hackerhouse/blink-recorder

Blink Camera Recorder

Two scripts for recording from Blink cameras:

Motion Clips (motion_clip_downloader.py)

Downloads motion-triggered clips from Blink servers

• Saves to motion_clips/ folder by date
• Checks every 5 minutes for new clips

24/7 Recording (continuous_recorder.py)

Records continuous footage using RTSP streams

• Saves to external HD mounted at /mnt/external_hd/blink_recordings
• Creates 1-hour segments per camera
• Requires Raspberry Pi setup

Quick Start

# Install
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Set credentials
export BLINK_USERNAME="your_email"
export BLINK_PASSWORD="your_password"

# Run motion clips downloader
python motion_clip_downloader.py

# OR run continuous recorder (requires Raspberry Pi setup)
python continuous_recorder.py

Storage

• Motion clips: ~10MB/minute
• Continuous: ~2GB/hour/camera

Raspberry Pi Setup

# System dependencies
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python3-opencv

# Mount external drive
sudo mkdir /mnt/external_hd
sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt/external_hd  # Replace sdX1 with your drive

Common Issues

• Check credentials if clips aren't downloading
• Ensure network can handle RTSP streams
• Monitor disk space regularly