The eufyCam 2 sees through the dark

That’s right, friends – you no longer need to attack the darkness with magic missile (bonus internet points for you if you got the reference, friend). While Eufy is no stranger to camera systems, or embedding cameras in other products (like a doorbell or floodlight), they’ve got a new release coming up that looks pretty amazing for starting out monitoring your house from scratch – enter, the eufyCam 2.

You might be asking, what makes the eufyCam 2 so special? Well, for starters, this is the brand’s first foray into Apple HomeKit integration. They’ve hooked into the Amazon Alexa and Google Home home automation systems, but HomeKit is new. The’ve also implemented some night vision capability (courtesy of a Sony STARVIS sensor) which means you don’t necessarily have to have this installed in a spot with great lighting.

Speaking of installation – putting the eufyCam 2 in place looks like it will be a super-simple affair, in that you don’t actually have to run any wiring. The cameras are full wireless, with battery life estimated to be at the full year mark (yup, 365 days), and communication is handled via WiFi to the base system, which is where the data from your camera is recorded and saved. Previous devices we’ve seen the storage on-board, but moving it into a base system makes sense. That’s because these cameras mount onto their bases via (what looks to be) magnetism, so someone devious could just pull your cameras down – having that data stored separately makes sense. This also means that – like prior products – you are totally in control of your data, and you’re not paying a monthly fee for additional features that come with.

What are some of those features? I’m glad you asked! The eufyCam 2 offers motion detection (as you’d expect), but it also allows you to set the zones you care to monitor. Not only that, it can figure out if what it’s seeing is a human or not (no tumbleweed alerts here) and alert appropriately. Once someone is in there, you can of course talk to them via two-way audio, as we’ve seen in the prior products we’ve talked about this week.

Finally, there’s one more tech trick up the sleeve of the eufyCam 2. This comes courtesy of the HomeBase 2 box. This is where the storage is, and what the cameras are talking to. However, it can also work as a wireless repeater, extending the range of your wifi network. And, ostensibly, expanding the range you can put the cameras. This could work for a large home, or in those cases where you, say, want to put a camera up on a detached garage that is set further back on your property. Whatever the reason, it sounds like a solid addition to the skills this brings along to the table.

Now, for the best part – many camera kits have been, well, while not wildly expensive, far from the realm of affordable. And that’s not even including the monthly subscriptions for richer feature sets. With the eufyCam 2, you’re paying once, and you’re not paying anything more. In this case, you can pick up the bundle, which includes two cameras and the base, for just $349.99. If you’re going all Apple for your home automation, this is one of the first camera systems that will support it. For me, I just think it’s a compelling security offering for us DIYers that gives you a sense of security at your home. You can pre-order the system at many retailers, with shipping anticipated for next week. eufylife.com