Blink has built a solid reputation for offering security cameras and video doorbells at an affordable price. While not a fully-fledged home security system, it still provides a good range of regularly updated products and plenty of value for money.
Founded in the US in 2009, Blink has been owned by Amazon since 2017. Today it sells indoor and outdoor security cameras costing from as little as £35 – and sometimes cuts price prices to under £20.
It also offers a cut-price video doorbell, an indoor camera that pans and tilts, a hub for building a connected system with local video storage, and accessories like floodlights and battery extension kits.
Blink doesn’t sell door/window contact sensors, motion detectors, keypads and sirens – the sort of products you’d find in more comprehensive home security systems from companies like Eufy, Simplisafe and fellow Amazon firm Ring. But with the ability to connect up to 10 cameras to one of Blink’s Sync Module hubs, it’s still possible to build a comprehensive home surveillance system on a budget.
How I tested
I’ve used and tested Blink products for several years in my job as a technology journalist. In the last few months, I have installed several Blink products in my home, include the company’s latest video doorbell, plus its Mini 2K+ indoor camera, Outdoor 4 camera and Outdoor Camera 2K+. This is as well as the company’s floodlight kit, Sync Module Core hub, and the Blink Arc, which creates panoramic video by combining two cameras into one.
Read more: Best home security systems, by a tech expert
Blink camera and doorbell kit
Wifi: Yes
Cellular backup: No
Battery backup: N/A
Base station range: 120 metres
Camera limit: 10 per module, 100 total
Base station dimensions (Sync Module 2): 8.1cm x 8.1cm x 2cm
Outdoor siren: Yes (integrated with camera)
Professional monitoring: No
Why we love it
- Great value
- Local storage option
- Alexa integration
Take note
- No dedicated door or motion sensors
- Local storage requires extra hardware
- Doorbell and cameras use disposable batteries
Blink security cameras are priced from just £35, with some even falling below £20 when there’s a sale on. For example, the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt indoor camera has had its price cut by 51 per cent to £17, making it an absolute steal.
Bundles of Blink cameras are often frequently discounted too, and even at their regular price kits of Blink equipment often work out cheaper than buying each product individually.
I’ve used a number of Blink products over the years, and for this I review tested out the Outdoor 4, Outdoor 2K+ and Mini 2K+, as well as accessories like the Arc panoramic wall mount and LED spotlight adapter, and Blink’s video doorbell. Hardware quality has improved since Blink’s earliest efforts, where its cameras and doorbells felt cheap. Now, in 2026, the products feel like they’re up to life outdoors – and indeed, I’ve not had any failures or reliability issues while testing for extended periods of time.
That isn’t to say these devices look or feel particularly premium. They lack the solidity of rivals products from Ring, Yale and Eufy, but at Blink’s price point that’s to be expected. What matters most is ease of use, reliability and video quality. On those metrics, Blink scores well. Footage isn’t cinematic 4K, but in daylight hours it’s satisfactory for surveillance purposes. The low-light performance of Blink’s cameras isn’t quite as good – but, again, infrared video captured by the Blink Outdoor 4 is perfectly usable.
I also like how easy Blink products are to install and set up. Often you’ll need to fix just a couple of screws to a fence or wall, push the camera onto its mount, and connect it to your system using the Blink phone app. I’ve had no issues with wifi connectivity or a lack of signal strength – even when installing cameras in the garden and a couple of walls away from the Sync Module, which Blink uses as a system hub.
Another benefit of Blink’s system is how USB storage can be attached to the Sync Module 2, which opens the option for local video storage. Do this, and you no longer need to pay for Blink’s cloud subscription service – which you can find out more about in the Subscription plans section below.
Less impressive is how all Blink cameras and video doorbells are powered by AA batteries, and Blink recommends (and includes) non-rechargeable ones. This is bound to feel wasteful when you inevitably throw them away, but at least the company claims up to two years of life is possible per set of batteries.
Blink is a well-priced take on DIY home surveillance, but how does it stand up as a home security system? Keep scrolling on to find out more about that, too.
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Blink hardware
Building a Blink system can start with a single camera, or a pack of multiple cameras plus a hub and a video doorbell too.
A strong place to start is with one indoor camera, one outdoor camera and a doorbell. With those, you have exterior and interior surveillance, plus the convenience of a doorbell that doubles as a second outdoor camera and buzzes your phone with a video call when a visitor presses the button.
Like many other security cameras, Blink’s products are simple enough for almost any DIYer to install. Most cameras connect to their wall mount, which is then fitted to a wall or fence with the included screws and wall plugs. For practically all installations, a drill and a screwdriver is all you’ll need. Just make sure you can access the camera after installing, since you’ll have to replace the batteries when they run out – and on that note, Blink says a set of batteries can last up to two years, depending on use.
Setting up Blink devices is quick and easy. Just download the phone app, create an account if you don’t have one already, and work through the process of adding each device to your system.
If building a complete system rather than a single camera, you’ll need a Blink Sync Module Core. This acts as a hub and is included with most Blink product kits. USB-powered, it’s a small device that hooks up to your wifi network, and can then have up to 10 Blink cameras connected to it. If you need a larger system, multiple Sync Modules can be added to the same Blink account.
Although its products work well, you can tell Blink’s hardware is designed to meet a strict budget. They’re sturdy enough, and all have survived outside in my garden for the duration of my test. But they feel less premium than products from the likes of Ring, Eufy and Tapo. This is especially true of Blink’s video doorbell, which although improved for its second generation, lacks the premium build quality of pricier rivals. That said, I’ve encountered no quality issues with the numerous Blink products I’ve tested, including those mounted outside and fully exposed to British weather.
I’d love to see Blink expand its range to include door/window sensors and motion detectors. This would turn a surveillance system into a more complete home security platform. That said, a video doorbell and handful of cameras will be enough for most homeowners – and a visible camera keeping a watchful eye on your car or garden is likely as good a deterrent as anything else.
A handy extra feature is how Blink’s cameras can act as chimes for the doorbell. So if a visitor presses the bell, you’ll be alerted by the Blink phone app, but also by a chime played from your cameras.
Blink accessories I tested for this review include a dual spotlight kit that doubles as an outdoor camera wall mount, and the Blink Arc, which is a wall mount that houses two Mini 2 or Mini 2K+ cameras, then turns their individual video feeds into a single, 180-degree wide panoramic view. This worked well, producing a nice, wide view that’s perfect for monitoring a garden or driveway. Blink also sells a solar panel kit, battery extension packs and weather-resistant power cables.
Video quality from Blink’s camera is fine. It’s actually improved with the latest models, which now record at 2K resolution. But the footage is still clearly from a budget camera – and that’s absolutely acceptable, because these are budget cameras. A 4K security camera with solar power and AI smarts from other brands can cost £200 or more, and Ring’s latest 4K Pro doorbell is £220. Compare that to Blink’s £60 doorbell, £70 outdoor camera and £40 indoor camera, and a difference in video quality is to be expected.
More importantly, video shot by Blink cameras is, on the whole, good enough. It’s sharp enough, clear enough, with a wide enough lens and a good enough resolution to see what’s going on. They also work reliably, in my experience, but can suffer if wifi signal strength isn’t perfect. You might want to reposition your router, buy a network extender, and think carefully about where the Sync Module is positioned in your home to ensure the best connectivity.
Impressively, Blink’s newer cameras have colour night vision and AI-powered person and vehicle detection, so you won’t be alerted every time the camera is spooked by a tree branch blowing in the wind.
I’ve included a couple of screenshots below showing streaming video quality from the Blink app, and demonstrating the infrared night vision of the Outdoor 2K+ camera.
Blink software
The free Blink app is simple but effective. There are fewer bells and whistles than on other, more expensive, systems, but it does the job perfectly well.
The home screen provides one-tap access to each of your Blink cameras, recordings are automatically saved to the cloud (more on that in the subscription section below), and there are settings to adjust motion sensitivity and retrigger times, plus the option to create activity and privacy zones. In other words, all of the most-used features of a home security camera system are here.
A simple toggle switch on the home screen is used to quickly arm and disarm the system. I like how simple this is compared to some other security systems, where multiple modes are available for endless configuration.
It isn’t perfect though. I encountered a couple of small bugs during my testing, including how the home screen view of my garden camera remained stuck weeks in the past. As I write this, it shows a view from 28 days ago, yet quickly loads up a live stream when tapped.
Smart home connectivity
Since Blink is owned by Amazon, its system works with the Alexa voice assistant. This works best if you have an Amazon Echo Show smart display, since you can then say: “Alexa, show me the garden” to have a live stream of that camera appear on your display. This of course works for the Blink video doorbell too, and you can speak with Alexa to arm and disarm the system.
Blink subscription plans and monitoring
As with many other home security systems, Blink charges a fee for cloud video storage. This starts at £2.50 per month (or £24.99 a year) for the Blink Basic plan, which unlocks cloud storage for one device, like a video doorbell or a single security camera. Video recordings are stored online for 30 days, where they can be viewed and downloaded via the Blink app.
Paying for a Blink subscription also extends the live view function (where you can see a live video stream from your camera on the app) from five minutes to 90 minutes. Cameras with a subscription also gain person detection, a customisable snooze function and Blink Moments, where multiple clips are automatically grouped into a single video.
For £8 a month or £80 annually, customers can access Blink Plus. This unlocks all of the same features as Blink Basic, but can be used with an unlimited number of cameras.
If you’d rather not pay for its cloud service, local video storage is an option with Blink. You need to buy the company’s Sync Module 2, which costs £40 at the time of writing, and connect this to a compatible USB flash drive. Blink sells an official version (64GB for £13.50), or you can use an alternative up to 256GB. Doing this enables local video storage for up to 10 Blink devices, but features like extended live view, person detection and Blink Moments remain locked behind the subscription paywall.
Blink offers no professional monitoring services, like those offered by fully-fledged alarm system from Simplisafe and Verisure. There is also no option for having the system alert trusted contacts with an automated call, as Ring Alarm can.
The verdict: Blink
While not a complete home security system, Blink is a strong option for anyone wanting to install surveillance on a budget. The cameras are compact, easy to install and aren’t overcomplicated by extra features (as seen with some pricier alternatives).
Although Blink cameras don’t look or feel especially premium, I’ve had no issues with using them outside. Ultimately, I’d rather pay less and retain decent video quality instead of handing over more cash for improved aesthetics.
The Blink app works well. And while some customers will prefer to store footage themselves to avoid the ongoing costs of a subscription plan, I think for many the convenience of cloud storage – plus useful extra features – for £8 a month will be appealing.
I’d love to see Blink expand the system with door/window contact sensors and motion detectors, turning it into a true rival to Eufy and fellow Amazon brand Ring. But for now Blink does a strong job of delivering a surveillance system with floodlights, sirens and doorbell chimes, at a competitive price.
Why you can trust us
The Independent is committed to providing unbiased reviews and expert shopping advice across a range of home improvement products. Our team of experts has spent years testing and rating the latest smart home tech in our homes, gardens and under real-world conditions, so you can be sure our verdicts are authentic and based on personal experience with each product featured. When it comes to security systems, our expert testers consider everything from app features and ease of setup to ongoing subscription costs.
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