Was considering an Arlo system, but after checking reviews the Eufycam E seems to be a very good system. I can’t find anything on the forum and it’s not natively supported in smartthings.
Anybody knows if there is an integration and has any experience with how it works?
This is the product: https://www.eufylife.com/products/variant/eufycam-e-2cam-kit/T88021D4
I backed this product in Kickstarter, the cameras are living up to the advertising. They are focusing their development teams on improving the functions of the cameras. The timeline of development I have seen does not include integration with SmartThings, but I do see integration with Google Home. I am pleased with the performance of the camera system and see that the offer in your link is less than my Kickstarter pricing. They have been periodically polling owners for features, I keep on suggesting integration with SmartThings, but as far as I know it is not in the plan.
Thanks for your reply. Your experience is in line with other reviews where people say it kills the Arlo pro 2 in performance.
Unfortunately that offer only ships to US. In NL the prices are significantly higher, but I think I’ll go for the system then.
have the camera system, love it, wish that there was an integration with SmartThings. Would kick in a few $$ to make that happen.
@dlasher, how has your experience with the eufy camera system gone? Which model do you have (E, 2C, 2, etc)? I would love to hear as much as you are willing to share.
I read and watched many reviews this month, and concluded the best bang for the buck was the Blink XT2, with one of the best overall camera solutions being the eufy E or 2. Unfortunately, one day with the Blink XT2 revealed what I could have read:
I really do not like those automation limitations. For those who run across this, if you can do without the home automation items I am calling out, these really are awesome little cameras. I may keep them or take back and keep looking, not sure yet.
*** Update 3/2/2020 ***
Upon receiving my eufyCam 2C for evaluation and doing some experimentation and comparison, I took the Blink XT2 cameras back. Though the blink are very good, inexpensive, and fully functional; alongside the eufyCam 2C, they pale in comparison for: image quality (BIG TIME), color accuracy, various lighting, night view. I got the eufyCam 2C kit on Amazon for $199 and additional cameras are only $85 right now, so it is not that much more expensive than the XT2.
I also obtained a eufyCam 2. This is a very nice camera, better images all around, much better low light level, but FAR more expensive. The 2 is $150 while the 2C is $85. Is it worth it? I do not think dollar for dollar, but if you are looking for the best battery operated camera, it is certainly one to put in the running.
@deccher - happy to share a few thoughts.
Intelligence in the homebase - The cameras themselves are designed to only “wake” on motion events, or when the homebase turns them on. The Homebase has local storage (microSD) and an audio interface. The homebase is the source of the RTSP stream when the camera is active. I suspect the homebase would have to be where SmartThings would need to pull thumbnails, etc.
Communication - they are not wifi. The cameras only talk to each other (mesh) and the homebase, so placement has to be intentional. My house is about 45ft per side, and I have cameras out the opposing outside walls, with the homebase in the middle. This setup has given me zero wireless issues.
Battery Life - Originally billed as 12 months, it’s practically between 3-6 months depending on the distance of your cameras, frequency of motion, etc. Way better than anything else I’ve ever used, really like them
Two-direction half-duplex audio : Works very well, but the delay means you talk, then listen
Client - only mobile - no desktop clients
API - none that I’m aware of, to talk to the homebase - that would make any ST integration much easier.
So that was a quick brain dump, hope that helps.
EDIT:
RTSP - the cameras only “show up” when they alert on motion, disappear 30 seconds later, so integrating them into any sort of NVR (bluecherry/etc) is mostly impossible and useless. Makes grabbing frames via the RTSP not possible.
I wonder how that applies to the new 2k cameras. I know they suppose to support CVR to a local SD Card or RSTP NVR. That would tend to indicate they would always be avaliabe.
I posted the following on Life Hacker’s YouTube page, and thought there might be some interest in the community.
I bought a EufyCam 2 and two 2Cs. Unfortunately I did not inquire about integration to home automation. There is none. At a minimum, I thought I could get a motion present/not present indication, but no, no integration. When I say integration, I mean to smart hubs like Smartthings, Hubitat, etc.
I checked with Eufy and they said smart home hub integration is not on their road map. I escalated it, hoping someone at a higher level would get the feedback. If you are a Smart Home enthusiast, please post wherever you can about this lack of smart home integration, maybe the public pressure will change their mind.
From a camera perspective:
great pictures on both, you can see improvement on the 2 over the 2C, but not much (not worth the price difference)
battery life is not as advertised. I need to recharge every one to 2 weeks. I have one pointed down at the walk to my house, and another pointed to the driveway. Both have zones configured, so the driveway cam never sees cars driving by. The sidewalk cam only sees motion near the sidewalk. The grass blowing in the wind can set it off, and I have the sensitivity at 4. You would have to tune it very well, with once or twice daily motion being sensed, to get anywhere near the advertised battery life.
My recommendation: buy wired cameras if you possibly can. If you buy several and call an electrician to put in some Ethernet cable, you will be way ahead with far less aggravation. The wired cameras are less expensive, so that will pay for your electrician. The only other thing you will need is a PoE switch (<$100) and cable.