By Steve Dresser | From BayLines Express, June, 2022
Even though I had heard about them, I never seriously considered a “smart” doorbell or a security camera. Then one day, a neighbor called to inform me that he had found a package on the sidewalk that appeared to be medicine. I had been expecting such a package and wondering why it hadn’t landed in my mailbox or inside my porch screen door, and for the first time I seriously considered getting additional eyes on the scene, and my search for a security camera began.
Typing “smart doorbell” into Amazon’s search box brought up a list of video doorbells and security cameras with prices all over the map. I ruled out the doorbells because I already had one, and most of them seemed to require wiring into the house’s electrical system. Many of the cameras did as well, but it seemed that some made by Blink could run for a couple of years on a set of lithium-ion AA batteries. In fairness, the other brands may have had the same capability, but it was unclear from the on-line description. And so, after talking with my nephew who is my go-to guy for all things technical, I placed my order for a three-camera kit from Blink.
The package arrived a few days later, but before it did, I got my first surprise in the form of an email from “the Blink Team” providing a direct link to the app I would need to talk to my new cameras. I downloaded and installed the app without a hitch, but didn’t run it until I opened the camera kit, powered up the module that allowed the system to connect to my network, and installed the included batteries in at least one of the cameras. The app proved to be quite accessible with Voiceover, and after creating my account with Blink, I clicked on the button to add a device.
I experienced a moment of panic when the app asked me to enter a QR code which I was able to find thanks to instructions in the app. I held my phone over the back of the module, and about thirty seconds later the app recognized the QR code and asked me for my network password. I then added the three cameras and tested the system to make sure everything was working.
I knew everything worked because of the raft of alerts on my phone informing me that the cameras were detecting motion. The cameras had meaningless names, but I quickly discovered that I could rename them in the app, which I did. I then tested the microphones on each of the cameras and found that the audio was quite clear. With all systems go, I enlisted the aid of a friend who installed the cameras above my front door, my garage, and the slider on my back deck.
With the cameras up and running, it was time for some real-world testing. My friend walked in front of the cameras, and my phone chattered with alerts about motion being detected in all the right places. The microphones captured bird songs, traffic, and the sounds of other neighborhood activity. My friend left, and I walked around the outside of the house, phone in hand, to see how sensitive the cameras were to my presence. They saw me all right, even when I was twenty or thirty feet away—definitely too much information. Fortunately, settings in the app let me reduce the sensitivity of the cameras, and the barrage of information slowed to an intermittent trickle which didn’t include every dog, cat, bird, and airborne leaf in the neighborhood.
Now that I’ve had the system for a couple of months, I can honestly say that it was worth the $169.99 I paid for it. Ironically, though, the cameras have not helped with the problem they were supposed to solve, mainly because the delivery folks have been behaving themselves and leaving packages inside the porch instead of on the sidewalk. Nevertheless, I’m not disappointed. On trash day, I know when it’s time to bring in the barrels because I hear the trucks and my camera tells me that motion has been detected at my front door, which means that the trucks are right in front of my house. A more dramatic example of the cameras’ usefulness occurred one day when I ordered dinner from DoorDash. The DoorDash app informed me that my dasher was approaching, and the Blink app said, “Motion detected at your garage,” which told me that despite explicit instructions my dasher was headed for the wrong door. Because of that message, I could lean out my front door and call my dasher who immediately realized his mistake, came over, and handed me my food. Just another unexpected benefit of modern technology.
If you’re in the market for a security camera, I highly recommend the Blink Outdoor – wireless camera. You can select kits with 1, 3, or 5 cameras depending on your needs. If you want to know more about the system I have, send your questions to me at s.dresser@verizon.net.