Blink Video Doorbell: What It Does and How to Run It

The Blink Video Doorbell is a battery-powered camera and doorbell that connects to your home Wi-Fi and sends an alert to your phone when someone presses the button or walks into view. Blink describes the current model as a second-generation smart security doorbell with up to two years of battery life, an expanded field of view and improved features¹. It runs on two AA 1.5 volt lithium non-rechargeable batteries, and even when it is wired to existing chime wiring it is still powered by those batteries².

What matters most for an ordinary household is how it behaves when things go wrong. Without Wi-Fi, sound still plays from the doorbell when the ringer is pressed, but you will not receive notifications and motion events are not recorded until it reconnects². If it is wired to a chime and the chime loses power, a press plays sound from the doorbell but not from the indoor chime, and both play once power returns². It is a useful extra pair of eyes at the door, not a substitute for a working smoke alarm, a lock or a neighbour who can look in.

This page sets out what the doorbell does, how long the batteries last, the three ways to install it, how to store clips, and how to handle the batteries safely. It is one option among several; for the wider picture, see Video Doorbells: What They Do and How to Choose One.

What the doorbell does, and what it cannot do

The doorbell is a battery-powered camera that connects to your Wi-Fi and brings you 1080p HD video and two-way audio². It is rated IP-54, which Blink describes as weather resistant to rain, dust, cold and heat within typical limits, and it works normally from -20º C to 45º C². That range covers a British winter and a hot doorstep, but it is a rating for typical conditions rather than a promise of indefinite life outdoors.

It does not need a Sync Module to work: Blink states plainly that the Video Doorbell does not require one². Without a Sync Module, though, Live View and two-way audio are only available by tapping the motion notification for a doorbell press or motion event within 60 seconds of receiving it². A Live View session stops after five minutes². Blink's own advice is that you get longer battery life and access to the most features when the doorbell is connected to a Sync Module 2 with a Blink Subscription Plan³.

It is not a burglar alarm and it does not call the police. It records what happens at the door and tells you about it. For how doorbells fit alongside alarms and cameras, see Video Doorbell or Outdoor Camera? and Home Cameras and CCTV: Types and How to Choose.

Specifications

Blink publishes the core figures for the doorbell; the table below sets them out. Where a figure applies only to the first-generation model, it is marked.

For context, Which? says good doorbells will spot someone up to 2.5 metres away⁴. That is the kind of distance a doorstep camera has to cover, and it is worth checking your own approach before you fit one.

Battery life: up to two years on two AA lithium batteries

Blink states up to two years of battery life for the doorbell, and repeats the figure for each of the three setups: up to two years with default settings and normal use when paired with a Sync Module, extended up to two years when wired to compatible chime wiring, and up to two years of normal operation when wire-free with a Sync Module 2². The figure is a maker's estimate for default settings and normal use, so heavy live viewing, lots of motion events and cold weather will shorten it.

The batteries are not rechargeable. Blink specifies non-rechargeable AA 1.5 volt lithium batteries (lithium metal batteries) and says always to replace with the type specified for the product⁵. The first-generation model took two Energizer size AA 1.5 volt lithium non-rechargeable batteries². Do not be tempted to fit alkaline cells or rechargeables because they are to hand: Blink's safety notice says not to mix used and new batteries or batteries of different types, for example lithium and alkaline⁵.

If the doorbell shows no LED lights and you are sure the batteries are new, Blink says to contact customer support³. A simple reset is to remove the batteries for five seconds, replace them, then wait for the red LED to blink³.

Three ways to install it: wired, wire-free or with a Sync Module

Blink says the doorbell can be installed in three ways³. The choice decides whether your indoor chime rings, how long the batteries last and what features you get.

• Wire-free. The doorbell connects to Wi-Fi but not to a Sync Module or existing doorbell wiring³. Blink says this setup, combined with a Blink Subscription Plan, allows full functionality but will not be able to ring an indoor chime³.
• Wired to existing chime wiring. This offers a supplemental power supply, connection to your in-home mechanical or digital chime, and extended battery life³. The chime system must provide 16 to 24 volts AC at 50 to 60Hz and 40VA maximum to the doorbell². If you are not sure what your existing transformer supplies, have a qualified electrician check it rather than guessing.
• With a Sync Module 2. This gives longer battery life and access to the most features, particularly with a subscription³. It is also the only route to local storage on a USB drive².

Which? notes that you can buy a Sync Module with Blink doorbells for local storage⁴. For a comparison of the two broad approaches, see Battery or Wired Video Doorbell?.

The box includes a wedge mount giving a 5 degree vertical tilt, up or down, and a corner mount giving a 25 degree horizontal tilt, side to side². Spare mounting screws and weatherproofing washers are provided, and Blink customer support can send more². Use Device Settings in the app to adjust chime volume, motion detection sensitivity and speaker volume³.

What happens in a power cut or Wi-Fi outage

A doorbell is only useful while the things it depends on are working. In a power cut, gas boilers and heating, electrical appliances and your home's internet and landline connections stop working, and you might also lose mobile phone signal⁶. The Red Cross adds that internet services, landline phones, heat pumps, electric boilers and some mobile phone networks may not work⁷. Wiltshire and Swindon Prepared puts it simply: Wi-Fi will stop working as there is no signal, and computers will not work without this and the power⁸.

For the doorbell, that means no notifications and no motion recording until Wi-Fi returns, though a press still plays sound at the door². If it is wired to a chime and the chime loses power, the indoor chime stays silent until power returns². The doorbell itself keeps its settings and its batteries, so it comes back when the network does.

Power cuts can also be short and repeated. One network operator explains that during a power cut you might notice your electricity going off and coming back on several times for short periods while engineers re-route electricity around a fault¹⁰. Another notes that some customers may see short duration effects of under three minutes, such as dimming lights, and should contact their network operator only if these continue more than an hour after an emergency power cut¹¹. Keep one light switched on so you know when power is restored¹².

For the household side of this, see Keeping Your Home Protected in a Power Cut and Power Cuts: A Household Guide.

Storing clips: cloud plan or Sync Module 2 with a USB drive

The doorbell has no way to store clips by itself². There are two routes.

A Blink Subscription Plan. With a plan you receive unlimited video recording cloud storage for 60 days for each clip, or 30 days in the EU and UK². A new Video Doorbell comes with a 30-day trial of the Blink Subscription Plus Plan at no cost, covering all devices in your Blink account². Accounts created before the plan changes keep the original 7200 seconds (2 hours) of cloud storage per Sync Module, shared with Blink devices on the account².

Local storage. This needs a Sync Module 2 system with a recognised USB flash drive inserted, sold separately². Blink also offers auto local storage backup with a Sync Module 2 and USB drive, or a Sync Module XR and a MicroSD card, when you have a Blink Subscription Plan; the Sync Module 2 and USB drive are sold separately¹³.

Whichever you choose, treat the footage as personal data. For the rules on filming beyond your boundary, see Filming Beyond Your Boundary: CCTV, Doorbells and Data Protection, and for keeping the account secure, see Camera and Doorbell Accounts: Stopping Strangers Getting In.

Battery safety: leaks, water and fire

The doorbell uses lithium metal batteries, and Blink's safety notice is specific about how to treat them. Follow it as the maker's instruction for its own product.

If a battery leaks, Blink says to remove all batteries and recycle or dispose of them in accordance with the battery manufacturer's recommendations, and to flush skin or clothes with water immediately if fluid contacts them⁵. On fire, Blink states that fires involving lithium batteries can usually be controlled by flooding with water, except in confined spaces where a smothering agent should be used⁵. That is general guidance for a small battery fire; for any fire in the home, get everyone out and call the fire and rescue service.

Store spare batteries in their packaging, away from water and heat, and out of reach of children. Take used cells to a household waste recycling centre or a shop battery collection point rather than putting them in the general waste.

Alexa, IFTTT and the rest of the smart home

Blink states that the Video Doorbell is only compatible with Alexa enabled devices and IFTTT². With select Alexa devices you can be alerted when motion is detected, stream live video, speak to a visitor and set up routines, though Blink notes that features may vary upon setup and device type¹⁴. It does not support auto Live View for doorbell presses or motion events on Alexa compatible devices². In Event Response mode, you can start a Live View on your Alexa devices by saying "Alexa, show me [doorbell name]" within 60 seconds of a notification announcement².

If you already run a smart home on another system, check compatibility before buying. Other makers list wider compatibility for their own doorbells, but that says nothing about this one.

Where to buy, support and your receipt

Blink says its products are sold in the United Kingdom via Amazon UK, Screwfix, Very and Littlewoods¹. In Ireland it lists Amazon.co.uk as the retailer². Blink says new products are available in North America, EU/UK, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand³. Keep your receipt, as Blink says any questions about your purchase will be redirected to the original point of sale⁴.

Keep your receipt. Blink says any questions about your purchase will be redirected to the original point of sale¹⁵. If you need the serial number, the doorbell has a QR code in the battery compartment that represents the device serial number, known as the DSN³. If the doorbell shows no LED lights and the batteries are new, contact customer support³.

For the wider question of how a doorbell fits with locks, lighting and alarms, start with Home Security: A Household Guide.