Blink’s home security camera gets an outdoor version

CES is still a full month away , but consumer security startup Blink is getting a jump on things with the announcement of a new outdoor camera designed to slot into the company’s home surveillance ecosystem. The Blink XT will be making its in-person debut at CES in January and will start shipping the following month, but company’s offering up pretty much all you need to know about the thing right now.

On the face of it, the XT looks fairly similar to its predecessor, maintaining the same square form factor, but sporting a new black coat of paint. The camera also maintains the stated two-year battery life of the earlier version, (using two AAs) quite possibly the simple camera’s strongest selling point.

The new version bring an IP-65 waterproof rating – a necessity for any outdoor product, along with infrared shooting to catch activity at night. The camera shoots in 1080p and uses the same cloud-based software solution as its predecessor, so those who own an indoor Blink can add this to their existing home system.

As for what the XT doesn’t have – LTE is the biggest standout. After all, WIFI signals tend to get pretty spotty outside the walls of a house. And like the standard Blink, it’s got a pretty basic feature set to compared to a number of higher-end security cams out there.

At $119, it’s pricier than the regular Blink, but still pretty affordable as far as outdoor cameras go. And if you’re really feeling like playing Big Brother, the company will throw in a fee XT with the purchase of a five camera bundle.