Eufy Security - No recordings when internet is down

#1

Hi all, Hoping someone can clarify something for me. I am in Australia and have a 2 camera setup (bullet cam version with battery backup). Over the last 12 hours we have had an internet outage in my area but not a power outage. The router running the home network has been running the entire time. I was not able to access the Eufy app during the outage. The internet has now come back online however when I check my Eufy camera app, there are NO events recorded during this outage time (there should have been quite a few).

I thought one of the features of this system is that it has battery backup for a certain amount of time on the home base and therefore it will keep recording locally (I have confirmed that this does work with an internet connection still running). Typically if the power goes out in my area, the internet will also go out (due to the nature o father HFC technology). Therefore doesn’t this defeat the point of the battery backup if a constant internet connection is required? Am I missing something? Appreciate any assistance.

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#2

I would agree that with the homebase local storage video footage should be stored during Internet outage as long as there is power (either local power or Battery). I don’t have the ability to test this for the next few days but am curious what others have to say.

Have you tried unplugging the homebase from the network and triggering a few recording events?

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#3

It does record and then send you a notification once the internet is back up to let you know there was movement.

I tested it the day I got the system.

And I think is amazing.

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#4

How many events did you test having occur and how long did you have Internet connectivity down for?

#5

I don’t recall but I say more than 1 event.

I also disconnected the whole power as I have the Homebase with the build in battery so I unplugged the Ethernet and AC power from it.

It was unplugged over 5 min but I would say less than 15min

As I was just testing it. And plugged everything back and to my surprise it send me a notification that there was a new video.

If you want me to do more testing I could try again tomorrow afternoon. Just let me know.

But I tried everything worse possible I think no power and internet.

#6

This has been brought up a couple of times, Eufy claim the recordings are there but not shown by app, problem is that there is no other way of viewing

To me if they want the SD card to be encrypted then the encryption key needs to be linked to the account, that way you can decrypt using the app or a computer to recover footage and save the original file for evidence

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#7

It worked for me.
The recording showed in the app and I got a notification that there was a recording after the internet was back On.

I could try again once I get back home.

#8

Did you disconnect the network or block the internet

It seems to behave differently when it looses internet compared to loosing network connection

In my case, connected to a router & modem disconnected - homebase doesn’t recorded and often crashes

Disconnect router on the other hand and it operates ok

Ended up connecting to the modem rather than router

Tried WiFi bridge, worked initially but frequently brings down whole network so had to revert

#9

I had it connected to my WiFi router.
I unplugged the Ethernet cable for about 10min and then connected it again.
After Homebase was back Online I got notification that there was a new video.

I also unplugged the AC power and Ethernet to test as I have the base with build in power and I got the notification of new video after I plugged internet back.

#10

In that scenario it does work as it looses network connection

If you leave the router powered and connected to homebase but disconnect the feed to the router (to simulate the internet service going down) then it doesn’t work

#11

Was not aware of that would test it today.
Once I get home.

I post back my results.

#12

Some related posts

This one says it’s fixed - will try it tomorrow

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#13

I’m home I would disconnect the WiFi router Ethernet From the cable modem.
WiFi router would be offline but On.

Would leave the Ethernet plug in from WiFi router to Homebase.

Update,
So it seem that it kind of worked.
I unplugged the Ethernet from the WiFi router to the cable modem.
When outside and it recorded two videos.

I waited longer went outside and those videos are not recorded.

So it seem that it would record for a few minutes after internet is out. Then it would not record.

What a bummer that it did not record.

#14

Thanks for the comments all. I have done some testing of my own.
Test 1: Power off, internet off (modem and router powered down). Result: Recording continues locally and events accessible from app once back online.
Test 2a: Power on, internet off for 10 minutes (LAN cable removed from Base station). Result: Recording continues locally and events accessible from app once back online.
Test 2b: Power on, internet off for 2 hours (LAN cable removed from Base station). Result: Same as previous test.
Test 3: Power on, internet off for 2 hours (Modem/Router LAN cable connected to Base station however internet uplink cable removed from Modem/Router). Result: No recordings at all during outage.

Test 3 is essentially the equivalent to someone cutting your internet cable on the way in to robbing you (a realistic scenario). Based on this result and my initial query (which was essentially the same scenario as Test 3 as the internet being down was an ISP issue), it appears that my system does not continue to record locally if the underlying internet connection goes down but all the equipment is still powered and operating (eg. ISP fault). Not sure if this is just an issue with my setup or indicative of an inherent issue with the Eufy firmware.

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#15

Hello! @Schoey Sincerely sorry for all inconvenience caused by the recordings during the outage time. The in-built backup battery should support a certain time of recording during the outage period. But it still depends on the camera working mode you enable and the frequency of triggering. If you enable the Optimal Surveillance or Customized Recording, the in-built backup battery will last for a few hours only.

You can make a test and try 10 minutes’ internet outage to see whether the recording continues or not (make sure that there are objects with temperature moving as far as 25-30ft (8-10m) away). If no, please write an email to our support@eufylife.com. Our engineers will help to check your device at their back-end server. Thanks so much for your patience and valuable time!

#16

Hi,

I think the problem is not the built in battery operating time.

The problem is if you disconnect the Ethernet cable from the cable modem and everything else is still powered On it would not record locally.

Why is this way?
It should still record locally if the base station is On and the cameras have battery.

Is a easy test for support to duplicate.
Disconnect Ethernet from WiFi router to ISP cable modem wait like 10 minutes and then walk by the camera. Wait another 5 min connect the Ethernet back and see there would be No recordings.

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#17

Hi, thanks for the response however I don’t think you have fully read my issues. It has nothing to do with the battery backup capabilities.

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#18

@Schoey have you tried contacting support@eufylife.com? If so, please post the updates here for the benefit of community members.

#19

That’s does suck they should make a fix for that

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#20

I’ll be interested to know as well. I’ve had someone pull both the power and internet out of a house where they are installed. Will be interesting to see what and how long it has captured and saved when I get someone to go connect it back up again.

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