After many years of too much news about HomeKit cameras, it seems that we are now getting new cameras on a regular basis and it is great to see that the products are starting to mature. In recent weeks, we tested the new Camufa and Tilt Eufy Security 2K Indoor charging camera. I also tested eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam and I recommend you check out the Chance Miller product review and decide which one is right for you.
Weekly HomeKit is a series focused on smart home accessories, tips and tricks for automation and everything related to the smart frame for Apple.
eufy (owned by Anker) soon became one of HomeKit's favorite manufacturers. They use four outdoor cameras as well as their bell. See my full review of outdoor cameras and my review of the new eufyCam 2 Pro to learn more about their smart home products.
Low cost HomeKit camera
While eufyCam outdoor products are relatively expensive to start with, their new indoor cameras are extremely low priced. For no more than one Wyze camera, you get a compatible HomeKit Secure Video compatible camera that does not require a base station and can also be recorded on a micro SD card.
So what does the eufy feature inner cam offer? In a tiny form factor, you get a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi camera with night vision, local recording options, HomeKit Secure Video, pan and tilt (inside the eufy app), 2k resolution (Home app is only 1080p and two - microphone mode). The camera can rotate 360 degrees horizontally and 96 degrees vertically. The field of view for the eufy pan and tilt camera is also 125 degrees.
HomeKit vs HomeKit no
There are several eufy panel and tilt features that are not available when using HomeKit. Areas of activity and AI detection (person, pets, etc.) are turned off when the camera is connected to the HomeKit. It's not as simple as using the Home app for one feature and the eufy app for another, but rather the functions are grayed out, and the app clearly states that it activates them, you need to remove the camera from the HomeKit. The pet control function is removed only when you use HomeKit, but this is an extension of the activity zone function. This feature would command the pet to stop entering an area based on an area of activity. Although these features are nice, I would prefer the HomeKit camcorder to use the HomeKit Secure Video to end the encrypted storage.
Wrap the eufy Pan and Tilt camera
With less than $ 50, you can't really beat the price point of this room if you want a low-cost HomeKit room. Other products are slightly over $ 100 with a set of similar features. Although HomeKit support (with Secure Video) was not available at launch in early spring, it is now available through a free firmware update.
One of the features I appreciate about these eufy cameras is the micro SD slot. I have six total cameras from eufy, so I'm over the five camera limits for HomeKit Secure Video. One of the things I realized when I set up the eufy panel and title and the eufy inner camera is that you can add multiple cameras to the HomeKit, but I can't activate the recording.
My strategy here is to have all my cameras in the HomeKit for automation, but I have a micro SD card in the eufy inner cam for recording. Since that camera is in a low-traffic area, I'm okay not registering it with HomeKit because I'm still registering it locally. I would prefer Apple to increase the limit for 2 TB iCloud clients, but this solution is usable for now. Even if you do not allow recording, you can use the camera's motion sensor to turn on HomeKit automations for turning on lights, managing temperature, and more.
Overall, the eufy has a winner here with the range of indoor rooms. It is not made of the same materials as something like Netatmo. However, for a high-quality, low-cost indoor camera with HomeKit Secure Video, you can't go wrong with either the eufy panel and panel or the eufy interior camera.
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