Amazon’s Blink subsidiary offers some of the least-expensive home security cameras on the market, and now the company is offering Blink owners new cloud-based and local options for storing video clips from those devices.
Previously announced in April 2020 and finally available as of March 18, Blink’s Basic Plan costs $3 per month ($30 per year, if paid annually) per camera and provides cloud storage for an unlimited number of clips during a rolling 60-day period. A $10-per-month/$100-per-year Plus Plan provides the same amount of storage for an unlimited number of cameras.
Blink Home Security
The Blink Add-on Sync Module 2 lets you store video clips from newer Blink home security cameras on your local network.
These plans are nearly identical to what Amazon-owned Ring offers for its line of security cameras and video doorbells, except that $10 per month also buys professional monitoring if you own a Ring Alarm smart home system. Also like Ring, Blink throws in a 10-percent discount on the purchase of future Blink devices and accessories, plus an extended product warranty while the subscription is active.
Blink is also offering an alternative storage solution for buyers who prefer to store their video clips locally. The $35 Blink Add-on Sync Module 2, previously available only when purchased as part of a camera system, integrates up to 10 Blink cameras so they can be viewed and controlled from a single app.
Just plug in a USB flash drive (up to 256GB), and you can store video clips on your own private network. Blink sells its own USB drive for $15, but it provides only 64GB of storage.
Note, however, that local storage is not compatible with the older Blink XT2, XT, and first-generation indoor cameras.
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor, TechHive
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering smart homes, home networking, and home audio/home theater. He holds a BA in Multimedia Journalism, authored the book Desktop Video Production, and was awarded Best Online Review by the Computer Press Association. Michael built a smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world product-testing lab. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, he is converting his 1890 Victorian bungalow into a modern smart home. Michael has worked at CNET, PCWorld, Electronic Musician, and Maximum PC. As a freelancer, he contributed to New Media, Camcorder, MacWeek, and more.