Blink is an excellent company known for manufacturing high-end security cameras for home and office safety.
The camera systems produced by them are equipped with advanced AI technology and sensors to detect movement of any sensitivity ( Which you can control ) to secure indoor and outdoor areas of your home for the safety of your family, pets, and your home.
The extraordinary feature is motion detection which was first introduced in by Ring and followed by Blink doorbells and cameras.
But sometimes
Blink camera not Detecting Motion
Blink camera won’t work or more precisely won’t record motion detection due to a handful of reasons, Blink camera won’t save future recordings when the internet connection is unstable or unreliable, dying batteries disrupt video recording and prevent the camera to record motion, low sensitivity causing motion detection problem, Sync module placed too far or motion detection turned off deliberately due to known reasons by the homeowner.
LED Color Guide
It can be frustrating when the Blink camera isn’t working properly and you try guessing things like it could be broken or something but the internal issues can be detected with the coloured light indications for example:
When the red light blinks that means the camera is busy setting up and has a low battery but when the red light is steady and not flashing that means the blinking camera isn’t connecting to the internet due to some reasons.
Similarly, the blinking camera gives blinking green light signals when it lacks strong internet or needs reliable internet or when the network servers are down but when the green light isn’t blinking that means the camera is trying to connect to the internet and not recording as well.
Finally, Blue light flashes when the device isn’t added to any home security system or the camera is getting ready to actively record videos and the blue light goes steady when the camera is securely connected to the network and is recording activity on your front porch or inside your home without any connectivity issues or so.
These light indications are much helpful to troubleshooting the blink cameras consecutively and according to that, you can try different methods and techniques to fix these issues.
Checking Blink App: The troubleshooting begins with the app because if the app freezes or becomes unresponsive then it won’t be able to control the camera and that means video clips and audio won’t be saved and that means the device is getting unresponsive. To fix this problem just abort the app and relaunch it and if this doesn’t help then uninstall the app and reinstall it or restart the phone whether you have iPhone or an Android operating system.
Troubleshooting Blink Camera Not Recording Motion
The good thing about the Blink camera system is that you get motion alerts or mobile notifications for motion detection and that’s how you can quickly realise that something is messing with the blink camera and stopping motion detection but sometimes alerts are blocked or disabled from your phone settings which you can enable by going into the Settings of Smartphone > Apps and Notifications > And Select Blink App.
Similarly, make sure that your Blink app is issuing notifications or not by going into the App settings > Notification status > Enable if disabled.
Blink camera is set to record when detects motion but if due for any reason it stops working you can miss out on expected footage due to motion detection error. When motion is detected it is immediately recorded which you can play back and most of the time what stops motion detection from working is the battery-saving restrictions which can slow down the response of the camera to motion. For that you can go to Battery > power > disable power saving mode > blink app > no restrictions.
Let’s see what other reasons can there be for motion detection errors and how to get rid of this annoying and frustrating problem.
Recent software update
If you have done a software update recently and after that, the Blink camera isn’t detecting motion that means that there is a bug in the software which could be due to a new updated version or it could be the reason the previous one hasn’t completely removed from the system and some part of that old software is still left causing a problem with Blink camera but you can try few hacks like a new installation, rebooting, or a power cycle in which you remove power cables from the camera as well as the outlet and plug the cables back into the camera as well as into the outlet.
If this doesn’t seem to fix the problem and the Blink camera still doesn’t records motion detection then move to the next method.
Just make sure that when the firmware update is in progress the internet connection isn’t interrupted otherwise the new app won’t be able to overlap the existing app completely leaving you with half a new app and half outdated.
Change power outlet or Power Cables
Sometimes, common things like the electrical outlet or the socket can be the culprit so be mindful of checking the electrical supply line by changing the outlet or checking any other electrical device to verify that either the outlet is faulty or the camera is facing some trouble. And, don’t forget to check the breaker from the electrical box as it could be tripped as well sending no electric current to the outlet.
Do check for any physical damages to the wire or see if it’s loosely connected because an insecure connection will disrupt the performance of the camera so you can try pushing the cables coming from power supply boards with more force to make sure there are no issues down there or you could have to replace the faulty cables.
Fixing Motion Detection Problem in Blink
Motion detection is not enabled
App > Arm system on bottom right corner > Once the system arms toggle motion detection on
When you receive a brand new Blink camera you are required to manually turn on the motion detection or enable it otherwise camera won’t detect motion.
For that you can open the blink app > Select Arm system > enable motion detection from the toggle button.
Once it’s enabled now the Blink camera is in an armed state otherwise it will be greyed out when disarmed. Now the camera will trigger recordings when anything comes into the field of view of the camera.
Battery save is not disabled
If you have turned on the battery-save feature on your smartphone that will pose restrictions for the app creating hindrance for motion detection as well and for that you can go to App > settings > power > Energy saving > turn off.
This way you will lift all the restrictions and nothing will now limit motion-triggered recordings. Some people enable the battery save because motion detection is a pretty power-intensive task but saving energy causes the camera to prevent motion detection.
Blink System is disarmed
Sometimes you may deliberately want to disarm the Blink camera when you are having a get-together for a BBQ party, or a birthday party and in that gathering, visitors are going to crowd your home so you wouldn’t want the camera to be triggered for useless movements of guests around.
But don’t forget to arm the camera again which you could think like any issues with the camera.
Motion sensitivity not set right
Motion sensitivity is a feature of Blink’s camera that allows you to control what insensitivity of movement your camera should capture. You can set it to highly sensitive and the camera will even respond to things like leaves, birds and if you set it to the lowest the camera won’t even detect the movement of a human passing by.
Therefore you should set the range of sensitivity between 35 to 85 in order to get the best motion detection results but you can always increase or decrease the sensitivity according to your need.
So how do you set motion sensitivity to high or low?
Go to your app in smartphone > Settings > Choose camera if you have configured multiple cameras with your Sync Hub > Choose sensitivity > Scroll slider.
You must keep in mind to if you set aggressive motion detection then the camera would trigger on smaller or unnecessary things filling up your storage space and recording useless things.
Blink Camera Not Recording to USB
The latest Blink camera models come with a USB Port allowing you to insert a flash drive to take backup in local storage rather than the cloud ( that requires a paid subscription to Blink ).
USB back can be much more consistent and safer because it doesn’t need WiFi but a problem that can occur with USB is the storage limit for that you can try to get a USB of larger storage capacity like a 256GB USB to store unlimited video backup without any paid subscription.
All you have to do is format the USB to the exFat File System so that the recording videos are stored in a default format without any issue.
Formatting a USB with windows is pretty easy and straightforward. Just insert the USB, click on the file explorer, right clock on the USB drive icon, select format from the options, choose exFat and hit start. Once the USB is formatted, remove it and insert it into the camera’s type-A USB port and make sure USB has at least 300 to 400Mb free space.
To format USB for Mac, insert USB into a Mac computer or Macbook and open the launchpad and start Disk Utility. Now click on the USB drive and select erase – exFat – Erase, wait for it to complete and eject the flash drive to insert it into Blink.
USB drive may not be the most secure type of backup but it’s the easiest to arrange and access.
Discharged camera batteries:
Blink camera is comes with two replaceable AA batteries which are not rechargeable but can last quite for quite a long time but if the batteries get worn out they can cause camera to not detection motion until you replace the batteries with a new pair of charged batteries.
Luckily you can see the battery indication of inbuilt batteries on the Blink camera and when you see the battery capacity has decreased that’s when you have to change the batteries because in the absence of power from circuit, only the batteries can power up the camera therefore you are liable to keep an eye on the batteries to keep the system error-free.
If the batteries are rechargeable you can use a USB charger the juice them up but if they are removable and replaceable batteries then you may have to dismount the camera from the wall and open the compartment to swap dead batteries with new batteries.
Turn off and then back on Sync Module
Power cycling the entire camera setup is an effective approach for solving Blink camera issues.
To power cycle the Blink camera and Module
Locate the adapter of Sync module
Disconnect it from power outlet
Wait for a moment and put it back in the socket
Turn on the switch and let the sync module finish its setup
Once the setup is complete, it will be ready to use
Wifi connectivity Problem
Blink requires high bandwidth and a secure connection for proper coverage and uninterrupted motion detection recording but when high-speed internet isn’t reaching the camera you will experience problems in motion detection due to less bandwidth.
Similarly, internet problems or less bandwidth will cause Blink to record low-resolution pictures.
To fix this you can try placing the router near the Blink camera and limit the devices using the Wi-Fi because the protection of your assets is more important than browsing on the internet. By doing these activities you will see no lag in the internet connectivity and Blink will get powerful and strengthened internet signals.
If the Router is placed in another room that means the radio waves have to travel long because they cannot pass through the walls or metal which could be the leading cause of the slow internet. What you can do is use a wired connection this way the internet will be reached directly by the camera without any interference.
If not, you can try Wi-Fi extenders or boosters to boost the signals of the Wi-Fi so that they can cover a larger area of your home including the Blink camera.
When you install Blink, check the video recording output to see if the camera is getting sufficient bandwidth and the internet isn’t blocked by the carrier. Otherwise, you have to install a booster so that router emits high-frequency radio waves with high-speed.
Move Blink Close to Sync module
Sometimes the Sync module is placed too far from the Blink and that can cause the camera to not work properly so you can try placing the module closer to the Blink to make sure no connectivity issue occurs.
Reset Sync Module
Blink is managed by Sync Module as it acts as Hub for one or multiple cameras to help cameras connect with the internet, and servers, and do settings of cameras in one shot that’s why you can fix abnormalities with the system by simply resetting the Sync module.
To reset the Sync Hub, simply press the reset button on the side of the Module > Press and hold until LED Blinks red > release button > Wait for the module to reset > LED will turn green once done.
Another option you have is to detect the app from the module and configure it again.
Reset Blink Camera
Resetting the blink camera is also one of the options when you see the camera isn’t working or responding properly. You can reset the camera from the Sync Hub if there are more cameras then it will be done easily rather than manually dismounting the cameras just to reset them.
Resetting the blinking camera can take at least 30 seconds and if you have a Blink Mini you can press and hold the reset button on the camera so that the camera is reset properly and then release the button.
Reset Wi-Fi Router
If the network seems to be the root cause behind the improper working of motion detection of the Blink camera then try resetting the Wi-Fi router by pressing the reset button on the back or on the side of the router to hopefully fix the motion detection problem.
The network of cables makes Blink work accurately but without a stable internet connection, the entire system becomes useless because the camera sends footage to Sync Hub through the network unless you are storing the recordings in the USB.
No wifi means communication breakdown putting your home security system at risk. The minimum you need is 2Mbps over 2.4GHz of upload speed for seamless footage collection and similarly, data exchange requires an active internet connection otherwise data won’t even reach the Blink server from your system.
The Mini Blink cames don’t need internet for footage collection as they can store data in the USB on your local Wi-Fi Home network.
The blinking camera shows Wifi signal bars which help you the strength of the internet and Blink needs a minimum of 3 bars of full signal strength.
Camera Placement
Camera placement is a vital part when it comes to motion detection because Blink motion detection range is 20 feet and the field view range is 110 degrees. Whether you have the camera indoors or outdoors you must keep in mind the distance factor because the camera can efficiently scan facial features from 30 feet which you can luckily check from the live view while installing the camera.
You are required to choose a perfect location regarding distance as well as placement because if the camera is placed indoors facing out a window heat transfer from a window can interfere with the ability of the camera to detect motion similarly any subject with a distance of more than 30 feet won’t be recognizable due to the low-resolution.
Camera is passive infrared and detects heat signatures of objects and therefore it can get affected by nearby electronic devices as well, creating hindrances for the camera to accurately detect and record motion.
Recording Without Motion Detection
If you are not going to be needing to record motion detection, then you don’t have to get motion-based units like Blink. Then you can get yourself a CCTV and surveillance camera to record 24/7, and for such intense recording, you should have to arrange ample storage, and the system has to be robust to capture constant footage being recorded.
Blink Camera Not Uploading
Blink allows you to upload the contents on the cloud or USB,, but if upload doesn’t start or halts in between, that means the Internet connection isnt powerful enough or the Hub is placed far from the camera.
Blink Camera offline but still recording
This happens rarely when the Blink camera is offline but still recording then thats due to a glitch in the app that you cna get away with by removing and installing the app again or restarting the device.
Blink Camera Not Taking Picture
Sync module is the brain of the entire home security system and if camera isn’t taking pictures then you have to play with the Hub like restart it, reset it, check the network, or power cycle the Hub.
Troubleshooting Camera Using System Settings
If you suspect that your system is hacked or there is a virus in the application then it’s going to affect core files and won’t let the new firmware update happen because app will resist to update to new version. You can contact customer support to help you update or reset the app so that the new firmware can install on the latest version and makes your system error-free.
Default setting mismatch
Sometimes users change settings to test different camera feature but sometimes we end up touching wrong settings or setting more advanced options that can enables features may not match with certain conditions and due to which software will generate unpredictable results. In this scenario, the Blink cameras screen goes half grey and half is clear that definitely creates trouble operating the camera.
To fight this situation, you must do a reset to whole system and after that the app will start with default settings with resolve all problems.
Diagnosis helps you figure out if the problem is with the software or hardware but if things are beyond your reach then must consult with a customer care representative to seek help.
FAQ
How do I Get blink camera back online?
When camera goes into offline mode the quickest solution can be a power cycle, rebooting, and reducing distance between Sync module.
Why does my blink camera say live view failed
Camera live view fails due to connectivity issue, discharged batteries or when the Sync module placed at a far distance.
Why is my blinking app not working
When blink app is not working properly or is unresponsive due to technical errors then try to relaunch it or even restart phone if needed.
Quick Recap
Less strong internet connection won’t let the Blink save audio or video or may affect the resolution so you can Install Wifi Extender, WiFi Mesh, or Wifi Booster to enhance and strengthen the signals of network.
Dying batteries can stop Blink from motion detection because when batteries are worn-out and battery levels are low or energy-saving features are turned on then they affect some features or functions or you can say they suppress camera’s ability to detect motion and therefore causing motion detection problems.
Blink system must be armed as well as the sensitivity must be enough to detect movements of humans not of pets or birds othersise Blink will keep recordings useless things moving around overflowing storage
Similarly base saving restrictions also affect motion detection of Blink and prevent camera from capturing motions during day or night.
You can also try to re-insert same batteries back into the camera when camera can’t record.
Conclusion
In the end, Blink camera can face motion detection problems due to several reasons like delayed connectivity, unexpected power cut, software frozen, and so on. So either you can scan the network yourself to diagnose it or get helps from the agents to figure out the solution of the error. Problem happens when you have no control over the footage their artificial eye see and that’s when you have to start troubleshooting the system.
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