Why does my Blink camera keep blinking? Green blinking and red blinking explained

The Blink Mini is a very popular smart home security camera, arriving in homes by the hundred all the time. If you've just acquired one, however, there are a few things it does that might surprise you. I, however, have lived with them – both the standard and the Pan-Tilt editions – for a while, so here is my simple explainer!

What does a blinking green light on the Blink Mini mean?

If you properly set up the Blink Mini according to the instructions, this is one of the stages the camera will go through when it re-connects if you disconnect it from the power. When you plug it back in the light will first show or flash red – indicating a connection issue – then it will turn blue, then blink green for a while as the connection is made to your wi-fi and then to the internet. You can check this by looking at the camera in your Blink app.

The green light also appears when the microphone is being accessed remotely in real time (so it might mean someone else in your household with the app is listening to you). Some solutions:

• Check to see if your internet connection is working

• Check Blink to see if their servers are working

• Check the camera is positioned in a place where it is getting a good internet signal

• Check your home connection is good enough to carry a video feed using a site like speedtest.net.

I can see a red glow in the Blink Mini – is that normal?

Yes, in the dark anyway. If you can see a dim red light (as opposed to the tiny but bright red indicator light that you see at power on) don't worry. This is the infra-red light which is nearly, but not quite, invisible. This is the light which illuminates the room at night. You see a black and white image, but it is in fact taken from the infra-red part of the spectrum so the light is nearly invisible to humans.

The Blink Mini makes a clicking noise – is that normal?

Yes. There is a physical mechanism inside the Blink Mini (and, to be fair, quite a lot of home security cameras) which moves a filter infront of the lens in night mode to better the capture infra-red light which is used to record video in the dark.

If you're interested in finding an alternative, check our guide to the best indoor security systems.