Forget Ring, this simple and stylish camera is cheaper and has great battery life

The Blink Outdoor 4 is, as the name suggests, an outdoor security camera. If you already have Blink cameras or a video doorbell, it’s the perfect addition to your system. However, it works just as well on its own or with other smart home equipment.

Blink is an Amazon company, so, like Ring, it plays nicely with your Amazon Echo Show devices to easily display your cameras. You can even use the Alexa voice assistant to display your camera on screen, just like the Ring models.

It’s only recently that we’ve seen the Blink devices come to the UK but they are generally cheaper than their Ring counterparts, and arguably feature a more modern design. So, you can kit out your whole home with smart cameras for much less, without compromising on style.

As I already use the Blink Mini cameras in my home for pet monitoring, I was keen to see how the Outdoor 4 performed for outdoor use. After all, the specs suggest it does everything some of the best security cameras in the market do, for a fraction of the price.

How much is the Blink Outdoor 4?

The Blink Outdoor 4 camera costs £64.99 / $79.99 (€74.99) and was launched in the UK in April 2025 – though has been available in the US since August 2023. So while it’s a new product here, it’s actually nearly two years old.

It’s already impressive two-year battery capacity can be extended further to four years by adding the battery extension pack, which takes the total price up to £84.99 / $99.99 (€94.99). You can also regularly find this camera in bundles of up to a five-camera system, paired with the Blink Mini 2 indoor camera or with Amazon Echo Show devices.

Design and features

The design of the Blink Outdoor 4 looks more like an oversized action camera than an outdoor security camera, and I actually prefer it for that reason. The square black box has the lens in the top left corner, which is a change from the third generation, which featured a central lens.

That lens now delivers a wider 143-degree field of view and enhanced image quality, including in low light. It’s still a 1080p camera, though, while some competitor models, including Ring, offer 2K options.

It features both infrared night vision and motion detection, so that it can alert you of any movement, day or night from your camera. The enhanced motion detection feature will even let you know if it’s a person rather than just general movement. It doesn’t recognise animals or parcels specifically though, like some devices can.

There are two small LED lights next to the lens, a red one for when infrared is in action, and a blue light to show that it’s recording – though you can turn this off. There’s an in-built speaker and microphone in the device too, allowing you to have two-way conversations with anyone stood by the camera, from your phone or smart speaker.

The camera is powered by AA batteries and supplied with two Lithium batteries. It can also be powered through the USB-C port using an optional weather-resistant power adapter, if you’d rather have it plugged in, however, with this long battery life, there’s little need. Of course, you can use this camera indoors too, like in a hallway or garage – in which case plugging it in could be an option.

Installation

Setting up the Blink Outdoor 4 was surprisingly easy. Sometimes devices that connect via 2.4GHz Wi-Fi can struggle to connect to multi band Wi-Fi routers but this one caused no problems at all, partly I suspect because it connects via a supplied Sync module.

The Sync module plugs into a USB socket or plug socket and is capable of managing up to 10 devices. By acting as a go-between for the camera and your Wi-Fi, it also helps save the battery life of the camera, and extend the range (depending on placement).

Once you have installed the Blink app and signed up for an account, you need to connect the Sync module before you connect the camera. Once this is plugged in and connected the detection was instant, and it then asks for your Wi-Fi details to complete the set up. Now with this in place, connecting the camera itself is even quicker.

The supplied extender tool helps you unscrew the back panel (though you could also use a screwdriver or a coin). Once you place the AA batteries in their slots, there’s a QR code that you simply scan with your phone camera from the Blink app.

If you have an Amazon Echo Show device, the camera will automatically appear among your smart home devices. You can then access it by simply asking Alexa to show you the name you gave that camera.

From the Blink app, you can not only turn motion detection on or off, but also adjust the motion sensitivity, specify to only record motion that includes a person, and set activity and privacy zones. Activity and Privacy zone controls allow you to set areas of the camera’s view that don’t trigger the motion detection. This is handy if your camera looks out onto a public path or road.

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In use

The Outdoor 4 comes with a simple two screw mount that it clips directly into, allowing you to attach it to an outdoor wood or brick wall. The extender tool can also be used to mount the device horizontally to a shelf or ceiling.

I already had three Blink mini cameras in my app, so the Outdoor 4 simply added one more to the list. I was able to turn on the motion detection to just the one camera, or arm all of the devices at once, which is handy if you’re going away.

When you purchase the device, you also get 30 days of free of the Blink Subscription Plan. This gives you cloud storage for all of the recorded clips from your device, so you can play them back at anytime. Without it, you still receive the alert, but can then only watch the live feed.

The subscription costs £24 / $30 a year for one camera, or £80 / $100 a year for unlimited cameras. You can also pay monthly if you wish, but it costs a little more. It’s a pretty reasonable price, especially if you have all Blink cameras on your system – it’s certainly a good reason to stick with one brand for home security.

The one thing I missed using this device instead of my previous camera was the lack of a light. However, you can buy a floodlight attachment for the Outdoor 4 for a very reasonable £34.99 in the UK.

Should I buy the Blink Outdoor 4?

There’s little to complain about with the Outdoor 4, as everything it does, it does very well. If you’re looking to build a smart home ecosystem or just want a one off outdoor security camera, this model is both affordable and highly capable.

You could buy multiple Blink Outdoor 4 cameras for the price of one premium security camera, so if you’re looking to build a complete system on a budget, it’s ideal. While it doesn’t have a rechargeable battery, the fact that it can last for up to two years on one set of AAs is extremely impressive, and far more convenient than having to keep bringing it inside to charge.

I would have liked to have seen a built in LED light, like the indoor Blink Mini 2 and the Ring Spotlight has. Though as previously mentioned, you can get add ons if you really want the light feature.

Overall, for the features and performance, the Blink Outdoor 4 is one of the best outdoor cameras you can buy for the money. I think that the deciding factor will come down to what cameras you have already, as it’s easier (and cheaper on subscriptions) to have all your home cameras from one brand. If you’re starting from scratch, Blink should be on your list though.

Also consider

It’s impossible to talk about Blink alternatives without mentioning Ring. Amazon’s better-known camera company has a similar offering in the Ring Outdoor Camera Battery model. This is also available in a plug-in version, and with a solar panel for a power source. Feature-wise, it’s very close to the Outdoor 4 but it costs fractionally more. If you already have Ring devices, though, you may prefer it.

For pure value for money, the real alternative is the Eufy S220 Solocam. Not only is this outdoor security camera cheaper than the Outdoor 4, but it also offers a 2K resolution and a built-in solar panel. It also provides subscription-free local storage of clips.