Choose to save and share your clips conveniently in the cloud with a Blink Subscription Plan. Receive a free 30-day trial of the Plus Plan with the purchase of Blink Device.
Blink Outdoor is a wire-free smart security camera with HD day and infrared night vision, two-way audio, and motion detection that lets you see, hear, and speak to visitors from the Blink Home Monitor app.
Blink Solar Panel Mount uses power from the sun to continuously power Blink Outdoor providing non-stop peace of mind.
Choose to save and share clips in the cloud with a free 30-day trial of the Blink Subscription Plan or locally with a Sync Module 2 and USB drive (each sold separately).
Flexible placement — pivot the solar panel when attached or detach and move up to two feet away from your camera.
Get motion detection alerts on your phone with the option to customize motion zones in the Blink Home Monitor app so you’re only alerted when you need to be.
Set up yourself in minutes — connect Outdoor to wifi and follow in-app instructions. Place mount in direct sunlight with the included kit or with no-drill installation (required hooks and Sync Module 2 sold separately).
Works with Alexa – use your voice to monitor your home through supported Alexa-enabled devices.
Includes one Blink Outdoor camera, one Solar Panel Mount, one mounting kit, one housing cover, one mount, and one right angle adapter. Sync Module 2 sold separately.
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Customers have expressed negative opinions about the charging and value of the vdo devices. They mention that the battery only works for a few months, and that it's not worth the money. Opinions are mixed on battery, ease of installation, quality, and performance.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
316 customers mention102 positive214 negative
Customers are mixed about the performance of the vdo devices. Some mention that the solar itself works good, the camera works great, and the solar charger seems to be working fine. However, others say that the AA batteries and solar panel do not work at all, do not hold a charge, and stopped working all together.
"...The doorbell, as wasn't clearly advertised, is not capable of running off the electrical power supplied to the unit from the doorbell transformer...." Read more
"...I received the replacement within two days the solar panel now works perfectly...." Read more
"...First one worked. Second one never turned on despite being left to charge in the sun for weeks. Got a replacement and the same thing is happening...." Read more
"...But , just 2 weeks later two of the four(4) cameras stopped working...." Read more
221 customers mention79 positive142 negative
Customers are mixed about the quality of the vdo devices. Some mention that the quality during the day is good enough, the cameras are well built, and reliable, while others say that the system is unreliable and does not live up to the advertised standards.
"...(you can see what's going on around the camera, but the quality isn't good enough to make out details like faces or license plate numbers, etc.)..." Read more
"...The best of the best has been the indoor units. Pretty solid, but useless whenever the module randomly decides it doesn't want to work for a few..." Read more
"...One of the outdoor cameras has two error messages: "Thumbnail failed" and "Camera is busy"...." Read more
"...It doesn't get more sunny than that. Recently the camera went offline...." Read more
97 customers mention64 positive33 negative
Customers are mixed about the ease of installation. Some mention that it's easy to install and the solar panel can be mounted away from the camera, providing a hassle-free solution for home security. However, others say that there are lack of instructions to setup the outdoor camera to enabled connection to an existing network, some steps are totally missing or don't make any sense on the guide that comes with it, and the process is not straight forward. The process is also not straightforward and the technical support is borderline useless.
"...The combination of enhanced features, eco-friendliness, and user convenience makes this a worthy investment for anyone looking to bolster their home..." Read more
"...Camera & Floodlight Installation was successful and easy. But , just 2 weeks later two of the four(4) cameras stopped working...." Read more
"...The gripes I have with the blink module is that it is quite finicky...." Read more
"...Since I just glanced at the pictures, cuz the unit is pretty straight-forward, I did not see this. Duh...." Read more
80 customers mention28 positive52 negative
Customers are mixed about the battery of the vdo device. Some mention that the battery life is ok, eliminating the need for frequent battery changes and offering reliable power. However, others say that they have had issues with the 18650 batteries being dead and needing to be replaced.
"...The solar charged batteries have just given a warning they are dead. While the doorbell standard non solar powered are still fine..." Read more
"...This essentially eliminates the need for routine battery replacements or charges...." Read more
"...lithium batteries, my app told me once again that the lithium batteries needed to be replaced! I contacted Tech again...." Read more
"...The camera on the solar mount now needs new batteries. Again. The camera which was NOT on the solar panel still has good batteries in it. Not happy." Read more
273 customers mention19 positive254 negative
Customers are dissatisfied with the charging of the vdo device. For example, they mention that the battery is dead, the life is gone, and it doesn't charge. Some say that the camera only recognizes the batteries as low charge even when they are fully charged. That said, some complain about the batteries discharging yet not recharging in the sun.
"...The solar panel never actually charged the rechargeable battery and the camera add-on we had disconnected from the sync constantly until it finally..." Read more
"...I have 2 others that never seem to charge even though they get direct sunlight for a good portion of the day...." Read more
"...It eats very expensive batteries. Probably 10 every four months...." Read more
"...October, at the end of November I got a notification that the battery level was low...." Read more
103 customers mention28 positive75 negative
Customers are disappointed with the value of the vdo device. They mention that it's not worth the money, is expensive for that level of function, and is money hungry.
"...I am so disappointed, what a waste of money. It can’t be returned because the purchase is out of the return period...." Read more
"...The solar battery is dead and will not charge. Waste of money." Read more
"...Any extra boost for the lithium batteries would be great. Is it worth the $$ vs. changing the batteries in a longer period? Only time will tell...." Read more
"I bought three of these and it was a waste of money. Te solar panels are crap and never recharge the internal battery...." Read more
Blinks 2nd best camera…a close 2nd…good stuff… ;):)
2nd best camera that Blink makes…a very close 2nd just behind the hardwire-floodlight cameras, which, in my opinion, are Blinks best overall product cause you got the lights and the only true hardwire camera they make…At some point I would like all of them hey combination of solar power and hardwire and have absolutely zero need for batteries!!!!!!!Overall, I think Blink kicks ass I’ve got 10 outdoor cameras and one indoor cam and feel very very secure between my dog and my second amendment our second amendment and Blink cameras I think I’m pretty damn secure in my home so y’all have a great night and peace out!!!
***Update - Within a day of posting my one-star review for a defective unit, the Blink team reached out to me directly via email with some questions and suggestions. Eventually, we agreed that a new solar unit was necessary and they immediately sent me a new one with a box and postage to send back the defective one. They even checked in after setup to make sure that all was working well. Thankful to say both the solar unit and 3 gen outdoor cam are now working great! A+ for customer service from me!***
The solar panel never actually charged the rechargeable battery and the camera add-on we had disconnected from the sync constantly until it finally just stopped connecting altogether. We have 4 other indoor 3rd gen blink cameras and this is the only one that gave us grief.
These things are hit or miss, I have 1 that works great. I have 2 others that never seem to charge even though they get direct sunlight for a good portion of the day. Very frustrating having to climb a ladder to get to them to change batteries all the time. These were supposed to fix this issue
Edit: was contacted by customer support and they replaced both defective charges free of charge. Thank you.
Since 2022, I have spent $433.04 on blink products, and $64.20 on the blink cloud service.
I have one blink module, one doorbell, two indoor cameras, three XT2 outdoor cameras, and three blink solar cameras.
The gripes I have with the blink module is that it is quite finicky. Before I purchased the cloud service, the system would randomly refuse to write to the USB drive. Now that I've purchased the cloud service, the blink module never succeeds with backing up the videos to the USB drive.
Restart it, redo the whole system (adding all cameras again), log out, log in, reposition the module, sacrifice a goat .. doesn't matter.
It simply works whenever it does, and you can't predict when that will be.
The doorbell, as wasn't clearly advertised, is not capable of running off the electrical power supplied to the unit from the doorbell transformer. It eats very expensive batteries. Probably 10 every four months.
The XT2 units are relatively ok in function, but again, do eat batteries.
The best of the best has been the indoor units. Pretty solid, but useless whenever the module randomly decides it doesn't want to work for a few days.
But this review is mainly about the Blink Solar mounts.
I purchased three Blink Solar units whenever they were at a steep discount in December '22.
Just got around to hanging them up, and I now know why they were so cheap.
The solar panels included with Blink Solar simply do not function. The main reason I purchased them is that they are supposed to be powered by the sun, so that I don't have to keep shelling out money to feed them.
I received three units, and not one of the solar panels produce an adequate voltage to charge the included battery (YES, I PULLED THE TAB).
I am in the sunk cost fallacy zone here .. continue to pay the service fee for the cloud service, purchase solar panels and mounts from a 3rd party that are highly reputed to work for an additional $200, and continue feeding batteries, or cut my losses and just hard-wire some IP cameras with an NVR.
If I would've just spent the $500 I've invested for everything so far, I would have had a much better system.
If you're reading this, and you're considering entering the Blink ecosystem for solar powered cameras ... even at a steep discount ... DON'T!!
Love the camera itself, the solar panel hasn’t ever worked. I bought in October, at the end of November I got a notification that the battery level was low. So that’s when I started looking into it because I figured the solar panel was working the whole time. Turns out it has to say “external power” or something instead of “battery life”. It’s never said external power and I can’t get it to no matter where I move the camera. I contacted support and was told “if you have forgotten the device and then added it back and it’s still not working you then need to replace the rechargeable battery” I shouldn’t have to pay to replace the rechargeable battery when it should only be 2 months old. Customer service was no help.
UPDATE- after I posted my review complaining about customer service being no help someone else with Blink reach out to send me a replacement. I received the replacement within two days the solar panel now works perfectly. Rating 4 stars instead of 5 because people shouldn’t have to post a bad review to get help.
I just purchased this so it's too soon to say if it actually works. I'll come back in 6 months since the advertisement claims it's supposed to extend the life of the lithium batteries up to 2 years. We shall see since I change the batteries at this location camera anywhere from 4 to 6 months based on the activity. We have very little direct sunlight especially during the winter months. I had to buy the 13' extended cord just so I can maneuver the position to the best direct sun access. I have 5 other outside Blink cameras and this is the most active and where the only direct sun light is for at least 5 hours. Any extra boost for the lithium batteries would be great. Is it worth the $$ vs. changing the batteries in a longer period? Only time will tell. [However, it included the new camera that has the two-way voice which my other one didn't have. It is only sold that way.]