- Earlier this year, Amazon announced updates
to its lineup of security brands Ring and Blink,
with Ring getting a new Spotlight Cam
and Blink getting a swivelly mount?
Meet the new Blink Mini Pan-Tilt camera.
It's Blink's newest solution
to its previously stationary Blink Mini.
In the box, you'll find a dome-shaped mount,
a power cable, and a Blink Mini all ready to go
when paired with the app.
Everything about the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt feels
like a standard indoor camera.
It comes with everything you'd need,
like two-way talk, night vision, motion alerts,
and even a trial to Blink's cloud service.
But while I appreciate Blink's clever shortcut
around creating a new PTZ camera,
it's really hard to get over
just how goofy this thing looks.
So, let's get into it.
Can this robotic sock puppet protect your home better
than a regular camera?
Let's find out.
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If you've ever used a Blink Mini camera,
you've already experienced the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt.
The only difference between the Mini and the Pan-Tilt
is the stand.
That's it.
Upon further investigation,
the Mini I had on hand fit perfectly well onto the stand.
So, you can swap out any Blink Mini
for the one that comes in the box.
All the actions, settings, and playback
for the PT can be found in the Blink app.
After installing, the app automatically signed me up
for a Blink cloud trial,
which allows me to play back clips and then save them
to my phone.
Without that cloud trial,
you'll need a Blink Sync Module 2,
which serves as local storage.
On its own, the camera is pretty middle of the road.
Its video is clear 1080p and the audio is much better
than the Blink doorbell that I tested earlier this year.
So, if the only difference between this
and this is this,
then what's the big deal?
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Well, the camera is the same.
The biggest advantage to the Blink Mini PT is view.
The rotating mount can move 350 degrees horizontally,
125 degrees vertically,
and the 110-degree field of vision from the Blink Mini
can see the entirety of whatever room you're in.
Plus, controlling it in the app is just a simple keypad,
up, down, left, right.
The home button in the middle re-centers the camera
back to its home position in dead center.
You can reprogram this home position
to face anywhere you please too,
whether it's the front entryway, your pet's kennel,
or the kids' play area, wherever.
Unfortunately, though, there are no wall mounting screws
included with the Blink PT.
So, mounting it to the wall or ceiling
may take a little bit of DIY trickery.
But all it needs is a small bolt to screw the base into.
An even bigger missing feature is its lack
of motion tracking,
the one thing I hoped would set it apart
from other Blink cameras.
Motion tracking is a feature I've seen
in other PTZ cameras lately.
Take the Yi Dome U, for example.
When cameras like this catch motion,
the setting tells them to follow the action.
So, it can turn to view someone talking in the room
or watch someone cross its field of vision.
But Blink doesn't do this.
All its movement needs to be manual.
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As far as features and the app goes,
the Blink Mini PT doesn't get a lot of new stuff.
Other than moving,
everything you can do with the Blink PT,
you can do with the Mini.
Here are a couple of universal Blink features
I did like, though.
Within the home view,
you can take a snapshot of what the camera sees.
This will replace the thumbnail for a quick view
when you can't watch a live video feed.
If you're away and get a notification
or the livestream won't load,
it's a pretty quick and practical way to check in.
There's also an arm and disarm option
just below the video feed.
Switching these will trigger motion alerts.
When you're home and safe,
there's no need to get constant motion alerts
from every camera.
So, this is a good way to reduce false alarms.
Just be sure to arm it when you do leave.
Within the video feed,
you can tell the PT to do a 360-degree check,
extend the live view, and access device settings.
This is also where you can access two-way talk
through the camera's speaker.
Test, test, check, check.
This is what the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt sounds like.
As for the camera settings,
they are identical to the normal Blink Mini
and other Blink cameras.
You can toggle motion features,
clip length and notifications, streaming quality,
and all that good stuff.
The only Pan-Tilt settings in the app currently
are for firmware and calibration,
which is a little disappointing.
This is exactly where I expected to see something
for motion tracking or literally anything more exciting.
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In my opinion, the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt
may not be the best use of $60 out there.
The stand adds a little mobility
to an already decent camera, but not much else.
If you're looking to watch over a large room
full of pets or kids,
this might be a good solution.
But a better one would be just a well-placed Blink Mini.
The field of view is already adequate
for wide spaces and you can mount a Blink Mini
much more easily than its dizzy counterpart.
I also thought the sound and the video from the Mini
exceeded my expectations.
As for the mount itself,
it feels just a little too goofy to scare off intruders.
Maybe it's an attempt to make indoor security cameras
seem friendlier, but to me,
it feels like a weird robotic puppet.
Ultimately, Blink's attempt to cut costs
while staying competitive is a nice try,
but it comes off cartoony.
Unless you're dedicated to Blink as your camera brand,
you're much better off with a cheaper PTZ camera
that doesn't require any extra steps.
That's it for me on the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt.
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if you wanna see our reviews on other Blink gear
and security cameras.
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Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Thanks for watching.
And if you want more safety,
head over to safewise.com and you can find reviews
and our lineups of best home security systems,
best wireless cameras, and more.
Stay safe.
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