Amazon’s Blink security does two things especially well. First, its cameras have excellent battery life, especially the Outdoor Camera that’s currently discounted by over 50% for Amazon Prime Day. The included lithium AA batteries are rated for up to two years, and my first model lasted about a year and a half in the backyard before I needed to replace them. Second, the Blink app is super simple and easy to pick up for beginners, so you don’t need to worry about mastering confusing software.
Blink recently upgraded its old Outdoor Cam 4 with a new model, the Blink Outdoor 2K Plus, which has largely the same benefits but a better 2K resolution and some audio tweaks for two-way audio performance. I’m currently testing one now, and it performs just as well as the older model.
If you’re looking to save, you can grab a kit of five of these cameras with a 55% discount for Prime Day, bringing the price down to $157. The kit also includes a plug-in hub for the Wi-Fi connection, so you don’t have to worry about any future add-ons. The cameras are all IP65 weather-resistant, have built-in night vision, and operate entirely by motion detection that you can customize with privacy zones and more in the app.
Not sure you need a whole system of five cameras? Fortunately, the Prime Day deal also applies to the single cam for $35, so you can still save lots of money with a lower investment.
One last thing I like about Blink: You have multiple options to handle video storage. You can upgrade to a larger hub and attach a flash drive to use local storage, without any subscription needs. Or you could use Blink’s monthly subscription, which starts at $4 (a particularly low price) and nets you both cloud storage and more advanced alerts with person and vehicle detection.
Blink also has the option to upgrade to AI video descriptions, starting at $7 per month. However, this isn’t necessary to benefit from the camera unless you want it to describe what it notices when activated. I found it mildly useful in my tests, especially for front yard activities and deliveries, but I can still get motion and smart alerts without it.
HOME SECURITY DEALS OF THE WEEK
Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.
All in all, it’s a great time to buy a Blink device — or several for a large property — and I’ve never seen Amazon discount quite so large for Blink’s newest offerings.
Read the full article here

