Are Your Blink Camera Notifications Arriving Too Late?
A motion alert from your security camera should be instant. You rely on that timely notification to see what's happening at your property right now, not what happened a minute ago. If you're receiving alerts from your Blink camera long after the event has passed—the delivery driver is already gone, or the car has already left the driveway—it can make your system feel unreliable.
This frustrating delay is almost always a symptom of a network bottleneck. This guide will help you identify the source of the lag and take concrete steps to make your Blink notifications arrive faster.
Understanding the Blink Notification Pathway
To understand the delay, you need to know the journey an alert takes:
- The Blink Camera detects motion and sends a signal to the Sync Module.
- The Sync Module receives this signal and sends it over your Wi-Fi to your Router.
- Your Router sends the information over the internet to the Blink Cloud Servers.
- The Blink Cloud processes the alert and sends a push notification to your Smartphone.
A delay at any point in this chain will result in a late notification. Our goal is to make this pathway as fast and efficient as possible.
How to Fix Blink Notification Lag
Let's work through the most effective solutions, starting with the most common culprits.
Step 1: Check Your Signal Strengths
The most frequent cause of lag is a weak wireless connection at points 1 and 2 in the chain above.
- Camera to Sync Module Signal: In the Blink app, go to your camera's settings and check the signal strength indicator. You should see an icon showing the connection to the Sync Module. You need at least 3 bars for optimal performance. If it's weak, try moving the Sync Module closer to that camera.
- Sync Module to Wi-Fi Signal: In the Blink app, go to the Sync Module settings. Here, you'll see the signal strength from the Sync Module to your Wi-Fi router. This also needs to be at least 3 bars. If this signal is weak, the entire system will be slow. Try moving the Sync Module to a more central location in your home, closer to your router.
Important: Do not hide the Sync Module in a cabinet or behind a TV. It needs to be in an open area to get a good signal. Optimising these two signals is the most important step you can take.
Step 2: Adjust Camera Settings
How you configure your camera can impact how quickly it can finish its task and send the alert.
- Reduce Clip Length: In the camera's settings, try reducing the "Clip Length". A shorter clip (e.g., 10 seconds) can be uploaded and processed faster than a 30-second clip, meaning the notification can be sent sooner.
- Increase Retrigger Time: The "Retrigger Time" is the cooldown period after a motion clip is recorded. Increasing this to 30 or 60 seconds can prevent the camera from getting bogged down trying to record back-to-back events, giving it time to successfully send the first alert.
Step 3: Check Your Smartphone's Settings
Sometimes the alert arrives at your phone promptly, but your phone's operating system delays showing it to you.
- Disable Power-Saving Modes: Aggressive battery optimisation or low-power modes can delay push notifications from apps. Temporarily disable these modes to see if notifications become faster.
- Check App Notification Settings: Go into your phone's settings, find the Blink app, and ensure it has permission to send notifications immediately and use background data. Make sure it is not listed as a "sleeping" or "optimised" app.
- Check 'Do Not Disturb': Ensure your 'Do Not Disturb' or 'Focus' mode settings are not configured to silence or hold notifications from the Blink app.
Step 4: Reboot Your System
A full power cycle can clear out any temporary glitches in your network hardware.
- Unplug your Blink Sync Module.
- Unplug your home's Wi-Fi router.
- Wait for 60 seconds.
- Plug your router back in and wait for it to fully restart.
- Plug your Sync Module back in.
By ensuring strong signals and optimising a few key settings, you can significantly reduce notification lag and restore your confidence in your Blink security system.