Is it possible to use the USB (instead of subscription) and move the recordings from the USB to any cloud storage? Won't this then provide the thumbnail preview which can then be accessed from your phone?

@@zeem.8656 Hey Zee, if you buy the Sync Module 2 and connect a USB drive, then you can cancel the Cloud Storage plan and recordings will be saved on the USB drive. When it comes to moving the recordings from the USB drive, you'll have to manually unplug it from the Sync module, copy it over to a desktop or laptop, then upload it to a cloud storage service if you want a backup of it in the cloud. I don't remember seeing an option to specify another cloud provider, but that would have been a great option for people who use Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive, Dropbox, Etc. Not sure if I answered your question correctly, so let me know if I missed anything.

I have back door cam on sync mod. But new front door blink cam wouldn't sync up to mod. My trial ended for the backdoor. I have amazon synced to blink but Can't find how to pay a monthly payment.

@@brian-pu3yy Hey Brian, if the front door blink cam won't sync to the mod, which version of the Sync module do you have? The original version or the Sync Module 2? I think the new Cameras only work with the Sync Module 2 if I remember correctly. About payment, if you go into the App, then click on the icon of a person at the bottom left to go to your profile, then scroll down until you see the options for Blink Plus. I don't pay for the monthly plan, so I'm not 100% sure either, but you can check on the Blink official support forums here: support.blinkforhome.com/en_US/subscriptions/purchasing-multiple-basic-subscription-plans

Do you need the module 2 to be able to have access to the app or will having a cloud subscription do that as well?

I think you're probably right Ron. The sync module 2 is supposed to offload some of the processing that the Blink doorbell camera does to preserve battery life, so I don't know why they couldn't let the sync module 2 also handle recording of live view.

@@DemCrumblies I don't know if anyone has said this yet, but​ if you have an iPhone you can go to your Blink camera's live view, then use your screen recording on your phone to basically record using the Blink app. Obviously you won't have any sound from the live view recorded, but it's better than nothing if you don't want to pay for a subscription. Which we don't. We have the sync module 2 with a sd card. The most irritating thing is having to delete videos one at a time, but we just make a point to clear them throughout the day.

@@jewelryart2428 Hey your mom, some people have pointed out using the phone's built in screen recorder as a work-around, but no sound is a limitation as you mentioned. For the Sync module 2, it accepts up to 128 GB of storage. If you insert a large capacity USB drive, you won't have to delete videos so frequently. How much capacity does the SD card you are using have?

@@DemCrumblies Im not sure, but I think it's a 64. I was wondering if it's possible to just put the sd card in the lap top and format it. Our desktop doesnt have an sd slot, but I saw someone mention plugging a flash drive into the side of the sync modile. Idk if ours has that option. I havent checked yet.

@@jewelryart2428 So the Sync Module wants to format the storage device in its own preferred format, so it's best to plug the SD card into the Sync Module 2, then format the card through the Blink App. If you have an SD card or Micro SD card, you'll have to use the USB adapter that came with it, or buy a USB adapter to insert it into, then plug the USB into the Sync Module 2. Something like this: i5.walmartimages.com/asr/520a8cb5-e7d8-4f0c-bdd6-2a27ccf49341.fa7fe5bc6a7ac3524643bd5b3187d2ad.jpeg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=ffffff

Thank you for that Grassland, I'm happy the video was helpful. Any other questions, just let me know.

Me too!! Very wonderful and thorough video!

What a scam Blink is! Glad I went with Eufy, I have no problems with Eufy, and no subscription, just the Hombase 3, so good. Thanks Dem for everything you do, your videos are great. I used them for my Eufy purchases.

Thanks for the kind words and for watching Luis : ) @lpeinado

Glad it was helpful Jimmy! One thing I learned later after this video is that if you only get the monthly plan (without the Sync module 2), while you can record video when someone rings the Doorbell, you won't be able to pull up live view any time you like. The Sync Module 2 let's you pull up live view at any time, but doesn't record video if you answer the ringer. So Blink wants us to pay for both to have maximum functionality.

I'm happy to hear that your Blink system has served you well the last 3 years. That is really impressive battery life.

As a BLINK System owner of 3 years, I have NEVER been able to get more than 4-5 months from those blasted batteries. And that is with taking the time to focus the activity zones to the point where it's virtually worthless. I've already begun to replace BLINK with EUFY 3 PRO and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. More expensive, but you get what you pay for; usually.

Glad it helped! Keep in mind that you cannot pull up live view any time you want if you just have the cloud plan. You will also need the Sync Module 2 to pull up live view at time you desire. @millermuniz11

Thank you Eric, glad the video was helpful 🙂

Thank you EK P-G! I'm glad you found the video useful. There is one other thing that I learned after this video, which is that if you just have the cloud plan without the Sync Module 2, the camera is put into "Event Response" mode, meaning that you can only see video when someone presses the doorbell button. You cannot pull up live view any time you like, which is a pretty big disadvantage as well.

Thank you Shakeel. I'm glad it was helpful ☺️

Hey @balticblues8130, yep the Sync Module 2 is doing some of the lifting too. With the subscription plan, you'll gain the ability to record live view video and see thumbnail previews of clips before you tap to review them. Thanks for watching 🙂

Glad the hear the video was helpful : ) One thing I didn't mention in this video that I found out later is that if you use a cloud plan without the Sync Module 2, live view is only available when someone rings the doorbell. A Sync module 2 is required for pulling up live view at will.

Thank you Ropl, I'm happy the video was helpful! Btw, please check my pinned comment because there is one piece of information I forgot to include in this video that I learned later. Thank you for watching 🙂

Glad it was helpful 🙂

Glad it was helpful Aida! Good luck 😀

Glad the video helped. Please read my pinned comment because I found out additional information about how live view is handled after I made this video. Thank you for watching 🙂

You're welcome Julius. I'm glad it was helpful 😀

I'm glad it was helpful lopez6295 🙂

This. Well done.

@@MikeD525 Thank you Michael!

Glad to hear the video was helpful @huantrahuongson! One thing I learned later after making this video is that if you have the Cloud Plan, you can only open or pull up the live view when someone rings the doorbell. If you want to pull up or open the live view anything you feel like it, you need to have the Sync Module 2 (cloud plan not needed). The cloud plan is only needed if you want to record visitor video when they ring the doorbell and you answer it. Hope that makes sense, but if it doesn't, let me know. Thanks for watching 🙂

Where to buy the sync module 2

Thanks Lukasz, glad it was helpful 🙂

Glad it was helpful Grant. Good luck 🙂

Yea, the only real drawback is that you can simultaneously watch live view and have the system record when you move off the Cloud plan. Some people start the screen recording feature on their phone first before they pull up live view as a work-around.

@@DemCrumblies great comment, thanks

Glad it was helpful K M. on Amazon.ca (Canada site), the Sync Module 2 is in stock. I sometimes order stuff from Amazon.com to be delivered to Canada. I wonder if you're able to order from Amazon Canada and ship to wherever you are. Good luck!

Thanks for watching @Taylormayd02, glad the video helped : )

Glad you found it helpful Lazerline! Thank you for watching 🙂

Good point gimmeagig, I have no clue why they would not let the user bulk delete or format the drive again to wipe it since the system can obviously handle the task.

I found with my iphone that if is a video I don't need to watch all the way thru, I just touch the screen and it stops the play back and gives me the option to delete it or share it. So no need to sit thru the whole video play back if you don't want to.

@@timothyfender1222 ​Thanks for sharing Timothy. Looks like the iPhone gives more options. I just tried to repeat the steps you mentioned on Android, but no dice. Hopefully your tip helps other iPhone users though.

Hey @robertroberts721, glad the video was helpful. One thing I learned after making this video is that if you just pay for the monthly plan and you do not have the Sync Module 2 also, you will be able to record video interactions when someone rings the doorbell. However, you cannot pull up live view video whenever you like. You can only pull up live view video with the Sync Module 2, so the most full featured option is to have both.

Do they charge you $100 a year for 5 to 10 cameras ?

Thank you Bruce. I'm glad it was useful 🙂

Glad the video was helpful AA. Thank you for watching 🙂

Hey John, thanks for watching! That's great they grandfathered you in. There is one thing I forgot to mention in this video, which I put as pinned comment after. If you have the monthly plan, but no Sync Module 2, you cannot pull up live view at will. It requires either the Sync Module 2 or the Sync Module 2 and monthly plan. I'm wondering if you inserted a USB Drive into the Sync Module 2 and used the Blink doorbell, if it would work with your old plan. I believe footage will still be saved online, but you'll have a local copy as well. There is more information here: support.blinkforhome.com/en_US/using-your-camera/blink-storage-options and you could potentially reach out to Blink support anonymously to ask if you'd still retain all the grandfathered in benefits even if you added the video doorbell.

Glad it helped Henry 😀

Glad it was helpful Rishi!

Hey @Adventurer’s Club Northern Chapter yep, without the Cloud Plan, decent functionality is removed. Hard to say if it's due to a hardware limitation, or if they just want to force us to spend money on a monthly plan, but I'm leaning towards they want us to spend money monthly. I inserted a fairly large capacity USB drive into my Sync Module 2, so I haven't had it fill up yet to the point where I need to delete clips. I believe you can insert up to a 256 GB drive, which would probably take years to fill up. I still get individual alerts to my phone when motion is detected without the cloud plan, can I assume that you do not have the Sync Module 2 system? If you plan on keeping the Blink system, the Sync Module 2 isn't that much more and it will give you a bit more features, like pulling up live view at will.

Cat

@@milace126 🐈

How much $ for the year for 5 to 10 cameras?

Glad to hear the video helped. Thank you for watching @maha77 🙂

Hey Jr Ortiz, I'm glad the video was helpful. One thing I learned since I made this video is that if you have a Cloud plan, it only shows live view when someone rings the doorbell. If you want to see live view any time you like, then you have to also buy the Sync Module 2 with your Cloud Plan, or you can just use the Sync Module by itself without a Cloud Plan. Thank you for watching my video and for the well wishes 😊

Glad it was helpful Victor. Thanks for watching 🙂

Hey thatmaninblack, yep that's if you're only running the Sync Module 2. If you have the Cloud plan, then it will record. Some people have been starting their screen record on their phone before they pull up the notification, but it isn't ideal since every second counts especially if you want to catch someone in the act. They really handicapped this system in the name of preserving battery life imo. You can't just pay for a more powerful version, they want you to pay every month for additional features. Seems many companies are doing the monthly subscription thing, it sucks.

because they want your subscription.

I guess the app isn't well optimized since it has to pull the data from the USB drive then stream it to the app. The speed of the USB drive could also come into play and I'm not sure if the Sync module 2 supports USB 3.0 speeds, or just USB 2.0 speeds. They may use lower end tech to keep costs low I think. I agree with you about the time to pull up video when someone rings the doorbell. I think since the Blink Doorbell has such a long battery life, they really make sacrifices like a higher polling time perhaps to keep battery life extended. The Blink app in the background on the phone's polling rate and power settings could also be at play. I actually switched to a different brand for my front door, which has faster times, but requires charging every 3 months or so. I prefer to charge it more often for a more responsive system. I think Blink should allow us to have a setting to allow more responsive times at the expense of battery life.

If something happens and this thing recorded it and it showed you what happened when you weren't there, how is that a novelty? It served its purpose...

Glad it was helpful @nalluutube! Thank you for watching 🙂

I'm happy it was helpful Douglas. Good luck 🙂

@@DemCrumblies One follow up question. My free plan is now over but when I go to look at the recorded videos on my backup flash drive nothing is recorded. Does it only record if the camera senses motion?

@@douglasnoble1004 Hi Douglas, yep, it will only record whenever the system is armed and it detects motion. Most of these battery powered cameras only record with motion to preserve battery life.

Hey Ben, I only have the single doorbell camera, so I'm not actually sure how the system functions when more than one camera is present. For my camera, if I go into the camera settings, I can see there's an option to enable Motion Detection, this should always be on. You can set the Retrigger time where your kids play so that it takes 60 seconds from the last time motion was detected to trigger a second recording. You can also set the sensitivity to low. However, I don't see a way to set a schedule though. You can also set activity zones in the settings if there are certain areas where your kids play so that those zones do not trigger recordings. However, after hours when you want security video, this approach wouldn't be ideal because it would not record motion outside of the activity zones you set. Unfortunately, it looks like you'll have to manually enable or disable motion detection each time they are playing outside if you want to conserve battery life.

@@DemCrumblies Why would you reply to this particular question if you only have one camera and don't know the answer to the question that was asked?

Hey John, while I don't have his particular camera setup, which I made clear to him at the start, there are certain settings which can be set to preserve battery life, which was one of his concerns. He also stated that the system would trigger often when his kids play, so I suggested that he modify the retrigger time. He had more than one question/concern, so I tried to address what I could without providing misleading information by stating that I do not have his exact setup.

Hi sir, a quick question: may I ask how many cameras that can be paired with one module?

Hi Chao Shi, up to 10 Blink cameras can be paired with the Sync Module 2.

Exactly. Blink exists to penalize their loyal customers by forcing a paid plan for basic functionality that other camera brands offer for free with lifetime plans. Since I've reviewed the Blink doorbell, I've reviewed tons more products from other companies and Blink is at the bottom of the list. On your home network should always be faster than downloading from the cloud as you stated. @OC3707

You're welcome, glad it was helpful 🙂

You're welcome Riley!

Agreed. it still has bugs. On my old phone, which was used for this video, live view would pop up without issue. On my new phone, it loads for 1 seconds then closes (doesn't matter if the trial is active or not). I might look at a more robust system later too if I notice more issues. The notifications still work well, and it does detect and record motion on mine so far. Btw, do you have the Sync module 1 or the Sync module 2? I haven't noticed any synching issues with the Sync module 2 so far, but I have it pretty close to my doorbell.

@@DemCrumblies have two doorbell cams on one Synch module2. While on trial period everything worked fine. Connectivity was ok. And only had to reset it once. But the missing recordings is annoying if its going to be ongoing.

@@tookallyourmoney Wow if there are missing recordings that is a big deal. When you go to the recordings section, at the top of the screen when you switch between cloud recordings and USB recordings, are the missing recordings gone under both sections? I also wonder if maybe the USB drive could be defective or has bad sectors? Maybe you can switch to another USB drive to see if the same issue occurs just to rule it out. When it is on trial, then all recordings are on the cloud, so you may not have noticed any USB issues then.

@@DemCrumblies right the vast majority of the records are not caught (the alert is) so it could have something to do with the USB drive. Ill have to have a look at it. Kind of difficult when overseas, hence the whole point of these cameras. So dont be misled thinking they are a full proof out the box system. It has its downfall but if can be worked around a non subscription could work for many.

@@tookallyourmoney Gotcha. Yea being away and thinking you have peace of mind in case anything happens and not having the recordings defeats the purpose of these cameras. I wish they could just use your Amazon Prime 5 GB of allowed storage instead of having to get a separate Blink Trial, then they can just overwrite the files in the 5GB drive as needed. Even if I could use 2 or 3 GB of my Prime allowance, that would be worth it.

Agreed and great work-around. I have screen record pinned on my phone's dropdown menu now for this.

Yes but it can't record anything you guys say back and forth to each other. Because the microphone can only be used by one app at a time So while you can see what's going on you can't hear any interaction between both of you. It's just disgusting that Amazon does this.. multi-billion dollar company trying to legally steal from people.. So disingenuous and gross. It's one thing I did notice. There is a button that does say when you go into the storage button!! ( SAVE LIVE VIEW ) But I don't know if this disappears when you do local storage only. The guy didn't mention it.. Here's what it says in the app. ------------- Save all Live Views. When enabled, Live Views on compatible cameras will be saved to the video list automatically. When disabled, each Live View can be saved while in progress.

@@muzikmon2267 and that is why they are multi-billion dollar company

Glad the video helped. Please see my pinned comment also because I added information about live view that I learned after this video. Thanks for watching 🙂

I'm glad it was useful Jack. Good luck!

Yea it's definitely higher than it should be. Some companies even give a 7 day cloud plan, which overwrites videos every 7 days. I think they should give one week at least.

@@DemCrumblies that should be standard I’ll even take 24hrs🤣 it’s better then nothing

@@viperomen914 True. Even 24 hours would be helpful. They should at least give 24 hours if you have an Amazon Prime subscription. I'd trade my Amazon Music benefit for 24 hours cloud.

@@DemCrumblies Which companies offer that?

@@Psil0 Hey Simon, LongPlus offers free 7 day rolling cloud storage. I've heard of other companies offering some free cloud storage, but I've only personally used LongPlus.

Thanks for watching John! @johnmccullough1401

Glad the video helped, thanks for watching 😊

Glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for watching 🙂 @bobeo2653

You're welcome Jon! Thank you for watching my video.

Glad it was helpful 🙂

I'm glad it was helpful dj.excess! I think pulling up video might be slightly quicker with the cloud plan too.

Glad the video helped @mkohanek! I forgot one piece of information when I made this video, which is if you use a cloud plan without the Sync Module 2, live view is only available when someone rings the doorbell. A Sync module 2 is required for pulling up live view at will.

@DemCrumblies you did mention that in this video , but thanks for the follow up. That is actually what made me decide to go with the cloud storage

Oh great! Thanks again for watching 🙂

I'm glad it was helpful Ceaser. Thank you for watching my video 🙂

Hey @danigil8050, I'm glad you found the video helpful. Since I made this video, I have reviewed many other security cameras that are far better than the Blink system and do not include any monthly fees. I can recommend other camera systems to you if you like, just let me know. Good luck : )

@@DemCrumbliespls share links to other reviews were a subscription isnt needed. This was a great video

@@Akhil2481 Hey Akhil, this video covered most of the limitations when you don't have a subscription. The subscription also allows you to view the live view / streaming of certain Blink cameras for up to 90 minutes without the Blink app continuously bugging you every minute to ask if you want to continue streaming.

Glad it was helpful Ashish 🙂

@@DemCrumblies one other question I have is how long does the flood lights battery last? Good to know that it uses D batteries

@@aharuray1 Hi Ashish, unfortunately, I do not own the flood light to test this, sorry.

Thanks Bella! Glad the video was helpful 🙂

I'm glad it was helpful Tom. Take care 🙂

Hey Enrique, glad you found it helpful. I have good news and bad news. Good news is that you have a wonderful 2TB 3.0 USB drive to use on any device except the Sync Module 2. Bad news is that Amazon states "USB drives larger than 256 GB or smaller than 1 GB are not recognized." More info here if you are interested: support.blinkforhome.com/en_US/sync-module-2/sync-module-2-faqs

@@DemCrumblies nooooooooo, I should’ve looked further into this systems external storage! Well, time to get the right one 😂 thank you again

@@gohangan Lol, well at least you have a 2TB USB 3.0 drive now, or maybe you can return it. The video clips are super big, so a 128 or 256 GB will last for many months, maybe even half a year depending on your file size settings and motion sensitivity. Good luck!

Thanks for watching : )

Thanks for watching @freetorunfree. Yes it's a significant limitation to this system. I have reviewed many other video doorbells after making this video which offer full functionality without any monthly fees. I can recommend some if you like.

I think even to see video clip thumbnails, you also need the monthly plan, it's crazy that basic things like that are restricted unless you pay.

Glad to hear it's been working well for you with the Sync module : )

@@DemCrumblies as I was saying this I broke the back plate trying to replace the batteries to this thing. Clearly not the best designed device.

@@bb55555555 I broke my back plate clip about 3 months ago too : |

Hey Skippy, yea, unfortunately the Sync Module won't record, but some people start screen recording on their phone first before answering the door. It's easy to forget to do that though. I haven't used any of the rain covers, but you can check these links (affiliate): amzn.to/3nQ7ASB or amzn.to/3nItsit You may have to use strong adhesive instead of magnets for these to work though if magnets aren't strong enough.

Glad the video was helpful. Thanks for watching 🙂

Wow that's a lot of cameras lol. I thought I had a lot, but you have me beat.

Yes, you're correct that is another benefit of having a cloud plan if someone breaks in and steals the flash drive. Amazon has amazing cloud services, so they really should allow users 7 days minimum of rolling cloud storage. If they want to compete with other security camera systems, that would be such a great advantage to have.

Thank you Victor 😀

Yep decent workaround if you can remember each time.

Hi Prakash, you can view the video clips from anywhere and from any network if you are away from home without any issue. Thank you for watching my video 🙂

Hey Chivo, maybe you can sell some of those sync modules since one of them allows up to 10 devices. I wish I knew of an internal ringer, but Amazon's Blink forums say that they don't have any 3rd party support for that, so it has to be wired for that unfortunately. I actually replaced Blink on my front door with a different company now and it includes a ringer with it. Don't know why Blink can't do the same.

Use a blink mini indoor camera. Has built in doorbell chime synced to doorbell camera through the app.

@@Bking7string Yep great point, and it works well. I actually just made a new video about it.

Glad to hear the video was helpful B W. Thanks for watching 🙂

I prefer to have the sync module 2 also for live view access at will. On your semi truck, does it have a continuous internet connection?

Hey there, I believe these need to be connected to the exact same WiFi network. So if the cameras will be placed miles apart, that probably would not work. But you can contact Blink Support there to confirm 100%: support.blinkforhome.com/en_US/f-a-q I'm thinking they'll want you to have a Sync Module 2 for each business or location.

Hi L Boogie, Blink recently made an update to allow the Indoor mini camera to act as a chime. I made a video about it here to show the process: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h7d2dM5lrN24fJ8.html

Yea, I hate the subscription model and the fact that they lock certain features behind it that other cameras brands offer with ZERO monthly fees. If you ever want better camera recommendations, let me know because I review many better cameras than the Blink system.

I agree. Another think I do not like about this camera is the fact that you can only use one device at a time to see who is at the front door. Vivint for example, has cameras that allow you to see the camera image in several devices at the same time. No problem. Something that is very helpful is you are away from from and you need to see the live feed at the moment together with somebody else. The only thing I like so far is the image quality and the sensitivity. Also that you can connect my chime to it no problem.@@DemCrumblies

Yea that's always an important consideration. I have my Sync Module 2 in another room in a small corner, so I think even if someone broke into my house, they might not realize that the Sync Module 2 is housing recorded video, unless they are familiar with the Blink system. It's also quite small and probably easy to hide away in a corner or behind a shelf or something while still having good signal. You will keep recordings during live video with the Cloud plan though, so it definitely offers more features and protection if you choose to go with Cloud.

Glad the video was useful : )

Hey @Peakabike, I'm getting ready to review their new Outdoor 4 camera, but honestly, I'm a bit jaded when it comes to Blink's system. The extended battery life is great, but I feel like they try to ding their users any chance they get compared to other systems I've used that have zero monthly fees and you get way more functionality. I've even annoyed with the hourly photo feature because on the new Outdoor 4 camera system, they state the resolution is 640 x 360 HD which is pretty low res. Why couldn't they take a screengrab from the 1080P camera? Just strange to me. I hope you enjoy the system if it works for your needs, but if you get jaded like me at some point, I can recommend other cameras I've reviewed. Btw, great to have a viewer from the EU!

@@DemCrumblies looking forward to your v4 review, but 640x360 is far from being HD! Is it the same on v3? While I find the lack of hourly photo capture and even more so the lack of multiple delete from the app for USB storage I find the whole system pretty sleek and better than anything else I've used over the years and good value for the money (2 cams+Sync for 70€). I still have a bunch of Foscam cameras that work but are pretty basic and other than getting alerts and a few pics by email that's it. I also have several types of Xiaomi cameras and can't say I'm impressed especially since they killed the free 9" clips a few months ago for most cameras...and also removed the time-lapse feature that was there originally. I'll go look for your past reviews but any quick pointers on systems you like?

@@Peakabike I couldn't find the photo resolution for the V3, but I'm assuming it'd be the same as the V4. From this page, it looks like all their cameras do it in a lower resolution to save battery: support.blinkforhome.com/en_US/outdoor-and-indoor-camera-faq/photo-capture-faq This is one of my biggest gripes. They should let the user decide to expend more battery life if we like in exchange for better performance (better resolution images, longer live view durations, clip length, etc.) Two of the best camera systems I've used so far are from Reolink & eufy. I'd say Reolink excels in the full featured capability of their app and hardware. They also have desktop software, which is handy to pull up on a large screen. I just did a review of their video doorbell and previously, their 180 degree FOV camera, but both require hard wiring, which is nothing something everyone is comfortable with. eufy also makes very capable cameras and has a great app and camera ecosystem too. They have hard-wired cameras, battery powered and solar cameras. Both of these brands cost more than Blink upfront for sure, but the functionality is in another league in terms of video resolution, features and customization. They also have zero monthly fees. You can check out these videos to start: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ip2jo7WqzrbOaIk.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e9J8pc1n0cuvhYE.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z9uWn5Wr0NbFdGw.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hL2ZqNJyrs2voY0.html I have a few more security camera videos lined up to do for eufy in the next 1 or 2 months, which would be past your return date for the Blink system. If you check out my other reviews, but you don't feel like you're missing much, or you are ok with the Blink trade-offs in exchange for increased battery life, there's no problem with sticking to Blink. I'd say that most people use Blink without issue and are happy with it, but since I've reviewed so many other cameras, I'm way more tough on them now that I know what else is being offered with zero monthly fees.

@@DemCrumblies Thanks, will check these reviews out.

Hi Jane, I'm glad you found the video helpful. Please try to go into the Settings for your video doorbell in the Blink App, and try the following: - increase the sensitivity to a higher number. We are hoping that the camera will pick up slight movements earlier and begin recordings sooner as well - change the clip length to something higher like 10 to 20 seconds - Set the retrigger time to 10 seconds - Disable the option "End Clip early if motion stops" Let me know how it goes 🙂

Hey @phyllisnaccarato5313 even if you hard wired the Blink Doorbell, it continues to operate the same way in terms of features, but it will now trigger your existing chime unit. If you have the Sync Module 2 with no subscription, you can still open live view any time you like, however, you will not be able to record live view unless you have a subscription. One work around people use is to start screen recording on their phone first, then open up live view so they can record their phone screen directly. It isn't an ideal solution because you may sometimes forget to start screen recording. Btw, this is what Blink says on their site "When wired, the Blink Video Doorbell is able to extend battery life and rings your existing chime. Even when wired, the doorbell is always powered by size AA, 1.5 volt, lithium non-rechargeable batteries. " More info here if you're interested: support.blinkforhome.com/en_US/faq-doorbell/blink-video-doorbell-faq

Hi Paul, do you remember if you changed the name of the outdoor camera before or after you added it to the Alexa Echo dot? I don't own an Echo Dot, but I'm thinking that if the name was changed after adding it to the Echo Dot, the Echo Dot may be only remember the previous model number name. One thing you can try is to delete the camera from the Echo Dot, then add it right back to see if that helps. I cannot promise it will work though. Yes, there is no chime for the doorbell camera, but Blink allows you to use their Blink Mini Camera as a chime unit, you can learn more here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h7d2dM5lrN24fJ8.html

hey d3dude, glad you found the video helpful! I can confirm that the Zones feature will work without a cloud plan. I haven't tested it without the Sync Module 2, but I believe Zones will still work without the Sync Module2. The Blink support page also doesn't mention any prerequisites for setting up Zones: support.blinkforhome.com/en_US/using-the-blink-app/how-to-configure-activity-zones Btw, if you're going to get the video doorbell, I highly recommend you get it with the Sync Module 2 if you won't get a cloud plan to get as much functionality out of it. If you're planning on getting other cameras, not having a Sync Module 2 may not be as detrimental.

@@DemCrumblies Thank you for quick reply and the information. I really don't need any of the features or recording capability, I just want to have the doorbell ring if a delivery is dropped off and they don't push the button. This happens quite often with couriers. Having the Zones function ignore the bushes on both sides of the door is the only fancy requirement I need. I may add a Sync Module 2 to save battery if it works, to save battery life. Thanks again. Bob

@@d3dude Got it. It should work perfectly for that purpose. Good luck Bob!

@@d3dude The zone function doesn't seem to work. I've zoned out over half of the viewing area to stop it recording passing traffic but it records everything, even wild animals in the middle of the night. They aren't close either, at least 15 feet away yet I can pass in front of the camera and it doesn't detect me. I've also had some missed deliveries where I have a recording of them ringing the bell but it never triggered the Alexa's in the house. So for me it works about 75% of the time but I may have to move the doorbell to stop it recording everything, at least until Blink fix the zoning bug. Edit, I should also add, if I set the sensitivity to 4 it can go 10 hours without detecting anything yet setting it to 5 and it records movement almost every minute, again, another bug to fix. 2nd edit, today I set the sensitivity to 6 just for a laugh and as expected it recorded all the traffic but it missed me and the dog coming towards it. It's like it does it deliberately just to annoy me.

@@hotblack1166 When setting the Activity Zones, at the bottom it gives the option of Basic or Advanced, (default is Basic). I found that with Advanced, it gives the option of much finer settings, making it possible to really fine tune the areas, which helped me a lot with my settings. I am in a similar situation to you and I found sensitivity on 5 gave me the best results, especially when combined with the Advanced features.

Hey TrAdv, I didn't see any options for NAS or to upload to another Cloud provider like Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox, etc. Amazon really wants to lock you into their products.

@@DemCrumblies Darn, that's too bad. I wasn't able to find a solution either. Thank you for checking!

@@TruthAdv No problem. Yea, Amazon could have improved the loading times from the flash drive too if they had a USB 3.0 port, but I think the Sync Module 2 only has a USB 2.0 port.

Hi Steven, my unit which is the video doorbell does record video ONLY when it detects motion. It doesn't do continuous recording. If you buy the video doorbell with the sync module 2, it will let you record video locally to a USB that you can attach to the sync module 2 without paying a monthly subscription. Also, if you don't pay for a subscription, you cannot both watch a live video feed and record it at the same time. That could be a huge deal breaker for some people.

Yes, it's a limitation that doesn't need to be there. Blink basically punishes customers who already gave them money because they want more money. Since I made this video, I actually reviewed other systems that I use now that have zero monthly fees.

Hey Tim, since it's battery powered, it doesn't let you watch a constant live view to preserve battery life.

Hey Keith, thanks for watching. The USB drive can be removed from the Sync Module and plugged into a computer to review video files. I forgot the exact video file type since I mostly watch on the phone, but I remember that it was playing using VLC player. It wasn't an exotic file that that would require conversion to another format to play on a computer. There is no desktop software or web-based portal for monitoring the system though. You'd have to review on a smartphone, or download the video file to your phone, then share it to a Google drive or Onedrive, etc., then pull it up on a larger screen or you can unplug the USB drive, plug it into your computer and review the files there. All cumbersome options tbh if you don't use the phone. Btw, one thing I learned after this video is that if you only buy the video doorbell and use the cloud plan without the sync module, the doorbell is put in something called event response mode, which means that you can only see live view when someone rings the doorbell, which is pretty silly. If you want to pull up live view at any time, you need the Sync Module 2. Now, if you want to use the Sync Module 2 with local storage and no cloud plan, you can still pull up live view at any time, but whenever someone rings the doorbell, as soon as you pull up live view to chat with them, recording stops, again silly. Some people just enable screen record on their phone, then pull up live view when they are using local storage, but you may forget to do this all the time, and it lengthens the entire process of chatting with someone who just rang your doorbell.

And remember!, if you remove the usb, you are no longer recording with the doorbell or cameras! via the sync box.

The videos are mp4 files and so are very readily viewable.

I believe they now offer up to 60 days of video playback history with the paid plans, but I usually do not recommend Blink to anyone who asks for my recommendation. There are so many other camera brands out there with a more robust app experience, zero monthly fees, and more features.

Hey uBreakit iRepairIt, you can use two mini indoor cameras with the Sync Module 2. It allows up to 10 cameras to be paired or added to it. It will allow you to record the video motion clips from the indoor mini cameras to a USB drive that you can plug into the Sync Module 2. I have always had the Sync Module 2, so I'm not sure what you'd lose. Probably you wouldn't have the ability to record motion without it unless you have a Cloud plan activated on your mini indoor cameras. Here is more information though: support.blinkforhome.com/en_US/sync-module-2/sync-module-2-faqs

Yep, that's my exact setup actually. You just won't be able to record the live view if you pull it up.

Hey Barry, if you just want to record comings and goings, then the Blink Outdoor camera will be great too. I don't own that one, I just own the Blink doorbell and Blink Mini cameras, but not the Blink Outdoor. The Blink Outdoor camera does have motion detection, but make sure you have it outdoor and not indoor behind a glass window or door. You'll be able to adjust the motion sensitivity in the app settings for it and it will record sound as well. I normally get notifications on my phone within 2 to 5 seconds. The WiFi strength will also be a factor with notification time.

@@DemCrumblies Thanks for the info Dem.

@@barryclements8395 You're welcome Barry. Good luck.

You're 100% right. When I can dedicate more time to YT, I have to get more focused on shorts and short form content in general. Even TikTok lol. Thanks for the advice.

@@DemCrumblies Yeah it definitely helps but is not always successful!

@@SpaceStrike Yea, but still worth a shot. Nothing to lose.

Yea, it just sucks that they don't give us a thumbnail preview when viewing clips on local storage. They also won't record live view when using live view, but I still use local storage because I'm against paying monthly if I don't have to pay.

Hey Mohammed, you can definitely do that if you will remember to start screen recording each time before you click the Blink app notification. Thanks for watching 🙂