Blink Camera Not Recording Motion [9 Quick Fixes]

Is your Blink camera detecting motion but not recording? Putting up your smart camera for days without getting notified of motion, talk less of recording. Definitely something is wrong with your Blink camera.

Wireless home security cameras have become the great talk of homeowners from past years. Over it intensive security that uses broadband wireless internet to provide seamless video streaming over-internet.

Owning a Blink camera, you must be pleased with its motion recording feature. A stand-alone function that gets you notified and auto-records whenever a motion is detected at least 20 feet away from your Blink camera.

However, as every electronic device is prone to act up due to one reason or another. The motion detection and recording function of your Blink camera may suddenly behave badly, which may also decide not to respond.

Apparently, there are lots of reasons that may be preventing your Blink camera from recording when it detects motion. Nevertheless, we’ve prepared a few causes of actions that may cause the issue of the Blink camera not recording motion you’re experiencing.

In this blog post, you will get to know about nine quick fixes you can adopt for troubleshooting your Blink camera not recording motion. Either it is not picking up motion, or it detects motion but not recording. Following the below affixes can help you out in no time.

Are you wondering why your Blink camera is not recording motion? Check out the next section for details.

Contents

Why is My Blink Camera Not Recording Motion

Actually, the Blink camera motion recording feature has a number of supporting functions that determines its efficiency. These functions work alongside the Blink camera, an amazing feature and has a greater influence if not managed appropriately.

However, the most common reason which may likely cause your Blink camera to detect a motion but unable to record is your device current plan. Either you have an active subscription or you’re a non subscriber.

Basically, the device is shipped with a 1 month free trial on purchase which becomes active on activation. With the free one month trial that comes with the Blink camera, you can have a taste of premium features for the first 30 days of using the device system.

Meanwhile, the motion recording feature is most times made available for paid users, since it involves saving and recording all video clips and photos to the cloud storage, in order to make it accessible in the Blink App anytime and from anywhere.

Besides, if you consider buying a Sync Module 2 and a USB storage alongside the Blink camera (which are sold separately), you can have access to the motion detection video recording without any subscription, as every recorded video will be saved to local storage automatically.

The motion recording will probably stop working once you exhaust the free trial period. After this time, you can only access the live view and get notified once any motion is detected in selected zones.

Additionally, misconfiguration of some settings in the Blink App can also prevent your home security camera from recording motion. Even when having an active subscription. Such settings include Armed & Disarmed option, motion detection option, motion recording option, or energy saving option.

And also, the distance between your Blink camera and its assigned zones shouldn’t be a great amount, if you’re expecting the camera to function efficiently. Approximately, the Blink camera motion detection only works best in nothing greater than 20 feet.

That is, placing your Blink camera farther away can hinder the motion detection and prevent it from functioning properly. Such other reason that can possibly stop your Blink camera from recording motion include;

Low sensitivity level
Connected wireless network
Battery issue
Selected Zones
Corrupted USB Drive

How to Solve Blink Camera Not Recording Motion

Check Your Blink Camera Active Plan

The first thing to look into when troubleshooting your Blink camera not recording motion should be your current plan. The Blink wireless home security camera features a monthly and yearly subscription for users, in exchange for advanced function and benefits from the device.

You can choose between the Basic Plan which supports only one Blink device, either Blink Wired Floodlight Camera, Video Doorbell, Mini, Indoor, or Outdoor camera. And the Plus Plan that supports an unlimited number of devices on your Blink account.

However, with the Blink camera subscription plan, you can have access to some extra features such as extended live view that provides live views for the Blink Wired Floodlight and Mini cameras for up-to 90 minutes at a time, without intervention.

And also, Unlimited video recording access. In case you have an active subscription plan, all motion recordings, and live view recordings can be uploaded to cloud storage and made accessible on any device you’ve signed in your Blink account. Recordings are set to delete automatically after some time.

Ultimately, the features policy varies depending on location. You can resort to Blink subscription plan features page for their location policy, as well as other amazing functions you can get to enjoy with the paid plan.

In case you just got your Blink camera in past months. The system may probably work accordingly for the first 30 days, not until recently that some features stop working, as it also stops recording motion. Due to one reason or another, you may decide using the Blink camera at no cost is the best option for you.

Since you have got a Sync Module 2 and a free USB drive alongside your Blink camera, you can then proceed with the other troubleshooting steps to find out what you’re still missing out in the process, that may be hindering the Blink camera from recording motion.

Ensure the Blink Camera is Armed

The Armed and Disarmed option of your Blink devices is the small floating switch located at the down part of the Blink App home page. You might have got it turned off for a while, in such instances where you didn’t pay closer attention, or when you have zero idea of what it does.

Apparently, the Blink camera Armed and Disarmed is a separation option for changing the device status, which determines its activeness. Whether you want an efficient function such as motion detection, motion recording, live recording, and notifications alert, or you only need a live view for the moment.

The Arm settings of Blink camera is disabled by default, which requires you to turn it on manually before your system is able to detect or record any detected motion.

Additionally, this option is effective for all connected cameras, as there is no separate action button for each and every device. Unless you only have one device connected to your system.

However, your Blink system must be armed before you can start recording motion clips with the Blink camera. The switch option is located at the down part of the blink home page, you actually turn this by following the below procedure;

Open the Blink App with your account signed in.
Locate the Arm switch at the lower part of the home screen.
Toggle the switch to the Armed side which will make it turn blue and wait for it to synchronize.
And also, the motion detection option will turn on automatically once the Blink system is Armed.

In rare occasions, the motion detection option may refuse to turn on automatically in spite of Arming your Blink system. In such cases, you will need to turn on the motion detection manually in the Blink system settings. Check the next affix for the full process on how to turn on motion detecting.

Turn on Motion Detecting

Your Blink system motion detection function is required before motion recording can work. The setting needs to be turned on before your Blink camera can record clips if there is movement at the front of your security camera.

Basically, the motion detection setting is set to become active once the Blink system is armed. But due to some reasons, the setting may stay inactive even after you’ve armed the Blink camera.

In case your blink camera is still unable to record motion after adopting the above troubleshooting method, it is recommended to check and ensure the motion detection setting is turned on. To check the motion detection setting of your Blink system;

Launch the Blink App on your device.
From the list of connected cameras, locate the settings icon for the specific one that’s acting bad.
Click the Settings icon to see the camera settings.
Scroll down a little bit till you see an option which reads Enable Motion Detecting.
Toggle On the switch that adjacent the title to turn on motion detecting for the specific camera.

Not far below the motion detection setting is the motion recording option. If this option is not turned on as well, your Blink camera may not record any clip if motion is detected. Take some to minutes to check the motion recording setting as well, and ensure the option is switch On (the toggle will be on the right side)

Select Certain Zones for the Blink Camera

Just like the motion detecting and motion recording option in your Blink camera settings, the activity zone is also a pre-sensitive option that helps when setting up your camera in a busy environment. You wouldn’t like it when you keep getting notified of false motion detection.

Apparently, the activity zones option is made available in case you would like to deselect some parts of the camera view, in which the camera won’t record any changes in temperature of the image. This comes in handy when your Blink camera is placed outdoors, facing a busy street, or windy woods.

Purposely to prevent the camera from recording excessive motion clips and sending false alerts if there is a slight change in temperature, seeing that the camera uses only the Passive Infra-Red (PIR) sensor when activity zones are not grayed out.

Conclusively, defects in the activity zones can also result in setbacks when your Blink camera is trying to record any detected motion. In such cases, you may have misconfigured the settings unknowingly, maybe when you’re setting up your device for the time.

It is advisable to revisit the Zones area in the settings of Blink App. To do this; Launch the Blink App. Tap the Settings icon of any specific camera that doesn’t work well in motion recording. Scroll down to locate Zones in the Motion Detection section of the settings.

Select the appropriate places you would like the camera to focus on and send you notification if any movement is detected in these zones. You can resort to the video below on how to set up activity zones effectively for your home security cameras.

Increase Motion Sensitivity Option

In many instances, an unsuitable level of motion sensitivity can serve as hindrance and prevent the Blink camera from recording motion. When the sensitivity option is low to some extent, your Blink camera may not be detecting any movement near your security camera.

The motion sensitivity of your Blink camera measures the reactivity of the device to any movement it captures. The device will be forced to record and trigger the motion detection when the sensitivity is placed at high level.

On the other hand, if the motion sensitivity level is placed at a low stage, your Blink camera may find it harder to locate and detect any movement, talkless of triggering the motion recording action before it saves some clips for you to check on.

However, when your Blink camera still refuses to record motion despite arming the system and turning on motion detection, there are chances that your camera is not detecting any motion as a result of low level of motion sensitivity.

It is advisable to try adjusting the motion level to see how things will work out. Try increasing the motion level, in case it’s placed at a lower range before. You can easily access this in the Blink App settings by following the below outlined procedure.

Launch the Blink App on your smartphone.
Tap the Settings icon.
Scroll way down till you see an option tagged Motion Sensitive.
Increase the Sensitivity level by dragging the horizontal bar to the right side.
Leave it at a minimal stage and try out your camera motion recording.

Disable Energy Saving Feature

Basically, the power saving settings serve as a battery extender for the security camera. The function is programmed to turn off every excessive function of the security camera that can be considered as battery consumption features.

Just like every other smart device, the power saving mode will automatically turn off some certain function of your device, while extending its battery life in exchange for reducing its performance. Ultimately though, there is no need to worry about ruining the battery life.

The option is provided for safeguarding the battery life. Just as you’ve thought about it, the power saving mode might be the culprit preventing your blink camera from recording motion when it detects one. In such instances, the best measure to take is by disabling every single energy saving option for your Blink camera system.

Moreover, you can easily do this in the Blink system application on your smartphone. Follow the below guides to locate energy saving option settings on your Blink system App.

Launch the Blink App
Go to Settings.
Then locate and tap Power.
Then look for Energy or Battery saving option.
Switch off any active settings and look at other related options that do the same function.

Format and Re-Sync the USB Drive

Actually, a lot of Blink users have been able to work their way around the Blink not recording motion after inspecting the USB Drive that’s connected to the Sync Module 2. The external drive might be considered full, in case you have a bunch of clips from a long time ago.

Apparently, the Blink camera is programmed to work parallel with Sync Module 2, a standalone control unit which manages communications between your Blink devices and Blink secure servers, for uploading and accessing captured clips anywhere once you’ve signed in your Blink account.

For local backups and storage, the use of an external USB drive is made available, attached to the Sync Module 2 for keeping your saved clips offline. Rarely, your Blink camera may capture some motion but fails to save the clips successfully to the Blink server as well as your local storage.

In such instances, the two most common problems that may prevent the clips from saving successfully is congested Wi-Fi network, whereby there are many active users on your network source, or insufficient storage space which probably impacts the uploading process and leaves the clip nowhere to be found.

You can simply troubleshoot by restarting the Sync Module 2, reconnecting the external USB Drive, or removing and re-adding the Sync Module 2 to your Blink system. In case you’ve been using the device for a long period of time without clearing out some old files.

There are chances that the external drive storage has run out, which will require you to free some space before everything gets back to place. Literally, the device will notify you when the available storage is about to fill. To delete old clips from your Sync Module 2 local storage;

Firstly, Eject the USB Drive safely in the Blink App.
Launch the Blink App on your smartphone.
Locate and tap the Sync Module banner.
Then click Local Storage.
Look for Safely Eject and click to make the drive ready for discharge.
You’ll see a message when it is safe to remove.
Remove the USB and access it on your computer.
Free some storage space by deleting old files off the drive.
Reinsert the USB drive and power cycle the Sync Module 2 to re-synchronize the local storage

Replace the Blink Batteries

On the power side, the Blink camera may be going through some issues if its battery has worn down due to the device’s age, in case you’ve been using it for years. Supposing the battery is the factor preventing your Blink camera from recording motion, you can consider replacing the batteries with new pairs.

Before going ahead for battery replacement, you can check out the device battery health in the Blink system application on your smartphone. You can simply do this by Navigating to the Camera Settings screen of the App. Locate and tap the Settings icon, then select General Settings.

Scroll way down to the Monitoring section of the general settings. Locate the Battery option and check out its status that is adjacent to the title.

If it is “OK” that means the Blink batteries are good to use. In case it’s the other way round, as it shows Needs Replacement, you can then order for two pieces of AA 1.5 volt Lithium non-rechargeable batteries.

In certain circumstances, removing and reconnecting an electronics battery tends to rectify any glitch with its function, since the process can be considered as cold boot or cold restart. Despite the fact the battery test result came as OK, you can remove and reconnect the battery if that might help in your case.

Take off the Blink camera from the wall it’s mounted on. Remove the battery compartment cover to gain access to the batteries. Take out the batteries and wait for several minutes before putting it back. Return the battery compartment cover and put the camera back in its place.

Same process applies when replacing your Blink camera batteries, just that instead of inserting the old pairs, it will be replaced with the new pairs before everything is restored to its normal position.

Check Your Wireless Network

On rare occasions, congested wireless networks may be the culprit preventing your Blink camera from saving motion clips. The Blink camera system uses both cloud and local storage for means of saving recorded clips.

Actually, a strong internet connection of up-to 2 megabits per seconds or greater is needed for efficient upload of clips on your Blink camera system. Low internet speed will probably impact the camera performance, which may slow down or pause the upload process.

However, when the issue is with your connected wireless network, there might be a lot of reasons lurking around your network problem. Firstly, move your router closer to the Sync Module 2 or the other way around, if that’s what suits you.

In case moving both devices is not possible in your situation, you can consider going for a Wi-Fi extender to rebroadcast the wireless network wave. Most of the time, interference from walls and other Wi-Fi enabled devices in your home raises the need of a wireless range extender.

Apparently, your network plan plays a significant role in this case as well, when your current plan promised speed isn’t a deal that can accompany much device. In that regard, you can contact your internet service provider (ISP) for support about your current network speed, in case it needs an upgrade.

And also, cutting off some devices from your wireless network always works best in situations when the network is choked with multiple connections. Whereas, restarting your wireless network source is also an option.

Power cycle your home router to refresh its operating system.

Bonus Tip: Restore the Blink Camera

Is your Blink camera still refusing to record motion after trying out the series of fixes above? Worry not, we’ve got you covered on this with the bonus tip included for worst instances. You can only try this out when nothing else works for you.

For fixing any sort of glitch, bugs, or inappropriate configuration preventing the Blink from recording motion, restoring the Blink camera to factory setting is the last resort you can adopt.

Obviously, doing this will clear out all customization made to the camera system in past times, which will require a fresh start up when you’re done with the process. And also, seeing that all your Blink cameras are sync and controlled by its control unit Sync Module 2.

Therefore, you’re only restoring the Sync Module 2, there’s no need to disconnect or reset the Blink camera separately. Follow the below outlined procedure for restoring your Blink camera Sync Module 2 to factory settings.

Firstly disconnect the Sync Module 2 from your Blink system App.
Get closer to the device.
Take a closer look to find the reset button (located at side of the device)
Grab a tiny object, a needle or a paperclip you can insert into the pinhole.
Put it into the pinhole reset button, then press and hold for 5 seconds.
Now reconnect the Sync Module 2 with the Blink to see how things work out.

How Do I Get My Blink Camera to Record Motion

Basically, to get your Blink camera to record motion detected near your home security cameras, you’ll firstly need to Arm your Blink camera system. This can be turned on easily in the Blink App by switching in between Armed & Disarmed options.

Additionally, your Blink camera motion detection must be turned on, as well as motion recording option. And also, a significant level of motion sensitivity is required before your camera can detect any movement, and trigger the motion recording feature.

However, in order to avoid excessive motion clips and false motion detection notification, the focus area must be communicated clearly by blurring out the less significant areas with the activity zones option in the Blink App.

What to Do if Your Blink Camera Records When Disarmed?

In a general sense, your Blink camera shouldn’t be able to record any clips once you’ve disarmed the system. There are chances that you’re getting notified of any movement closer to your camera, as it records a short clip in spite of disarming your Blink system.

Definitely, something is off with your Blink system settings. By default, your Blink camera is disarmed automatically, which turns off both the motion recording and motion detecting setting not until you switch the toggle to the right side that reads Armed.

However, by arming the system, all other settings including motion recording and motion detecting will become active automatically, which the action won’t reverse when you later disarm the Blink system. Your camera may keep recording clips and sending motion alerts, not until you turn those settings off automatically.

In situations like this, you will need to disable each and every option manually by going to the settings. To do this, follow the outlined step-by-step guide below;

Launch the Blink system App on your smartphone.
Click the Settings icon on your screen.
Select the specific camera you’re accessing its settings.
Scroll down to locate the Motion Detection section.
Locate and turn Off Motion Detection.
Then Scroll a bit down to see the Motion Recording option.
Turn this option Off as well to prevent the camera from recording motion.
And also, ensure the whole system is disarmed.

Conclusion

I hope you found this post helpful. Following the provided troubleshooting steps, I believe you’ve been to rectify the Blink camera not recording motion problems you’re experiencing.

On a final note, seeing that the Blink motion recording feature serves as its significant function, inefficiency of this function only makes the device an expensive closed-circuit television (CCTV) to monitor real time activity without keeping records.

However, you can contact the Blink support system if the issue seems uncontrollable. You can simply reach Blink either through their support page or by submitting a ticket, in which their support agent will contact you through email as soon as possible. Based in the US or Canada, you can reach out to Blink phone support by calling 781-332-5465 or toll free at 1 833-392-5465.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why is my Blink camera not showing clips?

There might be a number of causes preventing your clips from showing in the clips section. Firstly, are you using the Blink cloud server or do you own a local storage for your clips? When you’re using the Blink Cloud server on a paid membership, it requires a stable internet connection to upload and access your clips in the Blink App.

In case it’s the other way round that you own a Sync Module 2 and use an external USB drive as your local storage, you’ll have to eject the drive safely, and access it on your computer, as these back up clips are not viewable in the Blink App. See how to access clips on your USB drive from a PC.

Additionally, the filter setting might be the reason why your Blink camera isn’t rendering any clips. You can check out the filter settings in the lower right corner of the Media screen. Tap the round circle to deselect the option for the device to show any kind of recorded clips.

And also, check the storage usage bar, if the usage percentage is zero, that means you’re not having any saved clips on your Blink system. You can inspect the Arm, motion detection, and motion recording settings to ensure your device gets some stuff saved next time.

Does Blink record every movement?

No, the Blink camera is programmed to record a clip only when it detects movement at closer contact to the camera. The device records when motion is detected or Live View is active. Blink cameras do not offer continuous recording. Though you can leave the system armed for a long period of time while it won’t record not until it detects motion.

How far away will a Blink camera pick up motion?

The Blink camera can probably detect motion from up-to around 25 feet from the camera location. However, its motion detection can be affected with a lot of factors hindering its sensibility of detecting motion in this range reliably. And also, the motion sensitivity in the Blink settings is also a great deal when it comes to Blink camera motion detection.

Can a Blink camera detect motion through a window or glass?

No, the PIR sensor featured in the Blink camera can not face out and detect a motion from a glass or window. According to Blinks reply to a user, it’s learned that the Blink’s PIR sensor cannot detect motion through glass, so a Blink indoor or Blink XT/XT2 camera positioned behind a window will not create clips when armed. You can only see through the window when using the live view.

How many phones can connect to Blink?

The Blink system can be accessed on as many smartphones as possible, since you’ll be using the same Blink credentials, your username and password. You can install the Blink application on any supported smart device and log into the same Blink account in order to be receiving alerts from as many sources as possible.