Eufy Security Cameras

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AKLGUY79

66 posts

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#289741 26-Sep-2021 15:03

HI Anyone use these camera's and recommend them

Currently have the Arlo but wanting something with more camera's that we don't need to pay a monthly fee for.

I know the Eufy need a Home base station. But can they communicate over WIFI? I have a big area covered by a Mesh system and if I have the home base station in one spot it wont quiet reach the other end of the house or the garage. SO a system than can report back to the basestation over wifi will be handy.

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DjShadow

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#2784551 26-Sep-2021 15:07

I've got 2x 2C cameras + Gen 1 Floodlight and pretty happy with them.

There is a new range of Solo Cams out that do not require a base unit, the S40 I'm interested in as it has its own solar panel.

Have a look at the youtube chan "Lifehackster" who does real good reviews.

AKLGUY79

66 posts

Master Geek

#2784561 26-Sep-2021 15:18

DjShadow:

I've got 2x 2C cameras + Gen 1 Floodlight and pretty happy with them.

There is a new range of Solo Cams out that do not require a base unit, the S40 I'm interested in as it has its own solar panel.

Have a look at the youtube chan "Lifehackster" who does real good reviews.

Thank you I don't mind the base unit, just if they can use the WIFI network to report back to the base unit.

michaelmurfy

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#2784573 26-Sep-2021 15:29

The answer is no - they use their own wireless standard and also offer very good range (I use Eufy on my parents farm).

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DjShadow

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#2784582 26-Sep-2021 16:12

AKLGUY79:

DjShadow:

I've got 2x 2C cameras + Gen 1 Floodlight and pretty happy with them.

There is a new range of Solo Cams out that do not require a base unit, the S40 I'm interested in as it has its own solar panel.

Have a look at the youtube chan "Lifehackster" who does real good reviews.

Thank you I don't mind the base unit, just if they can use the WIFI network to report back to the base unit.

They use their own wireless setup (non-wifi) to talk to the base unit. The new solo cams have their own built in storage and link directly to Wifi but looks like Eufy are starting to offer their own cloud storage as an option.

mattwnz

18650 posts

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#2784616 26-Sep-2021 17:11

Can you manage and view the Eufy ones remotely, and get remote alerts etc, if it is storing data locally. Or do you need a subscription for that sort of thing?

mrdrifter

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#2784631 26-Sep-2021 18:09

Yes you can view the remotely. I get alerts when my floodlight cam over the driveway detects motion in the zones I configured. The gen one floodlight doesn't have any smarts around ignoring animals though which can be a pain thanks to the neighbours cat.

Stu

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#2784634 26-Sep-2021 18:23

I was contemplating the Eufy cameras myself, but from memory the Eufy with the V2 base station has limited built in storage, that apparently can't be increased. I'm still looking.

It’s not that I’m agoraphobic, it’s just not safe to go out anymore.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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AKLGUY79

66 posts

Master Geek

#2784636 26-Sep-2021 18:38

Does anyone know of a decent home security system that has local storage then? that can talk wirelessly and also local storage?

DjShadow

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#2784641 26-Sep-2021 18:56

There are other systems like Arlo and Reolink.

Remembering Eufy are still developing their firmware so it may be possible in future to hook up an external HDD to the USB port, but also note the units are not constantly recording but only when the PIR sensor is tripped and you can control clip length e.g 20 seconds to 2 mins but stop recording earlier if motion stops.

Given their focus seems to be moving away from having a base station then having cloud backup would be the thing to consider

scuwp

3569 posts

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#2784645 26-Sep-2021 19:11

We have the Eufy 2C cameras. Have had some issues with motion detection (detecting to much) but fiddling with location and settings now they work pretty well.

No issues with memory, home base station will overwrite older recordings (how long do you want to keep recordings anyway??). If there is something you want to keep you can download it and save it. Been running over 1 year and still all recordings are there from the first day.

App is pretty good to use. Battery life is also pretty good, around 4 - 5 months on a charge depending on how many activations. Our rear camera gets hardly any, probably been 6 months since I last charged it and still showing 60% battery.

No ongoing costs, occasional firmware updates, simple to install and use.

Always be yourself, unless you can be Batman, then always be the Batman

DjShadow

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#2784651 26-Sep-2021 19:22

PB Tech and JB Hifi have a listing for the new Solar Panel now - https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/CCTEFY210905/Eufy-eufyCam-Solar-Panel-with-4m-cable-Suitable-fo

So with that you could get away with turning off the battery efficiency features like recording length, etc

dt

1080 posts

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#2784674 26-Sep-2021 20:39

I had an absolute horrible Arlo Ultra wireless system before going wired

3 of the 4 cameras were hooked up to solar panels and they kept them top up enough I never had to take them down to charge them in the 18ish months I had them up.. really good solution for wireless cameras.. they were admittedly in lowish traffic areas though

I helped my neighbour setup his eufy system, it connects to Eufy's base station, live view is much faster than Arlo and no subscription but the picture quality wasn't as good Arlo's.. but arlos '4k' wasn't that great either :/

Check out lifehackers channel on youtube, he does heaps of great wireless[and wired[ camera reviews and quite likes reolink as an alternative to Eufy

Stu

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#2784677 26-Sep-2021 20:48

DjShadow:

There are other systems like Arlo and Reolink.

Remembering Eufy are still developing their firmware so it may be possible in future to hook up an external HDD to the USB port, but also note the units are not constantly recording but only when the PIR sensor is tripped and you can control clip length e.g 20 seconds to 2 mins but stop recording earlier if motion stops.

Given their focus seems to be moving away from having a base station then having cloud backup would be the thing to consider

They've been talking about a firmware update allowing external storage, but that's been in the marketing for many months and no movement that I've seen (not that I'm sitting and watching for updates). I did see a comment that Eufy have ditched the plan and it would be available with Homebase 3, although I'm not sure that's happening with the imminent arrival of Eufy Solo cameras.

It’s not that I’m agoraphobic, it’s just not safe to go out anymore.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

Referral Links: Sharesies Backblaze

Stu

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#2784679 26-Sep-2021 20:51

scuwp:

We have the Eufy 2C cameras. Have had some issues with motion detection (detecting to much) but fiddling with location and settings now they work pretty well.

No issues with memory, home base station will overwrite older recordings (how long do you want to keep recordings anyway??). If there is something you want to keep you can download it and save it. Been running over 1 year and still all recordings are there from the first day.

App is pretty good to use. Battery life is also pretty good, around 4 - 5 months on a charge depending on how many activations. Our rear camera gets hardly any, probably been 6 months since I last charged it and still showing 60% battery.

No ongoing costs, occasional firmware updates, simple to install and use.

1 year? That's interesting, and unexpected. The Eufy 2C specs state "Securely store up to 3 months of recordings via the 16GB eMMC".

It’s not that I’m agoraphobic, it’s just not safe to go out anymore.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

Referral Links: Sharesies Backblaze

Wheelbarrow01

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#2784704 26-Sep-2021 23:09

I have a Eufy 2C system with 2 cameras which I bought and installed just before the Christmas holidays last year. I fully charged both camera batteries prior to installation.

It did take a few days to get the settings organised exactly how I want them (sensitivity level 5 out of 7, human only detection enabled, both cameras record for one minute when movement is detected by either camera), but they seem to work perfectly now. Have not had any false alarms and they catch all human activity (couriers etc) while we are out (or asleep). They are disabled via the app when we are home.

Amazingly, and presumably due to my individual settings, I've only had to charge the driveway camera once since Christmas, but even more amazingly, the camera above the front door is still on it's first charge and still has 2 bars (circa 40%) battery remaining. This is well above their advertised life expectancy of 6 months between charges.

To be fair the only reason the driveway battery hasn't lasted as long as the other one is because I use the app to live view the driveway all the time. If I hear a noise outside I'll just check my phone rather than getting up, or if I'm out of town I'll tune in to see what the weather at home is doing. Or I'll just show friends how it works etc.

I haven't come close to using all the available storage capacity, as it only records a motion event when we are not home - I suspect if you had it set to record ALL motion events, you'd possibly fill it up quickly. But who needs to record themselves putting the bins out, or doing the gardening etc? Not to mention you'd just chew through the batteries for no actual security benefit.

I can't really fault the system at all except that the 2k cameras still don't seem to be available in NZ and haven't found an overseas source that will ship to NZ for a reasonable price. But if/when they become available here I'll definitely be adding a couple of extra cameras.

For the record, my homebase is at the very front of my house and my driveway camera is attached to the rear eave - around 20 metres away and no line of sight. I already tested one camera on my standalone garage which would be 30ish metres and it also worked fine (and again no line of sight)

[EDIT - I see PB Tech and a few others now sells the 2k cameras - I withdraw my previous statement re availability]

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