The Blink Video Doorbell plays a chime sound when the ringer button is pressed.
If you have a mechanical or digital chime system already installed, you can connect the powered wiring to also activate your chime when the ringer button is pressed.
To have the chime sound played through our Mini cameras or through an Alexa enabled device, click the appropriate section below.
Mini as a chime
If you own both a Blink Mini Camera and a Blink Video Doorbell, your Blink Mini Camera can work as a chime. This is useful if you don't have a doorbell chime installed in your home.
How it works
When the doorbell's button is pressed, a chime will play from its speaker. The same chime sound plays from each Mini camera that you have connected.
Note: When your Mini is playing the chime sound, it will stop playing for any Mini-based event like recording a motion clip, or entering Live View.
Add your Mini and Doorbell to the same system
As long as the cameras are added to the same system, your Mini can act as a chime for one or more doorbells, or any combination of Blink Video Doorbells and Mini cameras.
| Products owned | To add a Mini chime... |
| Sync Module 2 with a Blink Video Doorbell | Purchase a Blink Mini and add it to the Sync Module system |
| Sync Module 2 with a Blink Mini Camera | Purchase a Blink Video Doorbell and add it to the Sync Module system |
| Blink Video Doorbell only | Purchase a Blink Mini Camera and add it to the Video Doorbell's system |
| Blink Mini Camera only | Purchase a Blink Video Doorbell to the Mini Camera's system |
Setting up a Mini as a Video Doorbell chime
- If you already have one or more Mini cameras on the same system as your doorbell, tap your doorbell's Device Settings
and then tap Doorbell and Chime. - Tap Use Blink Mini Camera as a Chime.
- All Mini cameras that are a part of that system will be displayed. If you don't see your Mini, see the troubleshooting tip below.
- Make sure you have added the Mini to the same system that contains your Video Doorbell.
- Select one or more Mini cameras by tapping the circle to the right of the camera name. Once selected, a blue checkmark displays.
- Tap Save and your Mini camera(s) will chime when your Video Doorbell's button is pressed.
Event Response Mode
If your doorbell is in Event Response mode, you must press the doorbell's button to save changes to your doorbell's Settings.
Mini settings for the chime
Once your Mini and Video Doorbell are on the same system, you can control the chime volume by selecting your Mini's Device Settings. Then, tap Audio Settings to adjust volume levels.
Enable Audio: To hear the chime sound from your Mini camera, the Enable Audio setting must be On.
Speaker Volume: Adjust this slider to change how loud your speaker plays audio during two-way audio.
Chime Volume: Adjust this slider to change how loud your Mini camera's speaker will play the chime.
Troubleshooting
How do I add my Mini to my Video Doorbell system?
When you add a new Mini in the Blink app, you will be prompted to select your existing system or Create a new system. Tap your existing system and select the system that contains your Video Doorbell.
If you have already added your Mini in the Blink app:
- Delete the Mini from its current system. Learn more about how to delete a camera.
- Add the Mini again and tap your existing system and select the system containing your Video Doorbell.
What if I don't see my Mini?
Each Mini camera used as a chime must be on the same system as the doorbell. If you open the Doorbell Settings > Chime Settings and do not see a Mini camera that you have added, the Mini may be in a different system. If you have multiple systems, they will be separated by gray tabs at the top of the home screen. If your Mini camera displays on the Blink app home screen, the system name is located in gray tab above it.
If you have already added your Mini in the Blink app:
- Delete the Mini from its current system. Learn more about how to delete a camera.
- Add the Mini again and tap your existing system and select the system containing your Video Doorbell.
Alexa as a chime
The Blink Video Doorbell works well with Alexa enabled devices from Amazon.
Use the Alexa Blink SmartHome Skill to connect your Echo device to the Blink app. If you have not set up the Blink Smarthome Skill, please visit the Alexa Setup and Troubleshooting Guide.
Alexa Notifications
Echo devices with screen, and no screen
When configured, pressing the ringer button of your Blink Video Doorbell makes your Echo device play a chime sound, followed by the announcement "Someone is at your <doorbell name>."
Alexa's chime sound can be changed, see below for instructions.
Configuring Alexa to announce Blink devices
- Settings on your Echo device:
- Communication and Announcements setting turned on.
-
Do Not Disturb setting turned off.
- Communication and Announcements setting turned on.
-
Blink Doorbell options in the Alexa app:
- Motion Announcements setting turned on.
- Doorbell Press Announcements setting turned on.
- Motion Announcements setting turned on.
Tap or click the section below to see how to adjust Blink Video Doorbell settings in the Alexa app.
How to activate the Alexa Doorbell Motion and Doorbell Press Announcements
To activate doorbell motion alerts and ringer press announcements, visit the Doorbell settings screen. Alexa announcements come from the Echo devices that you have configured to play audio.
To reach the Doorbell settings screen, tap the "Devices" button in the Alexa mobile app, then tap "Cameras". You can also tap the banner message showing how many devices were discovered.
Next, find the entry for your doorbell and tap it to view SETTINGS. In this example the doorbell is named "Front Door".
The Doorbell Settings has a toggle for Motion Announcements and another for Doorbell Press Announcements. To show you Alexa notifications, Blink cameras need to have these settings 'on' (filled in with solid color).
Motion Announcements are 'off'
Doorbell Press Announcements are 'on'
The Doorbell Sound is "Page"
How to change the doorbell announcement sounds on your Alexa device
When the Alexa setting "Doorbell Press Announcements" is active, you can change the sound that plays before Alexa announces "Someone is at your <doorbell name>."
In your Alexa app, tap "Cameras".
Select your doorbell from the list of available cameras. In this example the doorbell is named "Front Door".
If your doorbell is in Event Response mode, you see the settings screen as shown below. If you see a Live View screen instead, tap the Settings gear icon 
in the upper right corner of the screen.
On the doorbell page, tap "Doorbell Sound" to see the choices.
On the "Doorbell Sound" screen, you can select a sound, then tap the Back arrow " < " to save and return to the SETTINGS screen.
Now, when the doorbell ringer button is pressed, Alexa plays the sound you chose, before the Alexa announcement.
DeleteAlexa commands for the doorbell
Here are some of the Alexa commands that work with the Blink Video Doorbell.
In the examples the doorbell camera is named "Front door".
"Alexa, open Blink." - Alexa announces what Blink can do.
"Alexa, ask Blink Help." - Blink Help responds with tips and things to say.
"Alexa, arm my Front door." - Arms your doorbell for motion detection if it is on its own system.
"Alexa, talk to the Front door." - Alexa opens up two-way talk with the "Front door" camera (not available in Event Response).
"Alexa, show the last activity at my Front door." - The most recent motion-event or doorbell press is played.
"Alexa, ask Blink what's my schedule." - Alexa reads the existing schedules you have set in the Blink app.
"Alexa, stop Blink." - Alexa shuts down the Blink Skill. **use this command with caution** because it deactivates the Blink SmartHome Skill and you settings are lost. You must "Launch" (re-enable) the Blink SmartHome Skill in the Alexa app and configure devices to use it again.
Motion Announcements and Routine triggers
Alexa enabled devices can announce when a Blink Motion Notification happens, and respond to Routines that you create in the Alexa app.
Learn more information about using Alexa with the Blink Video Doorbell.
Motion Announcements
When you activate the Blink SmartHome Skill, Alexa can announce Motion Alerts and provide camera views for Blink Video Doorbell, Outdoor, Indoor (gen 2), Mini, and XT2 cameras.
This feature is currently available for English language Alexa devices.
Alexa motion announcements are not triggered for the following:
- Cameras recording directly to Local Storage (Sync Module 2 with USB drive).
- Systems that do not use Cloud Storage or Local Storage.
- Cameras with "Motion Recording" set to "Off".
- Indoor (gen 1) and XT camera events.
Motion Announcements is an Alexa Routine we made to connect a Blink system to Alexa speech services. When a system is armed, and cameras have the "Motion Recording" setting "On", any motion alerts are sent to Alexa.
Alexa uses the camera name you set in the Blink app to announce the following: "Motion Detected at the <camera name>."
To receive Alexa spoken alerts as soon as motion is detected by a camera, tap the Camera Settings icon 
in the Blink app, then set "Early NotificationBeta" to "On", as shown in the image below.
By default, the motion alert is sent after a motion clip completes recording. If "Motion Recording" is "Off" the clip is zero length, and the alert is sent right away.
You can change the Clip Length, and the pause afterwards (Retrigger Time), in the Camera Settings screen.
Click to learn how motion detection works.
Notice the following are enabled for the best experience:
- Motion Detection
- Early Notification
- Motion Recording
To receive spoken alerts of camera activity from Alexa
1. Enable the Blink SmartHome Skill in the Alexa app:
- Click for the Alexa Setup and Troubleshooting Guide.
2. Enable Motion Announcements in the Alexa app:
- Tap the “Devices” icon on the bottom right corner of the screen to reach the Devices screen, then tap the "Cameras" icon on the upper left.
- On the CAMERAS screen, tap the Blink camera you wish to use for Alexa interaction, and enable the “Motion Announcements” toggle on the settings screen. Also make sure you have an Announcement Device visible to perform spoken alerts.
If the toggle is not visible, update camera settings by asking: "Alexa, discover my devices." This will result in a response of "No new devices discovered." but the settings should update.
Tap the back arrow "<" (upper left corner of the screen) to return to the Cameras list.
Now, when the camera system is armed, motion alerts from the selected camera activate the Alexa device to announce "Motion Detected at the [camera name]." For greater convenience, you can also say: "Alexa, ask Blink to arm the [Blink system name]." You can use the same method to disarm a system when desired. To disarm, Alexa will request the PIN that you created when the Blink SmartHome Skill was enabled and connected to your Blink app.
How to disable Motion Announcements in the Alexa app:
- Tap the “Devices” icon on the bottom right corner of the screen to reach the Devices view, then tap the "Cameras" icon on the upper left.
- Tap a Blink camera that you are using for Alexa interaction, and disable the “Motion Announcements” toggle on the settings screen.
Tap the back arrow "<" (upper left corner of the screen) to return to the Cameras list.
DeleteAlexa Routines
Alexa devices now support Routine Triggers for the Blink SmartHome skill when used with Blink Video Doorbell, Outdoor, Indoor (gen 2), Mini, and XT2 cameras.
Routine Triggers are currently available for English language Alexa devices in the North American (US and Canada) region.
A Routine Trigger connects your Blink device to Alexa so that motion alerts can start a Routine. Routines consist of an event, and an action to be performed. You choose the device supplying the event (in this case a Blink device), the action to be performed like "Turn on Walkway Lights", a schedule when the action is available ("Today until 11pm"), and the device where the result of the action is sent ("Walkway Lights"). In this way, when motion is detected by a Blink camera, Alexa will turn on the SmartHome lights on the walkway, and it is active until 11pm.
Blink cameras supply the Trigger event through the Blink SmartHome Skill, which must be enabled before you create a Routine. Enable the Blink SmartHome Skill in your Alexa app by following these instructions. Be aware that trigger events are not provided to Alexa when you use Local Storage to record clips directly from camera, or when you have no storage option active.
Blink has already created a useful Routine to announce camera activity. When motion is detected on a properly configured camera, your Alexa device says "Motion detected on the _______ camera." filling in the name of your camera using text to speech. The Motion Announcement Routine is available on the Camera Settings screen of the Alexa app. Learn how to enable Alexa Motion Announcements.
To receive Alexa spoken alerts as soon as motion is detected, rather than after the motion clip recording is complete, set Early Notification to "Enabled" in the Blink app - for each camera that interacts with Alexa.
Note: The Blink Video Doorbell always has Early Notification active.
Attention: To receive motion announcements from Alexa, your Blink Video Doorbell, Outdoor, Indoor (gen 2), and Mini cameras must have the "Motion Recording" Camera Setting in the "On" position. Click to learn about the Motion Recording setting.
To create a Routine Trigger from Blink device activity:
- Within the Alexa app, tap the Curtain Menu at lower right, then select "Routines".
- Tap a Plus sign to create a new Routine.
- Tap "Enter Routine Name", provide a name, and tap "Next".
- Tap "When this happens" to view the available triggers screen, then tap "Smart Home".
- On the Choose Device screen, when you select a Blink camera to provide the motion alert triggers, you are sent to the choose a trigger action screen.
- Choose whether the trigger is an action being "Detected", or "Not Detected" - for a set amount of time after an initial event. If "Not Detected" is chosen, select an amount of time to wait after the initial event, to send the Trigger. If no new alert arrives within that time, the Trigger is sent.
Tap "Next".
- The New Routine screen displays the name you entered, and describes the trigger action.
You can tap "Anytime" to create a schedule for when the Routine is active.
If you do create a schedule, save and complete the schedule by tapping "Next".
- Tap "Add Action" and select which supported action you wish to trigger.
An example would be to tap "Alexa says" then create a customized response by tapping "Customised" and then provide a phrase to be spoken when the Routine is triggered, such as "Someone is at the front door."
After you enter the phrase, tap "Next" to save and continue to a confirmation screen where you tap "Next" to return to the New Routine screen.
- Tap "Choose Device" to select which Alexa device will make the announcement.
Choosing a device returns you to the New Routine screen.
- From the New Routine screen, tap Save to complete the procedure, and you are sent to the main Routines screen where the new routine is visible.
You should see a temporary confirmation banner at the top of the screen confirming actions taken on Routines.
If you followed the example procedure in Step 8, the result of a motion detection is that your chosen Alexa device emits a chime and announces "Someone has entered the front door."
If you instead hear: "Motion Detected at the Mini, Someone has entered the front door." you can deduce that the Motion Announcements feature is active for the camera named "Mini" in addition to the routine that was just created.
Learn more about Motion Announcements here.
How to edit a Routine:
- Within the Alexa app, tap the Curtain Menu at lower right, and select "Routines".
- Tap the Routine that you wish to edit, make changes from the Edit Routine screen then tap the back arrow "<" (upper left corner) to save and return.
How to disable a Routine:
- Within the Alexa app, tap the Curtain Menu at lower right, then select "Routines".
- Select the Routine you wish to disable, then tap the Enabled toggle at the upper right of the Edit Routines screen.
- Return to the Cameras list when you tap the back arrow "<" (upper left corner).
You should see a confirmation banner at the top of the screen confirming actions taken on Routines.
How to delete a Routine:
- Within the Alexa app, tap the Curtain Menu at lower right, then select "Routines".
- Select the Routine you wish to delete and enter the Edit Routine screen.
- Tap the three dot menu icon at the upper right of the screen, then tap Delete Routine.
You should see a confirmation banner at the top of the screen and be returned to the Routines screen.
Example Routines:
Here are four basic examples of possible Routines to get you thinking about how you would like to use this feature.
- A custom Motion Announcement for the camera named "Front Door".
Trigger: Motion is detected by the camera
When: Any time (unscheduled)
Action: Alexa could say: "intruder detected at the front door"
- Turn on Front Porch smart light when motion is detected.
Trigger: Motion is Detected by the Front Door camera
When: All days of the week, between 7pm and 5am
Action: Front Porch smart light is turned on (it remains on until turned off)
- Turn off Front Door smart lights when no motion is detected for 30 minutes.
Trigger: Motion Not Detected for 30 minutes on Front Door camera
When: Any time (unscheduled)
Action: Front Door smart light is turned off
- Alert me if no activity on Dad's kitchen camera by 10am.
Trigger: Motion Not Detected on Dad's Kitchen camera for 10 hours.
When: All days between 8pm and 10am
Action: Alexa says: "Check on Dad."
Powered chimes
A powered chime makes a noise when its doorbell button is pressed.
When you install a Blink Video Doorbell, you can connect the wiring from your existing doorbell, so the house chime will sound when the Blink doorbell button is pressed.
If the available current falls below 16 VAC, your doorbell enters Event Response mode.
Wiring for external doorbell buttons often has significant corrosion that can prevent enough current from being available. Be sure to connect only bare wires to the doorbell terminal posts, and remove corrosion if present.
Blink Mini cameras can be chimes for one or more Blink Video Doorbell when they are on the same system. How do I use my Mini camera as a chime?
Types of Powered Chime
There are two main types of chime systems. A Mechanical chime uses a solenoid to move a striker that physically hits a piece of metal to make the "Ding Dong" sound. A Digital chime plays a file when the circuit is closed.
Blink products do not support third party Bluetooth or wireless accessories at this time. To have a convenient indoor chime, click to learn how to use your Mini camera as a chime, or click to learn about using Alexa Doorbell Announcements.
Mechanical chimes in the US offer 16 VAC - 24 VAC that the doorbell uses for some features.
Digital chimes usually provide insufficient power.
| Mechanical Chime example | Digital Chime example |
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Calibration
In the Blink app you can change how the doorbell sends signal to the chime. In a Mechanical chime, you control how much force the strikers use. In a Digital chime, you control how long the signal is sent, giving the file enough time to play. Click the following links to learn more.