EufyCam Evaluate: A Slick Wi-fi Safety Cam That Lacks Options
“EufyCam is a strong, however spendy, debut that isn’t but the whole bundle”
Weatherproof, wi-fi outside/indoor digital camera
As much as a 12 months’s operation on a single cost
Respectable picture high quality
Facial recognition that works
HomeBase safety siren with native SD storage and charging enhance
Siren lacks an actual punch
AI options might go additional
Promised IFTTT, Google Assistant and Alexa help a piece in progress
Costlier than most rivals
The weatherproof and wire-free Arlo sensible cam blazed a path in 2014, combining safety and ease in a cute, handy bundle. A number of generations later and with a slew of latest traces on the way in which, Arlo stays one in all our favourite outside cameras. It’s taken rivals a couple of years to determine a response, however they’re approaching sturdy.
Eufy could also be an unfamiliar identify, even to ardent sensible residence followers, however it’s the subsidiary beneath which standard equipment model Anker is charging into the sensible residence market. Robovacs, mild bulbs, sensible plugs, child displays, kitchen devices – they’re all now accessible or on the way in which.
The corporate’s outside smartcam, EufyCam, arrived in the marketplace following a profitable $three.1 million Kickstarter marketing campaign. Priced at $499 for a 2-camera equipment and HomeBase hub/siren, it’s an in depth competitor to the $449 Arlo Professional 2, with the promise of added smarts.
It’s all about versatility
Absolutely wi-fi, EufyCam could be put in indoors or outdoor, with an IP67 ranking that ensures water resistance and operation in temperatures between -Four and 122 levels Fahrenheit (-20 to 50 levels Celsius). That’s sturdy sufficient for all however essentially the most excessive climates. On the time of our evaluation, with winter temperatures plummeting to -Eight F (-22 C), we have been happy to see EufyCam deal with the weather with ease.
Terry Walsh/Digital Developments
Every digital camera packs a sensor recording 1080p HD video and a chargeable battery supporting as much as a 12 months’s operation on a single cost. Eufycam’s HomeBase hub additionally features a battery backup lasting as much as 10 hours within the case of an influence reduce, plus a 100 dB siren that guarantees to wake the family ought to an intruder be detected.
Alongside these comparatively commonplace options, Anker is hoping enhanced synthetic intelligence options can differentiate EufyCam from extra established rivals. They embody human detection (guaranteeing blowing bushes, passing vehicles and your pet chinchilla gained’t set off movement alerts), facial-recognition, and integration with the standard array of sensible companies like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and IFTTT.
Engaging, strong safety system
Visually, EufyCam lacks the cuteness, compactness and curviness of Arlo, however Anker’s designers have accomplished a strong job of crafting a handsome smartcam. It’s somewhat lengthy, however EufyCam’s two-tone matte/gloss plastics add a sure swagger. In hand, the graceful chassis feels strong and weighty. That’s most certainly as a result of sealed, inside battery. The digital camera’s solely opening is a micro-USB port, used for charging and protected against the weather by a rubber seal.
EufyCam seems to be a neatly-designed, well-appointed home-security bundle that’ll look nice inside or outdoors the house.
The Eufy HomeBase follows an identical aesthetic however could possibly be mistaken for a mini kitchen toaster. It’s somewhat extra sleek than Arlo’s hub and contains an Ethernet port for networking, PowerIQ USB port for charging cameras (and different units, that is an Anker product, in any case) plus a helpful microSD slot for native video backup. In a uncommon present of generosity, the equipment additionally features a pre-installed 16GB microSD card to get you began.
Total, EufyCam seems to be a neatly-designed, well-appointed home-security bundle that’ll look nice inside or outdoors the house.
Simple setup with some mild outside drilling required
Should you’re planning to spend money on a variety of Eufy sensible units, notice that EufyCam requires the usage of a standalone app. At this level, safety units aren’t built-in within the Eufy controller app used for lighting, sensible plugs, and different units. Whereas that’s an inconvenience, thankfully, the remaining steps to rise up and working are fast and simple.
Connecting the HomeBase is an easy matter of wiring the machine to your router after which following easy steps on the app. Voice prompts from the HomeBase speaker make the expertise friendlier. Pairing every digital camera to your HomeBase is accomplished in seconds.
Should you’re mounting EufyCam outdoors, you have to be ready for some mild drilling to safe the included mount, screws and wall anchors, though the good thing about a wi-fi digital camera is that there aren’t any trailing cables to clip. Inner wall mounts are additionally supplied, however EufyCam’s magnetic rear floor can adhere on to some metallic surfaces for comfort.
Whereas EufyCam’s digital camera battery helps as much as a 12 months’s use on a single cost, that depends on you choosing an Optimum Life Battery Mode, which provides 20-second recorded clips and decreased movement detection sensitivity. In Optimum Surveillance Mode, clip length is boosted to 60 seconds, and alarms are extra frequent. On this mode, Anker recommends the digital camera is plugged into an influence outlet. That’s straightforward for indoor use, however outdoor, you’ll must suppose via weatherproofed cabling and energy termination.
Stable imaging for surveillance
In each indoor and outside settings, we discovered EufyCam’s 1080p video output to be sharp and fairly clear. The digital camera manages to ship an honest sight view (quoted by Anker at 140 levels, though that appears beneficiant) with out a heavy fish-eye impact. We did discover some ghosting and artifacts round objects and overexposure round home windows, although – a typical situation with smartcams we’ve examined beforehand. As you’d count on, a night-vision characteristic is included, and on a darkish, snowy night time, we have been delighted with the digital camera’s readability and vary.
EufyCam definitely can’t match the picture high quality of premium outside cameras like Nest Cam IQ Out of doors, however it’s definitely adequate for residence surveillance.
We discovered EufyCam did an incredible job at detecting movement and firing alerts virtually instantaneously. With House and Away modes accessible, you’re free to customise alert preferences as you would like, receiving notifications in your cellphone, triggering the HomeBase alarm (and accompanying alarm in your cameras) or each. Nonetheless, whereas the HomeBase siren is definitely loud sufficient to wake the family within the occasion of a night-time intrusion, in the event you’re away from residence, it’s no substitute for an exterior alarm.
Good A.I. options supply nice potential, when and in the event that they’re lastly delivered
EufyCam’s A.I. characteristic lineup has some room for enchancment. In comparison with Nest cameras, which let you add faces captured by your cameras to a facial recognition database, EufyCam requires you so as to add current high-resolution photographs out of your smartphone. That could be advantageous for household and buddies however might result in awkward conversations along with your neighbors and the usguy. As soon as arrange, we discovered facial recognition was each correct and fast, however whereas EufyCam is sensible sufficient to inform us who it’s detected, it doesn’t use that info intelligently — for instance, to suppress the HomeBase alarm when a pleasant face is detected.
Whereas EufyCam delivers the fundamentals, a number of options promised on the field are merely M.I.A.
Elsewhere, EufyCam’s billed help for Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT seem like works in progress. An Alexa talent has been revealed in some territories, though a fast look at Eufy’s help boards recommend that early outcomes aren’t spectacular. When you’ll discover a Eufy service accessible for Google House, we have been unable to steer the Assistant to search out and connect with our cameras. As for IFTTT, whereas Anker clearly shows help on the field and has promised the identical to Kickstarter backers, on the time of writing, there aren’t any recipes accessible for EufyCam. Definitely, EufyCam has a lot of potential for future characteristic updates, if Anker can ship.
Guarantee info
EufyCam is supported by a one-year guarantee.
Total, Anker has accomplished a very good job delivering a horny, simple-to-operate sensible safety system, however there’s some solution to go earlier than EufyCam delivers on its promised worth. Whereas EufyCam delivers the fundamentals, its differentiating options, notably in A.I. and third-party integration, are both nascent or fully M.I.A.
Should you’re completely satisfied to pay $499 for a strong sensible safety system and promise of future characteristic improvement, then dive in. Nonetheless, at launch, EufyCam isn’t the whole bundle that may knock achieved techniques like Arlo Professional 2 off its perch, nor does it examine in worth when taking a look at cheaper techniques from Ring, Abode and others.
Is there a greater different?
The sensible safety market is changing into so crowded, you possibly can take your decide from achieved techniques at a variety of value factors. On the top-end, the $479 Arlo Professional 2 stays a incredible alternative, however in the event you’re contemplating such a excessive funding, grasp on for the upcoming Arlo Extremely, which boasts 4K HDR imaging and built-in highlight.
How lengthy will it final?
Anker’s new to the sensible residence market, however they’ve definitely invested closely in constructing a complete product vary. Now we have some issues that the corporate has but to ship all the options promised for EufyCam, so till they do, we’d advise you to proceed with warning.
Must you purchase it?
Nearly $500 is some huge cash to spend on a sensible residence safety system – notably one that’s not but feature-complete. We sit up for seeing the Eufy vary proceed to evolve however, for now, Anker’s strong debut smartcam can’t fairly justify its price ticket.
