Blink doorbell allows you to keep an eye on your front door all the time and from everywhere. You can see in real-time who’s ringing you, communicate with them, get alerts, and even playback the footage later. Basically, you can monitor your entrance from the palm of your hand.
An issue that may show up from time to time is the Blink doorbell not working properly. To be more precise, the Blink doorbell is offline and can’t be controlled by the app.
Blink doorbells may show offline due to internet or WiFi problems, expired batteries or other power issues, physical damages on the unit, and sometimes configurations. Each of these reasons is related to certain circumstances that can be inspected closely and then fixed accordingly.
In this thorough guide, we will show and discuss how to fix a Blink camera that shows offline. Simply follow the steps and the suggestions until you make the camera functional again.
How to fix a Blink doorbell that is Offline
While the Blink doorbell works fine most of the time, it may show connectivity issues depending on the circumstance. The most common reason why a Blink doorbell is offline are:
- The Sync Module is out of range
- The setup doesn’t have a Blink Sync Module
- The WiFi is not working
- The WiFi is slow or doesn’t offer a proper coverage
- The Blink doorbell is far away from the WiFi router
- The batteries are dead or about to expire
- The doorbell has experienced physical damage
In the next sections, we will further explain these reasons and what you can do to fix the issue. Go through them one by one until the doorbell is back online.
Out of Sync
Blink doorbell work by utilizing the Sync Module which handles the communication network the Blink servers and the doorbell installed in your home.
Additionally, this module keeps the device online and sends (and receives) data to the phone app that requests the information.
If the doorbell has no Sync Module in the setup, it works in Event Response Mode. In Event Response mode, the Blink doorbell powers all of its own communications, and batteries drain faster than when the doorbell is connected to a Blink Sync Module or powered wiring from a chime system you already have.
Issues with the WiFi
No WiFi connection
If there’s no internet, or the doorbell is not connected to the WiFi, then it makes sense to see the “offline” message on the screen.
The doorbell needs the internet to communicate with the Blink server and the phone. If the connection is not working, you should see an alert on the phone app, and the doorbell itself will start to flash red.
If you’re in this situation, check if the internet works using your phone. Get connected to the same WiFi, open up some random pages or play a YouTube video. If nothing plays, then the internet is down.
To fix this issue, you can try to power cycle the router, which is another way of saying turn it off, wait 60 seconds, and power it back on. Also, you may check with the Internet Provider to test out the connection or find out if there’s a local outage.
Slow internet/WiFi
Slow internet may be caused by multiple reasons. For example, maybe you have a lot of devices on the network, maybe you’re streaming heavily, maybe the router is far away and there are too many walls in between. All of these need to be addressed.
If the router and the doorbell are far away, then the coverage will be low. As a result, the doorbell may connect to the WiFi, but it will randomly disconnect or struggle to keep a strong connection. Once it drops, the message offline shows on the phone app.
You can fix this problem by bringing the router close to the doorbell (or vice versa) and checking if the units are linked. If so, you can relocate the router to a proper spot.
Another suggestion is to upgrade the internet plan or, even better, upgrade the router to a model that offers more coverage. Some routers (the expensive ones) are able to transmit stable internet across multiple obstacles.
Additionally, you can always invest in a WiFi extender to avoid moving the router. This device is relatively affordable and can help you extend the WiFi coverage across all of your property.
Dead batteries
Another thing you need to pay attention to are the batteries. If their doorbell has no power, of course, it cannot connect to the internet and you’ll see the Offline message on the screen.
However, the Blink app will alert you if the batteries are at 10% or lower. If you don’t change the batteries in time, then they’ll die and the doorbell will go offline.
Blink doorbells are on two AA batteries which are very common. When you get the alert, swap the old one and the camera will stay online. AA batteries are the same regardless of brand, but we’d suggest purchasing well-known brand names since they offer a longer lifespan.
If you live in an area with very cold winters (or very hot summers), consider replacing the batteries more often. Extreme temperatures can cause the batteries to discharge faster.
Hardware issues
In some cases, the elements may damage the doorbell and make it nonfunctional. Harsh weather such as snow, heavy rain, storms, etc, may crack or penetrate the doorbell and short the circuit.
Physically inspect the camera and see if there’s any visible damage (you may remove the cover to check for water residue). If damaged beyond repair, you may either purchase a new one or ask for a replacement (if the unit is still under the warranty).
Conclusion
If the Blink doorbell is offline, check the internet and make sure the WiFi is working fine and the doorbell is linked to it. Also, you can check the batteries, the WiFi range, and if there’s any physical damage to the unit. If nothing works, you can contact Blink for further technical support.
