An Expert’s Review of the Blink Mini Camera Line

An Overview of the Blink Mini Lineup

The Blink Mini lineup consists of three models – the first generation Blink Mini, the Blink Mini 2, and the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt.

Blink Mini

The first-generation Blink Mini is the cheapest ($30) in the lineup, but it also has the less impressive features and specs. You can expect at least 1080p HD video, motion-triggered recordings, two-way audio, and Alexa integrations.

For downsides, the Blink Mini 1 doesn’t support person detection at all. At 110 degrees, we also found the viewing angle narrower than we’d like. The similarly-priced Wyze Cams we tested have viewing angles ranging from 115 to 120 degrees. That’s still narrow, but better.

Blink Mini 2

For an extra $10, the Blink Mini 2 adds color night vision through a built-in spotlight. It also supports person detection, but only if you subscribe to a Blink cloud storage plan. The wider field of view, at 143 degrees, also sets it apart from its predecessor. It was able to capture our  entire living room when perched in a corner, something the Blink Mini 1 couldn’t do.

Blink Mini Pan-Tilt

The Blink Mini Pan-Tilt is actually the same camera as the original Blink Mini. So, you can expect all of the same features, capabilities, and limitations. The only difference is that it’s attached to a rotating mount. You can control the rotation and tilt of the mount remotely through the Blink app.

The Pros & Cons

The biggest benefit of the Blink Mini cameras is their price point. Blink positioned them as direct competitors to the Wyze Cam line, whose prices range from $25 to $60. Wyze has a slight edge when it comes to features because all its cameras support person detection and they don’t need a cloud subscription to use the feature. On the other hand, we think Blink offers better build quality.

We also like that the Blink Mini cameras pack all the features we consider necessary into such a small package. When we had guests over, they usually didn’t even notice it on our bookshelf. It pairs well with the Amazon Echo Show we tested, too. We used the two as a video intercom in our home with the two-way talk between both devices.

For a budget indoor security camera, we typically look for an internal storage option. Unfortunately, none of the Blink Mini cameras have built-in storage. That means, to store their recordings, we either had to pay for a cloud storage subscription or buy a Blink Sync Module. We already bought a Sync Module since it’s required for the Blink Outdoor 4 we tested, so this wasn’t an extra cost for us.

>> Read More: Best Affordable Home Security Systems of 2025

The Key Features Of The Blink Mini

Despite Blink’s affordable prices, they jam-pack the Minis with tons of useful features. Here’s an overview of what you can expect from each Blink Mini camera:

Minimalist Design

Right out of the box, the first thing that stood out for us about the Blink Mini and Mini 2 is the minimalist and compact design. Both are shaped like a small cube with smooth edges. You can also choose your colorway, between black and white, so it fits your home’s style and decor.

The included stand for all models gives a lot of flexibility for placement. We both set our Mini on a shelf and mounted the Mini 2 on a wall. The ball-and-socket joint stand twisted and turned freely, which proved useful as we were finding that ideal viewing angle. And we could make them more compact by detaching them from their stand.

Video Quality

All Blink Mini cameras can live stream or record 1080p HD videos that looked rich and clear even when we blew it up on our Fire TV. It’s the industry standard for a reason after all.

We will say that the 110-degree viewing angle on the Mini and Mini Pan-Tilt was a bit narrow for our preference, but that was fixed with the Mini 2 which has a 143-degree viewing angle. That 110-degree viewing angle just wasn’t quite enough to see our whole living room even when we placed it high up in a corner.

>> Learn More: Where to Place Your Home Security Camera

Night Vision

While all the Blink Mini cameras offer night vision, only the Mini 2 offers full color night vision. It has a built-in spotlight that automatically turns on when it gets dark. The others use an infrared LED light to provide black-and-white night vision, which the Mini 2 has as well. Of course, we prefer the flexibility of the Mini 2 here.

Two-Way Audio

Our Blink Mini cameras also provided clear two-way audio. That means we could hear the camera’s surroundings and talk through the camera with our phone. We actually preferred the audio quality on the camera’s two-way talk than a normal phone call. The speaker on the camera should be loud enough to spook off intruders, too, if you shout at them through it.

Motion Alerts

The motion detection in the Blink Mini cameras alerted us of movements and at the same time, recorded the events so that we could play them back afterward. They were sent to our smartphones through the Blink Home Monitor app. Our only issue was that our phones needed to be online in order to receive alerts. Most other systems send alerts regardless and if our phone is not connected to the internet, we receive them once we reconnect it.

We also wish they’d bring over person detection to the Blink Mini and Mini Pan-Tilt. Right now, it’s only available in the Mini 2 if you subscribe to their cloud storage plan. That means, only the Mini 2 can send alerts telling you if it saw a person or just motion.

Activity Zones

While the Mini and Mini Pan-Tilt don’t have person detection, we were still able to fine-tune our alerts with activity zones. Don’t worry, this feature is available on the Mini 2 as well and it doesn’t require a subscription. It lets you highlight specific areas in your camera’s view and ignore all motion in that area. We used it to ignore our oscillating fan that sets off an alert every time we turn it on.

Arming & Disarming The Blink Mini

All Blink cameras use the same app so we were able to arm and disarm them simultaneously. We could control them individually, too. However, we mostly used the app’s schedule system to automatically arm and disarm our cameras at set times depending on the day of the week. That way, our cameras would always arm when leaving for work in the morning.

Third-Party Integrations

As an Amazon-owned company, it should come as no surprise that Blink’s cameras integrate flawlessly with Alexa. Through this integration, we could:

• Arm/disarm any Blink Mini
• Show a live feed or the latest motion event on our Echo Show
• State the arm/disarm status of the camera
• Check our arm/disarm schedule
• Retrieve details about unread motion events
• Receive an audible alert when one of our cameras detects motion
• Turn on or off the Mini 2’s spotlight
• Automate actions of other smart devices when a camera detects motion

Blink cameras also work with IFTTT, an automation engine driven by “if this, then that” recipes called Applets. The Applets activate a custom action whenever the defined trigger occurs. For instance, one Applet we used turned on our living room lights whenever our camera detected motion. Police departments across the nation agree that installing motion-activated lights, even makeshift ones made with the help of IFTTT, are effective burglar deterrents.2

>> Check Out: Ring Home Security Camera Costs & Pricing in 2025

Was The Blink Mini Easy To Install?

As you might expect from such small cameras, installing and setting them up is a piece of cake. All we had to do was scan the QR code on each camera and follow along as the app told us exactly what to do. The whole process only took us about seven minutes per camera. That’s partially because the cameras came with everything we needed, including:

• One power cord (6.5 feet)
• One power adapter (USB)
• One ball-and-joint socket stand
• Screws for mounting

However, that was for the actual installation. Planning out the placement of our Blink Mini cameras took a bit longer since they all need to be plugged in. That means we had to find spots with good coverage that were also within 6.5 feet (the length of the power cable) of an outlet.

We also had to choose whether we were connecting our cameras directly to our Wi-Fi as standalone devices or through Blink’s Sync Module. Since we owned a Blink Outdoor 4 which came with a Sync Module, we opted for the latter. This was slightly easier than connecting directly to a Wi-Fi router, but the only extra step you’ll need to take is picking your Wi-Fi and typing in the password when prompted by the app.

Cloud & Local Storage

Early on in Blink’s history, they offered free cloud storage with their cameras. That’s long gone unless you have a Blink account from before April 15, 2020. We have one, but we still opted to try out their new paid subscription. It’s required to unlock the Mini 2’s person detection feature, which we just had to try. Here’s an overview of Blink’s cloud storage options:

If you’re looking to avoid monthly fees, you can purchase a Sync Module 2 instead and still store recordings. It wirelessly connects to your cameras and stores video on a USB drive, which you have to purchase separately. This works the same as cloud storage, but it does not unlock person detection.

The Blink Home Monitor Mobile App

When it came to controlling our Blink Mini cameras, the Blink Home Monitor mobile app was our best friend. It’s where we streamed live feeds, accessed recorded clips, set our schedules, and fine-tuned our camera’s settings. We were also surprised to see that there’s a dedicated Fire OS app, on top of the standard Android and iOS apps.

We like the clean aesthetic of the app’s interface. It has an intuitive layout that’s easy to navigate and understand. The home screen shows a screen grab of each camera and an easy arm or disarm button. Then, the bottom has a separate tab for reviewing recordings or adjusting settings. We like that the recordings page showed us how much storage space we had left, so we knew when it was time to download and transfer clips from our Sync Module.

We found the app’s interface to be clean. The home page showed us a thumbnail of our Blink Mini and it’s also where we armed and disarmed the camera. There’s a separate tab for schedules, settings, and recordings as well. As for the recordings page, there’s a bar that showed us how much cloud storage space we had left, so we knew exactly when it was time to download and transfer our clips.

Overall, we were pleased with the app’s performance, and we knew other users were, as well, because of its 3.8 star rating on the App Store and its 3.6 rating on the Google Play store.

The Blink Mini In Action

We can only tell you so much about the Blink Mini lineup; if you want to see it in action, our security experts put together a video review of the Mini and Mini 2 that shows what these little cameras are capable of. Here’s the video of the Blink Mini:

And here’s the video on the Blink Mini 2:

Join us as we explore the upgrades in the Blink Mini 2 compared to the original Mini.

Final Thoughts: Do We Recommend The Blink Mini Line?

After testing the Blink Mini and Mini 2, we think it’s a solid option for specific use cases.  Here are the use-cases when we’d recommend the Blink Mini and when we think you’re better off looking elsewhere.

The Blink Mini is one of our favorite affordable security cameras. It offers great value at just $30. The addition of people detection in the Mini 2 makes it one of the best pet cams, too, since you can choose when you want alerts from your pet’s activity. We also like that it works with the Sync Module 2 if you want to outfit your home with a full Blink security camera system.