We were impressed by the EufyCam’s clear 1080p video and high battery life rating when we evaluated it last year, but less so by its recording quality, difficult installation process, and lack of support for IFTTT and Google Assistant voice commands. Additionally, the EufyCam 2 has a long battery life, produces clear 1080p video, and doesn’t have any of the installation or recording troubles that the prior security camera did. ..
The IFTTT applet is not supported by Alexa or Google voice commands, and testing revealed inconsistent audio performance. With our Editors’ Choice, the Arlo Pro 3, you’ll get better all-around performance, 2K HDR video, and a built-in spotlight. However, be prepared to pay more for these features.
Design
The EufyCam2 is a low-profile, oblong device that measures 4.25 x 2.25 x 2.25 inches, just like the original EufyCam. Sleekly matched with the white body’s shape is the black face. There are two stands included in the box: a magnetic dome and a 2.25-inch-tall screw-in base, both of which offer decent positioning flexibility for the camera. Instead of the previous model’s two infrared LEDs, the EufyCam 2 has four arrayed around the lens for night-vision videos. On the camera’s bottom are the speaker and microphone. The camera also includes a 90-decibel internal siren.
The EufyCam 2 is weatherproof and has an IP67 rating, which is higher than the standard IP65 or IP66 grade seen on the majority of other security cameras. In other words, the Eufy may be submerged in water without being damaged because it is waterproof as well as weatherproof. The disadvantage of having a fully sealed unit is that the camera must be removed from its mounting when the battery needs to be recharged or a charging cable must be connected to it. The camera will be connected to the HomeBase (hub) by a 4-foot USB power cord, or you can use a USB/AC power block. The battery, according to the manufacturer, will last up to a year.
The EufyCam 2 cameras connect wirelessly to a HomeBase, which then connects to your home network, just like the Arlo Pro 2 cameras do. HomeBase is a white monolith that is about 5 inches tall with rounded corners. It differs from the Arlo hub, which requires an external USB drive, in that it has 16 GB of eMMC storage for videos. The 5-foot power cord, 45-inch Ethernet cord, USB recharger for the camera, and 100-decibel siren of the Eufy HomeBase plug into three ports on the back. The Wi-Fi at Eufy is WPA2 encrypted, all videos are AES-256 encrypted, and the data is double encrypted. When we tested the EufyCam 2, two-factor authentication wasn’t supported but the company said it would be added in February 2020.
Anker Eufycam 2 review: Setup
Installation of the HomeBase was a little more complicated than I had anticipated, but it wasn’t too bad. After connecting the HomeBase to my router and downloading the Eufy Security app, it was important to charge each camera. Create an account if you don’t already have one after downloading the app, then select “add new device.” The Eufycam will pair the two when it receives a high-pitched tone from the HomeBase. It shouldn’t be too challenging to complete this process, which takes five to ten minutes.
You can check in on all the cameras you’ve paired using the app, take screenshots of the footage, and shoot brief videos in addition to seeing a list of all the cameras you’ve paired. It’s time to mount the cameras outside after they have been paired. It required some finagling to put ours to the roof of our home, but theoretically, if you’re skilled with a power drill, you could mount it to most surfaces. When it’s time to recharge, unmounting the cameras is as easy as unscrewing the top plate and putting the camera back inside.
Video quality
The Arlo Pro 3 and Ring Stick Up Camera both offer 1080p HD resolution, but the video quality is poorer than what we observed from the eufyCam 2. The distortion is unusual for high-end cameras, and the video increases so that a person’s face is astonishingly clear when the camera detects them.
Anker’s camera system is designed to identify humans. The AI attempts to make the image as clear as possible when a person is spotted by enhancing video quality around the person’s face. The camera has the clearest and crispest night vision we’ve ever seen in a security camera, which is even better. Most cameras typically produce pixelated nighttime videos.
The EufyCam 2 is a great tool for night security. The clear nighttime recording makes it easier to spot anyone hiding in your yard or on your porch. Although the Eufy website claims that the video is in real time, we respectfully disagree. When something happens, there is a lag of at least a few seconds before it is reflected in the live feed on the app. Even though a few seconds may not seem like much, they can mean a lot in an emergency.
Anker Eufycam 2 review: Audio quality
The EufyCam 2’s speaker is not as good as the original EufyCam, but it is still a useful addition to your video camera. The speaker can be used for two-way audio testing, and it is also easy to understand when using the phone app. However, if you are trying to use the camera for full duplex video testing, then you may need to use another speaker.
Anker Eufycam 2 review: Battery life
The Eufycam 2 lasts for 365 days on a single charge, according to Eufy. After doing some research, the company claims in its forums that it was able to achieve this by recording 30-second clips for each of the ten events it held each day and taking advantage of the fact that the weather was generally pleasant for most of the year. Your number of cameras, however, may vary depending on where they are placed and where you live. ..
We recorded well over 80 events, lasting roughly 10 seconds each, from a single camera during our three-week testing period in Northern California, and the camera is still going strong at about 95% battery life with the best surveillance option selected. By extrapolating from our test results, we can see that Eufy’s claim of over a year’s worth of battery life from a single charge is accurate. Despite the fact that you should definitely not accept our or Eufy’s estimates as the ultimate, final battery life, they should be able to give you a general idea of what to expect. ..
The camera needs to be recharged every few months, but most people probably won’t find it a deal-breaker.
Performance
We installed two cameras above the entry to our front door and another on a side external wall that faces the driveway. The camera’s wide-angle view provided us with enough footage of the surroundings in each site. When night vision was turned on, both live and recorded video had sharp, accurate colors and strong contrast. You can pinch the live video to enlarge it in either mode with little to no image quality loss. ..
Our tests showed that motion detection was consistently accurate and alarms were delivered on time. The relevance of motion notifications can be adjusted in a number of different ways. The functioning mode of the camera is the first. Four options are presented by the app during installation: The best surveillance mode extends the video clip length to 60 seconds and records each event as much as possible. The best battery-life option limits video clip length to 20 seconds and automatically adjusts the detection time period to reduce the likelihood that the camera will detect the same event more than once.
Customized recording mode allows you to set all the parameters. In the app’s settings, you can always switch between working modes. By adjusting the sensitivity on a slider and setting up activity zones, you may further fine-tune motion detection. In the latter scenario, the camera won’t start recording video or sending you alerts until motion is detected in one of these areas. A human-detection setting instructs the camera to attempt—mostly successfully—to identify human shapes while excluding moving vehicles, animals, and other things. It will also make an effort to locate and recognize faces in the video image, though we discovered that for this to be effective, the subject had to be directly in front of the camera.
Price and availability
The EufyCam 2 is a camera that is less expensive than comparable devices. It typically comes with a two-camera combo, and you can expect to pay about $300 for two cameras. Even at full pricing, you would pay around $100 less for a two-camera set with the Arlo Ultra 2 than that.
The EufyCam 2 is a good value for the price, with simple setup and long battery life. The Arlo Ultra 2 has more sophisticated tech features, but it’s more expensive. If you want access to cloud storage and intelligent analytic features, many cameras charge additional monthly subscription fees. However, if you choose Eufy’s local storage option there are no monthly fees at all. ..
Conclusion
The EufyCam 2 is a home security camera that is perfect for those who are looking for a camera system that is not reliant on a cloud subscription. This camera system has a complete product lineup that rivals those of Nest, Arlo, and Ring at lower prices. Additionally, this camera system does not rely on a cloud subscription, which makes it an excellent option for those who are looking to save money on their home security needs. If you are looking for a home security camera system that won’t tie you down, the EufyCam 2 is the company’s flagship security camera and an excellent alternative to those found in other brands.
The key features of the Yi 4K Action Camera are its 1080p Full HD streaming, 365-day battery life, IP67 weatherproofing, local storage of all your footage, lack of a subscription requirement, and compatibility with HomeKit, Alexa, and Google. This makes it a complete package that is perfect for anyone who wants to capture their adventures in high quality. ..
