I wrote about my eufyCam setup in the past when I was considering HomeKit Secure Video. I have several exterior rooms, the wired Eufy bell and I am testing various eufy interior rooms for a future review. As you can see, I am all in at Eufy as the producer of my room. They are low cost, reliable and work well with HomeKit. For my smart home needs, that's all I'm looking for in a camera. I recently chose a eufyCam 2 Pro to compare the quality with my existing cameras and to expand my outdoor coverage.
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When I first found out about the eufyCam 2 Pro, I immediately purchased it as a supplement to my existing system. One of the things I like about eufy is how I don't have to upgrade my base station to access the latest technology. If you don't have an eufyCam configuration today, you can purchase a kit that includes a base station and two eufyCam 2 benefits. Since I have an existing system, I only purchased a camera. I had $ 100 in Best Buy rewards waiting to be used, so there wasn't much money in my pocket for me.
Since I'm quite familiar with the eufyCam system, I knew that setting up the camera would only take a few minutes after I fully charged it. I received it in the evening from UPS, so I let it charge all night. I had an existing eufyCam on my front porch, which is set up to throw my lights in the shade when it detects movement through HomeKit automation, so the installation process was a breeze because it uses the same support. All I had to do was press the sync button behind the new camera, pair it inside the app, unscrew the existing camera and then screw in the new one.
Once I installed it, I had to figure out how to insert the camera into HomeKit and HomeKit Secure Video. This process was not as smooth as I assumed it would be, as I had forgotten how the other cameras worked. I assumed there would be an option in the camera settings to add it to the HomeKit, but it is actually in the base station settings.
Go to the main application menu> My Devices> Base Station> HomeKit Setup> HomeKit Login. If you have an existing eufyCam configuration, you will need to check the new camera. While HomeKit Secure Video supports five cameras, eufy only supports the addition of four on the base station. This new camera puts me at four in the open air, so now I'm at my limit. In fact, I'm on my toes with HomeKit Secure Video in general, as well as one of the eufy internal cameras that records at HomeKit. HomeKit Secure video limit does not affect the ability to view cameras and use automation. Overall, I have seven rooms in the HomeKit.
Quality eufyCam 2 Pro
The main reason to buy an eufyCam 2 Pro from an eufyCam 2 is the quality of the video. They both receive a 365-day fee (using HomeKit Secure Video will decrease slightly), rated for outdoor use, works with HomeKit, has a 140 ° field of view, and more. The main difference is that eufyCam 2 Pro records at a 2K resolution while eufyCam 2 records at 1080p. Specifications can be misleading. In the following, eufyCam 2 and eufyCam 2 Pro are compared with each other.
Although the image of eufyCam 2 is not bad in any way, compared to the new Pro model, it is obvious how much better quality is in live production. The great thing about eufyCams is that you can mix and match. There may be areas where you want to have a higher resolution coverage that doesn't matter, so you can choose an eufyCam 2 starter kit to cover certain areas and then add to a eufyCam 2 Pro for the areas you want. to see more details. I want the highest quality on my front door, and the other areas are fine with 1080p coverage.
The final verdict
The hardest part of installing this camera was to figure out the HomeKit setup process and then redo some of my automation. Apart from that, it is an excellent addition to your smart home. If you have an existing eufyCam system, you can add it to a Pro camera. If you are just starting out with outdoor cameras, you can choose a starter kit that includes everything you need. At the moment, Best Buy has an exclusive for Pro cameras, but other retailers may start to be able to transport it in the future.
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