Highly effective out of doors digicam that does not want an additional subscription
In a position to robotically monitor motion and with object detection built-in, the Eufy SoloCam S340 is a robust out of doors safety digicam with no month-to-month charges. Its twin cameras allow you to take management and zoom in to get extra element if you’re out, whereas pan-and-tilt permits you to see extra of what’s occurring. This digicam is slightly costly, and when you gained’t totally use the motorised options and twin lenses, a fixed-lens digicam could also be a more sensible choice.
-
No month-to-month charges -
Wonderful picture high quality -
Intelligent object detection -
AI monitoring
-
Little costly -
Twin mode reduces picture high quality
Product title: Introduction
- Kind: Out of doors safety digicam with photo voltaic panel
- Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-FI
- Ecosystems: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
Becoming a member of Eufy’s rising ranks of dual-lens safety cameras is the Eufy SoloCam S340: an outside motorised pan-and-tilt digicam with AI object monitoring and built-in photo voltaic panels for fuss-free set up.
Associated: EufyCam S330 assessment
Subscription-free recording and high-quality video assist this digicam stand out, however it’s a little costly, and many individuals could possibly get away with a fixed-lens digicam as a substitute.
Learn on for our full Eufy SoloCam S340 assessment.
Design and set up
- Wall- or ceiling-mount choices
- Two choices for the photo voltaic panel
- Twin-lens with motorised pan-and-tilt
With two cameras and motorised pan-and-tilt, the Eufy SoloCam S340 is kind of a chunky safety digicam. That doesn’t imply that it’s not versatile, and it’s good to see flexibility for set up, beginning with the selection of the place to place the mount that the digicam slides onto.
In the event you’ve received a wall, then the mount will be hooked up to this, with the digicam sticking straight out. In the event you’ve received an overhang, then the digicam mount will be screwed to the ceiling as a substitute.
My solely piece of recommendation is to hold the digicam fairly excessive. Though the motorised pan-and-tilt means that you could regulate the place the digicam appears, the best place isn’t fairly parallel to the bottom. Place the digicam too low, and also you would possibly discover that you just don’t get a superb view and the digicam can reduce individuals’s heads off.
There’s a 70-degree vertical adjustment out there, with 360-degree rotation, so as soon as the digicam is excessive sufficient, it’s straightforward to regulate in software program to get the suitable view.
A photo voltaic panel comes within the field, designed to maintain the inner battery topped up with out intervention. It may be arduous to seek out someplace to put a digicam the place it can get sufficient solar, so it’s good to see two choices for the panel.
First, the photo voltaic panel will be hooked up to the digicam’s high after which angled in direction of the solar. That’s the choice I went for, as I put in the digicam on a south-facing wall.
If you wish to place the digicam some place else, there’s an extension cable within the field, and the photo voltaic panel will be mounted elsewhere. It’s a neat answer to a typical downside.
The digicam must be charged totally earlier than connecting the photo voltaic panel. Then, it may be put in and added to the Eufy Safety software program, connecting to your home Wi-Fi community.
Options
- Programmable place
- AI object detection and monitoring
- No month-to-month charges
Controls for the Eufy SoloCam S340 are similar to these on the indoor Eufy SoloCam S350, together with the choice so as to add a default home place. After a brief interval of inactivity, or after recording an occasion, the digicam will reorientate itself again to its home place.
This can be a crucial function that many pan-and-tilt cameras lack: with out this feature, the digicam might be left going through down, away from the place the motion is more likely to occur.
Extra preset positions will be set, together with the path the digicam factors in and the default digicam to make use of. These positions are accessed by way of the reside view, letting me shortly bounce to my favorite areas.
It’s neat having the ability to scan round with the pan-and-tilt function, because it meant that my total backyard was lined.
Plus, having the ability to change between the 3K most important digicam and 2K telephoto digicam gave me an additional dimensions. For instance, I might zoom into my kitchen to see what was occurring inside my home.
This digicam has 8GB of built-in storage and no subscription charges. It doesn’t have a microSD card slot. In the event you do need extra storage, you should utilize a Eufy HomeBase; join the digicam to that (the 2 gadgets must be inside Wi-Fi vary), and add a 2.5-inch arduous disk or SSD.
Utilizing a HomeBase additionally upgrades the detection algorithms to incorporate facial recognition, with the digicam marking clips with recognised faces.
With out the HomeBase, detection choices are nonetheless excellent: there’s an choice to be alerted about your selection of individuals, pets or different motions. These are often the sorts of options that solely include costly cloud subscriptions.
To additional cut back the variety of alerts you get, the digicam can be configured with exercise zones. Solely movement occurring in these zones will set off the digicam to file.
AI movement monitoring is a powerful function. When movement is detected, the digicam will use its pan-and-tilt to maintain monitor. It signifies that clips are fuller, capturing what occurred from begin to finish with out the hazard of that individual transferring off-camera.
Monitoring is sweet and easy, with out the judder and movement blur that comparable techniques on rival cameras introduce.
Recordings can be found within the app, and the best approach to get to them is by way of the Occasions tab. From right here, you’ll be able to filter the record by gadget, date, and movement kind (individuals, pets, autos or different), with an inventory of thumbnails making it straightforward to seek out the occasion you need.
The default view is to file utilizing the primary 3K digicam, which is the most suitable choice, because it captures a wider view. The choice is to activate Twin View, which data the footage from each cameras concurrently. This has the impact of decreasing general picture high quality, so it’s not a mode that I like to recommend.
Management over when the digicam is energetic is thru the app, with modes controlling which cameras are energetic by way of the Home, Away and Disarmed modes. Modes will be set manually, scheduled or triggered by your location. It’s a disgrace that there’s no IFTTT integration to manage the mode primarily based on one other gadget, say setting Away mode when your smart alarm is turned on.
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant assist can be found, so you’ll be able to reside stream a feed to a appropriate smart show, such because the Amazon Echo Hub.
Efficiency
- Sharp 3K video
- Detailed full-colour night time imaginative and prescient
- Twin-mode is slightly disappointing
With its most important digicam, the Eufy SoloCam S340 shoots video at a 3K decision (2880 x 1616), a step down from the 4K footage shot by its indoor brethren, the S350. Even so, the outcomes are spectacular.
In daylight, the video is well-exposed and sharp, and it’s straightforward to identify people. There’s nothing extra that you might actually need.
There are alternatives at night time. The default is to file in black and white, utilizing IR lights. The picture is noticeably softer, though the vary is excellent, and persons are good and sharp up shut.
I favor the full-color mode, which is offered solely from the reside view part of the app (it’s one of many icons on the backside of the display), reasonably than in the primary settings.
Mix this with the highlight, and the Eufy SoloCam S340 can shoot in full color.
There’s a little bit of movement blur, besides, I discovered it straightforward to seek out frames the place individuals had been completely sharp and their options clearly uncovered.
Twin Mode activates each cameras directly, however the footage is compressed right into a single video with a decision of 2304 x 2592.
Picture high quality actually suffers, and I discovered that the view from the telephoto digicam usually cropped heads out of the image.
Don’t use this mode, and persist with utilizing the telephoto digicam if you’re viewing the stream reside.
I discovered that with the solar on my photo voltaic panel the digicam saved topped-up with out having to be manually charged.
Nonetheless, it’s vital to set the home place in order that the digicam isn’t pointing at a busy location, reminiscent of a road, as you might find yourself with a variety of alerts, many recordings and a battery that drains.
Remaining ideas
A intelligent little bit of equipment, the Eufy SoloCam S340’s intelligent pan-and-tilt know-how means that you could see extra of what’s occurring, each when manually viewing and by way of computerized monitoring. With no month-to-month charges and smart object detection, so much goes for this digicam.
Twin cameras and the motors imply that it’s slightly costly although, so a hard and fast digicam could also be a greater choice for some, such because the Eufy SoloCam S40.
How we check
Once we publish our critiques, you’ll be able to relaxation assured that they’re the results of “dwelling with” long run exams.
Smart safety cameras often reside inside an ecosystem, or a variety of merchandise that – supposedly – all work in concord. Subsequently, it’s inconceivable to make use of a safety digicam for every week and ship a verdict.
As a result of we’re testing smart home equipment all day, on a regular basis, we all know what issues and the way a specific digicam compares to options that you may also be contemplating.
Our critiques are complete, goal and truthful and, in fact, we’re by no means paid on to assessment a tool.
Learn our information on our assessment course of for smart safety cameras to be taught extra.
FAQs
Eufy tells us that the S340 will preserve constantly on full cost on simply 2 hours of daylight a day.
No, it really works with out the Eufy HomeBase however you’ll be able to unlock further options utilizing Eufy’s bridge.
No, however there may be built-In 8GB EMMC of reminiscence storage.
Eufy SoloCam S340: Specs
Kind | Out of doors photo voltaic safety digicam |
UK RRP | £179.99 |
US RRP | $199.99 |
Dimension | 120 x 87 x 88mm |
Weight | 640g |
Decision | Extensive-Angle Digicam: 3K (2880×1620), Telephoto Digicam: 2K (2304×1296) |
Viewing angle | 135° however with pan and tilt: Horizontal 360°, Vertical 70° |
Evening imaginative and prescient | Colour and IR choices |
Movement sensor | Sure |
Launch Date | 2023 |
Smart home Ecosystems | Amazon Alexa, Google Home |
Connectivity | 2.4GHz Wi-Fi |