All-New Blink Outdoor 4 (4th Gen) – Wire-free smart security camera, two-year battery life, two-way audio, HD live view, enhanced motion detection, Works with Alexa – 6 camera system

10 reviews for All-New Blink Outdoor 4 (4th Gen) – Wire-free smart security camera, two-year battery life, two-way audio, HD live view, enhanced motion detection, Works with Alexa – 6 camera system

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Squid – August 27, 2023

   
   Just received this today, and it does show an improvement on the quality. Feels and looks beefier. When updating your activity zones, there are more squares to select than the previous versions of these cameras, which I like, to fine tune the areas I want. ** And, I think the inactive zones you set up, are ‘actually’ enforced and work as expected than the older generation cameras.TIP **25 September 2023 – For those having issues about wifi signal strength, you may need to mess with the router’s settings to increase signal power. If your router is between walls, behind the tv, etc. you will see degradation in performance and responsiveness in live view. I have a gaming router set on a high shelf, because routers work best when they’re in a high spot. My cameras that are outside have no issues with Wi-Fi strength and are responsive when live-viewing.Field of view has improved significantly and you can see a large difference between versions of cameras.Good thing is that the mounts for the previous cameras WILL work on this camera. The mount it came with is an improvement to previous versions. Flat base, not cone-shaped.I’m currently trying the person detection from the trial with this camera, and will update over time on the performance.**Person Detection since having BO4 as the trial, has been great! It has significantly cut down on the amount of unwanted notifications caused by wind, car/sensor lights, animals, etc. I do feel that you can save battery life significantly, even when the sensitively is set higher. Having too many notifications does get annoying at times, but I think Blink is definitely making an initiative to make these camera a gamer-changer, while still maintaining ease of setup.Price is a tad high, but you may consider the monthly payments, which I did.**28 August 2023 – Taking a snapshot/photo capture from these cameras, at night, non-night vision, pointing in a lighted area is sharp(er), than any previous version. No images included due to security. Haven’t tried night vision alone, but I’m confident the same sharpness is applied.**29 August 2023 – The Motion Recording Types cover Person Detection and All Motion. I have one camera set with Person Detection enabled with sensitivity level at 8, and it didn’t detect me driving my car in/out of the garage. I would’ve thought Person Detection would encompass ‘some’ normal motions, but I think we must take it at face value that when set to Person Detection, it will ONLY detect persons, you don’t get the best of both worlds unless selecting All Motion. Sounds dumb to say, but though I’d make it aware. Update** On a ‘very few’ instances, this camera did detect my car entering and exiting our garage. So my thoughts originally have shifted, but I think over time with continued firmware updates, it will hone in on its accuracy.1 September 2023 – One camera fell offline/unresponsive. Suspicion is on firmware updates being applied, or, weather factors since it’s low 60° outside. No issues with home network or signal strength to camera. Will continue to monitor/self troubleshoot. **I took out the batteries, and tested them, showing still a full charge/health, and placed them back in, bringing the camera back online.4 September 2023 – One of my BO4 cameras with Person Detection enabled was at level 8 sensitivity, and on a windy day, did alert that there was a person at (insert camera name). It alerted a few times during the day (under 5 instances), but not a big deal. My guess would be that as BO4 continues to develop, the accuracy will improve in its detection.8 September 2023 – Setup of 3rd BO4 camera set in an area where there is minimal/no lights. Due to security, no images. Taking Live Photo with the IR intensity set at LOW. Some haziness/fuzziness but the area is lit up, and provides better detail than previous versions of Blink cameras. As you increase in IR sensitivity, the Live Photo (in HIGH IR setting) increased in sharpness and reduces glare and fuzziness significantly. **I placed some solar floodlights in the area of this BO4, and with low IR sensitivity and once the lights are triggered, the video capture was much sharper than previous versions of Blink cameras. I only have video quality set at normal, so I’m impressed with BO4 so far!28 September 2023 Another BO4 fell offline around 11pm. Last occurrence was due to a firmware update being deployed, so this may be due to the same thing.1 October 2023 – Installed my 4th BO4, as I’m looking at all the point of views both in the live shot and live view, it feels that it elongates everything. I know my driveway isn’t that long, but comparing it to previous generation cameras, BO4 view appears to add like 20ft+ to my driveway. I can understand the other reviews concerned about the range detection, as I do notice some times it will not catch movement, especially if I’m moving slowly or based on camera positioning, but at sensitivity level 8-9, I would like to catch movement at a farther range. As I continue to implement BO4, I will continue to observe performance.6 October 2023 – It appears one of my BO4s point toward the road at max sensitivity IS NOT catching cars passing by anymore. Seems that v13.34 that was pushed out, affected the range despite any setting changes. Not a concern (yet), but I’m hoping newer updates will fix range issues and sensitivity. **Update – camera seems to be capturing movement now at a lower sensitivity set at 6-7. May’ve been a change in traffic flow by the house, in which there may be less cars, however, will continue to observe BO4 performance.

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Dave J – October 6, 2023

   
   Edit: GEN 4 DID NOT CANCEL MY GRANFATHERED PLAN. These cams are a bit bigger, but not too bad. I am leaving my previous review below, but I was contacted and assured my plan is still good to go!ORIGINAL 1 STAR REVIEW WITH WRONG INFO: I have had Blink cameras since they were just a kickstarter and waaaay before Amazon bought them. These are the first cameras I would highly recommend skipping. I was grandfathered into the cloud storage plan since I had an account and cameras before a plan was needed. I have added new cameras every generation and they were always included. Not Gen 4 apparently. Now they give me a free trial and I can pay for a plan if I want… I am not sure if this impacts all my other cams (19 and counting) but can say I was enraged and disgusted when I installed my first Gen 4. They are also bigger and thicker than the old ones. Not impressed… I can’t beleive Amazon is doing this. Pure suck

3. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Sherry Ellis – September 20, 2023

   
   First I should clarify “pretty good but…” I gave it 4 stars because for me and my needs it isn’t a five star. We purchased the 3 Camera system. Wanted to cover Garage/Driveway, Front Door/Porch & Rear Deck/Door. Like others have said the set-up & installation are not terribly difficult although anyone not tech savvy may have some issues. For me the negative points are the Motion Detection range and the camera mounting stems. With the motion detection setting at 9 (max) the distance for detecting motion is in the range of 8 feet. At the max setting you’ll be warned about negative impact to battery. That range is a bit disappointing for me. The other negative is the mounting stem. If you mount the stem to a vertical wall you will not get 90 degrees of adjustment. Don’t misunderstand. The wide angle lens will cover that area but the mounting stem is limited. I think 2 ball/sockets on the stem would give improved mounting flexibilities. So…the summary, 4 stars not 5 for me.

4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   C – September 23, 2023

   
   Update: waited 24 hours and tried again and things are working much better. Configuration worked and not I’m testing. Much better.Just unboxed and spent 3 hours trying to get the sync module to connect as required before adding the camera. Went through all of the troubleshooting steps. It seems like something half worked but other than blinking lights the device seems bricked. Ticket in to the help desk. It shouldn’t be this hard. If I can’t get it working tomorrow I’ll return as faulty and try again although I’m not impressed with the user experience with multiple apps and logins so far. Amazon app plus blink app then linking to Alexa app and Amazon account. Seems like a half competed M&a and a bit of baling wire.

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Kathleen – September 10, 2023

   
   Excellent camera for price, easy to use.I have XT2’s and needed to add one more camera. The biggest disappointment is that there is not a case and rotating mount available for the 4th Generation that I just purchased. The mount that comes with camera is very cheap and could easily unsnap from the camera. In fact, I returned one camera that came with a broken mount. I tried purchasing a mount for the new camera that advertised that it was for the all new outdoor camera. It does not work with XT4. It is compatible with 3rd cameras. I would hope a case is available soon. If a bird hits my new camera it will fall to the ground. I am not sure this camera without case and stronger mount is going to work out.

6. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Pope@Vatican – October 8, 2023

   
   Making the transition from the Blink Outdoor 3 to the Outdoor 4 camera system brought both pros and cons to light. On the upside, the upgraded cameras boast a noteworthy improvement in image quality, estimated at around 30%, and extend the field of view by 15 to 20%. The newly introduced person recognition feature is a significant advancement that should, theoretically, conserve battery life by avoiding unnecessary recordings triggered by passing vehicles.However, the journey was not without its hurdles. A prominent downside was the unexpected incompatibility with the existing wireless floodlights, necessitating a complete system overhaul. This came as a surprise and only surfaced after deactivating the old cameras and setting up the new ones, a process that was anything but straightforward. The connectors on the new cameras differ from those on the wireless floodlights paired with the Outdoor 3 cameras, rendering them incompatible.Moreover, upon revisiting Amazon to glean more information, it was disheartening to find no mention of this incompatibility on the product page for the Outdoor 4 cameras. It took a deeper dive into the wireless floodlight product specifications to uncover this crucial detail. Consequently, an additional investment in new wireless floodlights, identical in specifications but with different connector cables, became unavoidable.Additionally, the Outdoor 4 cameras seemed to exhibit a step back in build quality. They felt lighter and appeared to be made of cheaper materials compared to the sturdier Outdoor 3 cameras.Despite these grievances, the improved image quality and person recognition feature still make the Outdoor 4 cameras a worthy consideration for those looking to upgrade. However, potential buyers should brace themselves for possible additional expenditures and be prepared to navigate through a somewhat murky information trail regarding product compatibility.

7. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   charles ellis – October 6, 2023

   
   Caught this 5 channel system on sale for $200 instead of the original $400. So that’s a good deal for me.This is my first blink system. Overall I like it.Certainly different feel from a hard wired system. App is good, Easy to set up. I have 1Gig internet with a gaming router. So live viewing works well most of the time. If you have average internet expect 4-10 sec delay for live viewing. A drawback for me is you actually have to push live view in order to monitor a camera. And can only do one camera at a time. So I can’t sit there and monitor all cameras at once. Annoying. But not a deal breaker.Within the first week I’ve had to remove batteries and re isntall to get camera back online. You will also need to have motion sensitivity at 7-9 for accuracy. Otherwise It won’t pick up much. I turn all my settings to high. Great picture quality. TIP: turn recording light to always off for longer battery life. Time will tell for lifespan of battery’s . However it’s not to time consuming to pull ladder out and put new batteries in once a year or so. That’s my guess. I only ARM the system when I’m gone or at night time. Which you can also set a schedule to arm automatically. So that’s nice. Overall for the money it does the job. Checking the house every so often and tracking packages being delivered. Ultimately you’re never gonna stop theft or break ins. This is a good way to mitigate and monitor things. For example leaving my garage door open. Would love to see improvements to firmware over time.

8. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Angie12345 – October 5, 2023

   
   I installed all three cameras and was very happy. Not the best quality image, and the response time from motion to recording is more delayed than I would like, but again, for the price, I don’t think these can be beat. My biggest complaint is that after about a week, one of the cameras stopped recording. I will get a notification that a person is in the area, but there is no video, and I cannot access a live view. I have tried rebooting both the camera and system and moving the camera inches from the hub and router. It still does not work regularly. I have contacted the customer service department, and while they were responsive, I need a replacement. I’m leaving town in a few days for 6 weeks (which is why I purchased the cameras), so I’m not sure how I will go about returning this item.As far as the delay, as an example, I have a camera positioned at my entry. When I go out the door, it doesn’t start recording the motion until I am nearly around the corner of the garage. When I am walking up to my door, it doesn’t record until I am right at the door. This would make it difficult to really get a good look at someone entering your home. Also, it only records for about 4 seconds before shutting off. I can’t find anything in the settings to make this recording longer.Again, great product for the price. I will add to the fleet and hopefully be able to get an exchange for the lazy one that I received in the pack.

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   DJB – September 20, 2023

   
   Other than my Blink doorbell, this is my first home security camera product. Given that I already had a Blink system with a Sync Module 2 up and running, installing and setting up the video camera was easy. The build quality of the unit itself is very good, and although the plastic mount accessories aren’t industrial-strength, they’re adequate. I mounted the video camera outdoors under the eaves using three large 3M command strips, which holds the unit well.The wide angle lens gives me a decent view of the front walkway and driveway, with reasonable resolution in both daylight and with night vision. I’d estimate motion sensing distance is around 20 feet or so, and this can be adjusted to some extent in the app. Note that the video camera does not trigger due to motion in the distance, e.g. a car moving on the street. The unit also features a built-in thermometer which can be set up to trigger an alert in the Blink app if this temperature is above or below a user-defined range.I can’t comment on battery life of the video camera because I haven’t been using it long enough. In summary, this is a decent wireless video security camera at a reasonable price.

10. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Slurpee – September 23, 2023

    
    Camera quality is great and night vision is definitely improved but for some reason even at the highest movement detection level it is not picking up movement in the street which would generally be the top half of my camera. The last generation picked up every car going by, this picks up absolutely nothing going by. It only picks up vehicles going into my driveway so it’s definitely in need of some sort of an improvement.