In 2020, I embarked on my elder/dementia care journey from afar for Mama with wireless (battery-operated) Blink cameras. At first, they seemed like the perfect solution for monitoring Mama, especially for dementia care. I simply purchased these compact square cameras, connected them to a sync module, and we were ready to go!
So I installed, tried them and then left for the USA. Worked really well for a couple of weeks and then...
Blink cameras are designed to have a battery life of up to 2 years, which was great as I could regularly check the battery status every two or three months when I returned home. However, within just two weeks of monitoring (and by this I mean about 2 hrs a day at 5 min intervals, if that) the cameras started bombarding me with notifications, warning that I needed to replace the batteries soon.
I reached out to Blink's customer support seeking an explanation. Unfortunately, their support team is just... well they just lacked the expertise to address my concerns. They would insist that under 'normal use,' the batteries should last two years.
So what's "normal use'? The reality was – I found myself changing the batteries every three months. It occurred to me that if the cameras remained mostly inactive, the batteries might indeed last two years. That of course, does not help anyone. So maybe that's what was meant by "normal use"?
There's also another major drawback – if the sync module, the hub that connects all the cameras and makes the system work, malfunctions, you're in a tough spot. Attempting to reach customer service for help is a frustrating experience. Email exchanges back and forth yielded no results; they refused to provide replacements.
So back up to a back up is important.
Why purchase them? Well they are small and wireless and can be placed anywhere. And like I mentioned I got very creative with cameras to make sure Mama was ok and these helped.
Pros:
Flexibility in camera placement without the hassle of unsightly wires if you choose.
Ideal since it's small and can be placed anywhere (I got creative)
Wire-free operation with the caveat of regular battery changes.
Acceptable audio quality, although it could be improved.
Setting up the system is a relatively quick process, taking about 10 minutes.
Cons:
Batteries deplete quickly, especially with constant use (relevant for elder care).
Awful customer service, leaving you to troubleshoot issues by yourself..
The risk of a sync module failure can be problematic, requiring constant resets or system reconfiguration – not ideal for long-distance caregiving.
Occasional glitches and longer setup times can be frustrating.
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BLINK MINI (wired)
I purchased a few of these cameras because the wireless ones (see above), whilst functional, had some challenges. Although these have wires, I found creative ways to manage them. They are decent and I use them as backups. Unfortunately, they lack built-in tilt and pan features, although an external tilt and pan device is now available. I tried it, but it didn't work for me. And the customer service is not very helpful, leaving me with two devices that "should have worked" but didn't.
Pros:
Easy to set up
Small and can be discreetly placed
Acceptable audio quality
Can be accessed from Blink app
No need for a sync module
Cons:
Customer service again. By the time it took me to get in touch and try and troubleshoot, I had purchased another camera and had it set up (Ring indoor)
No tilt and pan although you could buy a device that tilts and pans (didn't work for me - and I purchased 2!)
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Have you used any of these? What did you think? Are there others you think work better? Add in the comments below.
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