Blink Camera Won’t Connect to Wi-Fi? (How to Fix)

ByNelson Morgan Troubleshooting

So you’ve been trying to connect your Blink camera to your Wi-Fi network without success? We’re here to help.

In this post, we explain some reasons behind this problem and what you can do to combat the problem. Let’s get started.

Blink Camera Won’t Connect to Wi-Fi

If you’re having trouble connecting your Blink camera to Wi-Fi, here are some reasons behind this issue:

  • The camera isn’t receiving strong Wi-Fi signals.
  • You’re trying to connect to an unsupported Wi-Fi band.
  • Your phone’s operating system requires an update.
  • The Blink app requires an update.

Now, let’s look at how to troubleshoot this issue.

How to Troubleshoot Blink Camera Wi-Fi Connection Issues?

Here are some troubleshooting steps to try if your Blink Camera won’t connect to Wi-Fi:

1. Reboot Your Router

First off, you want to refresh your Wi-Fi connection to see if it resolves the issue. You can refresh your Wi-Fi connection by rebooting your router.

If your router has a power button, you can reboot it by turning it off and turning it back on (via the power button). If the router doesn’t come with a power button, simply unplug it from the power source, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. This should reboot your router.

Next, try connecting your Blink camera again to see if the issue is resolved.

If it still won’t connect, continue to the next step.

2. Ensure You’re Connecting to the Supported Wi-Fi Band

You may experience difficulties getting your Blink camera to connect to your home Wi-Fi—if your router is operating on the 5GHz band.

Blink cameras (as of now) only support the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network. So, check your router to see if it’s operating on the 5GHz band. If so, change it to 2.4GHz. If you’re not sure how to do this, refer to your user manual for instructions or try googling your router’s model for the guidelines.

3. Move Your Router Closer to Your Blink Camera

Wi-Fi routers work better when you mount them closer to the connected devices.

So, if your Blink camera refuses to connect to your home Wi-Fi, check whether your router is near the camera. If not, move the router closer to the camera (within 30 feet).

4. Set up a Wi-Fi Extender in Your Home

Sometimes, your Blink camera may still not connect to Wi-Fi even after you’ve moved your router closer to the device. This could be happening because your Blink camera’s Wi-Fi signal strength is low.

You can increase the Wi-Fi signal strength in your Blink camera by installing a Wi-Fi extender in your home. To get the best results, plug the Wi-Fi extender into a wall outlet between your router and Blink camera. The Wi-Fi extender will collect signals from your router and transmit the Wi-Fi signals to your Blink camera.

After you’ve installed your Wi-Fi extender, the device will appear on your smartphone’s Wi-Fi settings as a Wi-Fi network. It will also give itself a name and add _EXT at the end of its Wi-Fi name.

If your Blink camera model is a Mini Camera, Indoor Camera (gen 2), or Outdoor Camera, it will connect automatically to the Wi-Fi extender.

 However, other models like Blink XT, XT2, and Blink’s original Indoor camera will only connect to the router’s main Wi-Fi network. So, if you are using any of these cameras, you have to change your Wi-Fi extender’s network name to your router’s Wi-Fi network name.

If you want to change your Wi-Fi extender’s Wi-Fi network name, you need to access the device’s settings. The process of changing your Wi-Fi extender settings differs from one brand to another. Refer to your user manual for instructions.

5. Install a Mesh Wi-Fi

Apart from setting up a Wi-Fi extender, another way to improve the Wi-Fi signal strength of your Blink camera is to install a Mesh Wi-Fi network.

A mesh Wi-Fi network treats each connected device as a node, allowing them to generate Wi-Fi signals from each other. The primary node in the mesh Wi-Fi network works as a gateway into the network by connecting to the internet through your modem.

Your router then collects Wi-Fi signals from your modem, and transmits them to other devices, like your Blink cameras. This improves the Wi-Fi signal strength in your Blink camera, as well as the overall Wi-Fi coverage in your home.

Here are the steps to follow to install Mesh Wi-Fi in your home:

  • Reset your router by pressing the reset button on the device. After your router has finished resetting, it will assign an IP address for your mesh nodes. The IP address is how all the nodes, or connected devices, communicate to one another.
  • Most mesh Wi-Fi networks have a mobile app that helps users set up the network. For instance, you need to install the Google Wi-Fi app to set up Google mesh Wi-Fi in your home. Download the appropriate Wi-Fi app for your mesh Wi-Fi to your phone and open it.
  • Create an account on the Wi-Fi app, and enter the admin password given to you.
  • Once you’ve created your account, the Wi-Fi app will give you instructions on how to set up the mesh Wi-Fi. Follow these steps to complete the setup process.
  • If you consider your Blink camera your most crucial security device, keep the router close to it. If not, you can move your router near a more important device. Do this before you finish setting up your mesh Wi-Fi.
  • The device near the router will act as the primary node, where other nodes will source Wi-Fi signals.
  • After the setup process is complete, the Wi-Fi app will look for the primary node. When the app finds the node, it will notify you. Also, the primary node will get an IP address.

If your Blink camera is your primary node, it should connect to Wi-Fi once you’ve finished setting up the mesh network.

6. Update the Blink App and Your Phone’s Operating System

If you’re still having problems connecting your Blink camera to Wi-Fi, check your phone’s operating system and the Blink app—to see if you have the current versions.

Using an outdated version of the Blink app may cause some malfunctions. And your phone may also have some issues if the operating system is not upgraded to the current version.

So, check your app store and update the Blink app (if there are new updates). Also, update your phone’s operating system to the current version. See how to update your phone’s operating system below:

Android:

  • Open the Settings app on your phone.
  • Tap System and then tap Advanced.
  • Now tap System Update. From here, you’ll see if there’s a new update. Follow the on-screen instructions to update your device.

iOS:

  • Click the Settings icon on your phone and then tap General.
  • Select Software Update and then tap Download and Install.
  • Tap Install to update your device.

If you’ve updated the Blink app and your phone’s operating system, you can now try to connect your Blink camera to Wi-Fi.

Wrapping Up

As mentioned, there may be several reasons behind the connection issues with your Blink camera, so ensure you try all the fixes.

And if none of the fixes helps, contact Blink Customer Support for help.

You may also like to read about transferring your Blink camera to a new user.