Are your Blink Cameras Not Working? Try these Fixes!

Blink cameras have gained popularity as a reliable choice for home security and surveillance. However, like any electronic device, they can encounter various issues that may cause them to stop working. These problems can range from connectivity issues, power-related issues, and software malfunctions, to hardware failures.

Commons Scenarios

Lack of notifications for armed cameras: This is a common case where cameras fail to record motion detection and don’t send notifications as well. Interestingly, replacing the batteries can sometimes trigger these problems.

Unable to access through the Blink app: Another problem you may encounter is the inability to open or access cameras through the Blink app. In certain cases, only the Live View feature may be affected while other camera functions continue to work.

Pre-Troubleshooting Conditions

Before commencing the troubleshooting process, consider the following steps:

• Replace the batteries of the cameras, even if the app indicates their health as good, and observe if this solves the problem.
• Swap the power supply of the sync module with a compatible mobile phone charger and verify if this resolves the issue.
• Adjust the Video Quality settings of the cameras to Standard and confirm if this enables them to function correctly.

Once all these steps are done, you can move to proper fixes down below.

Fix 1. Force Stop the Blink App and Clear its Cache

You will not be able to utilize the cameras in the Blink app if the app’s execution modules are stuck in an error loop or the contents of its cache are no more valid. To fix this, force-stop the Blink app and clear its cache.

On an iOS device, open the App Switcher and Swipe Up the Blink app.

For Android:

1. Open the App Switcher and tap on the cross icon for the Blink app.
2. Launch the Android phone Settings and go to Applications > Blink > Storage.

   

3. Tap on Clear Cache and launch the Blink app. See if the cameras are working.

Fix 2. Restart the Cameras and Other Devices

A malfunction in the communication modules of your Blink cameras and other devices will result in their failure to function. To resolve this issue, restart the cameras and other devices.

1. Power off your router and unplug its power cable.

   

2. Unplug the power cord of the Sync Module and remove the batteries of the Blink Cameras.

   

3. Restart your phone and wait for 5 minutes.
4. Plug back the power cable of the router.
5. Put batteries into the camera and plug back the power cable of the Sync Module.
6. Wait for 5 minutes and then see if the problem is solved.

3. Re-add the Cameras to the Blink App

If a network change disrupts the trust relationship between the camera and the Blink app, the camera will stop working within the app. In such a case, re-adding the camera to the Blink app will solve the problem.

For multiple cameras, you may need to repeat these steps for each camera.

Delete Online Camera

1. Launch the Blink app and for the problematic Camera, go to Device Settings > General Settings > Delete Device.

   

2. Confirm to delete the camera and restart the phone.
3. Restart the router, sync module, and camera.
4. Launch the Blink app and tap on the Plus icon.
5. Select the problematic camera and see if the issue is resolved.

Delete Offline Camera

1. Launch the Blink app and tap on Offline Camera.
2. Near the bottom of the screen, tap on Delete Camera and confirm to delete the camera.

   

3. Restart the phone, router, sync module, and camera.
4. Add the Camera back to the Blink app, and verify if it is working correctly.

4. Re-log into the Blink App

If the Blink app is unable to retrieve necessary data from Amazon servers, you will not be able to use the cameras within the app. This situation may arise if the servers are encountering difficulties in properly authorizing the app on your phone.

To address this issue, re-log into the Blink app. This will re-establish the necessary authorization.

1. Launch the Blink app and go to its Settings.
2. Tap on Logout of Blink and restart the phone.

   

3. Log back into the app and verify if the problem is solved.

5. Disable VPN on Your Phone

While Blink cameras generally work well with VPNs, it’s important to note that VPNs can sometimes cause unforeseen complications. If you are experiencing issues with your Blink cameras and have a VPN enabled on your phone, disabling the VPN will do the trick here.

If you are using a 3^rd party VPN, disable it within the app.

1. Navigate to the iPhone Settings > VPN.

   

2. Disable VPN and see if the issue is resolved.

6. Manage the USB Drive

Blink cameras will not work if the storage drive is not operating correctly and as a result, the camera is not able to use the drive in its operations. Either the storage modules are malfunctioning or the file system is damaged. In a worst-case scenario, the storage media of the drive is damaged.

Here, reinserting the drive, deleting some videos from it, formatting it, or replacing it will resolve the issue.

Reinsert the USB Drive

1. Launch the Blink app and go to Sync Module > Local Storage.
2. Tap on Safe Eject USB and check if the cameras are working. Recordings will not work if you are not subscribed to a cloud storage plan but other features such as live view will work.

   

3. If the cameras are working, unplug the power cable of the Sync Module and wait for 5 minutes.
4. Plug back the power cable of the Sync Module and insert back the USB drive. See if the problem is solved.

Delete Old Videos

1. Launch the Blink app and go to Clips.
2. Tap and hold a video that is not required.

   

3. Select the Trash icon and select any other videos that are not required.
4. Tap on the Trash icon and check if the cameras are working as expected.

Format the Drive

If both the above methods didn’t work and you are still experiencing problems, you can move ahead and attempt to format the drive.

Through the Blink App

This will work only on supported devices such as Sync Module 2.

1. Launch the Blink app and go to the Sync Module Settings.
2. Open the Format Settings and format the drive in exFAT.

   

3. Once done, check if the cameras are working correctly.

On the Windows PC

1. Safely Eject the USB drive from the Sync Module (as discussed earlier).
2. Insert the USB drive into the Windows PC and open File Explorer.
3. Go to This PC and right-click on the USB drive.
4. Select Format and set the File System to exFAT.
5. Select the checkbox of Quick Format and click on Start.

   

6. Once done, click on OK and safely eject the drive from the PC.
7. Insert back the drive into the Sync Module and see if the issue is resolved.

Replace the Storage Drive

1. Safely Eject the USB drive from the Sync Module and insert a new drive. Make sure the drive is formatted in exFAT and has a capacity between 1 GB to 256 GB.
2. See if the Blink cameras are working.

If the issue persists, do a free trial subscription to the cloud storage and see if the cameras start working. You can cancel the subscription later on if it doesn’t work for you.

7. Re-add or Reset the Sync Module

The primary function of the Sync Module is to act as a central hub, responsible for relaying commands and network information to the Blink cameras within its designated system. If its settings are invalid or its firmware is damaged, the cameras & sync module will fail to work.

Here, re-adding or resetting the Sync Module will resolve the issue.

1. Launch the Blink app and go to the system in which the camera is present.
2. Open Sync Module and tap on Delete Sync Module.

   

3. Use the phone’s camera to scan the QR code shown and confirm to remove the Sync Module. After scanning the QR code, all previously connected cameras will remain connected, and will automatically be added back when you will re-add the sync module.
4. Navigate to the Home screen of the Blink app and tap on the plus icon.
5. Select the Sync Module and scan the QR code shown.
6. Follow the prompts on the screen to complete the process and once done, see if the camera’s issue is resolved.

Reset the Sync Module

If deleting doesn’t work, you can move ahead and reset the sync module completely. Make sure to follow the instructions to reset the module & note that all existing devices will be forgotten.