Blink Indoor (3rd Gen)

Feb 28, 2024

Editors' Note: This is the most recent version of the Blink Indoor. Read our original review from November 30, 2020 below.

Amazon owns Blink and Ring, so you might be wondering why it offers such seemingly similar security cameras as the Blink Indoor and the Ring Stick Up Cam Battery. For $20 less than the Ring model, the $79.99 Blink Indoor is also a battery-powered 1080p security camera that delivers sharp video and accurate motion detection. There are no wires involved, which makes for easy installation, though unlike the Ring camera it requires a wireless hub. As with its weatherproof sibling, the Blink Outdoor, the Indoor model works with Amazon Alexa voice commands and supports third-party integrations using IFTTT applets. It's a stronger value than the Ring model, though both cameras lack some of the features that you get with our Editors’ Choice winner, the $129.99 SimCam 1S.

The Blink Indoor shares the same design and dimensions as the Blink Outdoor, and comes with the same Sync Module Wi-Fi hub, but instead of a black case it has a white case and it’s not weather resistant. The camera measures 2.7 by 2.7 by 1.2-inches (HWD) and is powered by two AA batteries that provide up to two years of battery life. To replace the batteries, you just need to loosen the screw on the back of the camera and remove the cover.

The camera captures 1080p video at 30fps and has a 110-degree field of view. It uses an infrared LED for black-and-white night video and is equipped with a speaker and a microphone for two-way audio. It’s also outfitted with a temperature sensor that tells you the current room temperature and allows you to set temperature alert thresholds. Two status LEDs on the front of the enclosure tell you when the camera is active and when night vision is enabled.

It doesn't have a Wi-Fi radio, but the camera uses RF technology to connect to the Sync Module hub that contains a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio for connecting to your home network. The hub measures 0.7 by 2.3 by 2.5 inches and contains Wi-Fi and power status LEDs, a mini USB AC power port, and a USB-A port that can be used to connect to a storage device, such as a thumb drive, to store event-triggered video clips (you’ll have to supply your own storage). The Wi-Fi connection allows the Blink to work with Amazon Alexa to let you do things like arm and disarm the camera using Alexa voice commands, as well as to stream video on an Echo Show device. Google Assistant isn't supported, nor is Apple HomeKit and Siri, but you can have the camera interact with third-party smart devices using IFTTT applets.

You can also store recorded video in the cloud. Blink’s Basic storage plan goes for $3 per month or $30 per year and gives you 60 days of rolling storage for one camera and access to Blink’s Photo Capture feature. Photo Capture takes a still image every hour and then assembles the images into a short video clip so you can see what transpired right before a motion-triggered event. If you have more than one camera, the $10 per month/$100 per year Plus plan gives you 60 days of rolling storage for an unlimited number of cameras, as well as access to Photo Capture.

The Indoor camera uses the same Blink Home Monitor mobile app for Android, Fire OS, and iOS devices as its Outdoor sibling. The home screen contains panels for each installed camera, a panel for the Sync Module, and Armed and Disarmed buttons. Each panel contains a still image of the camera’s field of view, a button for taking a snapshot, and a button for launching a live stream that you can view in full-screen mode by turning your phone sideways. A motion icon appears in the upper right corner of the panel when motion detection is enabled, right alongside the camera settings icon.

Once you’ve launched a live stream screen, you’ll see a two-way talk button and a speaker mute button. In order to conserve battery life, on-demand video only lasts for around 20 seconds before you’re asked if you want to continue. If you tap Continue, the video will go on for another 30 seconds, but if you don’t it’ll play for another 10 seconds before ending. Just tap the arrow button to restart the live feed.

Tap the cameras settings icon to monitor battery life and the current indoor temperature, set temperature alert thresholds, enable motion detection and set motion zones and sensitivity levels, configure video clip length, and adjust video quality and audio settings. Here you can also enable the Photo Capture feature and update the camera’s firmware.

Tapping the Sync Module panel takes you to a screen where you can view local storage information and change your Wi-Fi settings. Tapping the Armed button enables motion detection and motion-triggered video recording features, and the Disarmed button disables them.

Along the bottom edge of the home screen are Home, Play, Settings, and Neighbors buttons. The Home button takes you back to the home screen from wherever you are in the app, and the Play button takes you to a screen with a list of motion events and video thumbnails for each event. Tap any thumbnail to view, share, or delete the video. The Settings button takes you to a screen where you can edit your account information, access camera settings, create recording schedules, and manage local storage, and the Neighbors button lets you download the Ring Neighbors app where you can see what’s going on in your neighborhood with reports and safety alerts from police, a Ring news team, and your neighbors.

I had the the Blink Indoor camera up and running in no time. I already had the app installed, but if this is your first Blink device, you’ll have to download the app and create an account.

I started by installing the Sync Module. Following the on-screen prompts, I scanned the QR code on the module, created a system name, and plugged it in. After several seconds the LEDs began blinking blue and solid green, so I tapped Discover Device, connected the module to my Wi-Fi network, and let it update the firmware.

Next, I removed the back panel of the camera, installed the batteries, and tapped the plus icon in the upper right corner of the app. I selected Blink Wireless Camera from the list, scanned the QR code located in the camera’s battery compartment, and replaced the panel. The app needed a few seconds to recognize the camera, and after a quick firmware upgrade it was ready to go.

The Blink Indoor performed well in testing. Daytime video showed good color and sharp image quality, while black-and-white night video appeared well lit, with excellent contrast. As we saw with the Outdoor camera, there's a trace of barreling around the edge of camera’s field of view, but the distortion is subtle.

Motion detection also worked well in testing. Alerts arrived immediately, as did recorded video clips of each event. Two-way audio was adequately loud with no noticeable noise, and I had no trouble streaming video to an Amazon Echo Show using Alexa voice commands.

The Blink Indoor is a solid buy for anyone looking for an affordable indoor camera that's easy to use and delivers sharp video and accurate motion detection. It works with Alexa voice commands and can be triggered by third-party smart devices with IFTTT applets, and it will record video when motion is detected and store it in the cloud (if you have a subscription). Or, you can connect a USB drive to the hub and store your videos locally. It’s an excellent value for $79.99, but if you require a more robust feature set, you’ll have to shell out another $50 for our Editors’ Choice, the SimCam 1S, which offers face recognition, intelligent alerts, mechanical panning, and support for Google Assistant voice commands in addition to Alexa. If you're looking to spend less, meanwhile, our Editors' Choice for affordable indoor cameras, the Wyze Cam Pan, isn't quite as smooth in terms of video quality, but it offers free cloud storage and mechanical panning for just $29.99.