Homes
Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: Adding Security Cameras to Our House
When we moved into our house, one of our first annoyances were multiple visits from ADP representatives trying to sell us a security system. At the time, and with each of their three or four visits, I told them that we weren’t very concerned and that such a system wasn’t really a priority for us. That remains true for the most part… however, following a small incident over the summer, I did wonder whether having some sort of camera in the backyard might be a good idea.
With that thought in mind, last week, I did a quick search on Lowe’s for wireless outdoor cameras. What I found was a two-pack of Blink Outdoor 4 cameras that happened to be on sale. While this item typically retails for $130, Lowe’s had it listed for just $70. Even better, thanks to the $30 Lowe’s credit that comes with my Mesa Homeowners Card and the now-removed $25 Home Improvement Credit I’m grandfathered into with the card, we spent less than $20 out of pocket for these small but seemingly capable cameras.
When I was looking into these particular cameras, I found that Blink is an Amazon-owned company. In turn, these cameras integrate with Alexa. Meanwhile, while we’re not big users of them, we only have Google Home devices. However, this wasn’t a dealbreaker for us as I’m really just planning for these Blink devices to be a “just in case” rather than something I use and view regularly.
On a similar note, while you can use these Blink cameras out of the box, there are apparently a couple of subscription options you can add on. Depending on what level you choose, these plans unlock some extra features and add conveniences, such as cloud storage. Luckily, though, you can still record and store footage locally onto an SD card.
With the Blink cameras coming with a 30-day free trial, I do intend to at least compare the benefits of the subscription to what I get without a plan. But, I highly suspect I’ll end up forgoing yet another monthly expense and stick with the base features.
So, where did we put our new cameras? Well, as I write this, they’re still sitting on my kitchen table. You see, although I’m decent with tech set-up and was able to get the devices online, the hard part is trying to get them mounted. While I’m not even sure where the best place to put them will be, I suspect that a ladder will be required. Therefore, this is definitely a project that will need to wait at least a few more days.
Ultimately, even though I’m not sure just how necessary they are, I am still pretty pleased with this purchase. For one, there was very little investment on our part — and, in theory, there won’t be any additional fees to pay if we forgo a membership plan as I intend to. Secondly, I like that these are small, wireless cameras rather than some elaborate, hard-wired floodlight monitor. Basically, I’m glad that (once I set them up) I can simply pull up my app and take a look at what’s happening outside rather than trying to peer through my blinds.
Even though I hope not to have to use them often, I will be sure to put my new Blink Outdoor 4 cameras to the test and follow up with a full review in the future.
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