Can you use Alkaline Batteries with your Blink Camera? Kind of but not really. Keep on reading to find out exactly what we mean by that. Here’s a hint though—what works with a clock might not work as well with a much more power-hungry smart camera.
Do Blink Cameras require Lithium batteries? For the most part, yes. Blink Cams come packaged with two Lithium AA 1.5-volt non-rechargeable batteries. To replace those batteries, you need to buy the same type. They should last about two years barring multiple motion-triggered events.
So can I use alkaline batteries in the Blink camera or not? Eh, maybe not. More on this later. Keep on reading to find out the truth. The short of it though is that you should stick with lithium batteries (AA).
You may also like: What are the Best Batteries for Blink Camera Usage?
Can I Use Alkaline Batteries in Blink Camera or Not?
You cannot. You can try and it will work for the short term but in the long term, these batteries drain rather easily. You can also damage or compromise the way the Blink Camera accepts and powers itself up with batteries by using the wrong battery type on it every time.
Alkaline batteries have too weak a current and too short a lifespan to support the Blink Camera, even if it doesn’t run 24/7. You won’t get the two-year maximum lifespan you’d normally have with a Lithium AA when compared to an Alkaline AA mostly reserved to power clocks and remote controls.
Lithium batteries are also disposable but only after lengthy use on the Blink Cam. They have a long storage life of about a decade and offer more longevity than their alkaline counterparts.
Alkaline, Li-Ion, and So Forth Not Recommended
Blink doesn’t recommend you use alkaline disposable batteries available in every last grocery checkout lane or convenience store out there. That much is plain to see. However, it also doesn’t’ recommend using rechargeable or Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion batteries either.
Ditto with Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries. All such batteries could negatively affect the performance of your camera. At best, they drain pretty easily and don’t give enough of an electrical charge to last long. At worst, they can impact your camera’s ability to even use the recommended Lithium AA batteries.
Alkaline disposable batteries work mostly with weaker-powered devices that don’t drain power as a surveillance Wi-Fi smart camera does. You can use it but it offers short-lived power at best.
Do Blink Cameras Require Lithium Batteries?
Yes. Blink Cameras even tend to come packaged with these batteries that you’re supposed to replace in two years or sooner. You don’t need to buy the same brand as the ones that came with your Blink device—just get Lithium AA batteries from makers like Energizer or Duracell.
You need a reliable power source when it comes to smart cams and home security monitoring for obvious reasons. You want the camera to record consistently and superbly when needed and such an operation inherently uses uploads of power anyway.
Lithium vs. Alkaline vs. Li-Ion Batteries
Long story short, lithium AA batteries work best as “disposable” batteries for high-drain devices such as digital cameras and the like, while CR123 lithium batteries work as replaceable alternatives for laptops, radios, and smart devices that normally use rechargeable batteries and battery packs.
Meanwhile, alkaline AA and AAA batteries work better to power much simpler machines with lower power demands like clocks, remote controls, electric shavers, and toys. This battery type is the most available and most well-known to the average layman.
Finally, Li-Ion or Lithium-Ion batteries can be availed of in metal cylinders like their disposable counterparts, but most of us known them as the battery packs of notebook PCs, PDAs, MP3 players, tablets, and smartphones.
Get the Right Type of Battery Too
As mentioned, using batteries such as Alkaline or rechargeable Li-Ion, Ni-Cd, or Ni-MH batteries is not advised and can also shorten the battery life of your Blink Cam. The current provided by them isn’t sufficient for the camera to work as intended. Only go for Lithium AA 1.5v batteries.
A “High Usage” warning display and message might end up on your Blink App whenever your camera settings use up higher than the normal amount of battery power.
Learn to optimize your camera settings by going to the default unless it’s necessary to catch a package thief or two. You might also turn down alerts and motion detection when dealing with stray animals.
The Batteries That Came with Your Blink Camera
Speaking of which, Blink products tend to come with two AA batteries of the lithium variety instead of grocery store AA alkaline batteries that get used up sooner and have a weaker current. The exception to this rule is the Blink Mini, which uses the micro USB power adapter plug instead.
The estimated time for such batteries to last should be 2 years with standard usage. It won’t really last for half a day of nonstop running because Blink Cams cut off recording times with a cap of under a minute (50 seconds) before turning off.
Defining Standard Usage
Standard usage entails about 4,000 five-second motion clips annually or about 15 hours of total video recording, which includes Live View. It can last half a day if it were working nonstop but like most cameras, Blink activates using triggers instead to conserve energy.
Nevertheless, if the Blink Cam gets used often because it activates with too many audio or motion clip events, it might instead last within under a month or under a week depending on how often it’s triggered.
Things that Hurt the Blink Cam’s Battery Life
They are many things that hurt the Blink Cam’s battery life. They include weak signal strength of the Wi-Fi, slow Internet, and extreme temperatures if you’re using the batteries on Blink’s outdoor camera line. An overheating device can also sap batteries of power.
You should regulate the use of your battery power by fiddling with the settings of your Blink Cam’s motion events or length of recording. Don’t use its Live View or live-streaming mode too often either.
In Summary
Blink Cameras can easily drain Alkaline batteries even when used without 24/7 surveillance plans or regular motion-triggered events.
Blink can’t use alkaline, Li-Ion, Ni-Cd, or Ni-MH batteries. Or they can but they tend to not last very long and it might damage Blink’s ability to hold a battery charge even when using the recommended Lithium AA battery type that it came with.
You can use third-party rechargeable battery packs or rechargeable batteries with their own charging ports but do so at your own risk. Blink maintains that you should only use Lithium instead of Li-Ion.
References:
- “How Long Do the Blink Camera Batteries Last?“, BlinkforHome.com Support, Retrieved December 24, 2021
- “Do Blink Cameras Require Lithium Batteries? All The Requirements“, SmartHomeStarter.com, November 4, 2020
