How to Access Blink Camera From PC: This Method Works [2023]

Having control over my Blink security camera system, including my Blink Mini, is convenient and all, but it would be much better if I could do the same using my trusty PC.

The Blink Home Monitor app is explicitly meant only for Android and iOS according to their marketing material, so I had to carve my own paths to ensure access to Blink from my PC.

With a few dedicated research hours down, I managed to assemble the following tutorial to get around this issue.

To access Blink cameras from a PC, use an Android emulator like BlueStacks on a Windows or Mac computer. Using an Android emulator, it is possible to install the Blink app and access the Blink ecosystem from a PC. Note that there are no official methods to access Blink cameras from a PC.

Can You Access Blink Cameras Using a PC?

There is no official support for the Blink Home Monitor app for any operating system that runs on a PC.

This makes Blink restricted to only the mobile device operating systems in iOS and Android, which is quite a bummer.

Considering many use their PC for controlling and managing their home security systems, it is surprising that Blink hasn't implemented a Windows/mac app.

Features such as arming-disarming, two-way audio, live video streaming and recording, Night Vision, and other motion detection based activities are all locked behind the Blink app on a smartphone or tablet interface.

And since Blink Cams are Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, voice-command-based actions are also limited to mobile devices.

But fortunately, there are workarounds to this issue.

Unofficial Methods for Accessing Blink Cameras Using a PC

Thanks to the power of emulators, we can actually conjure up a working Blink Home Monitor application directly from the comfort of our PCs any time, anywhere.

For the sake of this article, we are going to emulate an Android ecosystem on a Windows or Mac computer.

There are iOS emulators available, but Android emulators work best without many stability issues.

The emulator that this article will focus on is BlueStacks, one of the most popular Android emulators available in the market.

BlueStacks is free to use, and the Android Phone apps that you use will basically be logging the device as an Android phone or tablet.

System Requirements for BlueStacks

BlueStacks, like any program, has a few minimum hardware requirements you need to check in order to get it working seamlessly.

Given below are the minimum and recommended system requirements for running BlueStacks 5 on your Windows PC:

	Minimum requirements	Recommended requirements
Operating System	Windows 7 and above	Windows 10 and above
CPU	Intel/AMD	Intel/AMD chip with single thread benchmark >1000
GPU	Integrated is enough	Intel/Nvidia/ATI with benchmark >=750
Graphic drivers	Latest	Latest
Virtualization	Not required	Required
RAM	At least 4 GB	At least 8 GB
ROM	At least 5 GB of free disk space	Depends on the apps installed
Storage	HDD or SSD	SSD
Internet	Any type of communication	Broadband or fiber preferred
Admin Access	Required	Required

Given below are the minimum and recommended system requirements for using BlueStacks on your MacOS computer:

	Minimum requirements	Recommended requirements
Operating System	MacOS 10.12 Sierra 64 bit	macOS 10,13 High Sierra 64 bit
CPU	Intel Dual Core	Intel multi-core chip with single thread benchmark >1500
GPU	Intel HD 5200 or higher	Intel/Nvidia/ATI with PassMark benchmark score >=750
Graphic drivers	Graphics Driver with OpenGL 2.1	Latest Graphics Driver with OpenGL 2.1 or higher
Virtualization	Required	Required
RAM	At least 4 GB	At least 8 GB
ROM	At least 8 GB of free disk space	At least 32 GB of free disk space
Storage	HDD or SSD	SSD
Internet	Any type of communication	Broadband or fiber preferred
Admin Access	Required	Required
Energy mode	High power mode should be enabled	High power mode should be enabled

Using BlueStacks on Windows

Using BlueStacks on Windows is as simple as installing the app from their website and running the program.

Follow these simple setup steps to install and use the BlueStacks Desktop app on your PC:

• From the browser on your Windows PC platform, visit the BlueStacks website.

• Tap on Download. It is best to stick to the latest version.
• The download should begin immediately. The package is not that big, but if your internet connection is slow, this may take a few minutes.

• Install the app by running the .exe setup file that has been downloaded. Follow the steps on the screen to complete the installation process.
• Once the app is booted, it will ask you for your Google credentials. Input the same to log in to your Google account on the emulated Android device.
• Once successfully logged in, you will be greeted with an Android home screen, from which you can open the Google Play Store.
• Open the Play Store and enter Blink Home Monitor app on the search bar.
• Tap on the relevant search result and tap the Install button to trigger the installation process.

• Once installed, tap on the Blink Home Monitoring app icon and log in with your Blink credentials to start enjoying the various premium features of your Blink devices from the comfort of your Windows PC.

Thanks to Blink's multi-system support, you won't have to worry about logging into the Blink app from multiple devices, even at the same time.

Using BlueStacks for MacOS

Installation of BlueStacks is similar on MacOS just as how it was on a Windows PC.

Here's the setup guide to install BlueStacks on your MacOS computer:

• From the browser on your MacOS user interface, visit the BlueStacks website.
• Tap on the Download option. The website will automatically detect you are on MacOS and provide the relevant download file. It is best to stick to the latest version.
• The download should begin immediately. The setup file is not that big, but if your internet connection is slow, this may take a few minutes.
• Install the setup file.
• Follow the on-screen steps to properly install the service.
• Once the app is booted, it will ask you for your Google credentials. Input the same to log in to your Google account on the emulated Android device.
• Once successfully logged in, you will be greeted with an Android home screen, from which you can open the Google Play Store.
• Open the Play Store and enter Blink Home Monitor app on the search bar.
• Tap on the relevant search result and begin downloading the Blink app.
• Once installed, you can boot the Blink app and follow the login steps to start controlling your Blink devices from the comfort of your Windows PC.

Final Thoughts

If you have further doubts regarding controlling your Blink home ecosystem from your PC, feel free to comment below.

Till Blink makes their own Windows, Mac, or other external source versions of the Blink Home Monitoring app, you are unlikely to get further assistance from Blink support or Bluestacks support.

I hope my article on whether you can access Blink camera from a PC has been a worthwhile read and has aided you with the same.

Have a good day!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is BlueStacks open source?

BlueStacks has chosen to private its source code and therefore is not open source.

Does Blink support RTSP?

Blink cameras, including Blink Mini and the Battery-operated models, are meant to be smart security cameras that capture short clips when it detects motion and does not support RTSP for 24x7 live footage.

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