Friday, March 29, 2024

These accessories will upgrade your Blink cameras’ security potential

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Blink home security cameras are affordable and versatile models for protecting your home, but you won’t unlock their full potential until you combine them with these Blink security accessories. We’ve collected the best mounting brackets, cables, and tech for the newest generation of cams and along with the Blink XT2 and original XT, including official Blink accessories that you’ll need to use more than one camera at once. Improve your Blink home security system with these handy accessories.

Double up

Staff pick

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The new Blink Indoor and Blink Outdoor have 2-year battery life on two AA batteries, an impressive period. But if you want to double that duration, the Battery Expansion Pack attaches easily to the back of either cam and adds another two battery slots. Once the Expansion Pack goes on sale, you’ll hopefully wait four years before having to unmount the cam and add new batteries.

$29 at Amazon

Local video storage

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Compatible with the Indoor, Outdoor, and Mini cameras, but only included with the Indoor cam, the new Sync Module 2 syncs up to ten new Blink cameras at once, so you can monitor them all in the Blink app. More importantly, you can attach a 64GB flash drive to the Module, so you can store video clips locally and download them to your computer.

$35 at Amazon $35 at Best Buy

Video storage and transfer

SanDisk 64GB Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive

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To go with your Sync Module 2, you’ll need a fast USB flash drive to store your video footage and transfer them over to your PC. This USB 3.0 flash drive comes with encryption and 130 MB/s transfer speeds, so you’ll protect your private footage and access it as quickly as possible for a reasonable price.

$14 at Amazon $13 at Best Buy

Easy cable management

Corner Camera Shelf Security Mount

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Screwing your Blink Mini into the wall can be a challenge. This shelf has a magnetic center that keeps the Mini steady, holes to allow the USB power cord through, and hinges on the bottom to wrap the cord around to hide any excess length. You can easily attach the shelf to the wall with screws, or even pushpins or tapes, giving the cam a sturdy surface for filming.

$11 at Amazon

Sneaky surveillance

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Attached to a stand and sitting out in the open, the Blink Mini, well, stands out despite its small size, and it is easy to knock over. This combination case and pencil holder lets the Mini’s black front blend into the black casing, so people will be less likely to notice its presence, and it’ll keep a consistent filming angle on the room.

$15 at Amazon

Immediate Mini installation

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Rather than worry about long USB cables and fixing the Blink Mini stand to a convenient surface, this nifty tool lets the Mini sit just above your outlet, using the provided (short) USB cord and not requiring and screwing or drilling. The magnetic mount swivels so you can get the right angle, assuming your plugs are in the right spot for surveillance.

$11 at Amazon

Bump-free

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Blink cameras are pretty durable and are made to handle a few bumps, but why not protect them if you can? These silicone covers for Blink cameras not only protect them but, thanks to the extended edge at the top, can help keep glare from the lens for better visibility. Plus, these skins can help the cameras better blend in with your home with five color options.

From $12 at Amazon

A firm grip

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This indoor/outdoor mount lets you swivel your Blink XT or XT2 cameras around while protecting them from the elements and reducing glare. You have a much wider field of view than if you were to mount your cams, and your XTs or XT2s should last a lot longer sheltered from the weather. This mount also comes in white.

$10 at Amazon

Tell the world!

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Place these stickers in your windows or anywhere on your ground floor that makes sense as a theft deterrent and to let passersby know that you have security cameras.

$9 at Amazon

Never change batteries again

BBTO Power Adapter Weatherproof Cable 20 ft

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This weather-resistant adapter, with a 20-foot cable, keeps your Blink XT or XT2 plugged in and charged 24/7. It has a good quality fire shell to prevent short-circuiting, and it’s thin enough (3.5mm) to run out windows or doors while still allowing them to close fairly well.

$11 at Amazon

Value pack

Aotnex wall mount bracket and sync module outlet (3 pack)

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This pack comes with three weather-resistant mounts for your XT and XT2 cameras and a power adapter outlet for the Classic Sync Module. These mounts will keep your cameras up and out of danger while increasing your field of view options. The wall outlet will keep the Classic Sync Module powered 24/7.

$14 at Amazon

Blink home security cameras are excellent on their own, but to create a functioning Blink system of cameras, the Sync Module 2 is a vital purchase if you don’t already own it. With it and a USB drive like the Sandisk 64GB USB 3.0, you can store motion-activated clips from up to ten cameras locally to your PC. If you don’t pay for this upfront, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee for a cloud subscription plan starting in 2021, which will cost you much more than the hardware in the long run.

We also highly recommend you invest in an official Blink Battery Extender for any Blink Indoor or Blink Outdoor you purchase. In theory, the built-in 2-year battery life for these cams works great on its own. Still, most cameras don’t live up to the company’s lofty promises — especially outdoor cams mounted to observe high-movement areas where they’ll detect motion frequently. Double the actual capacity of your cams, and you won’t be disappointed.

Any other Blink security accessories you buy will depend on which cams you own and where you need to place them for the best security angle. Out of all the perfectly functional accessories we found, we’d recommend the Hidden Mount Case / Pencil Holder because it makes installing your Mini simple and makes you feel a bit like a spy.

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