Hands-On With the Blink Outdoor 4 Wireless Floodlight Security Camera

Just a few years ago, if you wanted a security system for your home, you had to have it professionally installed because it needed to be wired into your electrical system, but these days, you can go completely wireless if you want.

That's probably the most important thing that drew me to the Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera. It's completely wireless. It operates on batteries, and Blink claims it has a long battery life, so it doesn't need to be hardwired into your home. That it syncs up with Amazon's Alexa is also a benefit.

Of course, any time you have a wireless home security device, lots of questions come up, not the least of which is how reliable it is, but we'll get into all that after we look at what's in the box.

What's In the Box?

Going by the name of this product — Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera — I expected to receive a single piece of equipment. What I actually got was a kit that included the battery-powered floodlight, the Outdoor 4 Security Camera, and the Sync Module that's needed to make the camera work remotely. Of course, there was also mounting hardware, including a clip to mount it to your siding without having to drill holes, and a connection cable and wall plug for the Sync module. In all, it was a little intimidating when I opened it.

Setting up and installing the device, though, was easy enough. First, you have to download the Blink app. When you download it and set up an account, you can connect that account to Amazon if you like (because Blink is an Amazon brand). I did because I want to be able to use my camera with my Amazon Alexa devices.

When you get to the part where you connect the floodlight camera to the app, you have to first connect the Sync Module. Even that and getting your camera connected are pretty straightforward. In all, it took less than 15 minutes to get it all connected, and mounting it takes less than 5 minutes more, whether you choose to use the vinyl siding clip or the mounting screws. It took me longer to get the camera angle where I wanted it than anything other step.

Using the Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera

Once the camera is installed, the app is also pretty straightforward to use. You access the camera from the app on your phone. In the app, you can arm the system. I know it seems weird to arm an outdoor security camera, but you have to arm it for the camera to record any motion that it captures.

There are also settings to manually turn the lights on and off and to control the microphone. You can also capture video of what's happening on the camera, as well as still pictures. Connecting the Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera to Amazon Alexa also gives you the ability to control the camera using Alexa ("Alexa arm/disarm floodlight camera"), or—if you have an Alexa with a display screen—you can ask Alexa to show you your camera feed on the device.

That makes it super convenient for me. If I'm near my Echo Show, I can just ask Alexa to show me what is going on outside rather than pulling the app up on my phone.

Overall, the picture quality of the camera is about what you would expect from a 1080p wireless camera. It captures enough to see what's going on, but the detail probably won't allow you to zoom in too close and maintain detail. My biggest complaint is that the light isn't as bright as I would like it to be.

To be completely clear, at 700 lumens, it's bright enough to see what's going on for a short distance around the camera, but I would really love to have one with a light that's bright enough to wake up the neighbors if someone is messing around my house. Still, that's personal preference, and most folks will find that the light that comes from the floodlight will do what they need it to do.

One thing I did notice is that there is some delay between activating the live view from the Blink app or Amazon Alexa and when the feed starts. The video is also a little behind, probably not enough to be troublesome, but something to keep in mind. I suspect that's because of the relay from the device through the Sync Module to your phone or Alexa screen.

Is it Worth It or Not?

Without any sales prices, the Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera lists for $130, but it's consistently on sale for around $80, which makes this a fairly affordable addition to your security lineup. You do, however, have to take into consideration the cost of the subscription plan that you need to access some of the features (like Person Detection) and the ability to store recordings in the cloud.

For the Blink Basic subscription will cost you about $3/month or $30/year for a single device, or if you have multiple Blink devices, you can upgrade to the Blink Plus subscription for $10/month or $100/year. That does push the cost of this device higher, but you'll likely encounter that with any home security device that you purchase, regardless of manufacturer.

So, in my opinion, yes, it's worth it. It's a decent little camera with an affordable subscription plan that can keep you in the know about what's going on around the outside of your house. Just don't expect the glare of the spotlights to wake up the neighbors if someone comes snooping around.

Update 04/30/2024: Removed incorrect information from paragraph 14.