The Blink status light is turned on by default so it is lit when the camera is recording. There are a few reasons you might want to turn the status light off, most notably to avoid drawing someone’s attention to the location of the camera. You’re here because you want to know how to turn the Blink status light off so keep reading.
Blink has several cameras and interestingly, they don’t all work the same way when it comes to turning off the status light. We previously reviewed most of those cameras including the Blink XT, Blink XT2, Blink Outdoor Camera and the Blink Mini. They make great cameras and they’re usually well integrated into the mobile app.
How to Turn the Blink Status Light Off on a Blink XT, Blink XT2
This was always one of the most glaring inefficiencies on these cameras and one of the few times the functionality wasn’t well integrated into the app. As good as these cameras are, there is no easy way to turn the Blink status light off.
I always like to turn the status light off. As most know, documentation in the box is sparse, so I had no way of knowing it could be done. I finally wrote it off and decided it wasn’t possible.
One day, when I was changing the batteries, I discovered a little toggle switch located next to one of the batteries with the little letters of “REC LED”. It had a little tiny switch next to it that adult hands will find difficult to move. Using a very small screwdriver, I moved the switch to the off position. That turned the Blink status light off.
You could use some tweezers, maybe a straightened paper clip to do it. When you get a new camera, you are often so focused on getting it setup that you wouldn’t notice this, but trust me, it’s next to the batteries under the cover.
Not the best design choice, but this is how you turn it off.
How to Turn the Blink Status Light Off on a Blink Mini, Blink Outdoor or Blink Indoor
Sometime over the past year, Blink engineers figured out how to put this capability within the app. However, this will only work on the Blink Mini, Blink Outdoor or Blink Indoor camera. This will work with both generation of the sync module (the Sync Module 2 only comes with the Blink Outdoor or Blink Indoor Cameras).
Open the app. Now select your camera settings. Near the bottom of your screen is a software toggle for the Status LED that let’s you select Off or Recording. A photo of that section within the app accompanies this article. The default selection is Recording. Set it to Off then save it. The status light is now off.
Which Setting is Best?
In one word: Off. That status light going on whenever someone is in its field of view brings attention to the fact that you have a camera and feel free to grab it. While I suppose there are instances where you might want them on (can’t personally think of one), in most cases it’s probably a better idea to toggle it off.