Blink and you'll miss
'em.
Keeping an eye on your
house while you're away no longer requires a chat with the neighbours
and a barrel of biscuits as thanks on your return; now you can do it
all yourself with your smartphone from anywhere in the world. WiFi
security cameras are very popular these days, and certainly we've
reviewed our fair share. However, one thing that has always bothered
us about them is how you have run a separate power line to each
camera, kind of negating the whole 'wireless' claim. That isn't the
case with Blink.
Blink is a home
security system quite like others you may have seen on the market
(and bought yourself). You have one or more WiFi cameras dotted about
your house, connected to your home wireless network. Using an app you
then access the feed and look through the cameras, or indeed review
footage recorded by them previously.
There's nothing new
there in that respect, with one notable difference. The Blink cameras
are fully wireless, meaning they don't need a power line to keep them
going, instead running from just two AA batteries – which
apparently will keep a camera powered for up to two years. This means
you can place one just about anywhere you need it, without having to
be near to a electrical outlet. Which, as we found when setting up
ours, is very liberating.
The Blink cameras are
very boxy and about the size of other similar cameras we've reviewed
before. It'll sit in the palm of your hand, so placement could be
anywhere with a flat surface. We had ours sitting on a shelf in the
living room, covering both the door and the window, but it could go
anywhere – even the garage or your shed, if you can still access
the WiFi from there.
The Blink app (iOS and
Android) is nice and straightforward, and even those who have never
used a bit of kit like this will be able to master it. You can use it
to see the live steam of the camera(s), which, we found, was never
more than a couple of seconds behind real time. Speaking of which,
the quality of the image is... okay. It weighs in at 720p, and while
that is still technically 'HD', we've gotten used to WiFi cameras of
this size pumping out at least 1080p. Still, the lens seems to make
the pictures as clear as it can be, and thanks to the very decent
low-light sensor, you can still make things out even in the dark.
There is a microphone
and speaker on the Blink, letting you hear and speak through the cam
over the app. You can also set a timer to arm the system, so you'll
never forget to when you leave the house, and so get notifications on
your phone when the cam detects motion. It will start to record
immediately, if armed, so you can review the footage later.
So as well as being a
truly wireless system, the Blink also has a very attractive price.
The one camera system is just £109.99, which is quite good,
especially considering it has one of the easiest and flexible set-ups
of any home security system we've ever looked at. The image quality
might not be something to shout from the rooftops about, but the lack
of wires, and the user-friendly app, make the Blink a definite
contender to keep an eye on your stuff.
£109.99 (or £189.99
for two cameras)
Visit
blinkforhome.co.uk
