Blink Outdoor 4 XR – two-year battery wireless camera with 4x security coverage, 1000 ft open-air range or 400 ft with typical use — 4 camera system.

These cameras are incredible! We have had 3 Blink Outdoor 4 cameras for over a year now and they reach about 200 feet from our house with the regular sync module. I decided to purchase two more with the XR Sync Module to see if they would work at the distances advertised. I have to say I’m blown away by their performance on XR+. They are well worth it for us even with XR+ having a saver option as the only selectable video quality and no use of the microphones. I installed one at our gate which is 532’ from our house where the sync module is plugged in and one at our barn which is 295’ away through a lot of trees. They were super easy to install. There is a XR option that allows standard HD video quality but ours had to be on the XR+ option to connect at the distance I placed them but they still show 2 bars of connectivity to the sync module so I could probably go even further with them if I needed to. Both cameras pick up motion well both day and night and the video quality is pretty good for being in saver mode. I still can’t believe they work so far away and it’s nice to have extra security on our acreage. Now I know when I have packages or mail delivered or if something is in our barn that shouldn’t be such as coyotes or bobcats. I’m always checking them and the batteries are still going strong. I wanted to purchase 2 more cameras with the XR module but there was a limit of one purchase because of the Prime Day deal. I will definitely be purchasing them again next year because there are other spots I’d like to put cameras up that are further away than the regular sync module can handle. I’ll attach pictures to show how far they are from our house and some of the night and day image quality. I used the measure tool on Google Earth for measurements. I highly recommend them!

I have the older version of Blink XT but had more often than not been unable to get any coverage just 100 ft from my house on the other side of the garage. In the midst of my frustration troubleshooting my product without success getting any customer service support, the sync module died. These XR cameras have full coverage with full wifi bars and the full sync module bars through two thick walls of the garage. Fortunately, they make good products since the older version lasted 10 years. I have to add, the XT cameras are still going strong but the one sync module died and there doesn't seem to be any availability to purchase older version equipment. I did try the normal wifi version with the new XR cameras and had only one bar strength for wifi and sync module but once I changed it to extended range, full bars on both.

I had a 2nd generation module. It worked quite well whenI got this unit and these cameras I was working with alot more space. I have used these on wifi and the xr version as well as the long range. They do function well most of the time. I have had some inconsistency with the long range camera. On WIFI they work pretty well I added 2 doorbell cameras as well it does the job and after a month of fairly heavy use... Its shown good results.

Subscription or No Subscription, 2K or Outdoor4......I have done some extensive testing with the intent to record to the XM Module's SD card and not purchase a Subscription. Sync Module Core= No SDcard, Sync Module XR= microSDcard storage + extended range, Sync Module 2= Old version?, USB flashdrive storage. Here's my findings in hopes it helps someone decide whether to get these cameras and/or Subscription or not....... Or more probable you're interested in the video quality so skip to the end. --Motion Detection using the Subscription only "Smart Detect" vs no Subscription-- -I found they detect almost identical with a Subscription (Smart Detect) or without Subscription (pixel change to detect motion?) which was surprising. Also note, for the purpose of seeing what Motion Detection is like without "Smart Detect" you'd think you can just toggle off the "Smart" Person and Vehicle and leave Other Motion selected, nope, I spent a lot of time with customer service without solving this and there appears to be a software glitch here. I literally did jumping jacks in front of multiple cameras and no motion was detected 90% of the time. You have to cancel the Trial Period to see how the cameras will react without Smart Detect. Motion testing was done by having two Blink Accounts, one running on my Ipad (no Subscription) and the other running on my Iphone (Subscription), a camera on each account was co-located in 2 separate locations (4 cameras total), motion sensitivity 9 on all cameras, and see if they detect motion differently. Surprisingly both cameras seemed to detect motion almost identically whether with or without the Smart Detect feature. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to see how many false alarms with blowing leaves etc, I'm thinking this will be where the Smart Detect will help, but when driving or walking within range of the cameras they trigger pretty much at the same time. It's not the best detection I've seen in a motion detecting product but I'd def rate it above average for the testing I've done. --Notifications- Motion Detection ON/OFF is for ALL cameras, you can't have only 1 or 2 cameras notify and the rest set to record only. So if the intent is to get lots of cameras but only have your phone beep if a certain camera triggers, think again. There is a Snooze Notification function for each camera but the max is 24hr and then each will need to be re-Snoozed again the next day. It's cumbersome because you have to create a "Custom" Snooze for each camera, each time. With no Subscription you can Snooze, but only for up to 4hrs. -Motion Detection Notification is the same with or without a Subscription. Without a Subscription it notifies there is motion and if clicking on the notification it opens the Live View on the camera of the notification selected, recordings are only viewable by pulling the SD card to view on a computer. With a subscription recording is viewable on the app as soon as the recording is done uploading that specific video. Live view is avail with or without subscription, speed to view depends on your cameras upload speed/reception and also your phones download speed/reception. It can be slow to load and there is always a 3-ish second or more delay which if using the Doorbell would make for an awkward conversation. --microSD card- 2400-ish recordings (best quality) with average of 20sec each = only 2% used on a 256GB SD (which is max GB SD-card supported). -Does not overwrite old video when the SD is full and will need to be reformatted, but that should be a lot of recording, more than I was expecting to only be at 2% after a month. -If using a Subscription the recording will download to the SD at a later time but are accessible on the app (backup is done every 24hr to SD if I remember reading correctly?). (And realistically it's pointless to backup to an SD if planning to get a Subscription, Blink saves it for 60days and you can forward any recordings to yourself) Without a Subscription video is downloaded immediate to the SD but the recordings are not viewable thru the app and can only be viewed by pulling the SD to view in a computer. An internet connection to Blink is required for the cameras to work, PERIOD. (ie- without the Subscription I would have thought the cameras would record straight to the SD card as long as there is a router/Wifi for the camera and Module to talk to one another. This is not the case, it appears to be required that a Blink internet connection is part of the process in order for the cameras to even stay connected to the module and disconnect from the Module if the Internet connection is lost). -If using the XR Module with an SD card the individual files/recordings on the SD card are labeled in UTC time of the recording. The video itself (MP4) will not have a clock on the recording like you'd see in a surveillance video. --Trial Period / Subscription -The Trial is for 30days and the return period is the same. Hmmmm, this doesn't let you get a look at what you're in for if you're planning to use these without a Subscription, but here's how you can turn the Trial Subscription on and off..... -Each camera comes with a 30day Free Trial Subscription (at the time of this writing anyways). This is camera specific and starts when adding a new camera (not when purchased) even if it was purchased in a multi camera package months prior. If the Trial is cancelled in settings to see how the cameras and app will react with no-Subscription, to turn it back on, delete the camera and then re-add it. Whatever you have left on the Trial Period for that camera will be what you have now reactivated on your app. The Trial is CAMERA SPECIFIC so if you have 2days left from when you added camera1 and you add camera2, you now have reset to another 30day Trial. If cancelling the Trial again, and then you re-add camera1 you have 2days left even though camera2 is still connected, if you were to re-add camera2 you now have 30days. Long story short, use the last new camera added to turn your Trial back On. -If creating more than one Blink account the phone number and email for each will have to be different, and Blink does verify by sending a PIN # to each. --Video Quality- The attached photos are snapshots of video recorded in "Best" (with the video snapshots magnified to better compare).... -The 2K does have a better image quality but the biggest difference I noticed between the 2K and Outdoor4 is if there is any movement. The object/person itself will not be as clear but also the background becomes slightly blurred after an object has passed. Depending on the circumstances and speed of the movement the Outdoor4 can take around 6sec to fully recover to full pixel quality while the 2K recovers in under 2sec. It's not like it scrambles the picture but as seen below it can make a license plate unreadable. --Videos- -Outdoor4- (Dark / Light)-- Video Quality is tested in a lit setting and then completely dark (using the camera's IR light). Saver vs Standard vs Best of a wine box which is 8' from the camera. -2K vs Outdoor4- Vehicles are stationary, 1st vehicle license plate is 13' from cameras, 2nd vehicle is a tad under 23'. -2K vs Outdoor4 w/Motion- Neither camera can read a license plate if it's moving with much speed. This video was taken of a car pulling into my driveway, it's passing near the cameras and this is the best quality I can get when it's about 12' away pulling directly away from the cameras, but still not readable on either camera. Slower movement can be readable. My takeaway....... Only because these cameras are a pretty cheap bang for the buck when purchased at 50% off am I keeping them. Because of Blink not allowing separate notification control for individual cameras I will have 2 accounts. One with a Subscription to notify on my phone if motion is detected for select cameras and/or to have access to those recordings. The other account is No Subscription for cameras which may continually be triggered by the dog or other which I don't wish to be notified. In a perfect world this 2nd set of recordings will never need to be looked at however they are on an SD card if ever needed. Sorry for the length of this, these were all questions I had when starting this and I hope I can save someone some time and frustration with my wordy dialog.

5 month review: no complaints, no major issues. Even better when they have discounted prices, which is often. But there’s also room for improvement. I’ve been using Blink cameras for several years, and overall I’m happy with them. The best thing about them is they are super easy to install and setup on the App. The video quality is good but not the best. I think the camera sensor is small (I don’t think they mention sensor size in megapixels anywhere) plus the wider field of view may hinder video quality especially on the left and right side of the frame. I compensate the video quality by using more cameras. For example, I just don’t have 1 camera for the front of the house. I have 2 for each side of the drive way. One looking at my front door, plus the Blink door bell. In other words I can see you drive up coming from the street, on one camera. I can see you walk up to my front door, then I can see you up close standing at my front door. All with multiple camera angles. (I can hear you too.) The discounted prices and ease of installation and setup make it easy to expand your system. I’ve had some cameras fail, because they are exposed to the weather, but Blink support replaced them all. I highly suggest contacting Blink support via phone. I recently had a bad experience with emails from customer support. (They probably outsource the email support team internationally.) Battery life is very inconsistent. The advertised 2 year life span is possible but extremely unpractical. It’s just a marketing tactic. Most of my cameras are connected via usb cable with no issues. I suggest powering your cameras with usb cable. I do have some cameras on battery because of the difficult location of running a usb cable. I did have connectivity issues, but an additional Sync Module helped tremendously. I have one sync module for the front yard connected towards the front of the house. And another sync module for the back yard connected towards the rear of the house. The app is very slow, but you’ll get used to it, and not a deal breaker. Even though I’ve only had the Outdoor 4’s for 5 months, these long term review points are still valid. 10 month review: Cameras are still failing when it rains a lot. Blink has replaced them all. However, Blink phone support has (recently) been bad. I had issues with 2 cameras and the phone call with Blink phone support was over 2 hours long. Mind you the cameras were still under warranty. It seemed like they give you the run-around so you give up rather than them sending you a replacement. And yes, the operator confirmed that Blink outsources their phone support internationally. So don't think you'll be talking to someone in the same time zone. Overall, I highly recommend Blink cameras. For the time being I plan to continue to expand and upgrade my system. The value and ease of installation & operation are still worth it. I am still loyal to Blink.

Work well. Very easy to install. Great value. I use for safety & security of my elderly mother. Great value.

connection issues adding 1camera, 5out of 6 cameras were added but 1 would not add. Also added doorbell. After contacting Blink customer service they said all I could do is send everything back to Amazon for a refund. I just wanted a working camera sent out since I took the time to install 5 cameras. Contacted Amazon and they sent out a replacement camera. Now all is good.

Work fast and really good image. Was out of town for a bit and nice to get notified of animals crossing property or if anything bad was happening. The talk feature is really nice as well. Able to tell kids to come in or talk with them when away.