Verdict
slap-up note value , the Blink Mini 2 is for good telegraph and can be used indoors or , with the optional outside power supplying , outside . Video quality is good enough , although the 110 ° viewing angle is a little restrictive and the camera struggle signal towards a brilliantly - lit window . However , the good - value subscription package and miserable - price starting toll makes this camera a simple way to supervise your household .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Known for its long - survive battery powered photographic camera , the Blink Mini 2 is a low - cost indoor / outdoor camera that needs to be for good wired . It ’s wide-eyed to set up , easy to use and has the option for offline television if you do n’t desire to give for the sensibly - priced cloud military service .
It ’s a little basic compared to the competition , but if you just want a simple and cheap agency to supervise your home plate , it ’s a great picayune photographic camera .
Design and Installation
A low cube , the Blink Mini 2 does n’t take up a mass of elbow room , so it ’s comparatively easy to station . Out - of - the - box , the tv camera is ready for indoor use only , and comes with a simple background stand that has a musket ball roast on it , provide for a good academic degree of movement up or down .
While the stand comes clipped to the bottom of the tv camera , covering up the reset button , it can also be clip into the arse of the tv camera . Take the cover off the base , and the Blink Mini 2 can be screwed to a wall rather .
There ’s a USB - light speed port at the backside , which is deeply recessed , so I had to habituate the cable that Blink provided .
As the photographic camera is H2O repellent , it can be used outside , but it does need the external business leader adapter ( £ 8.99 ) . This comes with a weatherproof adaptor that nag firmly into the USB - C port , make a seal .
As the cable sticks out a little , there ’s a limitation on how far down you’re able to point the camera . Before mounting the Blink Mini 2 outside , I urge holding it position and checking the app to check that you ’re report the area that you postulate .
A battery - powered tv camera offers big tractableness , but using a powered camera means that you do n’t have to concern about charging batteries . If you want enceinte flexibility without the fuss of battery management , a tv camera with a solar panel , such as theEufy SoloCam S340might make more sense . you could also buy solar panel for popular cameras , including the Arlo Pro 5 or theRing StickUp Cam Pro .
Once install and power on , the Blink Mini 2 has to be connected to the Blink app . It ’s simple to come after the champion through and I soon had my camera link up to Wi - Fi .
Features
In its initial configuration , the photographic camera will just supervise its intact prototype for motion , and send an alert for any motion find . indoors , that introductory configuration may be alright , as there ’s less chance of a assumed electropositive .
Outside , the default options tend to top to a string of alerts for even proportional movement , such as leaves blow .
The nonremittal scene are quite basic . natural action zones are available , but rather than being able to draw corner around the areas you want to supervise , the app commit a preview picture covered by a grid . Here you have to select the grid squares you do n’t want to supervise , which feels feebleminded . Still , cutting out some area will help reduce the number of alerts you get .
There ’s a similar privacy zona covert , which rent me pick out which country to black out . That ’s utilitarian if the camera partly overlooks a neighbour ’s family , as you’re able to block out the surface area in any recorded video .
There ’s an option to aline motion sensitivity , which is worth play with to get the correct balance between the number of alerts you get versus potentially missing something significant . It ’s worth adjusting the Retrigger time ( in second gear ) to adjust how many alerts you get
If you have a Blink swarm subscription , which presently be a fair £ 2.50 per calendar month ( £ 24.99 a year ) for a exclusive gadget or £ 8 a calendar month ( £ 80 a year ) for outright gadget , then there ’s the new human detection feature . This expend cloud processing to only warn you when a person is spotted , interchangeable to how the characteristic exploit with Ring cameras .
It ’s certainly provides an melioration in the number of alerts that I got , although I got a few sour positive degree when the television camera was in the garden . In these cases it was voiceless to see what exactly had triggered the television camera .
A swarm subscription also means that you get 30 day of video chronicle , all put in online . That ’s not the only selection , as a Blink Sync Module 2 allows you to plug in a USB driving and store video offline without a subscription , although you wo n’t get the human detection feature article .
immortalise video is accessible through the app ’s Clips section , which gives a thumbnail view of all clips , sorted by time . If multiple snip were register within a few minutes of each other , they ’re compact into a individual TV clip . I quite like that , as it makes it easier to see a serial publication of events in one go , without experience to play lots of private clips .
clip can be downloaded to your sound ’s photo record album , so you may save them for good .
It ’s unlikely , especially if the camera is inwardly , that you ’ll want it recording permanently . Fortunately , the organisation supports Arm and Disarm modes , so you could turn off all of your cameras in one go .
Amazon Alexa support is available , and I could live stream the video from the tv camera to an Echo Show . There ’s no Google Home or Apple Home funding .
Performance
The Blink Mini 2 has a 1080p sensing element , and a 110 ° field of scene , which is a lilliputian narrow and require the photographic camera to be carefully aim at the area you want to cover .
As with most cameras , the Blink Mini 2 struggles a small when pointing towards a strong light source . I set the photographic camera up in my billet to originate with , and had it orient towards the Gallic door .
This turn up no good , as the photographic camera struggled with the light coming in , and made the mental image so dark that I could n’t ’ see what was going on . To be fair , it ’s an issuance that I have with a lot of cameras .
I moved the camera so that it was vertical to the doors , and that improved the exposure so that I could see what was going on . During the day footage can be a piffling gentle , with fine detail smudged out , but the video is vindicated enough to show what ’s going on .
I did find that the viewing angle are a little tight , so it ’s hard to capture someone head - to - toe in a small room . It ’s authoritative that this photographic camera is placed with fear and the feed checked to check that you could see as much as potential .
At night , the camera has a glare , which is utile for lighting up the outside , but I found that it shoot the best video with its IR light , hit video recording in pitch-black and white . at bottom , the IR LEDs have proficient range of a function , and night footage is very good .
out of doors , with more natural light , the Blink Mini 2 does better during the sidereal day . My business office is south facing , but the camera cop well sharpen into the sun . Again , slenderly limited viewing angle mean that I could n’t see as much of my garden as when using the Ring StickUp Cam XXX , but I could get most of it in , along with the door at the back .
At dark , outdoors , the television camera struggled a fiddling to pick up fine contingent , as you’re able to see from the shot below of me picking up one of my cats .
Audio quality is basic , but alright . And , the two - way talk characteristic is useful enough if you want to talk to someone that you’re able to see on the feed .
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Should you buy it?
Indoor or out , and with a in force - time value subscription service ( or offline recording with a HUB ) , this is a adequate , and cost impression security photographic camera .
Go for a 2 K camera with color night vision if the quality of the feed is important , and face for a camera with a wide field of view if you necessitate to see more .
Final Thoughts
There are better timber security camera , and there are those that give more features with offline transcription . The alternatives are generally a lot more expensive . At this price , the Blink Mini 2 is something of a bargain , and you may easily expand the system with additional camera ( including the wireless models ) to cover an intact house , and compensate a wad less than you would with a rival system .
A lot of the choice will add up down to any other systems you have . For instance , if you have aRing Alarm , then it makes more sense to sting with a single subscription serve , and expand your system with extra Ring Doorbells or cameras . If you ’re starting from scratch , then the Blink Mini 2 is a expert choice .
For other alternatives , chequer out my template to thebest indoor security measures camerasand thebest out-of-door security measures camera .
Trusted Score
How we test
We examine every certificate camera we review thoroughly over an lengthened period of time . We use industry standard tests to compare feature properly . We ’ll always severalise you what we feel . We never , ever , live with money to look back a product .
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FAQs
No , you may habituate it without , although to store video you ’ll take a Sync Module 2 .
You need to buy the optional outside index provision if you want to use this photographic camera out of doors .
