Can you recharge Blink Camera batteries or not? The batteries included with the Blink system are of the Lithium variety, so can they be recharged like standard Lithium-Ion or Li-Ion batteries found in devices like laptops and smartphones?
Amazon owns the Blink brand and company, which in turn makes affordable and compact security cameras of a wireless nature. Blink Cameras offer Full HD video (1080p), infrared night vision, customizable motion detection alerts, temperature monitoring, motion detection, and two-way audio.
What more can you ask for such cameras? Well, are blink camera batteries rechargeable? Or should they work with only “disposable” or “single-use” non-rechargeable lithium batteries like the ones included with the cams?
Are Blink Camera Batteries Rechargeable?
The Blink system Lithium batteries cannot be recharged. Even if you plug in the camera while the batteries are inside, they won’t recharge. The recommended batteries for Blink are AA 1.5-volt Lithium batteries you can’t recharge.
It’s actually forbidden by the Blink website for you to use rechargeable, alkaline, or Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries. Does that mean you absolutely can’t use a Li-Ion or Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery with your Blink cameras?
Are Blink cameras like Arlo cameras, wherein any battery not made of lithium like alkaline and rechargeable lithium-ion can damage it in the long-term? No, not necessarily.
Why is There a USB Port on the Camera?
If the camera works like remote control, clock, or RC toy car and can get power from disposable batteries alone (albeit long-lasting ones made of lithium instead of alkaline), then why does it have a USB port? Doesn’t that mean it can recharge the batteries?
No. The back of the camera has a USB port for use with the power adapter and micro USB cable. The adapter is sold separately. It powers your camera instead of the batteries and don’t recharge the batteries (which aren’t rechargeable anyway).
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For proper safety, use a Lithium-Ion battery pack instead of Lithium-Ion batteries on the battery slot. The Li-On batteries lack compatibility with the Blink Camera but the battery pack was made as an adapter or alternative to Li-On rechargeability.
- Power Adapters: For safety’s sake, only use USB power adapters for 1 amp and 5 volts. They mainly benefit to heavy users and cameras with high motion clip numbers. It ensures battery longevity so they don’t get drained so easily.
- Avoid Frequent Battery Replacement: Avoid frequently replacing your battery stock by using plugged-in mode for your camera, particularly the indoor ones.
- Doesn’t Help Recharge Batteries: The power adapter turns your camera into a pluggable camera instead of a battery camera. It switches power from the battery to the plug rather than recharges the battery.
- Go with a Compatible Battery Pack: Even if you place the cable with a Li-On battery, a battery pack works better than the slot reserved for Lithium non-rechargeable batteries.
Can You Use the USB Cable and Batteries at the Same Time?
Yes. It doesn’t recharge the batteries though. Remember to only use non-rechargeable batteries of the Lithium AA 1.5 volts variety. Don’t use Li-Ion, alkaline, or any rechargeable batteries thinking that the USB cable and plug work like a laptop’s power plug.
The camera will run on the available battery power if it’s plugged in then suddenly unplugged or if the power goes out. However, if both your Wi-Fi router and Sync Module cease working on some backup power of their own, your camera won’t work.
It needs the Sync Module and Wi-Fi Router more than the plug. If your Wi-Fi is working but your Sync Module isn’t, your camera can still record, upload clips for a short time period, and detect motion.
Is There a Way to Recharge Blink Cameras?
If there’s a will there’s away. While the default for Blink cameras preferred by Amazon and Blink involves using only AA disposable Lithium batteries, you can get a battery pack that you could recharge so that you won’t have to change to new batteries every time your cam runs out of juice.
The pack allows you to use Li-Ion batteries (or one specific one) without damaging your Blink Cam that’s only supposed to work with Lithium non-rechargeables.
The Wasserstein Built-In Li-Ion Battery
The Wasserstein Built-in Lithium-Ion Battery isn’t compatible with the Blink XT2 and XT but it’s compatible with Blink Indoor and Outdoor Cams. It costs roughly thirty bucks and offers the following services and benefits.
- Rechargeable: Even if your cam typically uses non-rechargeable or disposable Lithium AA batteries, you can use the battery pack on it without damaging it while it can be recharged itself for only 3 hours at a time.
- Capacity: The Wasserstein Built-in Lithium-Ion Battery has a 4,400 mAh capacity and offers 50 percent more battery life to your cam compared to the standard double AA batteries (non-alkaline). It can be recharged as a Li-Ion battery with its own plug.
- Reusable: Many Blink Cam users can’t accept that it only uses non-rechargeable batteries. Instead of buying incompatible Li-Ion rechargeables that can damage the device, go for the battery pack that works like a charm and offers sustainability for heavy-use Blink Cams.
- Save Money and Avoid Battery Stocks: Instead of buying expensive Lithium AA battery stocks that should last for about a year in low use and weeks or hours with heavy use, you can use your power grid electricity and charge the cam like your smartphone or laptop.
- Weatherproof: The battery pack snaps neatly into most Blinks and is made of rugged materials. This means it’s suitable for use at your yard or lawn instead of indoors. This extends the life of your cam without it being susceptible to damage itself.
- Freedom of Placement: Once you’ve installed the batteries, you can mount or place your Blink Cam anywhere and everywhere you want. It should work fine without any wires except when you’re in need of charging the rechargeable or reusable battery.
To Be More Specific
Like Arlo, Blink belongs to the “cameras powered by non-rechargeable batteries” category. The Amazon-approved way of powering Blink includes using a stock of disposable AA Lithium (not Alkaline) batteries that can last the camera for 1-2 years.
However, you can bypass this non-rechargeable issue with third-party equipment also sold at Amazonc.com like the Wasserstein Built-in Lithium-Ion Battery. It delivers power to your Blink cam without damaging it using an incompatible Li-Ion battery.
References:
- “Why is there a USB Port on the Camera?“, BlinkforHome.com, Retrieved December 20, 2021
- “Wasserstein Built-in Lithium-Ion Battery “, Amazon.com, Retrieved December 21, 2021
