Support Home Sync Module 2 Getting Started

Setting up your Sync Module 2

Use this guide for setting up your Sync Module 2.

Getting started

New to Blink? If so, welcome! To set up your new camera, you must first download the Blink app and set up a Blink Account.

Install the Blink app and create an account

The latest version of the Blink app is always available in your app store. Blink supports most smartphones, tablets, and many Alexa-enabled products.

Select the app store link or scan the QR code to download the latest version of the Blink app.

Blink version 6.26.0*
for iOS 14 and later.

Blink version 6.26.0
for Android v6.0 and later.

Blink version 6.26.0
for Fire OS v7.0 and later.

*If you can't locate the Blink app iOS 6.15.0, please refer to this article: End of Support for Android Version 5 - iOS Versions 12 and 13

How to Update your iOS and Android devices

In order to run the latest version of the Blink app, it's important your mobile device meets the minimum system requirements.

How to auto update your mobile devices

The easiest way to keep the app version of your mobile device current is to turn on the Automatic Update option in your device settings:

Learn more about how to turn on or turn off automatic updates on the Apple's Support page.
Learn more about how to update all Android apps automatically on Google Play Help.

How to manually update your mobile devices

iOS devices can also be updated manually, which may be necessary if the auto update hasn't occurred yet. Learn more about manually updating your iOS device.
Learn more checking and updating your Android app version.

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Note

We recommend that you always backup your data prior to updating your mobile device.

Learn more about backing up iOS devices
Learn more about backing up Android devices.

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Create a Blink account

To get started with the Blink app, follow the instructions below:

With Blink, you have one user account with one email and one phone number. On log in and certain other actions, a verification number is sent to the mobile number or email address of the account.

Note: If you want to share your account with other users, learn more about setting up a second phone or device.

Launch the Blink App and tap Create Account at the bottom of the screen.
Select your country from the drop-down menu and tap Next.
Your region is pre-selected based on your IP address. Confirm your region and tap OK.
Enter a valid email address, and tap Next.
Create a password and tap Create Account. The password requirements are listed at the bottom of the screen. Tap the eyeball icon if you want to view what you are typing.
Complete the multi-factor authentication (MFA) process. Learn more about multi-factor authentication.

Multi-factor authentication steps

Verify your email address

Enter the PIN from the email we sent you and tap Verify.

PIN codes are valid for 40 minutes.
If you haven't received the code after 90 seconds, tap Resend PIN Code.

Verify your phone number

Tap the phone number entry line to bring up a keypad.
Enter the phone number you wish to use for device verification and tap Next.

Optional: Select your country code by tapping the flag icon next to the phone number entry line.

If you prefer to not use SMS, the PIN code can be read to you by an automated voice call.
To choose this option, under Receive code by: select Voice call and tap Next.

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Note

The SMS text option is for use with mobile phones and will not work with landline phone numbers. Blink uses this number to positively associate your device to the Blink app to ensure the person making changes is you. Your information is private and will not be used for any additional purposes or shared with third parties.

Learn more why we need your phone number. Contact Customer Service if you don't have a phone number.

A SMS text message containing the PIN code is sent to the phone number, and you are shown another PIN entry screen.

Example SMS text Message:

Your Blink verification code
is: <123456>

Enter the PIN from the SMS text message we sent you and tap Verify.

PIN codes are valid for 40 minutes.
If you haven't received the code after 90 seconds, tap Resend PIN Code.

Link your Blink and Amazon accounts

When the phone verification step is complete, you are prompted to link your new Blink account to your Amazon account by tapping Link Accounts. If you don't want to link your account, select Skip to be sent to the Home screen without linking your accounts.

Note: This is an optional step, but we highly recommend linking your accounts at this time. Learn more about the benefits of linking your accounts.

Sign into your existing Amazon account. You will need to know your Amazon login email address and password. Once the link is established between accounts, tap Next.

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Adding the Sync Module 2 to your account

After installing the Blink app and creating an account, you must create a system for your cameras. Sync Modules manage one system each and can have up to ten devices attached to them.

If you're interested in having more than one system, learn more about adding multiple systems to your Blink account.

Add your Sync Module 2 to create a new system

How to add your Sync Module 2 to the Blink app

The following video walks you through the in-app setup of your Sync Module 2. For detailed instructions, see the step-by-step process below.

Add a Sync Module and create a system

From the Home screen, tap the + icon to add a device.
On the Add Device screen, tap Sync Module.
Scan the QR code on the back of the Sync Module or enter your Sync Module's serial number manually.
Note: The Blink app may ask permission to access the camera on your mobile device in order to scan the QR code. If it asks, select Allow.
Once the serial number is recognized, you are asked to create a new system. Tap the text entry box and provide a unique name for your system. If you have other existing systems, this name must be different from other system names you may have in your Blink account. Tap Continue after your new system name is entered.
The Add Sync Module screen will instruct you to plug in your Sync Module and then wait for the light pattern of blinking blue and steady green.
Tap Discover Device when you see this pattern on your Sync Module.

Note: If you don't see the blinking blue light pattern, then you may need to reset the Sync Module. Learn more about how to reset the Sync Module.
In order to connect to your network, the Blink app uses your mobile device to first connect to the Sync Module's temporary Wi-Fi network. It's named “BLINK-_ _ _ _" where the last 4 digits are from your Sync Module's serial number. Tap Join.
After joining is successful, you are asked to join your local Wi-Fi network. Enter the Wi-Fi password and tap Join.
- The Add Sync Module screen displays 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks within range. If you do not see your local Wi-Fi network, tap Refresh List at the bottom of the screen. The Sync Module stores network information for devices that are added to its system. Learn more about how to troubleshoot Wi-Fi connections.
When your Sync Module has been added to your new system, you will receive a completion screen. Tap Done to finish the process. You're now ready to add your new camera.
The new system name displays at the top of your Home screen and you will also see the Sync Module. A cloud icon with a green connection line shows the Sync Module is successfully communicating with the Blink servers.

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Helpful tips

The following articles can guide you to enhance your Blink experience.

How to view Backup Clips

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Info

Clip Backup comes with your Blink Subscription or trial and with accounts created on or before April 15th, 2020. The Clip Backup feature is available for the Wired Floodlight Camera, Video Doorbell, Outdoor and Indoor (3rd Gen), and the Mini.

Learn more about Blink Subscription Plans.

A Sync Module 2 with a recognized USB drive inserted stores a copy of new clips in cloud storage. Clip Backup starts on the day the drive is inserted. Any clips recorded prior to the insertion of USB drive will not have Clip Backup.

Once every 24 hours, backup clips are stored on the USB drive in a folder. To access the backup files, the USB storage device must be removed from the Sync Module 2 and inserted into a computer or similar device. Backup clips are not viewable from the Blink app.

Clip Backup files are found in a directory named blink_backups. The name of each backup file includes its creation time in Universal Time, or UTC.

Safely eject the USB drive

First, safely eject the USB drive. Go to the Main home screen of the Blink app and tap Sync Module. You may have to scroll down the screen if you have more than three cameras.
From the Sync Module screen, tap Local Storage to reach the Local Storage screen.
Tap Safe Eject USB.

To view clips from the USB drive

First, note the date and time of the Backup completed.to be sure the clip backups you want to view are on the USB storage device. Since the backup occurs once per day, it is possible that the files you want are not yet saved to USB
From the Local Storage screen, tap Safe Eject and wait to receive the "USB Disconnected" message and the USB icon changes to inactive (not green) as shown below.
You can now remove your USB storage device from the Sync Module 2, and insert it into a computer or similar device to view the files. If you reinsert the USB storage device into the Sync Module 2, backups resume and new, unsaved files are added to the blink_backups directory.
After you've plugged the USB drive into a PC, use the following to help navigate your drive for viewing your saved clips.

Accessing clips on your USB drive from a PC

Use this article to understand how to view your saved clips by using a PC.

The Sync Module 2 uses your USB drive to store clips, either Local Storage clips or Backup clips. When the drive is full, clips are no longer saved until you remove them from the drive. Plug the USB drive into a computer to view and remove all of your saved clips.

Always follow the Safe Eject process in the Blink app before physically removing your USB drive from your Sync Module 2. Learn more how to safely eject the USB drive from your Sync Module 2.

Plug the USB flash drive into a PC

Insert your USB drive into a computer and access the flash drive as you normally would. Clips are viewed using any media player that supports the common MP4 format, such as VLC, Windows Media Player, or QuickTime Player.

Clip filenames with timestamps (UTC)

Clips are named according to the time that the file was saved on the Blink server. Blink servers use Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC (Formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time).

When you access the USB drive on a computer, the filenames are in UTC, so apply the time difference to find a certain clip.

For example:
- A clip is made at 5:00 pm from a camera in US Eastern Standard Time.
- Eastern Standard time is 5 hours earlier than UTC. 5 pm EST = 10 pm UTC.
- The filename convention for hour is displayed in 24-hour format, so 10 pm UTC will appear as 22.

Note: When these same clips appear in the Blink app, you see the corrected time for your device's time zone.

Folder names on the flash drive

Your clips can be saved in two folders on your USB flash drive named blink and blink_backup. Local Storage clips are viewable through the Blink app, whereas Clip Backups are not.

Local Storage

Local Storage clips are found on the USB drive in the blink folder. The subfolders within this folder correspond to the date when the clips were saved.

blink - This folder contains clips from eligible cameras.

21-05 - This folder indicates a two digit year 21 for 2021, and two-digit month 05 for May.

21-05-02 - This folder indicates a two digit year 21 for 2021, a two-digit month 05 for May, and a two-digit date 02 for the second day of the month.

12-54-30_BlinkMini_001.mp4 - The filename shows: [Hour] - [Minutes] - [Seconds] _ [Camera Name] _ [Clip Number].mp4

Backup Clips

Backup clips are found on the USB drive in the blink_backup folder. The subfolders within this folder correspond to the date when the clips were saved.

blink_backup - This folder contains backup clips from eligible cameras.

20-09 - This folder indicates a two digit year 20 for 2020, and two-digit month 09 for September.

01-20-21-38_Outdoor_1234567.mp4 - The filename shows: [Day of month] - [Hours] - [Minutes] - [Seconds] _ [camera-name] _ [camera UID].mp4

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Accessing Clips on your USB Drive from a PC

Use this article to understand how to view your saved clips by using a PC.

Always follow the Safe Eject process in the Blink app before physically removing your USB drive from your Sync Module 2. Learn more how to safely eject the USB drive from your Sync Module 2.