The Blink camera is a great little security camera for getting started. For the price, it’s hard to beat. One thing you may be wondering about though is What is the status LED on the Blink camera mean? What does the blue light on your Blink camera mean?
Blink Cameras have a blue status light that indicates when the camera is actively recording a clip. The Blink Mini has the added feature of being able to show a green status light when the camera is powered, but not actively recording.
Aside from the blue LED that comes on when your Blink camera starts recording, it’s also possible you might see a red LED. I’ll review what it means when the red LED lights up.
Secondly, It’s not always best for a security camera to start shining a bright blue light when it starts recording. This article will teach you how to disable the blue LED no matter what type of Blink camera you have, aside from the 1st gen Blink Indoor.
The 1st gen Blink Indoor camera did not originally come with this feature. The latest generation (2nd gen) Blink Indoor does come with the capability to turn off the Blue status light.
Read Also: Blink Camera’s Temperature Sensor: Settings, Alerts, and More
Red Light On Blink Camera
Aside from the blue status light, you will see when the Blink camera is recording, you will see a flashing red light during setup and possibly, but hopefully not, a solid red light later on. What does the red LED mean on the Blink camera?
The red LED light on Blink cameras is used to indicate when the camera is not connected to the internet. During setup, the red LED will flash while you use the Blink app to connect it to Wi-Fi. The Blink Indoor and Outdoor cameras will flash red after recording to indicate low batteries.
No surprises there. A bright red light is usually some indication of something gone wrong.
If you end up needing to reset your Blink camera, check out my article on the topic: Everything You Need to Know for How to Reset Blink Cameras and Sync Modules
How To Fix And Turn Off The Red Light On Your Blink Camera
How to fix the red light on your camera will depend on which model you have. The Blink Mini has its own unique steps because it is the only model that connects directly to the internet and does not require a connection to a sync module.
Blink support does have an article about the red light on your Blink camera. It can be found here. As of writing this article, it does have some inaccurate information, and to be honest, it overall isn’t that helpful.
The inaccurate information is the part that states you will see a, “ blinking green and a solid blue light”, after pressing the reset button on the Blink Mini. It appears to just be a typo, but the Blink Mini will never have a situation where the green is blinking and the blue is solid.
The setup phase has a blinking blue light and a solid green light.
Fixing And Turning Off The Red Light On Your Blink Mini, Outdoor, or Indoor – No Internet
As you already know, the red light appears when the Blink camera has no internet connection.
If the Blink Mini has a solid red light, first make sure that your home network has internet that is working properly. If the home network has a reliable internet connection, the Blink Mini will need reset.
Blink doesn’t allow the cameras to be completely reset by just pressing the reset button. This is done as an anti-theft measure to keep people from grabbing a camera and making it their own.
Pressing the reset button on the Blink Mini or Blink Sync Module only resets the Wi-Fi network. All other data will be saved once the camera or sync module is reconnected to the app
Steps to reset a Blink camera
- Press and hold the reset button on the bottom of the Blink Mini, or Sync Module, until you see red and blue flashing lights on the front of the camera
The Reset button on the Blink Sync Module is located on the side next to the USB port. - In the Blink app, go to the settings menu of the Blink Mini you just reset
- Select “Change Wi-Fi”.
- Select “Discover device”.
- If a pop-up menu appears, select “Join”.
- Enter the network password when prompted, and tap “Join”.
- Select “Done” after the Blink app states that “Mini camera changed Wi-Fi!”
The red light should no longer be displayed. If the red light persists, contact Blink support. (Blink Support info is at the bottom of this article.)
Fixing And Turning Off The Red Light On Your Blink Outdoor or Indoor – Low Batteries
Blink Indoor and Outdoor cameras are battery-powered and will indicate low power by a flashing red light.
The batteries on your Blink camera can be replaced by removing the back cover of the camera, which will reveal the battery compartment.
Blink recommends Lithium AA batteries. Due to the character of lithium batteries, the Blink app battery indicator is often not accurate. Neither are battery testers.
Lithium batteries are designed to keep a constant voltage until they are dead then the voltage just drops off. Alkaline batteries tend to have a voltage that slowly tapers off as the energy is consumed.
Lithium will have some drop over the lifespan of the battery, but not much. Use a Multimeter to measure the voltage of the batteries, both the old and the new. Blink cameras need a minimum of 1.3 Volts. New batteries should be over 1.5 Volts, often in the 1.6 V to 1.8 V range.
Checking the voltage on the batteries will verify the old batteries were indeed the problem, and that the new batteries have the expected voltage and are good.
Blink Mini Blinking Green Light
There are occasionally times where you may see the Blink Mini display a blinking green light.
A blinking green light on the Blink camera indicates that the camera has a network connection, but no internet connection. The camera is unable to communicate with the Blink cloud servers.
There are a few reasons this may happen. Mainly, the internet at your house is down, or the Blink servers are down. Blink is owned by Amazon, so if you hear of AWS having issues, Blink may be having issues as well.
If you are able to connect your phone or computer to the same Wi-Fi network as your Blink camera, try going to a website. If the website loads as normal, it is likely an issue on the Blink server side.
If the website fails to load, try unplugging and plugging back in your modem. If that does not work, there is also a possibility that your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is having an issue.
I’d wait a couple of hours before trying to resolve this problem. Especially if there were recent heavy storms in your area.
How To Turn Off Blue Light On The Blink Outdoor Or Indoor Camera
Let’s take a slight change of direction. The blue LED light on your Blink camera does not indicate a problem. It indicates when your camera is recording and is enabled by default. Fortunately, it is easy to turn it off from within the Blink app.
Note: If you have a Blink XT or XT2, there is a manual switch on the camera you have to set to off. This switch is located in the battery compartment.
Steps to Turn Off The Blue Light on Blink Indoor and Outdoor Cameras
- Open the Blink app
- Select Camera Settings for the camera you wish to adjust
- Scroll down to “Status LED”
- Select “OFF” from the two options
Here are what the different options will do:
- Off – Never display the blue status light.
- Recording – Displays a blue status light while recording.
How To Turn Off Blue And Green Lights On The Blink Mini Camera
The Blink Mini has a green status light which can be set on or off as well, so the steps for adjusting the LED settings are just a tad different than the steps for the BLink Indoor and Outdoor.
Steps to Turn Off The Blue And Green Lights on Blink Mini Cameras
- Open the Blink app
- Select Camera Settings for the camera you wish to adjust
- Scroll down to “Status LED”
- Select “OFF” from the three options.
Here are what the different options will do:
- On – Displays a green light when powered on, and blue while recording
- Off – Never display the blue or green status lights.
- Recording – Displays a blue status light while recording. The green light will not light up when powered on.
Related Blink Support Articles
Here are the Blink articles I referenced when compiling this information. If any of my steps appear to be inaccurate in the future due to an update, check out these support pages.
Blink Mini – Changing Wi-Fi Network
All Other Blink Cameras – Changing Wi-Fi Network
Blink Support Contact Information
Here are all the ways that you can contact Blink Support
The Blink Support “Contact Us” page is located here.
FAQs
LED On Blink Cameras: What It Means And How To Turn It Off? ›
For the
Battery powered Blink cameras quickly flash a red LED every 3 seconds when disconnected from the internet. When you first insert batteries, the red LED shows 5 long flashes and then repeats a short flash every three seconds, until an internet connection is established.
Can you turn off the red light on Blink? ›Solid Red Light On Blink Camera Mini
Take a small pin or paper clip and press the reset button on the bottom of the camera. Wait for the light to change from red to blinking green / solid blue. If the camera still shows the red light for 2 minutes after resetting it, you may need to call Blink support to get help.
- Go to the Home Screen of the Blink app and tap the Camera Settings icon above the camera's thumbnail.
- Scroll down and look for the "Night Vision" section.
- Turn the control setting on, off, or set it to "Auto" so it automatically turns on when it gets dark.
If a Blink camera has a solid green light, that means the camera is connected to its local and internet networks without any problem. If that green light starts flashing, however, it means there's an issue with the camera's internet connection.
What are the red and blue lights on a Blink camera? ›A blinking blue light indicates that the camera has lost connection to the Internet and is trying to reconnect. A red light indicates that the camera has been factory reset and is in pairing mode. Was this article helpful?
How do you tell if a camera is recording? ›How do you know if a security camera is recording? Security cameras are recording if they have a light blinking. This is usually red, but may also be green, orange, or some other color. The light is known as a 'status LED'.
Do Blink cameras record when light is off? ›Blink cameras have an 850nm infrared (IR) LED light to show you clear video in areas of complete darkness. If Night Vision is enabled, your camera will be able to view and record in a low light or non-lit environment.
Do Blink cameras light up at night? ›Night Vision Settings
On - The IR LED is always on and all clips appear black and white. Auto - The IR LED turns on when the visible light is low, such as at night.
Do Blink Cameras Record Continuously? Unfortunately, Blink cameras do not record 24/7, they are purely motion-based clips. With a subscription plan, you'll only be able to look at Live View continuously, but even that has a time limit. After 90 minutes, Live View will stop.
How do I turn off night light mode? ›
- Open Settings.
- Click on Devices.
- Click on Display.
- Turn off the Night light toggle switch.
The settings for Night Light are in Settings > Display > Night Light. From there, users can learn about Night Light, set its schedule, and turn it on or off.
What Colour is Blink camera at night? ›The Blink Outdoor cameras use an IR illuminator for night vision. This makes the image black and white. You can turn the IR illuminator off by going to the camera settings. This will make the image color.
How do I know if a Blink camera is watching me? ›Make sure motion detection is turned on, the camera is armed and the blue running man sign is turned on. That's how you know if your blink camera is recording motion or events.
What does blue and green light mean on Blink camera? ›The Blink Sync Module has two LED indicators that work in tandem to indicate the status. If the Sync Module is blinking Green with a solid Blue LED, it signifies that the device is offline and is trying to connect to a network. What you want to see on the Sync Module are Solid Green and Solid Blue LED indications.
When a camera is red What does that mean? ›A solid red light on a security camera means there is NOT a local internet or an internet connection.
What does blue light on camera mean? ›A blinking or turned off blue light means something is wrong with your camera. If the blue light is off, there's no power going to the camera. Check the power source and, once power is restored, please contact your client support manager.
What does blue running man mean on blink camera? ›A blue Running Man. means Motion Detection is enabled and the camera is actively watching for motion. A gray Running Man. means Motion Detection is disabled for that camera.
How do you know if someone is watching you on camera? ›- Suspicious background apps.
- Camera misbehaving.
- Odd files and inexplicably low storage space.
- Misbehaving indicator light.
- Battery draining fast.
On the lefthand menu, click 'Activity controls'. Scroll down to the 'Voice & Audio activity' section and click that. There you'll find a chronological list of all the voice and audio recordings which will include any recorded without you knowing.
How can you tell if someone is recording in a room? ›
Listen for a quiet buzzing or clicking noise to detect a recording device. Hidden cameras are designed to be as discrete as possible, but many will still emit a slight sound when they are working.
How far away does Blink record? ›How far away can camera units be placed? Under normal circumstances, the Sync Module is capable of communicating with Blink cameras up to 100 ft. away in any direction. We recommend keeping the Sync Module near your wireless router for the best signal strength.
Can Blink security cameras be hacked? ›In this case, the hacker is present within the range of the wireless network the blinking camera uses. They often obtain access to the local network using different methods. They may either use security breaches or even a jammer to block the real network and use a spoof network to gain access to the camera.
How do you know if your camera is on at night? ›Check the status of the LEDs in the IP security cameras
It's also a quick way to tell if a security camera has night vision. You can use a book or any covers to block the light falling on your security camera. If you see the lights turn red, it means that the security camera is on.
Your Blink camera captures motion based on heat moving across the camera's field. The total size of heat objects and amount of motion together cause a motion event. Your camera's Sensitivity setting adjusts how much input it takes to send you a notification.
Can my Blink camera hear me? ›What is this? You can talk to the person on the other side of the camera by accessing the live view of the camera in the Blink app. The other person will be able to hear from you via the speaker on the camera and you can hear from them via the microphone on the same.
Why is my Blink camera recording everything? ›If the camera has a weak connection to your wireless router, it may cause the camera to record false motion clips. Increasing the Retrigger Time should resolve this issue. You can also move the camera closer to your wireless router. Power cycle.
Should I leave night mode on all the time? ›Having night mode on during the day won't cause any increased damage to your eyes and if anything, may be beneficial as you're much more bombarded with blue light (HEV waves) during the day. Having night mode during the day for multiple days WON'T cause eye problems.
Does night mode turn off automatically? ›The Night Mode is set to auto. After a few days of Night Mode automatically turning on and off using the default auto settings, it will cease to "wake up" in the morning and remain in Night Mode unless manually turned off.
Why can't I turn off night mode? ›Enable developer mode and then go to System, click Advanced, click Developer Options, set Night Mode to "Always Off." Now you can enable or disable Dark Mode within each app and the Display options.
What is Night Light settings? ›
Night Shift automatically adjusts the colors of your display to the warmer end of the spectrum — making the display easier on your eyes.
How do I change night mode? ›- Open your device's Settings app .
- Select Accessibility.
- Under "Color and motion," turn on Dark theme.
- How To Improve Blink Night Vision.
- Go to the app.
- Tap the Settings icon.
- Scroll down until you see “Night Vision.”
- Turn the Control setting to Off, On, or Auto. I recommend Auto because it automatically switches to activate infrared when it gets dark.
If your camera images, thumbnails, motion clips, and Live View are not showing up in color, it is likely that the Night Vision Control is on. When Night Vision is on, an infrared (IR) LED shines in a spectrum outside of the visible light spectrum.
What color is night vision mode? ›In low-light conditions most infrared (IR) security cameras will automatically shift to black and white IR / night vision recording. Black and white IR images ensure the maximum level of detail and clarity in low-light conditions.
How do you know if someone is watching you in your house? ›- Electrical fixture wall plates are slightly out of place. ...
- Check your vinyl baseboard – where the floor and wall meet. ...
- Look for discoloration on ceilings and walls. ...
- A familiar item or sign in your home or office simply looks off. ...
- You notice white debris close to a wall.
- In the Blink desktop or webapp, click on the Admin panel on the left side.
- Select "Users" under the Blink Identity section.
- Click on "invite users" in the top right.
However, that does not mean your iPhone, or Android phone camera is not spying on you. No device is completely immune to security risks, and it is still important for users to be cautious and alert. There's a chance someone could be spying on you through your smartphone camera.
What is orange light on Blink camera? ›The orange boot light indicates the camera is waiting for connection from the computer. Follow our Loading Cameras – Troubleshooting Guide for help loading cameras. This entry was posted by lgreenwood14.
Are Blink cameras always recording? ›Blink cameras do not offer continuous recording, though you can leave the system armed for any interval of time.
Why is my Blink camera flashing blue? ›
The blinking blue light indicates that your camera has already acquired the router information, but the network is poor.
Can Blink camera be hacked? ›Wpa2 Wi-Fi Encryption
The Blink cameras often stream the footage and operate using the Wi-Fi connection. In such cases, proper encryption prevents hacking through any wireless device. These devices usually use WPA2 Wi-Fi channels for encrypted streaming of footage.
When using your Blink Wired Floodlight or Mini camera without a Blink Subscription Plan, you must tap Continue every 60 seconds in Live View and your total session length is limited to five minutes. Extended Live View is ONLY available in Blink Basic, Blink Plus and free trials of the subscription plans.
How far can Blink camera detect motion? ›What's the maximum distance Blink cameras sense motion detection? The maximum motion detection range is approximately 20 feet for all blink cameras. Some factors that influence motion detection are the app sensitivity setting, camera placement, object size, infrared illumination and object temperature.
What does blue light mean on camera? ›LED setup reference guide
A flashing blue light on a security camera means you are ready for the WiFi protected setup.
Many digital cameras see a little further into the ultraviolet and infrared than the human eye. This is apparently the case with the Android phone and the ultraviolet light (invisible to most humans) appears blue on the display. The same thing occurs with photographic film.
What is blue flashing? ›blue flash (plural blue flashes) (meteorology, astronomy) A very rare phenomenon observed in the morning or evening when the sun is crossing or immediately below the horizon, in which a momentary flash of blue light appears above the upper rim of the solar disk, caused by refraction of light in the atmosphere.