It’s a no frills option, but the Blink Video Doorbell does exactly what it's meant to do, and as a tech traditionalist that's good enough for me

When it comes to the world of video doorbells, it really feels there is one brand that dominates the market. Most people I know with a video doorbell have a Ring model, and rave about the range of features it offers.

That said, I’m not one for jumping on a 'brandwagon', and I am a little dubious about paying for a ton of added features when I'd just prefer the basics done well. There are other video doorbell brands out there that are less expensive and have a reputation for being easier to manage; Blink being one of them.

Interestingly, video doorbells are being adopted across pretty much all age groups and demographics that I know of, often because they offer this additional layer when improving your home security. Hence my interest in purchasing one.

Blink doorbells are said to be among the simplest to use, so I was excited to put it to the test. Here's what I learned.

Blink Video Doorbell: Specifications

Blink Video Doorbell: Installation and setup

I tested the second generation Blink Video Doorbell with the Sync Module 2 [at Amazon] as a bundle. You can both individually, but you need the latter for it to work effectively, so it makes sense to buy them together.

I was impressed that the entire setup from start to finish took me less than 30 minutes. Even non-techy people can add this to their smart home setup stress-free.

Starting at the beginning, packaging was minimal and efficient, and everything was clearly labelled when I unboxed.

I was really pleased to find three batteries included with the doorbell; it’s one less thing to think about, and streamlines the setup having them on hand. Plus, they are said to last for two years, so that’s a bonus.

The next step was downloading the Blink app and creating an account, which was all straightforward.

I plugged in the Sync Module 2, which serves as a hub for the doorbell (and any other Blink devices you might choose to add) and connected this to our home Wi-Fi. Once this was up and running, I added it to my Blink account, which was quick as I've ensured my Wi-Fi router is positioned in the best place.

Then I added the doorbell device by simply scanning a QR code on the back of it. This was all seamless.

I will admit, I enlisted the help of my husband with the installation and mounting, as it involved drilling the doorbell to the outside of the house. We needed our power drill and two different screwdrivers to complete this, in addition to the kit included in the package (and some essential DIY skills).

We mounted the corner bracket onto the wall to get the angle we wanted. The trickiest thing was lining the holes up for the two screws, but once that was done and the bracket was in, it was super easy to fit the back plate into it and attach the doorbell with a satisfying click.

I followed the step-by-step instructions on the Blink website throughout the whole process, which were clear and fairly easy to follow.

One thing we did not do is wire the doorbell to our existing chime box, because we do not have one (more on this below). A wired installation will take longer.

The Blink Video Doorbell came with three AA non-rechargeable batteries, which it says will last two years. I will check back in 2027 to let you know if they lasted this long.

Blink Video Doorbell: Video quality

I’ve been using the second generation Blink Video Doorbell for more than three weeks now.

Daytime: In daylight the HD camera is super clear and faces are easily recognizable. Brand names on packages and delivery person uniforms are also clearly visible. The field of vision is 150 degrees both horizontal and vertical. The instructions advise on the best height to fit the doorbell from the floor – t seemed a little low to me at first, but any higher up and we wouldn’t have been able to see packages at the door.

Night time: The picture is still good in low light. The HD infrared night vision makes it entirely possible to recognize faces, and there didn’t seem to be any difference in motion detection from day to night. This is one of the best security measures for a house, and you can also adjust the night vision settings for your camera in the app, as well as the infrared intensity to help control glare.

Dynamic light: We get a lot of sun on the front of our house in the mornings, and this hasn’t affected the video quality. Faces and labels are still visible.

Blink Video Doorbell: Audio quality

The two-way audio is clear from both sides, and doesn’t lag or have any echoes that I can detect. It even picks up my cat meowing to be let in. Thanks to the live view, I can be sure that it’s him and not an intruder cat. He will usually sit on the doorstep and wait patiently, so he is benefitting from much shorter wait times since we installed this doorbell.

Since I began testing the doorbell I haven’t experienced the traffic or weather conditions coming through too strongly. You can hear traffic from the road, but this isn’t impacting the audio's clarity when hearing voices.

I will say that before someone begins to talk, or if you take a look on the live view when nobody is there to speak to you, there is a distinctive tinny, whistling noise, almost like a high frequency sound wave, that is a little off-putting.

Blink Video Doorbell: App and smart features

The app is simple to use and I’ve found it intuitive to a point. You can link it to an Amazon Alexa to receive alerts, such as the Amazon Echo Pop that can work as a hub for your other smart home gadgets.

Once you open the app you see the home screen where the front door view is visible from a short time ago. Clicking into that will give you the live view and allow you to speak to the person at the door.

You can switch between ‘disarmed’ and ‘armed’ from the home screen to start or stop the doorbell from tracking motion.

To check a past event you simply press on the ‘clips’ icon at the bottom of the screen and all your past data is available to scroll through. There, you can also filter your search by person, vehicle, motion or doorbell.

If you click on the three dots on the front door video view, you'll see an (almost hidden) option for 'device settings', where you can change audio settings, motion detection, and set activity and privacy zones.

Blink Video Doorbell: Motion detection and notifications

So far, the video and motion sensor hasn’t missed a trick. If anything, it was picking up too much motion from the moving tree branches in the garden. As such, I reduced the motion sensitivity down from 9 to 4, and this led resulted in fewer pings to my phone.

There is a two-second delay between someone pressing the doorbell and my phone buzzing with an alert, which is a little bit of an issue for me because we chose not to wire the doorbell to a chime box. We didn’t have an existing one, though I was presented with full instructions should I have tried to wire it in.

This presents a small issue because I might not always have my phone on 'sound' during the day, and when I am not home other family members want to be able to hear the doorbell.

To get around this, the Blink Mini [at Amazon] is an indoor camera that also works as a plug-in chime for the doorbell. So, with this inexpensive purchase, you can get real-time alerts when someone arrives at your house while also being a renter-safe home security tip.

All that being said, the Blink Video Doorbell records the seconds before someone presses the bell, and for as long as they are there afterwards, and the video opens straight away after tapping the notification on my phone.

Blink Video Doorbell: Connectivity and reliability

So far, I haven’t had any issues with the doorbell dropping out of the wifi connection. It’s stable and it does the job. Granted, the router is less than two meters away from the front door, but I plugged the Sync Module 2 in another room, with no issues at all.

Over the three weeks I’ve been testing it, it hasn’t crashed or missed anything. In fact, with almost 150 un-viewed clips, I decided to turn off the motion detector for a while, and will maybe only use this when I am away from home for a long period of time.

Blink Video Doorbell: Privacy and security

There are some nice home privacy features that you can enable from within the app. As is fairly standard these days, you can manage your account to activate ‘face ID’. You can also easily set up privacy zones to block out the next door neighbor’s property.

Data is stored in the cloud only, and there is a direct link to Blink’s privacy policy from the app, and it gives advice for data security from its website. You can also request all your personal data and manage third party access from it.

Blink Video Doorbell: Price and value

All the basics are included with the standard doorbell, but you need to make sure you're buying a Sync Module 2 in addition, otherwise nothing will work.

A wedge mount, which we needed, also costs extra. And if, like us, you don't have a chime box, there is also that to consider if you want this to work like a regular doorbell.

You can buy a Blink Mini for around $17-$30 at Amazon, which is a cute indoor security camera that also works as a plug-in chime box. I like the idea of this as an additional level of home security (you can also set up two-way audio on it to speak to your pets and family), so when Amazon Prime Day deals are here, you can get a bit of money off.

I was given a 30-day free trial of the Blink Subscription Plus Plan on setting up the doorbell. After that it's $11.99 a month. The plan gives you unlimited cloud storage, coverage for unlimited devices, AI-powered smart detection, extended live view for up to 90 minutes at a time within the Blink app, and access to Blink Moments, which is a feature that stitches together multiple events into one video.

There is also a Basic Plan at $3.99 a month. Of course you have the option of not paying for any additional subscription at all, but this means you won't have any cloud storage or be able to view hourly photo capture. There is a local storage option to store clips on the Sync Module 2, which I think is a good enough option for a lot of consumers who just want a basic video doorbell.

And therein lies my conclusion. Blink is a no frills option compared to the premium package, sleeker app, and professional-standard security features offered by Ring and eufy. As a rudimentary summery, take Blink's prices and double them for an idea of Ring's costs.

A more mid-market option would be the E340 eufy video doorbell, which also offers local storage if you don't want to pay for a monthly subscription, but I would argue has a better design and some nice extras such as built-in lighting to make it easier to identify faces in low light.

And, the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus showed some of the brightest, clearest picture quality yet, and has all the features you could want if you're willing to pay a monthly membership.

The features and functionality offered by more premium models are undoubtedly smart and very popular, but for those of us who want a simple set-up and sleek design without hefty monthly costs, there is nothing wrong with choosing Blink.

Video doorbells are by no means the only way smart tech can improve our homes. From lighting and thermostats to whole security systems, there are certainly some smart home must haves to consider if you want your home to do more of the hard work for you.