Blink is well known in the smart home space for its affordable indoor and outdoor cameras. Now, Blink seeks to adorn your door frame with its first video doorbell. Announced during Amazon’s Fall September 2021 event, the doorbell can be installed wired or wirelessly depending on your needs. You’ll get typical video doorbell features like 1080p HD video day or night, two-way audio, customizable motion detection zones, and alerts on your smartphone when your bell is pressed.
One interesting aspect of this doorbell is that it runs on two included AA lithium batteries. Wired installations can last up to two years before the batteries need to be replaced. Wireless connections will be significantly shorter depending on your environment and use, of course. Blink also recommends the use of a Sync Module 2 when running the doorbell on battery power.
The doorbell comes with a free 30-day trial subscription to the Blink Subscription Plan. Of course, the bell also works with Echo and Fire devices for hands-free, voice-controlled monitoring.
Additionally, Blink launched two other accessories to expand its lineup even further. The new Blink Floodlight camera mount and solar panel mount both work with Blink Outdoor to expand its utility. The Blink Floodlight mount adds 700-lumen floodlights to Blink Outdoor with motion triggers. Meanwhile, the Blink solar panel mount harnesses the power of the sun to power your Blink Outdoor.
All three devices are available for preorder in the U.S. starting today. Pricing for the doorbell is $50 on Amazon.com. The Blink Floodlight Camera mount can be purchased individually for $40, or you can buy a bundle with the Blink Outdoor and Floodlight mount for $140. The Blink solar panel can be purchased bundled with a Blink outdoor starting at $130.
Blink hasn’t really impressed us with its latest offerings. The video doorbell is certainly competitively priced at just $50. Only the Wyze video doorbell comes close to that price, bundling a video doorbell and wireless chime for the same amount of money.
On the camera end, both the floodlight and solar panel mounts undercut most of the competition, but that’s always been Blink’s bread and butter. We’re most interested in the doorbell, though Blink did not announce key specifications like the field of view or build materials. Still one of our key criticisms of the Blink Outdoor camera was the lack of upgrades from its predecessor, and both of these accessories are significant upgrades so they pique our interest as well.
Amazon has been a major player in the smart home market for years, but fresh competition from Apple may have lit a fire under it. The company has just unveiled a new lineup of Alexa devices, including Echo speakers, a smart alarm clock, a photo frame, and the Echo Show 16. On the software side, Amazon also introduced Alexa Home Map, which puts your connected devices on an interactive 3D model of your house, letting you monitor and control them from one place.
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