EufyCam S3 Pro review

EufyCam S3 Pro: Introduction

• Type: Outdoor security camera with built-in solar
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
• Ecosystems: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home

The EufyCam S330 was one of the best security cameras going, and the EufyCam S3 Pro is the natural evolution, fine-tuning some of the issues with the original while boosting nighttime recording.

At $550 / £499 for a twin pack system – which is what I’ve had on test for this review – the S3 Pro goes up against the Arlo Pro 5 and is actually a fair whack more than the likes of the Reolink Argus 4 Pro.

However, with no monthly subscription fees, this is one of the very best security camera setups for those who don’t want to pay monthly.

Design and installation

• Wall mounts provided
• Requires the HomeBase S380
• Extra solar panel in the box

The EufyCam S3 Pro ships in a box with however many cameras you want (two to four packs, plus add-ons available) and the required HomeBase S380, much like its predecessor did.

The physical cameras look very similar to the old ones, too. Chunky and long, they have a solar panel on top, which is designed to keep the camera’s battery topped up without having to charge it via the USB-C port manually.

This time around, Eufy has increased the size of the solar panel, so less sunlight is required to charge the battery.

Of course, some sunlight is required and that’s where the original system had an issue, as you really had to place them in specific locations to maximise charging potential.

This time around, Eufy provides an external solar panel in the box, with its own wall-mount, as you’d get with the likes of the Reolink Argus Track.

If you need it, you can place the camera where you want and then run the charging cable to the external solar panel that can be placed in the sun.

In my garden, for example, the garden room faces south, so gets a lot of sun, but the kitchen gets no direct sunlight. Using the external solar panel, I could place a camera on the kitchen’s external wall and charge it via the solar panel.

Installation is easy with wall mounts in the box, which have a ball joint to give a lot of movement, so that the EufyCam S3 Pro cameras can cover the area you want them to.

Although the cameras use Wi-Fi, they have to connect to the HomeBase S380 rather than your Wi-Fi network. The benefit is that you have a dedicated hub, with its own central storage, so if someone steals a camera, you still have the footage. 

The downside of the system is that the HomeBase has to be within wireless range of the cameras, so positioning it can be tricky. I can’t find a place in my home where I can get coverage for a camera at the back of the garden and for one at the front of the house.

Given how good mesh systems are, it would be better if the cameras could use regular Wi-Fi and talk to the HomeBase over that.

Features

• HomeKit compatible
• Upgradeable storage
• AI face and object detection

Once connected, the cameras start recording footage to the HomeBase’s integrated 16GB of storage.

With 4K footage that 16GB won’t last a huge amount of time, so you may want to upgrade the HomeBase with a 2.5-inch hard disk or SSD.

The Eufy Security app is used for control, and it’s a pretty decent bit of software, and home to the company’s other products, including the Eufy Floodlight Camera E340 and the Eufy SoloCam S340. 

Inside the app, each camera gets its own thumbnail, which you can tap to get the live view, and start a two-way talk if you want to scare off a burglar.

For the most part, the EufyCam S3 Pro cameras will be left to their devices, recording footage when motion is detected.

To prevent too many notifications, the cameras have powerful options to reduce the number of alerts that they generate.

At the basic level there are activity zones and motion detection sensitivity, which can help with baseline filtering.

As there’s no radar-based motion detection, as you get with some Ring cameras, you can’t filter motion based on range, so it’s worth pointing these cameras away from busy areas, such as roads.

With onboard AI on the HomeBase, the cameras can be set to detect your choice of people, vehicles, pets and all other motion.

And, there’s also local facial recognition, too. When known people are spotted, the video clips are tagged automatically. You have to pay a subscription fee to get these features with other cameras.

All clips are available in the basic yet functional Events section of the app. This shows clips with thumbnails ordered a page-per-day, and you can filter by camera and event type. Clips can be watched or downloaded.

If you do want cloud storage, then HomeKit support is available, so you can use HomeKit Secure Video and the detection settings built-in.

There’s an option to still record to the Eufy HomeBase, too, so you end up with a backup.

This sounds good in practice, but HomeKit is limited to 1080p, so the camera is set to this setting. Of course, this massively reduces image quality and kind of removes the point of buying high-end cameras.

With HomeKit you also can’t toggle when a camera records. If you want this feature than the Eufy Security plugin for HomeBridge is arguably better.

In the app, there are modes to select when a camera can and can’t record, and modes can be changed manually, on a schedule or by location.

With Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, you can control modes, but disarming requires a voice PIN, so you can’t automate the system, such as when a smart lock unlocks (again, you’ll need HomeBridge if you want this kind of automation).

The voice assistant support also lets you stream footage from the cameras to a compatible smart display, too.

Performance

• Brilliant night vision
• High-quality 4K video

Thanks to the 4K resolution and high-quality lens, the EufyCam S3 Pro can shoot brilliant footage during the day.

Cameras cope well with direct sunlight, and the resulting footage is sharp and detailed. There’s not a massive improvement on the footage from the older S330 for daylight recording.

Night performance is where Eufy has really made a difference. There are three options for night recording. The first is to use the Standard option, with the camera’s sensor able to capture full colour video with very low ambient light.

Secondly, you can use the camera’s spotlights to boost ambient light. Thirdly, you can switch to IR lights and shoot in black and white.

I think that the second option is the best. With the Standard option, the camera’s light-capturing ability is impressive, but the frame rate slows down to the point, where moving people often look blurred.

Use the four LED spotlights and image quality improves. Cleverly, the cameras use adaptive spotlights, adjusting them automatically to reduce glare, so you get full-quality, full-colour nighttime footage that’s almost as good as the daytime footage.

Final thoughts

The EufyCam S3 Pro is not a cheap set of cameras, but it is exceptionally good.

High-quality 4K footage night and day, and powerful object detection, all with no ongoing costs, make these the ultimate system for those that want the best and have everything stored locally.

How we test

When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.

Smart security cameras usually live within an ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a security camera for a week and deliver a verdict.

Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular camera compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.

Read our guide on our review process for smart security cameras to learn more.

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