How to use Local Storage
Blink Local Storage saves clips to your USB drive when it is inserted into a Sync Module 2.
Local Storage automatically starts when your Sync Module 2 has a recognized USB drive inserted, unless it is connected to a Blink Subscription Plan or Free Trial.
When you are using Local Storage with Early Notification "on" and tap a motion notification to enter Live View, clip recording stops immediately to give you access to the camera.
When you are using Local Storage with Early Notification "off" the entire motion clip saves before you can use Live View. Change clip length and Early Notification in Camera Settings.
Note that adding a new Blink Video Doorbell, Outdoor, Indoor (gen 2), or Mini camera will start a Free Trial of the Blink Plus Plan that saves clips from all of your camera systems to Cloud storage.
When your Sync Module 2 with USB drive is connected to a subscription, a once-daily Clip Backup is saved in the background to the USB drive. The Clip Backups are not viewable in the Blink app directly. To access these files, safely eject the USB drive and move it to your computer.
For faster clip downloads and to save Live View sessions, a Blink Subscription Plan offers these and other convenient features. To purchase a Blink USB drive, click to visit the Amazon purchase page.
Click a title to learn more about storage and plans.
The Blink Plus Plan stores an unlimited number of clips from Blink Video Doorbell, Outdoor, Indoor (gen 2), and Mini cameras on your account for up to 60 days each (30 days in the EU, UK).
Here is a list of features:
The Blink Basic Plan stores clips from a single eligible device, and all other Sync Module 2 systems on your account are configured for Local Storage that begins when a recognized USB drive is in place.
Local Storage begins automatically when a Sync Module 2 with USB drive is not connected to a Subscription or Free Trial.
When you have no storage option configured, you receive Motion Alerts that take you to the camera's Live View.
You may have clips in more than one location. For instance, when a subscription plan starts or ends, your clips will save in a new way. When your primary storage type changes, all clips stay where they were created until they reach the Auto-delete age (default 14 days) or get deleted manually. When a storage type is no longer available and all clips are gone, the icon is no longer shown.
In the footer of the Blink app, tap the "Media Button" icon to see the Clip List.
In the Clip List, having more than one storage location creates an icon bar at the top.
A filled-in icon (solid blue color) shows the location of the clips you are viewing, as shown in the image.
Cloud Storage Tap the 'Cloud' icon and each clip is shown by its thumbnail image. Clip Backups are active by default, but not shown in the Clip List. Tap to play a clip. ![]() |
Local Storage - Camera to Sync Module 2 The Local Storage Clip icon ![]() Tap to play a clip. ![]() |
In the Clip List, tap the clip you want to view and the top portion resizes to the width of your screen in portrait or landscape view. The Clip player supports 'pinch to zoom', meaning you can shrink or grow the video with a 'pinch' or 'spread' of your fingers on the screen. Clips on Local Storage may take longer to load because they travel an extra step from your location up to the Blink servers, before appearing in the Blink app. Cloud based clips come straight to your device from our secure servers.
In this image, a Sync Module 2 with an attached USB drive manages "New System". Two other systems, named "Outdoor" and "Cape" will show their Clip List when you tap their tab. Swiping storage icons to the left will show any additional systems on your account.
When you have just one type of storage, icons at the top of the Clip List are not shown.
Cloud Storage Only
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Local Storage on USB Only
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Clips in Cloud Storage have a default Auto-delete setting of 60 days.
The maximum Auto-delete setting is 60 days (30 days in the EU, UK).
Cloud Storage - Even after a subscription is canceled or is no longer active, clips in Cloud Storage stay where they were created until the Auto-delete age is reached, or until they are deleted manually.
Local Storage - Clips on the USB drive are not automatically deleted. You can delete single clips in the Blink app, or you can 'safely eject' the USB drive and access clips on your computer to delete clips all at once. When you re-insert the USB drive into your Sync Module 2, the remaining clips are recognized and Local Storage resumes.
When you have clips in more than one storage location, the following message appears in the Blink app.
When you stop or cancel Cloud based storage, and all clips expire, the following message appears in the Blink app.
When the Sync Module 2 does not detect a good connection you are notified in the app by the following screen. If you see this screen, make sure the USB drive is seated correctly and that power to the Sync Module is working. Click for Troubleshooting Local Storage.