Blink Camera Blinking Red (4 Common Causes & Fixes!)
If your Blink camera is blinking red, don’t worry, this is a very common occurrence.
That said, a blinking or flashing red light can signify a handful of different problems, so you’ll have to do a little investigating in order to narrow things down.
Ultimately there are four main reasons your Blink camera blinks red: 1. Poor signal strength (blinks every 3 seconds) 2. Motion is being detected 3. Batteries are losing power (blinks red 5 or 6 times after blue recording light goes out) 4. The camera is new and needs to be setup.
But by far, the most common cause of a blinking red Blink camera is a lost WiFi connection.
Camera has poor signal strength, or lost connection entirely
The most common reason a Blink camera blinks red is when it looses its connection to WiFi. To see if that’s indeed the case, simply check the camera’s signal strength.
Begin by opening up the Blink app on your smart device and checking the “live view” of the camera that’s blinking red. To check “live view”, click on the camera icon on the left.
If a live video stream appears, that means your camera is working just fine and you can probably skip down to the next section.
If you do not see a live video stream, then it’s likely because of a bad or lost signal.
The are three types of Blink “signal strengths”:
- Your camera’s connection to WiFI
- You camera’s connection to the Sync Module
- The Sync Module’s connection to WiFi
To check your camera’s signal strength settings (both camera to WiFi and camera to Sync Module), select the settings icon by the camera in question. Then go to the bottom of the screen and select “Update” under the Status menu.
To check your Sync Module’s signal strength, go to the Home screen of the Blink app and then scroll down until you see “Sync Module”. Click on it. You will see the status of your Sync Module’s signal right at the top.
You want to see a signal strength of three blue bars! This signifies that your camera and sync module are well connected.
How to improve signal strength
If you don’t see three bars of signal strength for your camera or your Sync Module, try doing the following:
- Disconnect the Sync Module from its power source. Wait two minutes. Plug it back in.
- Disconnect your router/modem from its power source. Wait two minutes. Plug it back in.
- Reposition your Sync Module so that it is closer to your router/modem
- Reposition your Blink camera so that it is closer to your Sync module
- Hard reset the Sync module
- Hard reset the Blink camera
- Remove and then re-add the Sync Module
- Remove and then re-add the Blink camera
It’s highly likely that one of these fixes will get your camera back online again, so make sure you try each and every one!
Motion is actively being detected
If your camera is working as it should, and has a strong WiFi signal and Sync Module signal, then it’s possible the blinking red light you’re seeing is from your camera detecting motion.
You can easily test to see if this is what’s happening.
First, check to see if the camera in question has motion detection enabled.
Open up the Blink app and take a look at the “running man” icon. When this icon is blue, that means that camera has motion detection enabled. If it’s gray, then motion detection is disabled.
NOTE: If your Blink system is “Disarmed” you won’t see the “running man” icon. It must be “Armed”!
If motion detection is not enabled, then you can move on to the next section.
But if it is enabled, then you should test the camera to see if motion causes the red LED to flash.
Simply stand outside the activity zone of the camera as to not be detected. Then walk in front of the camera to trigger motion detection. If you see a red LED light blink, you know motion is what’s causing it.
You should try this a few times to be sure.
Camera has low battery power
Another possible reason your Blink camera is flashing red is because of dead, or dying batteries. Blink camera batteries will typically last about 2 years, give or take.
To quickly check if your camera’s batteries are dying, open up the Blink app on your smart device and then click on the camera settings icon (just to the right of the “running man” icon).
Right at the top of the Camera Settings screen, under “Monitoring”, you will see “Battery”. This will tell you if your batteries are “OK” or “NEED REPLACEMENT“.
If they NEED REPLACEMENT, you should immediately replace them with a fresh pair. Start by removing the back of your Blink camera. Take out the old batteries and replace them with a new pair.
NOTE: avoid using any Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries. Only use AA 1.5 volt Lithium non-rechargeable batteries.
Camera is new and needs to be setup
If none of the reasons documented above explain why your Blink camera is blinking red, it could be that your camera hasn’t been fully set up yet.
To add a Blink camera, open up the Blink app on your smart device.
1. On the Home screen, click on the plus icon (+) at the top right hand corner. This will allow you to add a new device.
2. On the Add Device screen you will see a list of possible devices you can add to your Blink system. Select “Wireless Cameras”.
3. You will be brought to a QR code scanning screen and your phone’s camera will open. You can either 1. use your camera to scan the QR code on the back of your Blink camera or 2. enter the serial code manually.
4. If the QR code/serial code is added correctly, the camera setup process will automatically begin and the app should indicate that your camera has been added.
Once your Blink camera is successfully added, the blinking red light should stop.
Conclusion
If you’re seeing a blinking or flashing red light on your Blink camera, it is likely due to one of the following reasons:
- Your camera has poor signal strength with your WiFi, Sync Module, or both
- The camera is actively in the process of detecting motion
- Your camera batteries are low and need to be replaced
- The camera is new and needs to be setup
But by far, the most common cause of a blinking red light on a Blink camera is poor, or lost WiFi connection. I’ve found that simply unplugging my router/modem for 30 seconds or so and then plugging it back in helps restore connectivity!
