Why Does My Blink Camera Always Say Low Battery? (And the Fix)

If you own a Blink Outdoor or Blink XT2 camera, you may know the routine: fresh batteries go in, and before long the Blink app says they need replacing. Blink’s own support pages name the usual causes: the wrong battery type, a weak network connection, and extreme temperatures. This guide sets out what Blink says, with links to its pages, then what each fix involves and how long a pair of batteries should last.

We have not run battery tests on Blink cameras. Where this guide gives runtimes, they are Blink’s own figures or estimates worked out from battery capacity, and the math is shown.

What Blink Says About Batteries

• Battery type. Blink’s power page says battery-powered Blink cameras are designed for size AA 1.5 volt lithium non-rechargeable batteries. That covers the Outdoor 4, the Video Doorbell, the Outdoor and Indoor (3rd Gen), and older models such as the XT, XT2 and Indoor (1st Gen).
• What not to use. Blink’s USB power page says not to use lithium-ion, alkaline or rechargeable batteries in a Blink camera.
• Which brand. Blink’s battery guide recommends Energizer Lithium 1.5-volt non-rechargeable batteries and adds that performance may vary with other battery types.
• Battery life. Up to two years on default settings, varying with settings, use and environment.
• Battery status. The app shows each camera’s battery as OK or Needs Replacement, under Device Settings, then General Settings. It also shows a “High Usage” alert when your settings are likely to drain the batteries faster than normal.

Why the Warning Comes Early

Blink’s battery-life page says its cameras are only compatible with AA 1.5 volt lithium non-rechargeable batteries, and lists three things that can affect battery life:

1. A slow internet connection.
2. Extreme heat and cold.
3. A weak signal between Blink devices and your Wi-Fi network.

Wrong chemistry. Blink doesn’t publish how the camera decides a battery needs replacing. NiMH rechargeables are a common culprit, though. They run at a nominal 1.2V per cell (Battery University, BU-203), below the 1.5V of the lithium cells the camera is built around. It would not be surprising if the camera read them as low early. Either way, Blink’s answer is the same: switch to the lithium AAs it specifies.

Signal and settings. If you already run lithium AAs, look at the connection next. Move the Sync Module closer to the camera, or the router closer to both, and watch for the High Usage alert. More motion clips, longer clips and more Live View all use more energy.

Cold. Outdoor cameras sit in the cold all winter. Energizer rates its Ultimate Lithium AA (L91 datasheet) to operate from −40 °C to 60 °C, against −18 °C to 55 °C for its standard alkaline AA (E91 datasheet). Blink lists weather resistance among the benefits of lithium batteries. The camera has its own limit too: the Outdoor 4 is rated to operate from −20 °C to 45 °C (−4 °F to 113 °F).

How Long Should a Pair Last? (Estimated)

Runtime is roughly the energy in the batteries divided by what the camera uses in a day. Blink doesn’t publish its cameras’ power draw, so we start from Blink’s own battery-life figure and work backwards:

• A pair of Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAs holds about 2 × 4,500 mWh = about 9,000 mWh. That is our estimate: Energizer gives no mWh figure, and the constant-power chart in its L91 datasheet shows roughly 4,200 mWh per cell at a 1 W draw and roughly 5,000 mWh at 0.1 W. At a camera’s light average draw the real figure may be higher, which would raise the daily figures below but not the life estimates, since those scale from Blink’s own two-year figure.
• Blink says up to two years on default settings, which is about 730 days.
• 9,000 mWh ÷ 730 days = about 12 mWh a day. Because two years is Blink’s upper figure, that is the camera’s average daily use at best.

The same pair at higher activity:

These are estimates from capacity, not measurements. Motion events, clip length, Live View, signal strength and temperature all move the real figure.

Stopping the Battery Buying: Blink’s Own Options

• USB power. Blink cameras with a USB port on the back (the Outdoor 4, the Outdoor and Indoor (3rd Gen), and the older XT, XT2 and Indoor (1st Gen)) can run from a micro USB cable and a 5V/1A adapter. Blink says the batteries still drain a little on USB power, and the camera falls back on them in a power cut. So keep lithium AAs installed.
• Outdoors on USB. The XT and XT2 lose their weather resistance when the rubber cover over the USB port comes off. For the Outdoor (3rd Gen), Blink recommends its weather-resistant 13 ft power cable and adapter pack. For the Outdoor 4, it recommends its Weather Resistant Power Adapter.
• Solar. The Blink Solar Panel Mount powers the Outdoor (3rd Gen) only.

Changing Blink Batteries: A Quick Checklist

1. Use AA 1.5V lithium non-rechargeable cells, as Blink specifies.
2. Replace both at once. Don’t mix old and new cells, or different brands.
3. Match the polarity markings in the battery compartment.
4. Check the status afterwards in Device Settings, then General Settings. It should read OK.
5. Know when to replace. Blink says to replace the batteries when you get a low-battery alert, or when the camera goes offline and you have ruled out the network.
6. Storing a camera? Blink says to take the batteries out if it will sit unused for a long time.

Where SCIGOLD AA Fits

SCIGOLD AA is a rechargeable 1.5V lithium-ion AA. Blink excludes lithium-ion and rechargeable batteries, so we don’t recommend it for Blink cameras. It is meant for AA devices whose makers do not exclude rechargeable lithium AA cells. Whatever the device, check its manual first.

Summary

If your Blink camera keeps asking for new batteries, start with the battery type. Blink specifies AA 1.5V lithium non-rechargeable cells, such as Energizer Ultimate Lithium, and says not to use alkaline, lithium-ion or rechargeable ones. Then check the Wi-Fi and Sync Module signal and your camera’s settings. On default settings, Blink quotes up to two years from a pair. By our capacity estimate, twice the activity means about a year and four times about six months. To stop buying batteries, use Blink’s own USB or solar options.