cool thanks
Blink cameras - any good?
Moderators: carlson1, Charles L. Cotton
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
These images look real good. My outdoor are the older Arlo which are only 720P. These are Blink right. Are they weatherproof, fully wireless?Syntyr wrote: ↑Mon Dec 17, 2018 3:13 pm I like them. They are good cameras, cheap and easy to setup. They work good and record sound as well. As Flightmare said the minimum retrigger time is 10 seconds but I just lengthened the record time to 30 seconds. That seems to get most of the action.
I have the one front camera pointed straight down to capture what is going on at the door. I have another one that captures the view coming up my walkway.
Does Blink give you any free cameras or do you have to subscribe for the first one. This would give me the option for more outside, I would like to cover the street which is the only area I am blind to.
-
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 9
- Posts: 1662
- Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:54 pm
- Location: Houston
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
Phillip,philip964 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 10:05 amThese images look real good. My outdoor are the older Arlo which are only 720P. These are Blink right. Are they weatherproof, fully wireless?Syntyr wrote: ↑Mon Dec 17, 2018 3:13 pm I like them. They are good cameras, cheap and easy to setup. They work good and record sound as well. As Flightmare said the minimum retrigger time is 10 seconds but I just lengthened the record time to 30 seconds. That seems to get most of the action.
I have the one front camera pointed straight down to capture what is going on at the door. I have another one that captures the view coming up my walkway.
Does Blink give you any free cameras or do you have to subscribe for the first one. This would give me the option for more outside, I would like to cover the street which is the only area I am blind to.
Blink, aka amazon.com, says the cameras are weather proof but mine, while outside, are under my roof line. They are sealed really tight and look to be weather proof I just dont have any personal experience with them out in the rain.
Yes they are fully wireless. They operate over wifi and connect to their own hub controller. When you purchase a kit it generally comes with 2 cameras and 1 hub. The hub connects to your wifi router and the cameras connect to the hub. The cameras run off of batteries. I have had mine for 3 months and so far no battery change or recharge.
The package cost is the only cost you will have. There are no subscription fees or recurring costs. You get some storage for free. I have had 20+ 30 second clips in my online storage and was using about 4pct of my storage allocation.
Amazon has different packages but the basic one has 1 hub plus 1 outdoor camera. Right now selling for 77 bucks down from the normal 129.
EDIT
I just checked and they are also offering a free 3rd generation echo dot voice control for free when you buy the base package for 77 bucks. If you are interested in that... I dont work for amazon I just buy lots of their stuff...
Syntyr
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni
-
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 2
- Posts: 681
- Joined: Sun May 23, 2010 5:02 pm
- Location: Pflugerville
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
What does the echo dot do? Not sure I understand. Thanks.
TSRA Life Memeber
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
Spies on you
The left lies about everything. Truth is a liberal value, and truth is a conservative value, but it has never been a left-wing value. People on the left say whatever advances their immediate agenda. Power is their moral lodestar; therefore, truth is always subservient to it. - Dennis Prager
-
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 9
- Posts: 1662
- Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:54 pm
- Location: Houston
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
It is the Alexa voice control you probably have seen on TV. Plays music, gives you weather, traffic, jokes can read audible books etc. If you buy wemo or other brand switches and wall outlets it can control lights, fans, security systems etc.
Syntyr
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
You say Alexa show me the front door and Alexa will display what the camera is seeing at the front door. But this requires some set up. First you have to remember what you called all the cameras. I will try and get this set up after Christmas with my TV. Right now I think you need an Alexa Show or the Alexa Spot to see what the cameras are seeing. The Alexa dot would probably only give you audio since it only has a speaker. They have the second generation Dot at Best Buy for $19. For a voice activated no commercial radio that plays only the music you ask it to play, that is pretty cheap.
For now I just say "Alexa open the pod bay doors" for entertainment.
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
I think they might be cheaper on Amazon.BCGlocker wrote: ↑Mon Dec 17, 2018 8:48 pm Tom Gresham's Gun Talk has a discount code, https://blinkforhome.com/pages/guntalk?locale=en. According to him, this is the best price anywhere.
-
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 9
- Posts: 1662
- Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:54 pm
- Location: Houston
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
No it doesnt. And I am paranoid. I have network packet captured every version that has been released. I have torn down 3 different version to the board and scanned the firmware at the chip level.
The results are that the echo unit itself is not spying on you. It listens to every sound it hears and compares its interpretation of that sound against its voice recognition tables, stored in the firmware on the device, looking for the wake word which can be Alexa, Amazon, Echo or computer. Once it hears the wake word it begins transmitting everything after that to Amazon for analysis.
Now does Amazon store those recordings? Yes... as I have pulled them up myself. And they probably search and index them. I am sure most of what they hear is Alexa turn on the brights.... Alexa turn on the fright... NO Alexa turn on the LIGHTS!
Now am I going to discuss my secret ambitions in front of one... probably not. But they are not recording all of the time. You make your decision and I certainly have no problem with it just make that decision from a point knowledge not feelings.
Syntyr
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
I would n’t put an Alexa Show in bedroom or bathroom, or you may end up with a scene from the original Judge Dredd with Arnold.
-
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 1
- Posts: 251
- Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:05 am
- Location: SA
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
And your wireless security cameras can’t be hacked into either, right?Syntyr wrote: ↑Thu Dec 20, 2018 11:36 amNo it doesnt. And I am paranoid. I have network packet captured every version that has been released. I have torn down 3 different version to the board and scanned the firmware at the chip level.
The results are that the echo unit itself is not spying on you. It listens to every sound it hears and compares its interpretation of that sound against its voice recognition tables, stored in the firmware on the device, looking for the wake word which can be Alexa, Amazon, Echo or computer. Once it hears the wake word it begins transmitting everything after that to Amazon for analysis.
Now does Amazon store those recordings? Yes... as I have pulled them up myself. And they probably search and index them. I am sure most of what they hear is Alexa turn on the brights.... Alexa turn on the fright... NO Alexa turn on the LIGHTS!
Now am I going to discuss my secret ambitions in front of one... probably not. But they are not recording all of the time. You make your decision and I certainly have no problem with it just make that decision from a point knowledge not feelings.
-
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 3
- Posts: 26796
- Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:59 pm
- Location: North Richland Hills, Texas
- Contact:
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
Oh come on now.... You can tell US. I'll even promise not to laugh or steal your idea!
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”
― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"
#TINVOWOOT
― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"
#TINVOWOOT
-
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 9
- Posts: 1662
- Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:54 pm
- Location: Houston
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
Everything is hackable given enough time or resources. I work for a bank. Penetration testing is my day job. ATMs, servers, desktops, routers, apps, storage systems, even social engineering employees. As of last year I know of one bank that was still running Windows XP in their ATM systems.JakeTheSnake wrote: ↑Thu Dec 20, 2018 12:56 pm
And your wireless security cameras can’t be hacked into either, right?
The original supposition was that the echo dot spies on you. My comment was no not as it is designed. Can it be made to sure. I can do the same thing with your cell phone or laptop or smart TV. It's just another computer.
Syntyr
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni
-
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 9
- Posts: 1662
- Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:54 pm
- Location: Houston
Re: Blink cameras - any good?
You probably wouldn't want to steal any of my ideas... but being laughed at by TAM... that would give me a complex!The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:11 pmOh come on now.... You can tell US. I'll even promise not to laugh or steal your idea!
Syntyr
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni
"Wherever you go... There you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"Inconceivable!" - Fizzinni