, not cone-shaped.I’m currently trying the person detection from the trial with this camera, and will update over time on the performance.**Person Detection since having BO4 as the trial, has been great! It has significantly cut down on the amount of unwanted notifications caused by wind, car/sensor lights, animals, etc. I do feel that you can save battery life significantly, even when the sensitively is set higher. Having too many notifications does get annoying at times, but I think Blink is definitely making an initiative to make these camera a gamer-changer, while still maintaining ease of setup.Price is a tad high, but you may consider the monthly payments, which I did.**28 August 2023 - Taking a snapshot/photo capture from these cameras, at night, non-night vision, pointing in a lighted area is sharp(er), than any previous version. No images included due to security. Haven’t tried night vision alone, but I’m confident the same sharpness is applied.**29 August 2023 - The Motion Recording Types cover Person Detection and All Motion. I have one camera set with Person Detection enabled with sensitivity level at 8, and it didn’t detect me driving my car in/out of the garage. I would’ve thought Person Detection would encompass ‘some’ normal motions, but I think we must take it at face value that when set to Person Detection, it will ONLY detect persons, you don’t get the best of both worlds unless selecting All Motion. Sounds dumb to say, but though I’d make it aware. Update** On a ‘very few’ instances, this camera did detect my car entering and exiting our garage. So my thoughts originally have shifted, but I think over time with continued firmware updates, it will hone in on its accuracy.1 September 2023 - One camera fell offline/unresponsive. Suspicion is on firmware updates being applied, or, weather factors since it’s low 60° outside. No issues with home network or signal strength to camera. Will continue to monitor/self troubleshoot. **I took out the batteries, and tested them, showing still a full charge/health, and placed them back in, bringing the camera back online.4 September 2023 - One of my BO4 cameras with Person Detection enabled was at level 8 sensitivity, and on a windy day, did alert that there was a person at (insert camera name). It alerted a few times during the day (under 5 instances), but not a big deal. My guess would be that as BO4 continues to develop, the accuracy will improve in its detection.8 September 2023 - Setup of 3rd BO4 camera set in an area where there is minimal/no lights. Due to security, no images. Taking Live Photo with the IR intensity set at LOW. Some haziness/fuzziness but the area is lit up, and provides better detail than previous versions of Blink cameras. As you increase in IR sensitivity, the Live Photo (in HIGH IR setting) increased in sharpness and reduces glare and fuzziness significantly. **I placed some solar floodlights in the area of this BO4, and with low IR sensitivity and once the lights are triggered, the video capture was much sharper than previous versions of Blink cameras. I only have video quality set at normal, so I’m impressed with BO4 so far!28 September 2023 Another BO4 fell offline around 11pm. Last occurrence was due to a firmware update being deployed, so this may be due to the same thing.1 October 2023 - Installed my 4th BO4, as I’m looking at all the point of views both in the live shot and live view, it feels that it elongates everything. I know my driveway isn’t that long, but comparing it to previous generation cameras, BO4 view appears to add like 20ft+ to my driveway. I can understand the other reviews concerned about the range detection, as I do notice some times it will not catch movement, especially if I’m moving slowly or based on camera positioning, but at sensitivity level 8-9, I would like to catch movement at a farther range. As I continue to implement BO4, I will continue to observe performance.6 October 2023 - It appears one of my BO4s point toward the road at max sensitivity IS NOT catching cars passing by anymore. Seems that v13.34 that was pushed out, affected the range despite any setting changes. Not a concern (yet), but I’m hoping newer updates will fix range issues and sensitivity. **Update - camera seems to be capturing movement now at a lower sensitivity set at 6-7. May’ve been a change in traffic flow by the house, in which there may be less cars, however, will continue to observe BO4 performance.4 November 2023 - Installed another BO4 camera while also upgrading one camera with a battery expansion kit. This is specifically for BO4 cameras, not previous versions. The expansion makes this camera much heavier, however, the mounts they come with (and previous) will support the weight without the mount drooping/moving. I’m not a fan of adding more bulk to the camera. Also, this battery expansion will not use camera’s battery slots, and instead uses the expansion for 4 batteries. I would’ve preferred an integration that would’ve retained the two onboard batteries + two for expansion. Other than that, the BO4 cameras have been wonderful to use, with overall quality/sharpness. I do hope that future updates will improve motion detection and range, respectively. Nonetheless, these are worth an upgrade from previous versions.15 November 2023 - I’ve noticed recently that BO4 will notify of Motion/person and it will not record that instance. It happens sporadically, so it is a slight concern, but not enough deter me from purchasing another BO4. Over time as more updates are pushed to these cameras, I expect the overall effectiveness will improve.6 December 2023 - BO4 has been a great upgrade for my system. There are still occasions where I’ll receive a notification of movement, but does not record that moment. It’s very rare now with the update to v13.41. I still see issues regarding the sensitivity not working as expected. One camera is set at 9, toward the road, and it does not always catch cars driving by. Not a showstopper, but I can see now it’s range detection could be an issue for others. With recent Blink app updates, you now can adjust the length of video recording (previously it was adjusted by every 5 seconds), which is great! Allows for better customization for your needs. I wish this was the same for the sensitivity (0-99 vs 1-9). Overall BO4 has been accurate with Person Detection, and the subscription for Blink Plus for $10/mon, is very reasonable for any household to use to expand features.27 January 2024 - BO4 has been working exceptionally well. I still have the Blink Plus subscription to allow the Person Detection feature, and it’s accurate. There were certain instances that BO4 cameras did not record movement such as my neighbor chopping his tree down. I also noticed there were connectivity issues during that time that left a large gap in my list of recordings. Not a showstopper, but concerning for those security moments. Range also plays a factor in detection, so I continue to hope that future updates will improve this. Overall, upgrading to this camera is well worth it. Wait for the sales to get these at a cheaper price.16 February 2024 - Decided to update the Blink Sync Module because I realized I was still using the 1st generation sync module. I updated to the 2nd generation sync module, and I noticed there’s more of a delay when live streaming my cameras. I did a reboot of the sync module a few times, but I still receive a slight delay. One camera I have at a longer distance is unable to be live viewed despite Wi-Fi and sync module connection have full bars/strong connectivity. Still attempting to troubleshoot but I think something about the firmware I updated to since it’s the first time connecting. Further investigation is needed. Overall, the cameras are working as expected!18 February 2024 - Identified that the issue was NOT the Sync Module 2, and rather my own internet. Reboot modem, router and network switch, and saw significant improvement in BO4 camera responsiveness. Additionally, I will take into factor that weather was not great at the time of incident. Since this, the Blink cameras are working as intended!22 April 2024 - I’ve bumped up to the yearly Blink Plus subscription as the Person Detection feature has been wonderful! Eliminated unnecessary notifications caused by wind, sun/shadows, or other movement. It does save your batteries!There are occasions where there is a notification of movement, however, it does not record/save the video. Not sure if there are delays, but I continue to have confidence as new firmware is pushed to BO4, it will improve overall performance. Since having these cameras, I haven’t had major issues, and Blink support have been helpful and receptive.Other things I’ve noticed as far as delays in live streaming, are caused by your upload speeds. The higher your upload speeds are, the quicker the response is. Additionally, consider adjusting your Wi-Fi strength from your router/wireless access point, as this also contributes to the responsiveness.Overall, I am pleased with Blink Outdoor 4 cameras.8SEP2024 - BO4 Cameras have been great! When pairing it with the Blink subscription for cloud storage and the Person Detection feature, it’s helps with cutting down unnecessary movements caused by animals/shadows/etc.Occasionally, I would still receive Blink app notifications for movement, but it will not record it. Not sure if this is still an ongoing bug, or late push notifications from previous captures, but it doesn’t impact my rating for the product.I wish detection sensitivity was improved or expanded upon to allow for timely capture of events.10 April 2025 - Since my last update, BO4 continues to meet and exceed my expectations for a quick and easy setup for a camera system. While WiFi signal strength is not a concern for my cameras, it is something to think about for your best setup for these cameras. While there is a new Blink Sync Module XR which expands range, I have not used it for my setup.I’ve changed/upgraded all my cameras to BO4, and I’ve very pleased with the battery life, and the Person Detection feature to minimize recordings caused by animals, cars, lights, etc. Person Detection still needs a bit of work because a few times, it would detect deer, and notify me it’s a person. May be a deal breaker for some people, but, overall person detection is pretty accurate.