The Blink Outdoor system consists of a small 2.7 x 2.7 x 1.2 inch (HWD) camera and an even smaller 0.7 x 2.3 x 2.5 inch sync module (hub) that connects to your home Wi-Fi network. The camera is black, IP65 weatherproof, and is powered by two AA batteries that should last up to two years before needing to be replaced. To replace the batteries, all you have to do is unscrew the screw on the back of the camera and remove the cover.
The Sync module is powered by a mini-USB power adapter and includes a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi radio for connecting to your home network and an RF radio for communicating with the camera. On the front, there are LEDs for Wi-Fi and power status. On the side is a USB port that can be used to connect a USB storage device, such as a USB flash drive (not included), to store event-driven video clips.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]The Blink Outdoor uses the Blink Home Monitor app for Android, Fire OS, and iOS devices. A home screen opens with panels for each installed camera. Each panel contains a still image of the camera’s field of view and has a button to take a snapshot and a button to start a live stream. You can view the live stream in full screen mode by turning your phone sideways, and start a two-way conversation by pressing the talk button. When motion detection is enabled, a motion icon is displayed in the upper right corner, and there is a settings button next to it.
On the Camera Settings screen, you can check the battery level, view the current outdoor temperature, and set temperature threshold alerts. Here you can also create motion zones, configure motion sensitivity settings, set video clip length, configure video quality settings, enable/disable the microphone, edit Wi-Fi settings, and enable the photo capture feature.
Amazon has updated its smaller smart display Echo Show 5. It’s basically the same smart radio alarm clock as the previous model, with no major changes to the screen or speaker. The camera has received a minor update, but the image quality isn’t quite as good as the new Echo Show 8. There’s really no reason to upgrade if you own the original model, but for new users, the second-generation Echo Show 5 remains a handy, affordable smart display that’s small enough to fit anywhere you need Alexa and a screen.
The back of the new Echo Show 5 is the only physical change. There’s a port for the power adapter and a micro-USB port for maintenance, but the 3.5mm audio output on the previous model has been removed. This means you can no longer use a cable to send audio from the smart display to your speaker of choice.
Internally, the Show 5 still runs the same MediaTek MT8163 processor and uses the same 1.65-inch speaker driver for audio output. The only hardware change is that the 1MP front camera has been replaced with a 2MP sensor. That’s an upgrade, even if it’s not quite the jump from 1MP to 13MP that the Echo Show 8 made, which also adds digital panning and zooming to automatically track you on video calls.