Amazon continues to increase its catalog of products for the home in Spain. One of the last to arrive has been this Blink Video Doorbell, a “smart” doorbell with a camera and without cables that is very easy to install and install at a fairly reasonable price. We have tried it, and this has been our experience.
First of all, is it legal?
Before installing a doorbell with a camera, you should ask yourself if it complies with current legislation in our country. After all, in this case, it is a product developed in the United States, a country with other laws and even with different urban architecture.
The answer is yes, but with nuances: if the device does not allow recording and only captures images when someone knocks on the door, they are considered to belong to the personal and private sphere. The thing changes if the device has a camera and can record images at any time.
Following the Data Protection Law, if the device’s camera only records our property and only a plot in front of the door, then the Spanish Data Protection Agency considers them private, for short, AEPD, so they are excluded from image processing.
But this is not always the case: what happens when the doorbell camera is directed to the street, a typical community area, or the urbanization? Then it will be necessary to take specific extra measures:
The camera should only point to common areas, and images of public roads may not be captured unless it is essential (as an exception, a minimum strip of access is allowed). If the camera can be panned or zoomed (this is not the case with the Blink Video Doorbell), then a privacy mask is required to prevent capturing images of the street, adjoining grounds, or other dwellings.
You will need the permission of the Community of Owners, and the approval must be recorded in the minutes.
If it records images, then you will need notice. Thus, you will have to register as responsible through the Facilita RGPD tool to ensure compliance with data protection. And you will have to report that it is a video-monitored area with a sign showing who is responsible and the possibility for people to exercise their rights.
The recorded images may be kept for up to a month unless used as evidence in a complaint.Zone
Cameras at the door of the house that can record the neighbors: how to use them to comply with the law
Installation Options and Features
One of the best assets of the Blink Video Doorbell is its versatility since you can install it wired or wireless, with or without Sync Module 2 (not included, so you will have to buy it separately for 34.99 euros), and it has a series of functions accessible and others of payment.
In the device’s box, you will find the device with a frame so that you can fix it to the wall, the mounting kit with screws and plugs, and even the batteries for its power supply. According to Amazon, its autonomy can be up to two years, although it will depend on several factors.
If you install it wirelessly, for example, on a door that doesn’t have a doorbell, then every time someone knocks, you’ll receive the alerts as an in-app notification. If you want your doorbell to ring as well, then replace your doorbell and mount the Blink Video Doorbell wired. This has two advantages: if the internet goes down, you still get the old-fashioned warning, allowing you to watch live video and access two-way audio whenever possible.
But you can also have this last point, that of live video and bidirectional audio, by buying the Sync Module 2. If you don’t use Sync Module 2 (my case), then you will only be able to see live video and bidirectional audio in the app and with Alexa, as long as someone knocks on the door or there are motion events.
With cables, without cables, with or without a subscription, with or without Sync Module 2… one of its significant assets is its versatility.
Finally, there is the storage service. If you opt for the free version, the videos are stored locally. If you also have the Blink Sync Module 2, you can back up video clips locally with a USB drive and watch them from 10 different devices, for example, on your computer. A subscription plan also allows you to save and share recordings in the cloud (3 euros/month for a device, 10 euros/month for an unlimited number of devices).
I’ll give you some background: I have carried out the analysis in my family home, a ground floor with two entrances, the main one and access through a garage with a garden through which you enter the house through the living room. I have placed the Blink Video Doorbell precisely on the door that separates the living room from the garden, so wireless, without Sync Module 2, and I have not contracted extra services.
Connected doorbell buying guide: installation options, compatibilities, and featured models
Connected doorbell buying guide: installation options, compatibilities, and featured models
Ding dong, who is it?: operation and experience
The hardest thing for me to get the Blink Video Doorbell up and running was my inexperience with the drill, even though it even comes with a guide, but in total, it took no more than 10 minutes to install and configure.
Download the Blink app (available for iOS and Android) on your mobile, create an account to access the batteries in the device and add it to your account. Then you will only have to choose the type of installation and add Wi-Fi. It’s not much different than setting up connected devices like a light bulb or plug, except for the part where you’ll have to screw the frame to the wall and embed the machine afterward.
The kit is complete, the finishes and materials are simple but resistant, and the device itself is robust, relatively compact, and functional, with IP54 weather resistance against water and dust and an operating temperature of -20 to 45 °C that on these days of a heat wave has made me sweat because of how tight it is.
Considering that it is a device designed to be outdoors, a wider operating temperature could be expected because, in these latitudes, it is not unreasonable to exceed 40 degrees in summer.