Blink Mini – Compact indoor plug-in smart security camera, 1080p HD video, night vision, motion detection, two-way audio, easy set up, Works with Alexa – 1 camera (Black)

The video quality is impressive, providing clear 1080p HD footage, even at night thanks to the night vision feature. This has been crucial for monitoring my reptiles and other pets during the evening and ensuring their environment remains safe and stable. The two-way audio is a handy feature, allowing me to communicate with my pets or anyone at home.

While the connectivity has been great for the most part, I’ve noticed that motion detection can be a bit iffy sometimes. This might be due to my WiFi network, but it’s worth noting. Despite this minor issue, the cameras have been reliable and provide peace of mind when I’m not at home.

Overall, I highly recommend the Blink Mini cameras for pet owners or anyone looking for an affordable and effective indoor security solution. Their ease of use, excellent video quality, and integration with Alexa make them a fantastic addition to any smart home setup.

They work great, stand alone, as a drop-in viewport with echo show devices using voice commands, fire TV sticks using voice commands and the Blink app on the phone. If you want more than that then factor in the cost of a subscription to the Blink cloud service because it is more than just a cloud storage service, it unlocks all of the Blink Mini features except the ability to drop-in and view a live video feed via those three methods I just mentioned.

You can not use the Alexa app on your phone, tablet, etc. with the camera at all without a Blink subscription plan active. Here is what Blink says about it: Even without a Blink Subscription owners of Blink Video Doorbell, Outdoor, Indoor (gen 2), or Mini cameras receive Motion Alerts in the Blink app that you tap to enter the camera’s Live View. No clips are saved. That is straight from the manufacturer’s website. Heads up, adding the Sync Module 2 does not add that functionality.

Considering using local storage by purchasing a Sync Module 2 to use with your Minis? The primary function of the Sync Module 2 is as a wifi booster for the low power Blink Outdoor cams running off only battery power. The Minis do not need this since they run off AC power. The Blink Outdoor cams offload the wifi video upload for the cloud onto the Sync Module 2 because it has an ac power source and so sending the video from the Sync Module 2 instead of directly from the outdoor cams saves battery life in the cams. Now you know the true purpose of the Sync Module 2. No, it won’t give you recording and motion detection functionality in place of a subscription. To further confuse things, if you have an active subscription, including the free trial that is automatically started when you setup your first Blink device, the module functions only as a once a day backup device and can not function as a local storage device for videos. Once your free 30 day trial subscription runs out, the Sync Module 2 is remotely reconfigured by Blink to become a limited functionality storage device instead of a backup device. Understand the difference. And your Blink app on your phone is automatically remotely reconfigured to remove functionality you had with the free trial subscription. So don’t buy the Sync Module 2 thinking it will provide the functionality you lose with an expired subscription. And don’t think you will be able to purchase a Sync Module 2 right up front with your Blink Minis and start using it for local storage when you setup the cams instead of cloud storage because the trial subscription is automatic and prevents the Sync Module 2 from functioning as a local storage device. It only functions as a once a day backup device. Like you need to backup the web to your local device. I always thought it was the other way around, backup your local devices to the web. So you have to keep the cams and module for over 30 days before you can even check out the Sync Module 2 to see what it does and how it works. I purchased a Sync Module 2 and a 128 GB USB stick to use with it for my Minis and it was for nothing – no added functionality at all. My Minis are sending the motion triggered recordings to the trial subscription cloud storage for the next 27 days whether I want it or not.

I’m not happy about the Sync Module 2 but the Mini does do what I wanted for a minimal cost even without it. My goal with the Blink minis was to be able to check in on my other place when I’m not there during the winter months just to see that its still standing and my cars are still in the garage. I wasn’t looking for a constant viewport that is always recording in an endless loop nor did I think I was buying a serious thief catching security system. For that I have a professional security service with expensive overpriced equipment for all doors and windows, smoke, fire, CO2, detectors, etc. and high monthly fees so that someone somewhere receives all the alarms 24/7 and calls the police immediately. That is a real security system. For me these Blink cams are a peace-of-mind curiosity system. In that respect I think its going to serve me well.

Your satisfaction will vary greatly according to your expectations for the Blink Mini cam and also the Blink Home app and also the Blink options for functionality, from 1. its the worst piece of crap ever made with the primary objective being to upsell amazon Alexa video devices and cloud video storage plans (oh, and unlocking almost all of the cam’s functionality) to 2. its a really great product definitely worth the price so I want to get more. Are you expecting a serious security system with unlimited live viewing and local storage of video with all the features they list for the system with a subscription and cameras with the latest, greatest resolution and features? You will be in the first, very disappointed, category. Are you looking for a curiosity cam that lets you check in on your place once in a while via your voice controlled echo, fire-tv stick or the Blink phone app for minimal cost? You will be in the latter category, I love the Minis. Are you looking for an inexpensive cam with off-site cloud storage and added, some might say needed, functionality provided by a low cost subscription? You should be happy with the Blink Mini.

Pro
Easy to setup and use with Blink app and Echo Show devices (although android app has some known issues that might cause some frustration during setup)
When I had to call tech support because of an issue with the Blink app on Android, the wait was not too long and the rep was helpful and pleasant
Very inexpensive way to drop in and check on a place momentarily
No subscription or anything else needed for this basic functionality
With or without a subscription these have good value

Con
All features beyond live video feed require a subscription
No documentation included at all, you must search the web for everything you need help with or info about
No clear explanation of what you get without a subscription, in fact, purposely obfuscated as a marketing plan
No clear explanation of what adding a sync module 2 will do for you if you only have Minis – not much
Cheap 1080p video – its ok, it works, but we are going into 2023 so how about an upgrade to 2k this year
Cheap minimal mounts that are intended for mounting on horizontal surfaces like a shelf and deficient adjustment for vertical surfaces like a wall (curiously the exact opposite of the outdoor cams that are intended to be mounted on a vertical wall and not good for horizontal mounting like under a soffit). Had they made the mount a little longer it would have been so much better but it probably would’ve cost a couple cents more.
To get the features you think you are getting you need the subscription. In Blink’s defense, the subscription is currently reasonably priced and any serious security must include off-site storage of data (to prevent loss by fire or theft) or its just a curiosity system anyway. Their marketing approach for it is very poor though.
Blink needs to step up to the same level of customer experience as Alexa devices provide. And I think if you pay for prime it should include the Blink cloud subscription for up to 4 devices and only pay if you have more devices than that. How about Bezos holding off giving away some of those billions and put it towards excellent customer satisfaction with its products and services.

It should not be so purposely confusing as to what you actually get WITHOUT a subscription. Starting an automatic subscription upon setup of a camera to conceal the lack of functionality without out one until the 30 days has passed is a pretty shady business practice. Internet based tech companies get away with unchecked deception and shady practices as standard operating procedure, and its not just Blink, its all of them. Its too bad because for people who know exactly what they are getting, the Blink Minis are a great product even despite this. I think it backfires on Blink by raising people’s expectations very high only to find out 30 days later that they now have to start paying a fee to keep those features they thought were included with the purchase of the device. And so they become haters of the product and company. You can see this in many reviews. This does not seem like a good long-term marketing plan to me.

I hope this helps you make an informed decision whether to purchase the Blink Mini cams. Now if you purchase them you can be very happy with them based upon your correct expectations of the product.