Blink's New Doorbell See More, Know More (Finally!)

Blink's Budget Buzzer Gets a Worthwhile Upgrade: A Deep Dive into the New Video Doorbell

Blink, Amazon's popular budget-friendly security camera arm, has just unveiled the second generation of its widely used video doorbell. This new iteration promises to bring some significant enhancements to your doorstep security without breaking the bank. Let's delve into what makes this upgrade noteworthy.

What's New? A Head-to-Toe View and Smarter Alerts

The most exciting upgrades to the new Blink Video Doorbell include:

• A Head-to-Toe View: Featuring an improved 150-degree field of view with a 1:1 aspect ratio, ensuring you can see both visitors and packages left at your doorstep.
• Improved Video Resolution: Boasting 1440p x 1440p image resolution, a significant step up from the previous 1080p, promising clearer and more detailed footage.
• Person Detection: Get alerts only when a person is detected, reducing the number of unnecessary notifications triggered by pets or passing cars. This feature requires a Blink subscription plan.

Budget-Friendly Security: Still a Steal?

Priced at just $59.99 without the hub (Sync Module Core) and $69.99 with it, Blink's latest offering remains one of the most affordable video doorbells on the market. Considering that Ring, Blink's sister brand, offers its lowest-priced battery-powered doorbell at $99 with a battery life of just 6 to 12 months, Blink's impressive two-year battery life, thanks to its custom silicon, truly stands out. The doorbell is available in both black and white.

The Sync Module Core: A Necessary Component

Unlike its predecessor, the new Blink Video Doorbell requires a Blink Sync Module to function. It ships with the new Sync Module Core, which utilizes a USB Type-C to Type-A cable. While this new Core module helps extend battery life, enables on-demand live view and two-way audio, it does not offer local storage, unlike the Sync Module 2. However, the new doorbell is compatible with both the Sync 2 and the newer long-range Sync Module XR for those who desire local storage options.
Note: the Sync Module Core is required.

Person Detection: A Game Changer (with a Subscription)

The addition of person detection is a significant upgrade. Powered by on-device computer vision, this feature doesn't rely on the cloud for processing. However, it does necessitate a $3 per month ($30 per year) Blink subscription plan, which also provides 60 days of cloud storage for recorded videos. Blink has been gradually rolling out person detection across its product line, further enhancing its smart home security offerings.

Some Trade-Offs for Extended Battery Life

To achieve that impressive two-year battery life, some compromises were made:

• Wi-Fi: Still limited to 2.4GHz.
• Motion-Activated Recording: Limited to 30-second clips.
• Two-Way Audio: Push-to-talk (walkie-talkie style) instead of full duplex (phone call style).

Durability and Power

The new Blink doorbell boasts an IP65 rating for outdoor use, ensuring it can withstand the elements. It also features a slightly bulkier design to accommodate three AA lithium batteries, as opposed to the two in the previous model, to support the improved image quality and person detection while maintaining its industry-leading battery life.

Final Verdict: A Worthy Upgrade for Budget-Conscious Consumers

While some limitations exist to preserve battery life, the new Blink Video Doorbell offers compelling upgrades, particularly the improved video quality and person detection, all at the same affordable price point. If you're seeking a reliable and budget-friendly video doorbell with exceptional battery life, the second-generation Blink Video Doorbell is definitely worth considering. The addition of higher video quality and person detection, all for the same price, makes this a worthy upgrade.

Tags: Blink doorbell, video doorbell, smart home, home security, Blink, Amazon, Sync Module Core, budget camera, doorbell camera, security camera, person detection, battery life, video resolution, home automation

Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/676241/blink-launches-second-gen-video-doorbell-with-person-detection