Eufy Security 3C EufyCam 3C Review

The eufyCam2C I reviewed over 2 years ago is one of my favorite battery-powered cameras (I have not reviewed its Pro version).

This was my first ever battery-powered camera, and I am happy to use it at home. Thanks to its excellent battery life as well as the ability to capture colour nighttime footage with the spotlight, this was the perfect choice.

Eufy introduced the S300 eufyCam a couple of months ago (eufyCam 3C). The naming conventions for this camera are not something I know. They are probably moving away from older names to make way for the S300 and S330 models of the 3 Pro.

While the new model has many significant improvements to its predecessor, it also comes with a huge price rise. Eufy targets the premium market.

This is a remarkable battery-powered outdoor camera system that works just like the predecessor.

eufyCam 3C vs eufyCam 3 vs eufyCam 2c Specification

The eufyCam 2, unlike the older generation, had a 365-day rechargeable battery but no spotlight. Therefore, I preferred the eufyCam2c. The 3C is almost identical to the 3C, except that the eufyCam 3 comes with a larger battery and a 365-day battery life. It can also be extended using a built in solar panel.

Install

Eufy already has a Eufy Account and I have multiple security products in the App. Just needed to pair the cameras and add the HomeBase.

This HomeBase needs to be wired up into Ethernet at the moment of writing. This is how I connect base units. It’s not a problem.

You can pair your cameras by following the instructions within the app. After that, the HomeBase makes a high-pitched pairing sound to connect to your cameras.

HomeBase 3

The HomeBase 3 has had a much-needed upgrade and now includes the option to insert a 2.5″ drive. For some odd reason, they claim it has up to 16TB compatibility, but you can only get 2.5″ drives up to 5TB or 8TB for SSD.

However, a 2TB hard drive can increase storage capacity 120 times. In two weeks of recording, the drive has used just 6GB normal storage. It also hasn’t reached my HDD yet.

It is possible that the HomeBase 3 also has the responsibility for this new AI empowerment. It claims superior object detection and can recognize familiar faces as well as unfamiliar ones.

Eufy claims that HomeBase 3, is compatible with any eufyCam model, eufy Batterie Doorbells (except E8213), as well as eufy Sensors. The HomeBase 3 will work with all Eufy Security devices until the end of 2022.

I tried adding the Eufy Dual Camera Doorbell as well as the SmartDrop parcelbox to the HomeBase 3 and neither of these worked.

HomeBase 3 is currently not able to be connected via an ethernet cable. After a software upgrade, expected to be completed by the end December 2022, it will connect via Wi-Fi to your network.

Day Time Recordings

Daytime recording is excellent for a battery powered camera.

Local videos are recorded at 3840×2160 with an overall bit rate of 1893 kb/s using HEVC.

If you use the cloud recording, footage is recorded at 1920×1080 pixels with a variable bit rate that averages out at 821 kb/s and a frame rate of 15fps using the AVC video codec. I’d therefore avoid using this if you want good-quality footage. This was accidentally installed for all of my cameras while I was reviewing SmartDrop’s parcel box.

A 9 second recording takes only 1.9MB. If you upgrade the HomeBase storage, you will be able store many months worth of recordings. It wouldn’t cause any harm to the battery so I would increase the recording duration.

Night time Recordings & Spotlight

The built-in spotlight makes nighttime video excellent, too. The streetlights are bright enough that I can get by with the light, but I do appreciate having the spotlight.

Low light footage can be a little blurry, as is the case with all low-light footage. However, the benefit of colour recordings is the ability to see more distinctive features from anyone who enters your property.

These cameras work best when they are placed close to your subject, especially battery-powered ones. My camera, placed on the 1^{It is possible to} While floor is useful to get a sense of who’s entered the property, it does not give you a complete picture of the person in front of you.

Motion Detection

HomeBase 3 boasts an advanced object detection system using AI empowerment.

The system now supports facial recognition. You can upload your picture to it and it will add you as a familiar person. This will identify the shape of your body, and you can then add that to it.

You should be able to recognize faces that are unfamiliar and give you the opportunity to add them to the familiar section. But, this has had mixed results for me. The camera must be located close to an object in order for facial recognition. It should be at least 2-4m away to perform facial recognition. The Eufy document states that it must be between 2-7 meters and 2-7 metres for body shapes, and 2-8m to detect humans.

4 meters is not very far. This distance is slightly longer than my height. This is something you should consider when setting up your camera.

After uploading my facial data, the camera was capable of identifying my body. The camera also identified me as I walked past. It has yet to correctly identify unfamiliar faces.

Eufy’s advanced object detection capabilities have been excellent. However, they are not always perfect. Cameras can sometimes be slow to record an event or only partial capture of a person. This has never happened with my eufyCam 3C. I also have many cameras in my home so it’s not an issue.

Battery Life

This device’s 180-day life expectancy is far too optimistic. My cameras are set to default. This setting gives you the best battery life and medium spotlight settings. My garden has a motion zone and I can enable human detection.

Since its inception, the camera that points down at the gate has been operating for 18 days. There have been 374 recorded events and 86 recordings.

My fence camera has been in use for 18 days. It has recorded 99 events and 350 photos.

This means that I’ll be well for at least 2 months. This may sound bad for the rating. However, if you look at my Arlo EssentialXL review, which had a rating of 365 days, it was most likely that the rating would be flat within 50 days. My review revealed that the Arlo Essential XL was recording 8 events per days, while the Eufy recorded 6. The battery life of the eufy was about the same, while the Arlo claims to have twice as much battery life.

It is possible to range

Excellent range for the Homebase eufyCam3C camera connections. This seems to have a greater advantage than cameras connected directly to Wi-Fi.

The house is typical UK brick-built and has quite big rooms.

The HomeBase is located in the main living area of my house. One camera can be found outside my bedroom window, which is on the upper floor. The second is in two other rooms.

The camera is located in the middle of the garden. This is a very unusual feat for 2.4GHz WiFi. It seems that the weakest connection is sufficient to achieve the low bitrate.

Prices and other options

The eufy Security S300 eufyCam 3C with two cameras is priced at £469.99 RRP and is currently on Amazon with 30% off for £329.99 ending on Cyber Monday 2022.

The eufy Security S330 eufyCam 3 2-Cam Kit has an RRP of £499 and no current discounts.

It is hard to understand why, at the RRP the 3C should be chosen over the 3. I’d happily pay £30 for the massive increase in battery.

The previous generation eufyCam 2c is £220 RRP and currently just £130 with the Black Friday sales, which is a bit of a bargain. When I reviewed the eufyCam 2c, the RRP was £250.

The new eufyCam system’s higher price means that they now cost about the same as Arlo.

The Arlo Ultra 2 two-pack system is £380, though the XL model is £670. Or you can get a three-pack Arlo Pro4 for £340 during Black Friday or the 2 pack + hub for £400.

Although I like Arlo’s products, I still prefer Eufy because of its superior battery life and the ability to record local conversations with no monthly fees.

In general

The superb outdoor battery-powered security camera, the eufy Security S300 S300 eufyCam 3C, is an excellent choice. Like its predecessor, this camera ranks among the top in its category. It will remain a feature permanent in my home.

It is hard to accept the huge increase in price, but it does provide significant performance and feature improvements. Black Friday’s current deal makes it much less expensive.

The difference in RRP between S300/3C/S330/3 is quite odd. The S330/3C has a lower RRP. I would opt for it due to its superior battery life. However, you’ll need to compare prices to find out what discount is available.

Updated on: 2022-11-28. Affiliate Links / Images From Amazon Product Advertising API