Review of The Blink Video Doorbell. A low-cost, battery-powered alternative to Ring

The company Amazon Blink has announced its first smart doorbell, which can be wired or powered by batteries for even easier installation.

The Blink video doorbell is a cheaper alternative to doorbells from its sister company Ring. While Ring now produces an affordable entry-level video doorbell, it only works with wired connections. The Blink video doorbell, priced at $49.99, can operate on a pair of AA batteries or be wired.

Most of the main features are familiar. It can alert you to motion detected via a 1080p camera, send notifications to your phone when the button is pressed, and connect to Alexa-enabled devices like the Echo smart speaker to play the doorbell chime.

There is a two-way conversation that allows you to communicate with someone at the door even if you are not home at that time. You can receive real-time images from the camera on your phone, and night vision allows the doorbell to see clearly in the dark.

However, there are some limitations to note, especially if you plan to use the Blink video doorbell with batteries rather than wiring.

The standalone video doorbell can send you motion alerts, button press notifications, and show you a real-time image from the camera. However, to record video clips, you need to either subscribe to a Blink subscription or get an additional sync module.

The subscription costs $3 per month or $30 per year for one camera or $10 per month/$100 per year for unlimited cameras. The Blink sync module costs $35 and has a USB port allowing you to connect storage for recording clips without a subscription.

One of these synchronization modules is a route to a door video doorbell with enhanced security without a subscription. But of course, it’s of little use if someone bursts into your home and steals the flash drive with all the evidence.

Blink Video Doorbell: wired and battery-powered

However, the Blink Sync module is a way to maximize the battery life of the Blink Video Doorbell. Amazon says that the box will work for up to two years with the included pair of AA lithium batteries. But it will not last that long without synchronization, because then it will have to connect to the Internet rather than rely on a local Wi-Fi network for Wi-Fi connection.

There is currently no information on how much battery life will decrease if you do not purchase the sync module. It is also worth noting that lithium batteries last much longer than standard alkaline batteries, which you can replace the included batteries with when they run out.

The Blink Video Doorbell is the obvious next step for those who have already purchased Blink smart home cameras. This range offers affordable alternatives to Ring products.

Both companies belong to Amazon, but Ring typically attracts much more attention.

However, in fact, the acquisition of Blink by Amazon happened a few months earlier than the purchase of Ring. Amazon bought Blink back in December 2017 for $90 million, which is much less than the $1 billion it paid for Ring.

You can pre-order the Blink doorbell camera right now, with delivery starting on October 21.

In addition to the doorbell, Blink announced several additional accessories.

There is a solar panel priced at $39.99 to power the outdoor Blink cameras and a new outdoor camera with a dual-panel floodlight for $139.99.