Hmount Solar Panel for Blink XT XT 2 Security Camera, Wall Mount Outdoor Weather Proof Solar Power Charging Panel for Blink XT XT 2 Home Security Camera System

Let me first say I am writing this review after my second purchased unit. The first one is decent but can be buggy at times and this one is no different.**First thing I would like to see changed on this unit is the On/Off button.**It would be great if this could be changed to a toggle switch or some other type of switch. You have no idea if its on or off when you receive it. You have to plug something into it, give it a few minutes to build up a small charge just to see if the switch is on or off. Nothing is worse then installing it high on the house, waiting only to realize it was off the entire time.**Second thing is the "Live view not available" message**I have 6 cameras, two which are on these solar panels, these are the only two cameras that give me a "live view not available". if you keep trying to log in, it will finally pick up the camera so you can see what's going on. This can be dangerous if you have someone beating on your door and you can't see what's happening. The camera clearly lets you know it detected motion but you just can't view it. Not good in my opinion.**Third, the mount for the solar panel feels cheap/ brittle even. **You all probably know the feeling of really cheap plastic vs. a heavier grade plastic. This is the cheap feeling plastic. It makes me feel if I tighten the screws too much I will end up breaking the plastic flange right off. I added on some small washers of my own just to distribute the contact pressure a little and only tightened the screws enough to where they made contact with the mounting flange. Safe then sorry right?**A few Pros**I do like that the solar panel is not huge, It measures roughly 7 inches tall x 6" wide and the panel itself is only about 1/8 inch thick ( not counting the battery pack )The articulation of the panel gives a decent range of motion so its pretty user friendly in that aspect.Finally the cord length is sufficient. Overall it's pretty long but everyone's application will be different when it comes to this part it all depends on how you wish to route your wires.Overall its not a bad budget friendly unit but I would like to see the above issues addressed.Thanks for reading my review

I bought two of the solar charging panels to try to address a problem that a friend is having with her Blink XT2 cameras, which are eating through Lithium batteries at an alarming rate.The panels arrived less than 24 hours after ordering. The Amazon box was in good shape and the contents were secured using air pillow film, but the boxes with the solar panels both had crushed corners and just seem too small for their contents, specifically the nut that controls the tilt angle of the mounting bracket.As another reviewer noted, there is a push-button ON/OFF switch on the back of the panel, with no way to tell which position the switch is in. Luckily the Blink camera will give you an indication when it is starting up by turning on the IR illuminator, so you can use that to discern the position of the switch.The product description calls the hardware “heavy duty”, but the plastic seems brittle and the screws cheap and not stainless.I have significant doubts about the weatherproofness of the panel itself, as well as the connection to the Blink cameras. The compartment on the back of the solar panel which holds the battery and electronics has no gasket to keep out rain, and the five small screws which hold on the cover terminate in posts on the inside of the compartment. The soft rubber cover over the ON/OFF switch is press-fit into the back cover. Capillary action is free to draw moisture into the compartment along these paths.My greatest concern for the durability of the panel is the fact that the power cord simply exits through a hole on the bottom of the housing. While rain should not find its way inside this way, humidity and moisture from fog will. My friend lives less than half a mile from the Pacific Ocean, and fog and salt air are common. I suspect that the stock panel would fail within a year due to corrosion.Since I already had the panels apart I decided to try to extend their lifetime by spraying the electronics with a waterproof conformal coating. The only thing I could not protect are the contact points for the batteries, since the coating is non-conductive. I will also coat the USB plug after I connect it to the Blink cameras to try to prevent water ingress.I will update this review as needed once the panels are installed.

This works for the blink outdoor cameras (non-xt) I purchased in 2020. Compared to the other main brand:- This one is heavier- Longer warranty (lifetime vs. 3 months)- On/off button switch- Missing the weather resistant gasket protecting the camera from weather around the USB connection- Mount adjustable only in 2 directions vs. 4- 6 watts of power vs. 5Blink says that the external power source must be 5 watts/2 amps, and they won’t warranty a camera that has used a third-party power source. I had to remove the panel from the mount in order to install it and lost the little nut in the grass, but they included another little nut. It’s also easier to adjust the other brand’s solar panel on its mount. I added permanent caulk around the USB cable to keep the weather out of the camera.

Some people may have a good experience with this solar panel but my experience was awful. We purchased two for our Blink cameras. The first one we opened was missing a crucial piece. A very small nut that screws in to the screw that holds the solar panel in position. We went to three different hardware stores to find one that would fit and nothing would fit. So the hardware is not universal and we had to contact the company.Instead of sending us a nut, they decided to send us a new panel. That is great, however as I received the email for this, I noticed the camera attached to the working solar panel was no longer recording footage. After one rainy night, the solar panel stopped working completely. We have decided to just return both solar panels as we don't want to drill more holes in our house for a product that does not work.

This worked great the first week, then our camera stopped responding. The "on off" switch on the unit didn't bring the camera back. I was forced to totally disconnect the solar system, then reconnect to get the camera working. It's done that 3 other times in the last 2 months. I'm in Southern California, so we've had enough sun. If it causes our camera to flake out one more time, I'm going to return it before the amazon 90 day time expires. EDIT: I should have checked the return window. It's only 30 days not 90. This has flaked out 2 more times since my last review. I have just removed it and gone back to batteries. This power source just can't be trusted. For the record, the Solar panel faces south, so it gets plenty of sun.