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When it comes to the many and varied things that you can hook into your home network (and automate to varying degrees), items related to home security have seen quite a bit of growth. These can be as simple as smart outlets controlling your lights on a schedule, to full-blown security systems. Somewhere in the middle of that is where we find the Eufy Video Doorbell.
Aside from those schedule-controlled outlets, it seems to me that a video-equipped doorbell – like the Eufy Video Doorbell – is an easy entry point into managing your home security, both from an installation and price perspective. That said, video doorbells have had some bad press (even from us – see here and here) as some brands think it?s great fun to take the data coming from your doorbell (which, ostensibly, is YOUR private data) and provide it to local law enforcement without a warrant (or even asking you).
With that in mind, I specifically asked Eufy about how they treat the data on the doorbells. And in that regard, they are refreshingly pro-consumer. Basically, the data is all stored locally (with AES 256-bit encryption) on the device itself, and is then only streamed to your device. It?s not sent to a server, or anything like that. Given this decentralized approach, it also means that you?ve got no subscription to maintain to be able to access your recordings. So long as it has power (and it has a 180-day battery) you?ll be able to see what?s going on with at your door.
So, how does the Eufy Video Doorbell work? Well, the obvious manner is someone presses the button. But even if no one rings the doorbell, you still get an alert, as the camera (which records in 2K resolution) will pick up the motion and ping you (and you?ll be able to see what happens up to 5 seconds prior to the alert happening). When it comes to responding to the person at your door, you can have pre-recorded responses ready to go, (something about your local ordinances barring door-to-door solicitation, perhaps) or you can talk with the person in real time. And it shouldn?t matter what the weather is – with IP65 Weatherproof rating, the Eufy Video Doorbell will stand up to the elements.
At $159.99 the Eufy Video Doorbell – which can also hook into your Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant automations – looks to be a solid way to relatively inexpensively put a camera on your front door, allowing you to see who?s coming around knocking on that door. I myself have not yet played with a video doorbell, but friends who have installed them really enjoy the presence and peace-of-mind you can get. We are working with Eufy (which is a brand of Anker, whom you?ve no doubt heard of) to work to get a review unit in. eufylife.com
Tech Specs from Eufy
- 180-day battery
- 2K HD Resolution (2560X1920, HDR-enabled)
- 4GB local storage
- 160-degree wide angle
- IP65 Weatherproof
- Human Detection
- Pre-recorded responses
- Secure local storage
- Pre-buffer
- Hardware noise cancellation
- Can fit on narrow doorframes (4.8? x 1.7? x 0.9?)
Installation requirements
- Wires: Existing Doorbell Wires
- Transformer Power Adapter: 16V AC ~ 24V AC
- Wifi: IEEE802.11 B/G/N Wi-Fi
- Internet connection: 2Mbps or Faster Upload Speed
- Device: Smartphone or Tablet with Bluetooth 4.0
- Device system: Android 5.0 + or iOS 8
- App: eufySecurity App
