If you are looking for reliable home security cameras, Amazon’s Blink camera is a perfect choice. Boasting powerful motion detection capabilities, this set of devices provides unbeatable protection and peace of mind.
Whether it’s keeping an eye on your kids or pets while you’re away from home, or just checking up on what goes bump in the night – trust Blink to keep watch 24/7.
But how does motion detection actually work? You may be pondering do Blink cameras record continuously?
No, Blink security cameras don’t record constantly; they record brief periods depending on when motion is detected. You can always have the motion detection on by keeping the device in armed mode. When your system is armed, motion detection will be operational. Based on your Blink subscription plan (if you have one), you may also manually capture video using the Live View function.
If you are interested in learning more about when your camera records and when it is idle, go through this article to learn how Blink cameras record and store video.
Types of Recording Modes
Blink cameras offer an assortment of recording modes, each equipped with its own unique features and restrictions. These include:
- Live View: With this mode, you can access the camera’s live feed with no recording or storing of footage.
- Motion Detection: When you set the camera to this mode, it will only record when motion is detected. This saves both battery life and storage space since your camera does not have to constantly be recording footage.
- Scheduled Recording: Equip yourself with the peace of mind that comes from scheduling your camera to record at predetermined times, such as when you’re away from home.
- Continuous Recording: Continuous mode, as the name implies, is a recording option that continuously record. This feature can be found in select Blink cameras and requires constant power via an outlet or other source of electricity to work effectively.
How to Change Recording Modes?
If you’re looking to change the recording mode of your Blink camera, just follow these straightforward steps!
- Open the Blink app and select the camera to change the recording mode.
- To access the camera’s settings, tap the gear icon and scroll down to “Recording Mode”. With a few easy taps of your finger, you can adjust your recording mode and have greater control over what is captured.
- Choose the preferred recording mode from the options provided. When you are satisfied, hit ‘Save’ to confirm your selection.
How Does Motion Detection in Blink Cameras Work?
Blink cameras have many different models. They use one or the other of the two motion-detecting techniques used by Blink cameras.
The first technique is Pixel Difference Analysis, which is used by Blink Mini cameras to detect motion. Using this technique, the camera’s motion detection feature is activated, and you are notified whenever it detects changes in a certain proportion of pixels.
You may choose the proportion of pixels that must change for the motion detection to be activated by altering the camera’s sensitivity in its settings.
The second motion detection technique used by the other Blink cameras is passive infrared, which senses variations in heat (all living bodies, whether human or animal, emit heat or infrared energy, which an infrared energy sensor can map).
In the Blink cameras that use Passive Infrared (PIR) method, motion detection is activated when a person or an animal moves in front of the camera because their body temperatures modify the heat signature.
You can change the range of Blink motion detection because of various external conditions. However, according to Amazon, all Blink cameras have a motion detection range of around 20 feet.
This range is the distance from which your Blink camera will detect and record any motion.
How Do Blink Cameras Record and Store Footage?
As already mentioned, Blink cameras are not always in record mode; instead, they are in armed mode.
Armed mode is when their sensors are functional. Blink cameras begin recording video as soon as motion is detected when your system is in armed mode and working. You can set the recording time anywhere between 10 to 60 seconds.
As soon as your Blink camera notices movement, it sends a notification to your smartphone or PC (whatever device you have your account logged in on). You can access the Live View Feed from the notification, where you can see the live footage that the camera is recording.
If you do not like the idea of recording only when motion detection is activated, you can manually record the footage.
Although you may manually record video using the live view feature, you must have a Basic or Plus subscription plan to keep the video on Blink’s servers.
If you have a Blink camera placed outdoor, Check out guide on “Can Blink cameras get wet“
Blink Subscription Plans:
- For a Basic subscription plan, Blink charges $3 for a month and $30 for a year.
- For the Plus subscription, the charges are $10 for a month and $100 for a year. You get all the free features, such as motion alerts, live streaming, video recording and photo capture.
Along with these, you get exclusive features such as footage sharing and 60 days of storage duration for video clips.
With these subscription plans, you may record events, store them in the cloud, and view them remotely at any time with these extra subscription options using the Blink Home Monitor app.
If you want extra storage space, consider a custom subscription plan, depending on your demands.
If you subscribe to Blink’s monthly or yearly plan, you can access the cloud storage and save your video recordings. You can watch the video recordings at any time by logging into your account on the Blink app.
The standard storage capacity of Blink servers is 120 minutes, or 2 hours, of video footage. Blink will automatically replace previous recordings with recent ones when your storage space is full.
The number of Blink Sync Modules in your system determines how much storage you get. That means you will use up your given storage space faster if you utilise numerous cameras with a single module.
How do I know my Blink camera is recording?
It is straightforward to determine whether your blink camera is on the work and recording. If you want to know whether your camera is recording or not, you will have to rely on the status of the LED indicator.
A blue LED light shows the status of the Blink camera’s recording.
When the LED light on the camera is glowing blue, it indicates that the blink is detecting motion and is activated.
While it’s a useful feature and helps you know the status without hassle, it’s crucial to note that existing customers have voiced reservations about the blue light. The camera may let trespassers know that the camera is on, and they can get captured doing anything inappropriate.
Do Blink Cameras Record All The Time?
No, blink cameras do not record all the time. Instead, they rely on the motion sensors’ instructions to stop and start recording.
The motion detection function carried out by the motion sensors of a Blink camera is always active as long as your Blink camera security system is armed.
Blink cameras are programmed to start recording as soon as they detect movement, so they only record when they detect motion.
The particular model of blink camera you have installed determines how long it can record.
You also have the option to set the clip length for Blink Indoor and Blink Outdoor (Gen 2) cameras to be between 5 and 60 seconds.
If the action ceases before the predetermined period has passed, some cameras also include a function that lets you end the recording early.
Increase Blink Recording Time
If you’re looking for constant recording, Blink cameras may not be the right fit out of the box. But with a few tweaks to the settings, it’s easy to adjust the intervals at which they record!
By default, Blink is set to record footage in five-second increments – but you can customize the recording length to any duration of your desired preferences.
You can fine-tune the retrigger time between 10 and 60 seconds – though it is initially set to 30 seconds.
You can achieve nearly constant recording by decreasing the retrigger time to 10 seconds.
Easily adjust the retrigger time in the Blink app’s settings slider by navigating to the Motion Detection subheading roughly halfway down.
Each Blink camera comes with the innovative Live Feed option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use Blink camera without a subscription?
You can use a blink camera even without a subscription. You can further receive motion alerts, watch the live view, and communicate through the camera. The only things you can’t do without a subscription are saving and storing video recordings.
How long do Blink cameras record for?
Blink cameras require to be set up through a system called a sync module. Each Sync Module allows you to record for 7,200 seconds. If you want to increase the recording time, you can buy a subscription plan from Blink based on your requirements.
Does Blink camera only record when armed?
Yes, when the blink cameras are armed, only then can their sensors detect motion and record. However, models like Blink XT2 cameras can also record when the Live view is on.
How long does Blink record after motion?
The Blink camera will record a clip for 5 seconds after triggering the motion activation. You then wait 30 seconds for the action to resume and record another clip for 5 seconds. Under camera settings, this retrigger time may be customised on the Blink app.
Final Thoughts
Despite its limitations, Blink cameras are an affordable and dependable asset to any security system. Blink cameras don’t always record. All Blink cameras feature motion sensors, which are set up to record for varying lengths of time before halting briefly and starting the video again when the motion is detected next.
You now better understand how the Blink camera recording system operates; they do not always record.
