Blink Mini vs Wyze Cam 2022 -do they support microSD? Blink Mini is an indoor, plug-in security camera with 1080 HD video, motion detection and two way audio that lets you monitor the inside of your home day or night. Wyze Cam automatically records a 12-second Event Video when it detects motion or sounds. Videos are securely uploaded to the AWS cloud via end-to-end encryption and are accessible for 14 days — no subscription or monthly fees required.
Based on the feature set and ecosystems, given the choice between the two, I would go Wyze. If you are looking for an outdoor camera, then at the moment, it would have to be Blink but expect that to change in the coming months.
Pros & Cons – Blink Mini vs Wyze Cam 2022
Wyze
Pros
- 1080p video with 8x digital zoom
- Free cloud recordings for 14 days
- Optional microSD storage on-device
- Works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- Lowest price
Cons
- Shortcuts and notifications are slow
- Poor customer support
- Wired power only; no battery
Blink Mini
Pros
- 1080p video
- Seamless integration with Alexa and Amazon
- Free cloud storage through December 31, 2020
- Local storage option forthcoming
Cons
- Doesn’t work well with Google Assistant
- Wired power only; no battery
- Short live feed
- Slightly more expensive
Which is a better indoor camera – Blink Mini vs Wyze Cam 2022?
The Wyze Cam and Blink Mini have a ton in common, from their color to their size, to many of the same capabilities. There are, however, a few significant differences to note before you make a purchase decision, so let’s lay out the specs and see how they stack up.
| Wyze Cam | Blink Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 3.52 oz | 1.7 oz |
| Dimensions | 2.2 x 2 x 2 inches | 2 x 1.9 x 1.4 inches |
| Colors | White | White |
| Power Source | Wired Plug-in | Wired Plug-in |
| Two-Way Audio | Yes | Yes |
| Image Resolution | 1080p | 1080p |
| Field of View | 110 degrees | 110 degrees |
| Infrared Night Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Live View | Yes | Yes |
| Motion Alerts | Value | Yes |
| Voice Assistant Compatibility | Google Assistant Amazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa |
| Cloud Storage | Free recordings stored for 14 days | Free until December 21, 2020 Subscription plans afterward. |
| Local Storage | Yes via microSD card | Forthcoming solution Separate equipment required |
Customer review comparison – Blink Mini vs Wyze Cam 2022
Design
Blink Mini is simple, small, and square: The Blink Mini sticks to the basics. The front of the camera is black, but is housed in a white cube with rounded corners. It rests on an adjustable white stand, and comes with two screws, which you can use to mount the camera to a wall or ceiling.
The tiny, cube-shaped Wyze Cam V2 looks almost identical to its predecessor, only this time around the finish is matte white rather than glossy white. It has the same measurements (2.2 by 1.9 by 1.9 inches, HWD) and uses the same flexible hinge and swivel base that gives you a little more than an inch of height adjustability
Mount
Blink’s base/mount feels cheap and doesn’t swivel as nicely as Wyze’s. You’ll need the two included screws to mount it.
The Wyze Cam has an awesome mount and stand that can swivel almost 360 degrees. Wyze’s base is magnetic and the kit includes a magnetic plate with double-sided tape. You can place the plate on any wall and the camera’s base will latch onto it. It’s a great mounting system and there are no screws involved.
Storage – Blink Mini vs Wyze Cam 2022
Wyze doesn’t require a base station or sync module and you can record locally by plugging in a MicroSD card up to 32 GB directly into the camera.
Blink is offering free cloud storage for more than half a year (at the time of publication, it’s offering free storage through the end of 2020), and the company promises a separate solution for external storage later this year. However, neither of these options quite matches up with what Wyze is offering straight out of the box.
With 14 days of free cloud storage, on-device storage capacity built-in, great connections to Alexa and Google Assistant, all at nearly $10 less than the Blink Mini, it seems pretty clear to me that the Wyze Cam is the one to go with.
Voice assistant
One of the features that make this camera so easy to recommend is that it works with both Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa. Regardless of which smart home ecosystem you live in, you can pick up one or more of these affordable cameras and trust that they’ll work with your preferred assistant. If you do happen to be in an Alexa family, you can grab the new Wyze Band for just $25, and have instant access to your Wyze devices and Alexa right from your wrist!
Privacy
Wyze is a Seattle-based startup that was started by former Amazon employees. Last December, they had a server leak that exposed the details of 2.4 million customers. And a couple of years ago, users noticed that some of the cloud storage was hitting servers in China and from all over the world. But this turned out to be a non-issue and Wyze only uses U.S. servers now.
Blink is Amazon-owned. The good news is that Amazon has lots of resources to put behind their security. The bad news is that it’s still not immune to issues. In December, it was found that the Blink XT2 camera had multiple security vulnerabilities. These were fixed quickly by Blink.
Blink Mini vs Wyze Cam 2022 – Video & Audio Quality
They both have a 110-degree field of view and shoot in 1080p, but the Wyze Cam looks better. It has a better dynamic range and the video is crisper.
Neither of these has good night time recording, but Blink Mini’s is easily the worst that I’ve ever tested. It blasts too much infrared and makes the footage hard to see. I recommended turning Blink’s “IR intensity” to low, but it still makes for poor footage.
Wyze’s night time footage isn’t much better but at least you can make out who’s in the picture.
Blink’s audio and video are usually synced up well, while Wyze’s video can sometimes lag behind the audio.
Both have a live feed that can be watched when you’re home or away, but Wyze Cam works better for live viewing. Wyze can even be used as a webcam if you want to.
Blink lets you record on-demand, but only for 60 seconds, while Wyze can record for an unlimited amount of time.
You don’t want to rely on two-way communication with either of these because there is significant lag and you have to hold down a button to talk, which means that the other person can’t talk. It creates a messy situation, but Blink works slightly better because there’s less lag.
The audio output of these indoor cameras is wanting, but for their price, their audio does a decent job of projecting your voice through their tiny speakers. Their two-way audio feature lets you communicate to whoever’s on the other end of the camera no matter where you are through tapping the “Talk” button in their apps.
As for the audio quality of the recordings, the Wyze Cam offers great quality audio as it blocks off ambient sound well. However, this sometimes results in the audio sounding tinny at times. If the audio quality on the Blink XT2 is an indicator, the Blink Mini will also deliver clear audio in its footage.
App
Within the Blink app, you can set a schedule for when the camera is armed and disarmed, set its sensitivity, and get into pretty granular detail over the length of recordings, how long to record after motion stops, and more.
I also like that you can create irregular shapes for motion detection zones: Blink shows a static image of what the camera sees, overlaid with a grid, and you simply highlight the sections you want the camera to detect motion.
Wyze’s settings are a bit more basic. You can create schedules, but you can only draw a single rectangle or square to set a motion-detection zone. There’s also no settings for the duration of a cloud-recorded video, because Wyze limits free recordings to 12 seconds. However, the Wyze camera can distinguish between people and other movement (such as your dog), so you can opt to receive notifications only if it senses a person.
Unlike with the Wyze app (and other home security cameras, such as Arlo Q), the Blink app doesn’t present you with a live view from the Mini when you open the app. Rather, you are shown a static image from the relatively recent past. While I can see why the company would do this for its battery-powered XT2 camera, an automatic live view for the wired Mini would be preferable.
Smart home compatibility
As Blink is owned by Amazon, it stands to reason that the Blink Mini would work with Alexa. You can use your voice to arm and disarm the camera, and if you have an Alexa-enabled smart display (the Amazon Echo Show, Echo Show 8, Echo Show 5, or Echo Spot), you can view a feed from the camera on that device. You can also view a feed from the camera on your TV if you have a Fire TV stick, or a Fire TV-enabled television set.
The Wyze Cam works with Alexa, but is also compatible with Google Assistant and IFTTT.
Alternate of Blink Mini or Wyze Cam 2022
Blink XT2
Versatile enough to work as either an indoor or outdoor camera, combined with superb Alexa integration, it’s no surprise that the Blink XT2 is our choice for this category. With support for Alexa, you can view live streams, as well as arming and disarming your system, all from the comfort of your smart television or smart display.
Beyond that, it is designed to withstand the elements if you intend to make it an outdoor camera. There’s also very little to worry about in terms of battery life with this compact-sized camera, seeing that it’s rated for upwards of around 2 years. And finally, it can be perched on just about anything — including a tree branch if you’re inclined to get wider coverage of your home!
Indoors, it’s still a reliable camera that’s ready to capture footage once motion is detected. Don’t want to receive redundant notifications? Well then, you can establish activity zones to minimize false alerts.
Bottom line: If you’re heavily invested in Amazon and Alexa devices, the Blink XT2 will be a great fit.
Wyze Cam V3
Wyze has been on a tear this year introducing a slew of smart home gadgets. From the easy-to-install Wyze Lock to the versatile Wyze Cam Outdoor, the portfolio has been growing at a rapid rate. Its latest offering is the incredible Wyze Cam v3, which like its predecessor, astounds with its unbelievable low cost of $20!
Following the same cube-shaped design as its predecessor, this year’s model benefits from a sturdier IP65 construction that allows it to work outdoors while resisting the harsh elements. It also features night vision, something that has been largely reserved for pricier models. The usefulness of color night vision is astounding, since there are details you wouldn’t otherwise be able to detect from your standard black and white night vision clips.
Furthermore, the Wyze Cam v3 offers a slew of capture modes that even includes a handy time-lapse mode, various security and privacy controls, and local storage to ensure your footage stays with you. You get all of that in a security camera for just $20. Quite frankly, it sets the benchmark in what we expect out of entry-level security cameras.
Ring Spotlight Cam
The thing that sets the Ring Spotlight Cam apart from other home security cameras is that it prioritizes crime prevention. The built-in motion detectors will immediately start recording video when they sense movement, and the camera will simultaneously shine lights to scare off any would-be intruders or criminals. You can also sound the 110-decibel siren to warn others about suspicious activity or as a warning to possible lurkers.
The camera is compatible with iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as Mac and Windows PCs. So regardless of what kind of device you have, you’ll be able to download the app and tune in anytime to see live footage of your home. No matter where you are, you can check to make sure the kids came home from school or to see if the lawn was mowed. Set-up is quick, and it includes all the tools you’ll need to get the camera situated in your home.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option than the Ring Spotlight Cam, the brand recently came out with a line of new Ring Stick Up cameras that start at $99.
