ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The EufyCam S3 Professional is out there individually for $220 or in a two-pack with the HomeBase 3 for $550.
- This EufyCam is a wonderful 4K outside safety digicam that delivers on its night time imaginative and prescient guarantees, options no month-to-month charges, and has twin movement detection to scale back false alerts.
- The largest downsides are that the digicam is dear, particularly if you bundle it with HomeBase 3, and its decision drops to 1080p with HomeKit.
Eufy Safety simply launched a brand new safety digicam as a successor to the EufyCam S330, and it’s a monumental improve to the best security cameras I’ve examined. The brand new EufyCam S3 Pro has one large benefit over different high-end safety cameras: Eufy’s MaxColor Imaginative and prescient.
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Slightly than being the identify of a Nineteen Eighties TV channel, MaxColor Imaginative and prescient captures detailed photos, even at night time. This expertise produces night time imaginative and prescient footage that appears like daytime with gorgeous readability.
The EufyCam S3 Professional additionally has a pair of spotlights when you want additional gentle to seize extra element in low-light circumstances. These spotlights weren’t at all times essential, however might be useful in sure conditions.
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As quickly as I arrange my new EufyCam S3 Professional, I put in it rather than my older S330 solar-powered cameras, which can now get a brand new residence surveilling the perimeters of my home. The distinction within the footage was instantly evident. The brand new EufyCam S3 performs stunningly throughout the night time, even in my yard, which has zero lights on in a single day.
The EufyCam presents putting shade photos with night time imaginative and prescient utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) that enhances and sharpens picture high quality by processing the picture. {Hardware} additionally performs a key function — apart from being a 4K-resolution digicam, the EufyCam S3 Professional options an aperture of f/1.0 and a 1/1.8″ sensor for elevated gentle sensitivity.
This was taken at 9:41pm, when it was pitch darkish and cloudy.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Setting the expertise up with HomeKit was a bit disconcerting. The picture high quality drops to 1080p in HomeKit, which generally is a letdown when you’ve paid for a 4K gadget.
Since you’re utilizing Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video (HSV), the footage is saved in your iCloud, not the HomeBase 3. This setup requires an iCloud subscription, which ranges from $1 to $10 month-to-month for plans from 50 GB to 2 TB. Apple’s HSV options end-to-end encryption, staying true to Apple’s dedication to consumer privateness.
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After attempting the digicam with HomeKit, I saved the gadget with the remainder of our Eufy safety cameras and alarm system within the HomeBase 3 hub with an exterior HDD. This retains footage native, because the cameras connect with the HomeBase and all of the video is saved on the hub.
The EufyCam S3 Professional has a big photo voltaic panel on the highest, which Eufy has improved for the reason that EufyCam S330. The expertise, referred to as SolarPlus 2.0, presents as much as three hundred and sixty five days of battery life via the 13,000mAh battery. The corporate claims only one hour a day of direct daylight can hold it working with out you having to intervene to cost it.
My older S330 safety cameras, which function SolarPlus 1.0, have been put in on my north-facing driveway and south-facing yard. Whereas I’ve to cost the driveway digicam each six months or so, I by no means need to cost the yard digicam because it will get direct daylight.
In consequence, I like to recommend putting in these cameras the place they’ll get not less than one hour of daylight a day year-round, although it may be below partial shade, as simply 2,500 lx initiates charging. If you cannot get this daylight, you will have to take the cameras all the way down to cost them at residence.
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Like different cameras, the EufyCam S3 Professional options two-way speak, customizable movement detection zones, climate resistance, and face, human, pet, and automobile detection.
Facial recognition is certainly one of my favourite options of the HomeBase 3. When the cameras seize footage, the Eufy Safety app can let you know which individuals have been seen, allow you to add them as individuals , and provides them names. As soon as you have named a member of the family, your notifications will say who was seen when the digicam captures them once more.
The EufyCam S3 Professional just isn’t liable to false alerts. Its alerts are correct when movement is detected, however it could actually see so effectively that I’ve needed to take away the road about 200 toes away from its movement detection zone so it would not ship an alert to each automobile that passes by.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The brand new EufyCam S3 Pro captures spectacular footage, regardless of the sunshine circumstances. I would advocate the gadget to anybody searching for a safety digicam for darkish areas, particularly if you want numerous element, like by a aspect door or your driveway.
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Apart from extraordinary night time imaginative and prescient capabilities, the bundled EufyCam S3 Pro 2-pack and HomeBase 3 bundle, although costly, is nice sufficient to operate as a full safety system. The HomeBase 3 sounds a siren when the system is armed and detects motion. It really works as a hub for all Eufy Safety units. The hub’s capabilities additionally imply you’ll be able to retailer your movies domestically and by no means have to fret about month-to-month charges for cloud storage.
The latest US tariffs on imports from international locations like China, Vietnam, and India purpose to spice up home manufacturing however are more likely to drive up costs on shopper electronics. Merchandise like smartphones, laptops, and TVs could turn out to be dearer as firms rethink international provide chains and weigh the price of shifting manufacturing.
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Shoppers may additionally expertise notable value will increase on robotic vacuums and sensible residence merchandise. Producers are exploring choices reminiscent of relocating manufacturing to international locations with decrease tariffs, however such transitions are complicated and will not present rapid aid. Within the brief time period, customers ought to anticipate greater prices for robotic vacuums as a consequence of these commerce insurance policies.
