Blink Indoor vs. Blink XT2: Which should you buy?

Blink Indoor

Blink Indoor is a great way to get an affordable indoor camera with long battery life so you won't have to deal with wires.

Blink XT2

Blink XT2 is a versitile indoor/outdoor camera with a rated two-year battery life and great integration with Alexa and IFTTT. However, with new cameras on the market, it's tough to find to find in stock new since it's been discontinued.

The Blink XT2 may have just been announced one year ago, but it's already been replaced by Blink Indoor and Blink Outdoor. These two new cameras feature a new, sleeker design, the same great two-year battery life, and an upgraded software experience. Blink Indoor is the company's top-tier indoor-only camera, and it offers most of the same features of Blink XT2 for a reduced price.

The biggest difference, of course, is that Blink Indoor doesn't have any kind of weather-resistance so it's not safe to use outdoors, unlike the Blink XT2. You might think the win automatically goes to the XT2 here, but you'd be wrong. If you still need an outdoor-rated camera, however, Blink Outdoor is your best bet.

Blink Indoor vs. Blink XT2 New vs semi-new

It's only been one year since Blink introduced the Blink XT2, but one year can be a long time in the tech space. There are two new Blink cameras on the market. Blink Indoor is a sleek new camera with the same 1080p/30FPS video output in a package that's a hair thinner and half the weight of Blink XT2. While it's not as small as the Blink Mini, it's still incredibly light and, thanks to the wireless nature, easy to place anywhere.

Just like Blink XT2, Blink Indoor is rated to run for two years on two AA batteries, making it one of the longest-lasting wireless cameras on the market. Blink even offers a rechargeable battery pack that is rated for a whopping four years on a single charge. That amazing by itself, but even better when you think about how you won't have to deal with AA batteries ever again (well, for a long time).

Blink achieves this amazing battery life by only recording video when motion events are detected. Blink's ultra-low power motion detection module watches for motion all the time, and only activates the camera module when needed. You can also view the live feed at any time, but for sake of battery life, the live feed is limited to 30-second viewings at a time. Both cameras also support two-way audio, which means you won't just hear what's happening around the camera, but you can also speak through the camera via the Blink app.

Blink Indoor vs. Blink XT2 Privacy and storage

Blink Indoor utilizes Blink's latest software, which allows for privacy filters and customizable motion zones. Each of these options are separated in the app and can be separately set. Privacy filters allow users to completely block out entire portions of the video from recording, while motion zones make it so that motion detection is only active in designated areas of the video.

Blink Indoor supports both cloud and local storage, just like the Blink XT2. Blink offers free cloud storage with Blink XT2, which will store your videos in the cloud for up to one year. Blink no longer offers this free storage tier with Blink Indoor, but does at least give users a free trial of the storage plan with a $3/month fee afterward. Alternatively, you can simply plug a USB drive into the Blink Sync Module and record everything locally, and all videos are accessible via the Blink app.

Blink Indoor An inside job

While the Blink XT2 is made for both indoor and outdoor jobs, Blink Indoor, as you would imagine from the name, is meant only for indoor use. It doesn't feature a waterproof or dustproof rating, and isn't designed to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures. Blink Indoor's operating range is only between 32-95 degrees Fahrenheit, while Blink XT2 can operate safely between -4-113 degrees Fahnreheit. Folks looking for a camera that just needs to sit on a bookshelf looking at an entryway or door, for example, should definitely consider the Blink Indoor.

It's also half the weight, sleeker, and more subdued looking than the Blink XT2, and it costs less since it isn't weather-resistant.

Unlike the previous-generation Blink indoor camera, Blink Indoor (2020) sports the same 1080p resolution as Blink XT2 and Blink Outdoor, as well as the same infrared night vision. Blink has also optimized the software even further on Blink Indoor, helping to better achieve two-year battery life between battery changes and providing more accurate motion detection.

Blink XT2 Sadly discontinued

While the Blink XT2 was pretty great for its time and price, Amazon and Blink have officially discontinued the Blink XT2. As a result, if you're looking for a camera that can withstand the elements from Blink, you'll need to get Blink Outdoor.

If you just need an inexpensive indoor camera that's designed to only record when it sees motion, Blink Indoor is a truly great choice. If you're able to find a refurbished Blink XT2 for less than Blink Indoor, it's probably worth giving that one a shot, especially if you need a camera that's weatherproof. Otherwise, Blink Indoor features better hardware and a better software experience.