Blink XT - Any good?
Discussion
Looking for a CCTV camera over the front door and came across the Blink XT, it seems too good to be true.
Battery supposed to last 2 years, doubtful but if it lasted 6 months I guess it wouldn't be too bad. No charge for cloud storage.
Just wandering if anyone has one, for £100 is it rubbish.
Battery supposed to last 2 years, doubtful but if it lasted 6 months I guess it wouldn't be too bad. No charge for cloud storage.
Just wandering if anyone has one, for £100 is it rubbish.
It's reasonable, nowhere near as good as a proper system but for the money, it's adequate.
I started with two external cameras and later added a third for inside. I may buy a 2nd hub so i can put the internal camera on a different timer.
Easy to set up. 5 min job. I've used it a couple of times to catch the postie and ask them to leave parcels.
I'd say the main negative is need for a strong wifi signal and secondly, partly related, is the time it takes to upload files and them forward them to your device.
I've found reducing the clip length helps. I have mine sat at 10 sec. It's enough to see whether it's something I should be concerned about.
I started with two external cameras and later added a third for inside. I may buy a 2nd hub so i can put the internal camera on a different timer.
Easy to set up. 5 min job. I've used it a couple of times to catch the postie and ask them to leave parcels.
I'd say the main negative is need for a strong wifi signal and secondly, partly related, is the time it takes to upload files and them forward them to your device.
I've found reducing the clip length helps. I have mine sat at 10 sec. It's enough to see whether it's something I should be concerned about.
My batteries are well into their third year so no concerns with battery life.
The picture quality is good, even at night. Easily enough to recognise someone if you get a shot of their face. But most dubious characters wear hoodies and collars.
My issue is with mounting them. They are easily snatched off the wall and trampled unless you mount them high - in which case all you see is top of heads.
It's trivial you use IFTTT to turn on a smart-light (or lights) inside the house when the camera detects movement. I'm pretty sure that caused someone to leave my property a few weeks ago. I may add a recording of a barking dog
The picture quality is good, even at night. Easily enough to recognise someone if you get a shot of their face. But most dubious characters wear hoodies and collars.
My issue is with mounting them. They are easily snatched off the wall and trampled unless you mount them high - in which case all you see is top of heads.
It's trivial you use IFTTT to turn on a smart-light (or lights) inside the house when the camera detects movement. I'm pretty sure that caused someone to leave my property a few weeks ago. I may add a recording of a barking dog
Concur with the opinions here. Bought the 2 camera outdoor kit before christmas and it's been great.
The poster who mentioned that they snap off easily, this is true. I've placed two on the corners of my property to look over the driveway and entrance road. The cameras are placed just above head height and can easily be taken down. My theory is that, if you're close enough to take them off, I've already caught you on camera.
Alerts on phone and Apple watch, integration to my Alexa eco-system, it's great for the money. I've recommended it to a couple of friends and they are of the same opinion
The poster who mentioned that they snap off easily, this is true. I've placed two on the corners of my property to look over the driveway and entrance road. The cameras are placed just above head height and can easily be taken down. My theory is that, if you're close enough to take them off, I've already caught you on camera.
Alerts on phone and Apple watch, integration to my Alexa eco-system, it's great for the money. I've recommended it to a couple of friends and they are of the same opinion
After searching for a thread on Blink TX, I posted this on an older thread - might be better posted here. I only have a very small area to monitor in the front (small drive onto main road) and my back garden is only accessible by garden hopping over the neighbors fence to 3 sides so we're pretty secure. Like the poster about, I plan on using IFTTT to turn on an indoor light as and when the cameras see movement overnight, I think this would be much more of a deterrent than outdoor lights.
Just ordered a 2x set of these due to my Arlo Pro 2 going on the blink after 12 months. Amazon send me a returns note for the Arlo to send back for a full refund and I ordered the Blink for delivery this afternoon.
You really can't beat Amazon in my experience.
Just ordered a 2x set of these due to my Arlo Pro 2 going on the blink after 12 months. Amazon send me a returns note for the Arlo to send back for a full refund and I ordered the Blink for delivery this afternoon.
You really can't beat Amazon in my experience.
Just an update, I've packaged it up and sent it back. The main problem is that you don't receive alerts until after the event has occurred and the recording has ended, kind of pointless really. Makes the talk back feature utterly redundant. I have sent this one back too.......
I'm really struggling to find something with a decent app and also decent camera quality.
I'm really struggling to find something with a decent app and also decent camera quality.
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