An overview of the Eufy Cam2 + Video Doorbell (Battery-Powered)
Initial set up:
Before you set anything up you first need to download the Eufy Security App. From there its an easy ride following the on screen instructions for the Hub then each camera. Here you’ll be asked where they’re going to be located, Names for each camera, types of recording you want them to follow. Don’t look too much into this because you can change all these later-on in the settings. This took around 2 minutes for each camera then they were “technically” ready to go. I say "technically because the cameras only come with 80%ish battery so you might as well charge them up to full to get the most out of them. After 2-3 hours the cameras were fully charged and ready to be installed. While they were charging I had already installed the brackets for the Cam2 but not the doorbell as I wanted to get the best viewing angle.
Installation:
Cam2
When installing your cameras you’ll realise that they can’t be put too high up. This is because the ball and socket joint that allows you to adjust the viewing angles are very acute. I found that around 10ft off the ground is the sweat spot that allows you to have a great view and see almost directly below. The Cam2 comes with two brackets.
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is a usual tripod mounting screw with a ball and socket joint on the end that connects to your wall. Great if you’re installing the camera and leaving it.
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is a magnetic ball and socket joint that can be easily pulled off. This great if you like to move the camera often.
To install 1. you use a 6mm bit to drill 2 holes using the supplied sticker guild, then insert the wall plugs and screw into the wall.
To install 2. you use a 6mm bit to drill 1 hole using the supplied sticker guild, then insert the wall plug and screw into the wall.
Video Doorbell 2K (Battery-Powered)
The doorbell is slightly different because you really need to get it perfect as its going to be used the most. I watched the live view to see what it would look like in different positions then drew a line on the wall when I was happy. You really want it about 5ft off the ground if you live in the UK. I say this because we don’t really need to see the doormat as we don’t have parcels left in plain view. If you live in the US I understand that a lot of the time parcels are left on the doorstep and having this camera is a great way to capture door dashes. Please let me know your opinion on the hight.
The doorbell comes with 1 bracket but also an angled slice that will allow you to angle the camera more left or more right depending on our home set up. Again this camera only needs a 6mm bit to drill 2 holes using the supplied sticker guild, then insert the wall plugs and screw into the wall.
All these cameras can be disconnected from their brackets easily without the need of unscrewing the hardware from the wall.
The Eufy Security App
The app works extremely well at providing an effortless experience every time you want to look at your cameras. In the past week I have had 0 problems trying to view the live stream either that being at home or 150 miles away at work on a job. The app itself has a simple design that has all your devices in one list that can be clicked to bring up the live view. You can also look back at past recordings, change settings and look at the battery status. The app is also where you can choose the motion detection zones which will save battery and stop annoying notifications. Motion detection can now be switched to just human detection which again will save you from getting a notification when Eufy thinks a leaf is attacking your home.
There are also modes you can choose or customise that will set the cameras up when you’re home or away. This can be done from the security section of the app. Within the security section you can also set it to start a mode when you’re out of a small, medium or large radius of your home using the geofencing settings. I haven’t used this mode yet as I believe it uses a lot of phone battery to constantly update your location.
Overall camera quality
The picture quality of these cameras are pretty good for their size and price point. In the past I have used cameras from ebay and also more well known brands but the Eufy cameras blow them out of the water.
The main features I wanted in my cameras were:
- Smart connections to my phone.
- Battery operations so there’s no cables running up and down walls.
- One app that will control all the cameras and have the ability to add more if needed.
- Decent picture quality to actually benefit from recordings.
- No monthly payments to use their service.
All these are are covered when using Eufy, and more.
Below are photos taken earlier today. As you will see the photos are crisp and clear.
The first one is the doorbell and the first thing I noticed was how big the field of view was. In fact the doorbell has the best video quality of them all… although I wouldn’t recommend hanging doorbell all round your house instead. Other video doorbells use a more fish eye camera that distorts the picture where as the Eufy just uses a wide lens.The Eufy doorbell also has up-to a 6 month battery life then you bring it inside and charge for 6 hours and you’re ready again.
The Cam2’s picture quality is also brilliant. I think this also has a wide lens to allow a better field of view. The Cam2 has up-to a 1 year battery life which is brilliant and saves frequent trips to charge them up, especially if you have a few.
All in all, what have I learnt?
- Eufy is great.
- Try and buy things when they’re on sale.
- The Eufy Security app is really good and easy to use.
- It’s going to be easy to connect more if needed.
- Writing reviews like this takes quite a long time and leaves you feeling exhausted.
Finally
If you need any help regarding the Cam2 or Video doorbell I would be more than happy to try and help.
If Eufy wants to send me anything else to review, because Ive done such a good job here, I would be so happy to help. I could be the forum version of JerryRigEverything… SamInstallsThingsProperly. I could see if it scratches at a level 5 with deeper grooves at a level 6 (If you know what I’m saying)
