Blink XT2 is on sale now with two-year battery life and free cloud storage
Amazon has finally started selling its Full HD Blink XT2 battery-powered indoor/outdoor security cameras in the UK.
The successor to the original Blink XT, the new model promises more video recording on a set of batteries and adds in some additional security features.
The launch of the product hasn’t been particularly smooth, with Amazon originally halting sales of the Blink XT2 due to mixed reviews, with buyers complaining of poor range, buggy software and inconsistent movement detection. Working out the problems, the Blink XT2 went back on sale shortly after.
Arriving now in the UK, the security camera runs on two AA batteries, which the company says can last up to two years, depending on how often the camera is triggered. Thanks to a new chip in the Blink XT2, Amazon has said that the camera can now record double the amount of video as its predecessor on a set of batteries. Amazon quotes this at an impressive-sounding 80,000 seconds, which works out at 1609 minutes or just shy of 27 hours of video. Given that only short clips are recorded when the camera detects motion, that’s impressive going. We’ll see how long the camera lasts in our tests when we get a sample in for review.
New to the Blink XT2 are two-way talk, so you can have a conversation with anyone that you spot on your camera, and customisable activity zones, so you can focus the camera on the areas that you want to monitor, which should cut down on the amount of recordings that you get. All footage is saved to the cloud, with the system storing video for up to a year with no monthly contract.
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“We’re excited to bring customers a new and improved product with the same standout features they know and love, such as two year battery life, plus new features like supporting double the usage within this same two-year battery life, two-way talk, and enhanced motion detection to further improve the customer experience,” said Eric Saarnio, Head of Amazon Devices EU.
The Blink XT2 starts at £89.99 for an add-on camera, although the system requires a Blink Sync Module to be connected to your router. A single camera with a Sync Module costs £99.99. Multi-camera packs are available if you want to monitor inside and outside your home.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
