Blink cameras offer a great value to your home security and safety.
So it’s quite worrisome having to know that your camera isn’t working.
But don’t worry, I’ll give you some tips on how to fix your camera right now.
Continue reading to learn:
- 13 quick ways to fix your Blink camera.
- Most common problems encountered with your Blink camera.
- And more…
Why is my Blink camera not working?
Your Blink camera isn’t working because your Blink App software isn’t updated. Or, it might be having issues with your batteries. Otherwise, you might have a slow Internet connection. Or, your Sync Module is having problems instead.
Blink camera not working: 13 fixes
#1: Boost your Internet Speed
Just like your other smart home devices, your Blink camera relies on the Internet. It mainly saves photos and videos to your drive.
So, you might want your Internet connection speed to be as high.
To be specific, Blink cameras need at least 2 Mbps of upload speed.
To check your camera’s Internet speed:
- Launch Blink app.
- Select Settings at the bottom.
- Scroll down to Camera Settings
- Look for your preferred camera.
- Click the three-lined icon next to your camera’s nickname.
- Scroll down and select Update.
- Below, you’ll see your Wi-Fi and Sync Module signal strength.
Important: Optimal signal strength would be at least 3 bars.
And if you’re having a slow Internet connection…
You’d notice your camera blinking a red LED light.
If so, you might want to boost your Internet speed.
How?
To boost your Internet speed, you can:
Restart your Wi-Fi
- Unplug your modem or router from your power source.
- Leave it for at least 30 seconds.
- Plug it back.
Disconnect other devices from your Wi-Fi.
To do this, you’d want to change your Wi-Fi password.
- Look for your IP address, username, and password. They’re usually written on the side or at the bottom of your modem.
- Open your web browser and enter your IP address.
- Then enter your username and password.
- Go to your Wi-Fi security settings.
- Look for Password and enter a new one.
Move your camera closer to your Wi-Fi.
- Turn off and unplug your modem.
- Look for a location that’s near your Blink devices.
- Place your modem to your desired location, then restart.
Connect an Ethernet cable to your Wi-Fi.
Important: You can only connect your ethernet cable between your Sync Module and Wi-Fi modem.
- Turn off and unplug your modem.
- Plug in your ethernet cable to your modem.
- Connect the other end of your cable to your Sync Module.
- Plug your modem back, then restart.
After doing any of this, you might want to check your camera’s Internet speed.
#2: Update your Blink app
It’s important to ensure that your camera is up-to-date with the latest features.
Otherwise, it might affect your camera’s functions.
That includes saving your photos and video clips.
But, don’t worry because you can update your Blink app on your smartphone.
For iOS devices:
- On your Home Screen, go to Settings.
- Look for General then select.
- Tap Software Updates.
- Toggle Automatic Updates and switch it on.
With that, you’ll now receive automatic updates for your iOS apps.
For Android devices:
- On your Home Screen, go to Google Play Store.
- Look for your avatar/profile in the upper right corner then select.
- Select Settings.
- Select Auto-update apps.
- You can choose an option:
- Select Over any network to update apps using either Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- Select Over Wi-Fi only to update apps when connected to Wi-Fi only.
After that, you’ll now receive automatic updates for your Android apps.
#3: Power cycle your Blink camera
Power cycling means restarting your device from its power source.
With it, your camera would revise its settings. Hence, it would improve your camera’s performance.
So, definitely try to…
Power cycle your Blink camera:
- Unmount your camera.
- Turn your camera upside-down. Remove the silicone disc that covers the battery screw.
- Unscrew your camera by turning left (counter-clockwise).
- Hold your camera on its side and let the back cover loose.
- Take out the batteries for at least 20 seconds.
- Place the batteries back.
- Put the battery cover back.
- Re-screw by turning right (clockwise).
#4: Replace batteries
Did you know? Your Blink camera works longer than any other smart home security camera.
That’s because your camera works using AA non-rechargeable batteries.
And thanks to your Sync Module, your camera won’t need to be connected to a power outlet.
But how would you know if it’ll still work with its batteries?
One way to know is to check your camera if it blinks a red LED light.
Another way is…
To check your camera’s battery level:
- Launch Blink app.
- Select Settings at the bottom.
- Scroll down to Camera Settings
- Look for your preferred camera.
- Click the three-lined icon next to your camera’s nickname.
- Scroll down and look for Monitoring.
- Under Monitoring, check if your battery is OK or not.
If your battery appears Not OK, replace it with new non-rechargeable AA batteries.
Important: Blink recommends purchasing your camera batteries from Amazon.
#5: Move your camera closer to the Sync Module
The Sync Module manages your camera’s data and commands.
It has a USB port that allows you to save photos and videos to your drive.
It also directs your camera to work on its functions.
For your camera and Sync Module to work seamlessly…
You might want to place them close to each other and check your Sync Module signal.
To do that, you can refer to the instructions under fix #1.
#6: Force restart your Blink app
Did you know that you can connect up to 10 cameras with your Sync Module?
That would be great if you want your home to be safe and secure.
But there are times that if you try connecting multiple devices to your Sync Module…
You encounter errors.
An example would be not recognizing your camera.
An error, Cannot read property ‘name’ of undefined appears. And this prevents you from adding your device to your Sync Module.
Before airing out your frustration, you might want to force restart your Blink app.
Restarting your app would clear caches and improve performance.
#7: Enable your camera’s Photo Capture settings
Blink allows your home to be safe and secured by sending you updates on your Blink app.
One way is to access your camera’s photos and videos on your app.
If you’re surprised knowing this feature…
You might not have enabled your Photo Capture settings yet.
With that, you must…
Enable Photo Capture settings:
- Open Blink app.
- Select Settings at the bottom.
- Scroll down to Camera Settings
- Select your preferred camera.
- Scroll down and look for Photo Capture, then toggle Enable on.
You can now access your photos and videos in your Blink app automatically.
#8: Disable your system’s Arm/Disarm Schedule
Imagine you’re having a holiday from work…
And you decided to spend it with yourself at home.
Suddenly, your Blink app gives you a notification…
It detected someone unwanted nearby.
Now you might wonder, “I’m at home. Why is my Blink sending me a notification?”
If this is your case, you might want to check and adjust your Arm/Disarm Schedule.
To disable your Arm/Disarm Schedule:
- Launch Blink app.
- Select Settings at the bottom.
- Scroll down to System Settings.
- Select your preferred system.
- You’ll see that you can toggle Scheduling. To disable, switch off.
To enable your Arm/Disarm Schedule back:
- Launch Blink app.
- Select Settings at the bottom.
- Scroll down to System Settings.
- Select your preferred system.
- Look for Scheduling, then switch it back on.
To edit your Arm/Disarm Schedule:
- Launch Blink app.
- Select Settings at the bottom.
- Scroll down to System Settings and select your preferred system.
- Double-check your timezone first before setting your schedule
- Select Scheduling. You’ll see your Weekly Schedule on the next page.
- Edit your Arm Schedule first by toggling Arm on. Drag the clock’s hand to your desired time. Then select your desired days to arm your system below.
- Follow the previous step to edit your Disarm Schedule.
Note: Arm/Disarm Schedule will override any of your IFTTT devices or your Alexa.
Read to learn more: Do Blink Cameras Work With SmartThings
#9: Adjust your camera’s Motion Detection settings
Do you receive Blink notifications even if there’s no unwanted movement in your home?
If so, you might have received false triggers.
What’s that, you ask?
Well, false triggers happen when your camera’s sensor detects unnecessary movement.
- Your Blink Mini detects motion based on changes in pixels.
- Your Blink Indoor and Outdoor have infrared sensors. These sensors detect motion by changes in body temperature (heat).
To lessen these, adjust your Motion Detection settings.
To adjust your Motion Detection settings:
Step 1: Launch Blink app.
Step 2: Select Settings at the bottom.
Step 3: Scroll down to Camera Settings
Step 4: Look for your preferred camera.
Step 5: Click the three-lined icon next to your camera’s nickname.
Step 6: Under Motion Detection, you can adjust three settings:
- Activity Zones: This allows you to mask off certain regions in your camera’s field of view. Select your desired view by clicking the squares (active zones) in the grid.
- Retrigger Time: This allows your camera to process detected motion in an elapsed time. You can move this slider between 10-60 seconds.
- Sensitivity: This controls your camera’s sensor. You can move the slider between L (low sensitivity) and H (high sensitivity).
Step 7: Click Save.
Note: Low sensitivity lets your camera detect larger objects in motion. High sensitivity lets your camera detect smaller objects in motion.
#10: Adjust your camera’s Night Vision settings
Does your camera capture photos and videos in black and white?
If so, your camera’s illuminator might be switched on even during daytime.
Remember that your camera’s infrared sensors detect motion by heat…
And these body temperature changes appear in your camera as white images.
You don’t want that because these black and white images won’t be useful for security purposes.
But don’t worry because you can fix this by adjusting your Night Vision settings.
To adjust your Night Vision settings:
- Open Blink app.
- Select Settings at the bottom.
- Scroll down to Camera Settings
- Select your preferred camera.
- Under Night Vision, look for Control and IR Intensity.
- Adjust Control to Auto if you want your camera’s illuminator turned on in low light conditions.
- Adjust Intensity Control to Low, Medium, or High to control glare and show more detail.
- Click Save.
Your camera will now adjust its functions in low and high light conditions.
#11: Power cycle your Sync Module
If there are no problems with your camera or your Internet connection…
You might want to power cycle your Sync Module instead.
Just like your camera and Wi-Fi modem, restarting your Sync Module might improve its performance.
To power cycle your Sync Module:
- Unplug your Sync Module.
- Leave your Sync Module unplugged for 30 seconds.
- Plug your Sync Module back.
- Wait for your Sync Module to blink blue and green.
Once the blinking blue and green appear, you’re now ready to set up your Sync Module.
#12: Reset your Blink camera
If anything suggested above fails, you might want to consider resetting your camera.
And to find the reset button, it’s usually embedded in a tiny hole.
So, you might want a pin with you before resetting your camera.
To reset your Blink camera:
- Insert the pin into the tiny hole where the reset button is located.
- Press and hold the reset button for 5 seconds.
- Release the reset button.
Your camera will now revert to its default settings.
#13: Reset your Sync Module
If you have multiple Blink cameras that aren’t working properly…
Resetting it one by one would be time-consuming.
Hence, you might consider resetting your Sync Module instead.
To reset your Sync Module:
- Press and hold the reset button for 5 seconds.
- Release the reset button.
- Wait for your camera to blink blue and green.
Your cameras will now be disconnected from your Wi-Fi.
To reconfigure your Sync Module, delete and reinstall your system on your Blink App.
To delete your Sync Module system:
- Open Blink app.
- Look for the Settings at the bottom.
- Select the System name of your Sync Module.
- Tap Delete System.
- Click OK to confirm this action.
Your System, which composes your Sync Module and camera, will now be deleted from your account.
Now, you might want to reinstall your System back.
To reinstall your Sync Module system:
- Open Blink App.
- Look for the Add Device (plus icon) in the upper right corner.
- Scan your Sync Module’s QR code.
- Enter your new System name.
- The Add Sync Module appears on your page. Plug in your Sync Module.
- Wait for your device to blink blue and green.
- When the light pattern appears, tap Discover Device.
- Connect to your home Wi-Fi.
After successfully setting up for Sync Module, reconnect your Blink cameras.
To reconnect your camera to your Sync Module:
- Open Blink App.
- Look for the Add Device (plus) icon in the upper right corner.
- Scan the camera’s QR code.
- Select your Sync Module’s System name.
- Repeat steps for your other cameras.
What should I do if my Blink camera is not working?
There are different causes and solutions for each problem when using a Blink camera.
The easiest way to notice is if your camera blinks a red light. This means that you’re having problems with your Internet connection or batteries.
Other problems might involve your camera’s or Sync Module’s settings. It’s highly recommended to navigate your Blink app’s settings to know what’s causing these issues.
Resetting your camera or Sync Module should be your last option. Your system’s functions might improve, but doing so would be tedious and complicated.
You won’t like minding extra tasks, right?
Refer to the instructions above to work things out with your Blink camera.