FutureFive New Zealand - Consumer technology news & reviews from the future
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Hands-on review: Eufy Wire-Free Dual Cam Video Doorbell 2K
Thu, 11th Aug 2022
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Ever since I moved outside of city apartments and into a house, security has been one of my biggest worries. I spent many nights researching for the best home security system that met my needs and that I could also afford. Eufy was the one our household settled on.

We have had our house secured by Eufy products for over seven months now. We love the brand, and it has never let us down. We have door sensors, Motion detection sensors, and a smart doorbell, all connected to one HomeBase that lives in the living room on top of the WiFi router.

One of the main reasons we went with Eufy was data security. There was finally a company that was not storing footage of your life in the cloud and charging you a monthly subscription for it. In this day and age where companies are hacked all the time, it did not make sense. It also did not make sense for me to pay for a security system and then continue to pay for a subscription service for the rest of my life. Eufy's local storage solution is genius. Everything is recorded on a micro-SD card that lives inside the HomeBase. And all the footage can be accessed from the phone app.

My only complaint so far is that sometimes if the courier puts the package on the porch from a certain angle, the camera does not catch him, and I do not know I have mail outside. The new Dual Cam Eufy Doorbell solved that problem, and I could not wait to get my hands on it.

Installation of the new doorbell could not have been easier. All it needs is two screws in the wall, and you are done. The box comes with a sticker guide, so you know exactly where to drill the holes. I had my first Eufy doorbell up and running in 10 minutes and the new Dual cam one in only five minutes since I already had the holes drilled.

The doorbell also comes with a battery. So you do not have to worry about wiring. Yes, they provide wires if you prefer that option, but I am no electrician, so I took the easy route. The doorbell is attached to a metal backplate that is screwed to the wall and comes with an anti-theft small Eufy pin that allows you to pop the doorbell out to charge it. It charges in a couple of hours and then lasts a solid six months before you need to charge it again. You can even hook it up to a power bank if that is easier. Setting up with the HomeBase and the phone app is extremely simple. All you do is press and hole and assign it a name in the app, and you are good to go.

The 2K camera has a wide 160-degree field of view and a 4:3 aspect ratio. The downward-facing 1080p camera has a 120-degree field of view and a 16:9 aspect ratio. When the two cameras work together, they provide a complete view of my front porch with zero blindspots. Another amazing improvement from the single camera doorbell is now I get notifications for packages as well as humans. The AI is smart enough to tell you who or WHAT is at your front door.

Just like its predecessor, the dual-camera doorbell also has a microphone and speaker. This means you can talk to whoever is at the door from your phone. You ask delivery drivers to please leave it by the door even if you are at work across town. This feature can also be used if strangers show up at your door. You can easily scare away a robber by playing “How can I help you” through the doorbell. All of this can be done via WiFi from anywhere in the world.

Another good feature is how easy it is to provide access to other people. I was able to give access to my partner so that they can take advantage of all the features. All they need to do is download the app, and you invite them via email. My only complaint would be that the Eufy doorbell does not work with Apple Home Kit, and that is my chosen house automation platform.

At the end of the day, the new doorbell impressed me and fixed the issues I had before. It makes me and my family feel much safer. It is one of those products I would not only endorse but also actively gift to people I care about.