You may often see the words “armed” or “disarmed” on your Blink Video Doorbell or Blink App. These messages can be unclear, especially if you’re unfamiliar with Blink’s security features. So, what exactly does “armed” mean on Blink Doorbell?

For Blink Doorbells, “armed” means motion sensors, notifications, and video recording is active. When the motion detection system picks up on movement outside your door, it will record a video and send the clip to your smartphone, notifying you in the process.

Below, we’ll discuss more information on what “arming” your Blink Doorbell does. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to keep your home safe.

When your Blink Doorbell is armed, it means your doorbell’s motion detector is on and active. Whenever the camera senses motion in its field of view, you will receive a five-second automatically-recorded video clip on your smartphone. The video is loaded to a Cloud server, where it will stay for you to view for 60 days before it’s automatically deleted.

Arming or disarming your doorbell lets your Blink system know when you want to receive notifications about activity around your front door. Blink will send you a short clip of all the action outside, whether it’s a visitor who just rang the bell, the owner of a car parked out front, or just a stray cat roaming your walkway.

You can disarm the system whenever you don’t want to receive these notifications. This will prevent unnecessary footage from clogging your storage space and spamming your notification center. Disarming your doorbell camera does not mean you won’t get to see who rings your doorbell — you just won’t get a regular motion detection alert.

Obviously, the Blink App is directly compatible with the Blink Doorbell. This makes it most people’s preferred method of activation. To arm your security features using the Blink App, follow the steps below:

  • Open the Blink App.Click on the video of your front door.Click the little gray running icon at the top right of the screen. It will turn blue, indicating that the system is armed.

You should now see the “Armed” button at the bottom of the screen. As long as this option is activated, you will get a notification on your phone within three seconds of motion.

Another app that’s popular with Blink Doorbells is the If This, Then That (IFTTT) App. You can follow the instructions below to connect and arm your doorbell through IFTTT:

  • Open the app, then search for Blink.Sign in and grant the app access to your account.Create a new Applet.Choose an action between arming or disarming your system.

Since IFTTT is a third-party app, it does take a bit longer to arm and disarm your system. Nonetheless, it still gets the job done.

If you use voice commands to disarm your Blink Doorbell, you will be asked for your four-digit pin. Then, your system will disarm.

It’s up to you when to arm and disarm your Blink Doorbell. However, if you want to save battery power, leave it disarmed when you don’t need to be sent video feeds.

If you don’t want to keep arming and disarming your system manually, you can set a schedule on your Blink App. Follow these steps to do so:

  • Open the Blink App and click on Settings.Select your Blink Video Doorbell.Set your time zone.Tap “Scheduling.”Create and set as many schedules as you’d like.

As a prenote, the scheduled time will override your previous manual armed and disarmed settings.

Blink Doorbells offer customizable motion detection settings. These include:

  • Activity zonesMotion-activated recording lengthMotion detection sensitivity

To access these settings, click the three straight lines at the top of the Blink App and set up these functions however you like.

Activity Zones

This allows you to pick deliberate gray areas that will be blocked from the camera’s view. If anything passes these areas, you will not be alerted.

Motion-Activated Recording Length

For some people, five-second clips aren’t long enough to get an idea of what’s happening outside their front door. Luckily, you can adjust the recording time between 5 and 60 seconds within the app.

Motion Detection Sensitivity

You can adjust the sensitivity of your motion sensor on a scale of 1-10. A higher sensitivity will increase motion notifications, while a lower sensitivity will decrease them.

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