Blink's Snc Module XR Pushes Camera Range Beyond Wi-Fi

Blink has announced the launch of its new Sync Module XR. This is the third generation of its system hub, with the ability to extend the range of cameras beyond the walls of a typical house.

The XR is designed to extend the range of its battery-powered Blink Outdoor 4 cameras, which lets them to connect up to 400 feet away from the home. This is a huge increase from the previous generation, the Sync Module 2, which gave a range of up to 100 feet. The XR gets its extended range through a new proprietary long-range radio embedded in its custom-built silicon. The module operates at 900MHz frequency, which can penetrate one exterior wall.

It features two modes: XR, which gives a range of up to 250 feet with a maximum video resolution of 720p, and XR Plus, which extends the range to 400 feet but reduces video quality to 360p. Obviously, this reduction in video quality will impact the cameras' effectiveness for security purposes. The lower quality will make it hard to identify faces or license plates, especially in low-light conditions.

Blink

The Sync Module XR comes in a bundle with a free Blink Outdoor 4 camera at launch. It supports up to 10 Blink cameras, including wired and wireless models, and offers local storage for recorded video with a microSD card, which can store up to 256GB of data. The XR only extends the range of the Blink Outdoor 4 camera over its XR protocol, with a limit of two cameras at a time. The Blink Outdoor 4 can last up to two years on two AA batteries, with the option to extend that to four years with an extension pack. This, combined with the new long-range capability, makes them a great option for monitoring areas beyond the reach of Wi-Fi, such as sheds, driveways, or chicken coops.

This extender is a lot like the Eero Outdoor 7 from Eero. Eero, like Blink, is also owned by Amazon, so they tend to work together well. The Sync Module XR comes at $59.99 on Amazon. As of writing, the store link from the website does not work, and the Amazon listing shows it as the "All New Blink Sync Module Pro," which was the name it had when it was announced last year, everything else indicates it is the XR.

Source: Blink, The Verge