The Blink Outdoor 4 security camera typically costs around $100. Right now, you can get a two-pack for $180, which is still a solid value for a wireless setup that doesn’t require constant recharging.
CNET's key takeaways
The Blink's Outdoor 4 security camera comes with lithium AA batteries that lasted me well over a year, unlike competitor cameras that need frequent recharging as often as every month.
The Blink Outdoor 4 is one of the more affordable cams, at about $100, and it can often be found on sale.
The Blink app is limited to Alexa support only, meaning you cannot connect with Google, Apple or other third-party smart platforms.
Blink's Outdoor 4 cam came with a big promise when I first started reviewing it: Lithium AA batteries that could last for two years without needing to be replaced. That's a ridiculously long time for a wireless security camera, which usually have batteries that need recharging every few months. I started out skeptical, but Blink's cam stayed operational on my fence, not just for a few months but season after season while I waited, increasingly impressed.
While my Blink Outdoor 4 model didn't quite reach the full two years that Blink rates its wireless camera batteries at, a year and a half far surpasses any wireless camera with a rechargeable battery like Ring or Nest use. In my experience, those rechargeable batteries tend to last several months at the most before you need to bring them in for a recharge or switch them out with a new battery pack.
That recharging gets annoying during cold winters or for wireless cameras that are posted out of reach and require a ladder to switch batteries out. And if your cams activate all the time, batteries run out even faster. I don't mind leaning out to grab the video doorbell for a quick recharge, but for other outdoor cameras it turns into an unwanted -- and random -- task.
Blink, meanwhile, promises long-lasting batteries that you replace, not recharge, when the time comes. Those new batteries cost $4 to $5, which works out to about 22 cents a month for the convenience of not bothering about it. I've found that to be a particularly helpful option for an outdoor camera I can set up and leave to do its job -- giving me one less thing to worry about.
My experience with the Blink Outdoor 4
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