A wise person once said that you can never have too many rooms around the house. As prices fall and wireless camera technology improves, we are really living in times when it is really possible to cover an entire house. One company that is driving the momentum towards a truly safe home is the eufy of the smart brand from Anker, which started from the end with updates and product launches.

I tested a pair of eufyCam 2Cs around my house in the last few weeks, both indoors and outdoors, to accompany my existing eufyCam 2s, which I am very fond of. Even though I was already familiar with how great the eufyCam 2 was, I was even more impressed with the 2C and I can easily say that it is simply one of the best cameras around.

He supports them all

eufyCam 2C: features

EufyCam 2C has a thinner profile, more compact than its brother, which gives it a much more pleasing appearance from an aesthetic point of view. The camera is completely wireless, powered by an internal rechargeable battery that, according to the company, lasts up to 6 months between tasks. When it comes to charging, the camera uses micro-USB, which has a port covered by a small flap when not in use and is located on the bottom of the chassis.

2C communicates wirelessly with eufy Home Base 2, just like eufyCam 2, and the base connects to Wi-Fi or directly to an Ethernet router. Movies captured by eufyCam 2C are stored locally on Home Base 2, which practices a 16 GB internal eMMC. eufy claims that 16 GB is enough to keep about three months of recordings, and videos can be exported directly to the Photos app on the iPhone or shared via the standard iOS sharing sheet.

The video captured by eufyCam 2C has a 1080p high definition resolution, with a field of view of 135 degrees. For night viewing, the camera uses infrared for black and white images, and the spotlight allows a color video when it is dark. According to eufy, the flood light produces about 12 lumens of light at a distance of 1 meter (3 meters).

Weather resistance for eufyCam 2C is rated as IP67, which covers dust penetration and water burst, which means it should be more than adequate for most outdoor scenarios. The camera can be mounted on almost any surface using a simple 2-screw installation method that requires only a few minutes to set up.

Once attached to the wall, the camera attaches to a wire on the stand, making it easy to unload when it's time to charge it. While this makes the camera somewhat easy for someone to just get up and take, the camera has a built-in siren, which can be activated manually or in motion.

Completing the list of features are the skills of rapid armament and disarmament, programming, geofencing, movement areas and A.I. detection of A.I. detection allows the camera to filter notifications for things like animals or cars, and motion zones are available to fine-tune the areas in front of the camera.

All of these features are available for free, with no premium subscriptions to worry about. The eufy approach to home security is certainly welcome, especially as more and more of its competitors are moving towards the subscription business model.

The king of night vision

eufyCam 2C: What I like

Setting up eufyCam 2C with my existing base 2 was a quick and painless experience. Since I already had an account with eufy and the base, I was able to get up and run in a few minutes, the whole process just need to press the sync button on the base and then on the camera.

Once paired, the camera was added to the eufy Security and HomeKit apps, all without the need to open any apps. Of course, this will vary if you set up a new system, which in this case will involve tracking a series of requests within the eufy application and performing the same sync buttons.

The night vision using IR was particularly impressive and gave me all the other rooms in my house, including eufyCam 2.

Managing the camera through the eufy Security app is quick and easy, as the app puts most camera controls directly in live view. Controls include activating rainlight, switching the siren, turning on the 2-way microphone, taking snapshots, and recording videos. Advanced functions such as setting motion zones are available in a settings panel and are set by simply pressing an add button and moving / adjusting a box on the screen.

The video quality of 2C is clear and detailed both during the day and at night. The night vision using IR was particularly impressive and gave me the best of all the other cameras in my house, including the eufyCam 2. Turn on the built-in spotlight at night allows the camera to record and stream color video, which is great, but I preferred the video quality in IR mode.

I also like how eufy offers the possibility to set your night vision preferences in the application. Options include a strictly black-and-white night vision or the flood light can be set to turn on automatically when motion is detected.

Speaking of choices, I like the way the camera is available both in the eufy Security app and in the Apple Home app. From now on, you'll need the eufy app to access your recorded videos, but the company plans to release an update soon that will integrate with HomeKit Secure Video, which will give Home a way to store and access your recordings.

Siren slip-up

eufyCam 2C: What I do not like

As mentioned earlier, the eufyCam 2C wraps in a siren that can be used to deter thieves. However, there are only two settings available for the siren in the eufy Security application, a manual switch in live view or automatically when motion is detected. Unlike eufyCam 2, 2C does not have an "Anti-theft detection" mode, which means that the siren is a total problem or nothing.

Battery life, although estimated at up to 180 days, is still an important moment for me. I've only been using the camera for a few weeks now, so I can't say very well if it will achieve this goal, but I can say that eufy warns that if you connect it to HomeKit it will drain faster. I'm definitely okay if I only get a few months between charges, but I'm a little worried about the battery aging, because the internal battery can't be replaced.

The biggest problem I see with 2C is that, apparently, at random, extracting a feed in the Apple Home application takes a long time, up 10-20 seconds. However, most of the time, it only takes a few seconds, which is great, but it's overwhelming when you hit one of these spells. Speaking of the home app, the 2-way eufyCam 2C audio and spotlight is nowhere to be found in Apple's smart home app.

Compact guardian

eufyCam 2C: Bottom line

4.5
of 5

Minor issues aside, which can be addressed through upgrades, eufyCam 2C is a fantastic camera, capable of HD videos and excellent night vision. The completely wireless nature of the rooms and the flood light allowed them to be installed almost anywhere around the house, and the low price means that, without a doubt, an entire property could be covered.

Also, eufyCam 2C has no subscription service at all, i.e. features like A.I. detection and motion zones are available to everyone, unlike some of its competitors. eufy also seems to be dedicated to its security line as it has provided frequent updates to add support for things like HomeKit. All this adds up to a smart room that is really easy to recommend and certainly places it among the best rooms available on the market today.