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Sep 20, 2023

Blink Wired Floodlight Camera Review

The latest addition to Blink's home security lineup, the Wired Floodlight Camera

The latest addition to Blink's home security lineup, the Wired Floodlight Camera ($99.99), is a dual-LED model that offers detailed 1080p video, color night vision, intelligent motion alerts, broad compatibility with third-party devices via IFTTT, and Alexa voice controls. It's a good value overall, especially if you have other Blink devices, though you must buy a hub if you want to store video locally. That said, the Wyze Floodlight Cam ($99.98) remains our Editors' Choice winner for affordable floodlight cameras because it can detect sound in addition to motion, and has a microSD card slot for local storage.

In addition to a camera module, the Blink Wired Floodlight has two LED floodlights and a built-in siren. The two lights provide 2,600 lumens of brightness (1,300 lumens each) with a 5,000K color temperature. They are significantly brighter than the 700-lumen, 5,000K lamps in the Blink Floodlight Mount kit (which doesn't include a camera).

The white, weather-resistant (Blink doesn't specify an IP rating) fixture measures 7.0 by 7.7 by 6.8 inches (HWD). Each LED comes in at 3.2 by 3.2 by 2.7 inches, while the camera is slightly smaller at 2.7 by 2.7 by 2.0 inches. The lights and the camera connect to the fixture via mounting arms that provide a wide range of tilt and swivel adjustability. The rear panel contains three wires (hot, neutral, and ground) that connect to 4-inch round weatherproof electrical boxes (required, but not included) with matching wires. In the package, you get a mounting bracket, an S-hook that helps with the installation, an assortment of wire nuts and mounting screws, and a setup guide.

The hardwired camera captures 1080p video at 30fps, has a 143-degree field of view, uses infrared LEDs for black-and-white night vision, and employs the two LEDs to record full-color video at night. The camera also houses a motion sensor, two status LEDs, and a microphone. Additionally, there's a speaker on the bottom, a pairing button on the top, and both a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio and a 105dB siren inside.

You can view up to five minutes of live video at a time and receive motion notifications for free, but you need to pay for a subscription to unlock additional features. The $3-per-month (or $30 per year) Basic Plan, for instance, gives you 90 minutes of continuous live streaming, live view recording, and 60 days of unlimited video history for a single camera. It also unlocks person detection, photo capture, and video-sharing abilities. The $10-per-month (or $100 per year) Plus Plan offers everything above for an unlimited number of cameras, plus gives you an extended warranty (that lasts as long as your subscription is active) and a 10% discount on future Blink purchases.

If you prefer to avoid cloud storage plans, the Blink Sync Module 2 hub ($34.99) lets you store, view, and share video once you connect a USB storage device (up to 256GB). You don't get person detection if you go that route, however.

This camera supports Alexa voice commands and routines, as well as works with numerous third-party smart devices via IFTTT. Unfortunately, you don't get compatibility with either Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant. For broader platform support, consider spending more for the Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera ($199.99), which supports Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, IFTTT, and Samsung SmartThings.

The camera uses the same Blink mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as the company's other devices. It appears in a panel on the main screen along with its last still capture and buttons for launching a live stream, taking a snapshot, and turning it on or off. Below the panel are Arm and Disarm buttons. If you select the former, the camera will record video and send an alert when it detects motion. Those features aren't available if you choose the latter, but you can still view a live stream.

Once you launch the live stream, you should see a row of buttons at the bottom for toggling the lights, saving a recording, and enabling two-way talk. Select the More icon to access an Extended Live View button (which lets subscribers view a live stream for up to 90 minutes), a toggle for the siren, and a Device Settings option. That last section lets you adjust the floodlight brightness and timeout after activation, speaker volume, video quality, motion sensitivity, recording length, and Wi-Fi settings.

To view recordings, tap the Clips button at the bottom of the main screen. You can view, download, share, or delete any of the thumbnails you see. Otherwise, tap the Settings button on the main screen to edit account information, customize notifications, and view help documentation.

Installing the Blink Wired Floodlight is relatively easy, but it does require work with electrical wiring. If that prospect makes you uncomfortable, hire a professional to perform the physical installation. Both in-app and print instructions are available.

I started by turning off the power to my existing floodlight at the breaker box and removing the old fixture. I attached the mounting bracket to the junction box using the included screws and used the S-hook to hang the Blink fixture from the bracket while I connected the three wires and secured them with the included wire nuts. I removed the S-hook, lined up the center of the floodlight base with the threaded post on the bracket, and attached the fixture to the bracket using the included threaded nut. I popped in the rubber plug to hide the nut, adjusted the lights and camera angle, and restored power to the circuit.

Next, I opened the app, tapped the plus icon in the upper right corner of the main screen, and selected the device from the list. I verified that I had already installed the fixture and then used my phone to scan the QR code on the bottom of the camera. At this point, you can create a new Blink system or add the floodlight to an existing one. I opted for the former, confirmed that one LED was blinking blue and the other was solid green, and tapped Discover Device. I provided my Wi-Fi network credentials to complete the installation.

The Blink Wired Floodlight Camera worked flawlessly in testing. The 1080p sensor manages to deliver sharp images with accurate color. Black-and-white night video also looks sharp out to around 30 feet. And with the lights on, color night vision recordings look fine, just with slightly less detail and saturation than the daylight captures. Motion alerts arrive instantly, too.

Streaming video to my Amazon Echo Show display worked without a hitch, as did an Alexa routine I set up for the floodlight's motion sensor to trigger a Wyze Bulb. The floodlights also do a great job of illuminating my entire driveway, while the built-in siren is loud enough to scare off unwanted intruders and various critters.

If you want to replace your traditional floodlight with something smarter—and you own other Blink devices—the Wired Floodlight Camera is worth considering. The LEDs offer 2,600 lumens of brightness (more than enough to light up most yards and driveways), the camera delivers sharp, colorful results day and night, and the built-in siren sounds quite loud. You even get person detection and Alexa voice control features. On the downside, you need to purchase a separate hub for local video storage and pay for a cloud subscription to unlock all of the device's capabilities. If you don't already own other Blink devices, the similarly bright Wyze Cam Floodlight might be a better buy thanks to its microSD support for local storage and noise detection alerts.

The versatile Blink Wired Floodlight Camera offers sharp 1080p video, bright motion-activated LEDs, an effective siren, and color night vision, all for under $100.

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