Blink - Wired Doorbell 2K+ — Head-to-Toe 2K video doorbell, continuous hardwired power, enhanced audio - Black

I’m going to break this down into setup, positives, negatives, and an overall impression. First the setup. I installed another branded doorbell at my previous home so I was fairly familiar with the process, but it had been several years. After shutting off power and downloading the Blink app, I started walking through the setup process. This includes scanning a QR code on the back of the doorbell, which allows the app to identify the device, which I appreciated. I got stuck a couple times during setup and turned to AI search to resolve one of them. First, the Chime setup confused me until I realized it was talking about the doorbell chime maker my previous doorbell was connected to. I also misunderstood the instruction to leave the chime wires in place while adding a bridge connection to them. The instructions were technically correct, and would be easy to understand if I were to do it again, but I could have used the “doorbells for dummies” version, perhaps with a YouTube instructional video. Overall, while the setup took a bit longer than I would have preferred, it would be much faster if I were to do it again, and if you watch a setup video, is pretty easy. It’s basically just remove wires from the old, connect them to the new, and install a bridge on the chime. The other hiccup I ran into was it stalled when connecting to my network, and I ended up having to completely remove and restart the setup process, as it didn’t gracefully retry after the failure of give me an opportunity to retry. It was a minor setback but a genuine failure point, especially for someone even less savvy than me, Beyond setup, my biggest gripe is with notifications, I enabled the AI smart notifications for now (it’s part of a paid service you get a free trial for), but found the alerts not quite matching what I think are setup. I had to lower the sensitivity and turn off alerts for anything beyond humans, and still I seemed to get notifications for cars driving by. I finally seem to have gotten those notifications turned off but now I receive no notifications for anything but “suspicious activity”, which is a setting I’ve since toggled off. Overall I still don’t have the notifications setup the way I’d like them to be set. The great thing though is picture clarity and what actually is recorded. Because it’s wired, the recording seems to be ready instantly when motion is detected or even a moment before, it seems as though motion is the recording trigger but the actual record is happening all the time. This allows me to see even someone walking out my front door and down the driveway befor they’re far away. The image quality is fine, though always a little weird with a wide angle lense. I am overall fairly happy with the camera and am enjoying the free subscription trial now but I’m not sure if I’ll continue it after the trial.

The Blink wired doorbell 2K+ is Blinks offering 2026. I do need to reiterate that this is a wired system and if you’re not adapt in wiring then you either have someone knowledgeable in wiring, or purchase a power solution or just get a battery powered model. That aside, we’ll have a go through with this doorbell. Out of the box you will have the main doorbell, a mounting bracket, a mounting template with a removal tool attached to it, a jumper wire and screws, and lastly a quick start guide. Prior to installation, it is highly recommended to turn off the power on your circuit breaker even though your doorbell is a low voltage device to prevent electric shock. Then download the app and create an account. Scan the QR code to identify the device and add it on to the app. Then locate your chime and attach the jumper wire to provide power to new doorbell. As mentioned earlier, there is also an option to have an alternate source of power and that device is sold separately by Blink. Lastly, an optional chime is also offered by Blink. Remove your old doorbell and use the mounting template to attach the mount to your wall. Connect the two wires to your Blink doorbell and snap it on the mounting plate. The removal is used if you for whatever reason need to detach the Blink doorbell. Store the removal tool in a safe place. Turn the power on and your doorbell is ready for use. Like all video doorbells, this doorbell detects people whenever they go near the doorbell. The resolution is improved in this newer version which is obviously at 2k or FHD. Do note that a fisheye effect is evident here. Also, this doorbell has two way communication meaning you don’t have to open your door to communicate with the person outside. Blink offers several plans to use the doorbell. First is the free plan wherein you have basic camera functionality and two-way communication. There is no video recording included in this free plan. Next would be the regular plan wherein video recording up to sixty days is included. Then there is an AI enabled plan where detection is enhanced such identifying whatever is captured in the camera. Personally, I do not see a value in this for my personal use. But that may be of value to others so I won’t judge. Other than that, all plans have a timer and the ability to adjust capturing angles. And being owned by Amazon, Alexa integration is included as well as other Blink products. Overall, this is a good doorbell while not really being fancy. Still this a recommend for those who need a video doorbell.

Blink proves you don’t have to spend a lot to get piece of mind that video doorbell can provide. Unboxing you get the doorbell, mount and a hardwire kit, you don’t get a wedge like some video doorbells if you need to mount it at an angle. At this price that’s kind of understandable but it only cost about ten dollars if you do need one. Setup is very simple and straightforward with the Blink home monitor app as it walks you thru the whole process to get it up and running. Once you are up and running the continuity between the app and device is excellent. Sometimes this can be the biggest issue for me with tech, how well they work together and if it makes life easier or a pain! You get 30 days of free Blink services and then it runs about forty dollars for a year for the basic plan for one device. With the AI subscriptions you get more detailed descriptions of what’s going on when you get alerts. The 2k video quality is very good especially considering the price point. The noise canceling feature for the mic makes hearing someone easier when there’s background noise. Even though this model is hardwired it doesn’t ring your existing chime it only alerts you on your phone. If you need chime functionality, Blink has a separate chime you can purchase or get the model with it. This Blink doorbell is an inexpensive way to get a video doorbell when you don’t need all the extras.

The Blink 2K+ Video Doorbell with head-to-toe 2K video, continuous hardwired power, enhanced audio in black, is a budget priced video doorbell that is okay. If you want to get the bells and whistles: such as recorded video, saving video to the cloud, recording what you see via Live View, and person identification which learns and can identify people (based on your input), you will need to pay for the monthly subscription. They force you to get a free trial upon setup. I find that to be very misleading because what you will get is not what you will have after the free-trial expires if you choose not to pay. This wired version of the doorbell does NOT support your in-home mechanical chimes. You will need to purchase a separate Blink chime, or an Amazon Alexa device (Amazon owns Blink) or a Blink mini camera. Third-party wireless chimes are not compatible with Blink video doorbells, so if you want a chime and not just a notification which the app will provide, and you are not already immersed in the Blink universe, be prepared to pay even more. I can say that the installation and setup was extremely easy. I disconnected the previous doorbell wires and removed the existing doorbell. Unfortunately, the Blink bracket didn't fit using the existing doorbell holes. I used the supplied template to drill new bracket holes outside the front door. I connected the wires and snapped on the doorbell. The doorbell itself immediately worked because when I pressed the button, it rang - it rang at the doorbell itself, not at the inside chime. It could not be heard inside. I began to dig into why it wasn't working - the Blink support AI informed me that the Blink "wired" doorbell will not allow my existing chime to ring. Bummer! I searched online and did buy a Blink chime that will allow it to ring inside. Having to spend additional $$ did not make me happy, but had I taken a closer look at the product box, I would have seen it wasn't going to work. It shows "Blink Wired Doorbell 2K+ does not ring existing home chime. Blink Chime accessory required for audible notifications (sold separately)". I had missed that part. As for how it looks, the doorbell looks great outside my door. It has a rather small profile which I appreciate. The 2K video from the doorbell is clear. It does show me the person at the door from head to toe, but it quickly became obvious that I need the video angled to be able to see their full face at my door. I wish this would have come with an angled mounting bracket. I will have to figure out something else for that. I have had the opportunity to speak to a delivery person, but there is a delay in the back and forth talk, so patience is needed. I am also able to see someone at my door at night - which is great. Overall, the Blink 2K+ Video Doorbell with head-to-toe 2K video, continuous hardwired power and enhanced audio is okay. Because it is wired, I know I won't have it out of service for periods of charging or replacing batteries. It is good to know I can see who is outside my door, the power is continuous, the view is clear and I am able to talk to visitors even when I'm not home. I just wish everything needed was included in the box. The box said a sync module was not required so I thought it was self-contained. Being forced to sign-up for a subscription, even a free trial, is not acceptable to me. I want to know how it will work if I decide not to pay. By the time that day comes, it will be too late to return it. Having to buy a chime to be able to hear the sound of the doorbell is also not acceptable to me. Starting with 5 stars, it keeps THREE stars for what it is able to on its own, but loses TWO stars for what it can't do on its own. If you know what you're getting (or NOT getting) and you are okay with that, then this doorbell is for you. If you want more and want better, I would go with something else.

Simple and Easy to connect to our existing Blink account. Was looking for something to augment the coverage of the front of our house. We have existing Blink cameras, but the front door was a bit hard to cover unless we went with multiple cameras. The Blink doorbell filled the bill. We now have great coverage of the front door. The unit has great super clear images. Not to mention that its recorded in our Blink account along with the camera footage. Don’t need to go to another system to see the footage. The integration into our Alexa system was super easy. Now when someone rings the bell it just announces over our Alexa’s throughout the house and I don’t have a dog going crazy because a doorbell rang. A noteworthy statement is that it is very easy to connect the two cables from the doorbell, to the Blink System thanks to the longer pigtail cables provided. You don’t have to try and connect the back of the Blink while it's pressed against the wall. My only Con would be that we could not use the existing screw-holes of our standard doorbell. We had to drill into the stucco in order to mount the backplate.