Smart homes should also be safe places to live. Blink cameras are a cheap and easy-to-use way to keep your home or business safe. Their apps are easy to use, and you can set up and start using a Blink camera in just a few minutes.
Since Amazon bought Blink in 2018, these cameras also work well with the Alexa ecosystem that Amazon has built. So, if you have an Echo or Fire TV device, Blink is a great way to get live camera feeds or alerts when something moves.
In this article, I’ll show you how to link Blink to Alexa devices like the Echo Show and Fire TV Stick and tell you what you can do with it.
Can Alexa Control My Blink Camera?
Yes, Alexa works with all Blink cameras, including the Blink Outdoor, Blink Mini, and Blink Video Doorbell. The Blink Amazon store has a full list of all of these devices.
Once you’re connected, you can use your Blink Alexa integration in a few ways:
- You can use your voice to bring up a camera on your Echo Show or Fire TV.
- Get notified when your Blink camera sees something moving.
- Start routines with Alexa when your camera detects motion.
How To Link Blink Camera To Alexa?
- Start up the Blink app on your phone (iOS or Android).
- Click the Account button in the bar at the bottom of the page. It looks like a single person in a circle and is the second one from the right.
- From the Account menu, choose “Link to Alexa.”
- Tap “Open Alexa App.”
- To start setting up the Blink Alexa skill, click ENABLE TO USE.
- Type in your Blink login information and click the Sign In button. Before this step, you’ll need to create a Blink account through the Blink app or website if you haven’t already. You can use any 4-digit number that is easy to remember and safe (don’t use 0000!).
- You’ll get a text message from Blink with a code. Type that code here, then click the Verify Code button. This step isn’t always smooth. Wait a few minutes and try again if it doesn’t work.
- Click Close.
- Click DISCOVER DEVICES. Before you do this step, make sure that all of your Blink devices are plugged in and, if possible, already set up in the Blink app.
- Click SET UP DEVICE if your Blink camera is found. If that doesn’t work, use the app to figure out what’s wrong.
- In the next two steps, you can choose which group your camera will be in. You can skip this step, but it makes it easier to set up Alexa commands and routines if you group devices together. If you want to add your camera to a group of Alexa devices, choose the group from the list. In this case, I’m adding a camera to my group called “Living Room.”
- You can add the camera to a group by clicking ADD TO GROUP or SKIP (you can still do this later).
- Click the “Continue” button. If you didn’t add the camera to a group, you won’t see this screen.
- Tap DONE. Alexa is now connected to your Blink camera.
Other Cameras That Work With Alexa
Here are some other options if you already have a smart camera system or if Blink doesn’t have the features or compatibility you need.
All of these work with Alexa, but they may not have the same level of integration as Blink. Amazon bought Blink in 2018, so you can expect that Alexa integrations with Blink will always have more features than integrations with other camera brands.
Ring Camera
- Ring Video Doorbell (3, 4, Wired, Pro, Pro 2, Elite)
- Ring Indoor Cam
- Ring Stick Up Cam (Plug-in, Battery, Solar)
- Ring FloodLight Cam Wired (Pro, Plus)
- Ring Spotlight Cam (Battery, Wired, Mount, Solar)
Arlo Cameras
- Arlo Spotlight Cameras (Ultra 2, Pro 3, Essential)
- Arlo Essential Indoor Camera
- Arlo Video Doorbells (Essential Wire-Free, Essential Wired)
- Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera
Google Nest Cameras
- Nest Cam Outdoor
- Nest Cam Indoor
Logitech Cameras
- Logitech Circle 2 Wired Camera
Does Echo Dot Work With Blink?
Echo Dot and other Echo devices that don’t have a screen can let you know when your Blink camera detects motion and run routines when the Blink camera detects motion. They can’t show the live feed from the camera directly, but they can send it to a Fire TV screen.
Final Thoughts
The Alexa ecosystem makes Blink cameras even more useful as security tools. But this isn’t the only way to add Alexa to your home security system. For example, Amazon’s home protection plan, Alexa Guard Plus, gives your Echo devices even more security features. Guard Plus also works with security cameras from Blink, Ring, and other brands.
Check out my full list of 40 ways to use smart plugs if you want more ideas for automating your home. A lot of these ideas work well both with Alexa and with Blink. Check out my lists of Alexa Roomba commands and Alexa Fire TV commands for more Alexa ideas.