EufyCam S3 Pro Extension + HomeBase 3

Because the EufyCam S3 Pro has sharp night vision in color, I can keep an eye on my garden day and night. I watch the images without a subscription, but my mobile phone must have a good WiFi connection for this.

View in the dark I install the camera in the corner of my backyard, so that I have a view of the entire garden. To watch the images, I install the Eufy app on my smartphone. When I first test the camera, it is already dark outside. I immediately notice that the image is very clear. This allows me to see details well. For example, people's faces or checked clothing. In the app, I set how I want to see the image in the dark. In addition to the standard image, I choose 'daytime', which makes the image almost as light at night as during the day. There are built-in spotlights for extra light, but I have not needed this so far. The camera also has standard infrared lighting. Then the image is black and white.

Image storage and smart functions without a subscription I connect my security cameras to the HomeBase 3. I connect this base station to my router with the supplied Ethernet cable. I choose to keep it connected to the router, but you can also use it wirelessly if you prefer to place it in a different place. I store up to 16 GB of recordings on the HomeBase, without an additional subscription.

Thanks to the base station, the camera also recognizes faces, animals and vehicles. This means that I can immediately see who or what is in the picture when there is a motion notification. The HomeBase amplifies the WiFi signal of the cameras, so that they always have a stable connection. I do notice that my smartphone sometimes has difficulty loading the live images and recordings. For this, my mobile really needs a strong WiFi connection, otherwise it has to charge for a very long time. This usually happens with public WiFi networks, but it works fine at home.

Charging with solar energy I charge the battery of these cameras in the sun. This is possible thanks to the built-in solar panel. For this, they must be hanging directly in the sun. The box does contain an extra loose solar panel, which I can place in a sunny spot myself, if necessary. That way the battery lasts much longer. I keep a very precise track of the battery consumption via the Eufy app.

This set has been in use for about 4 weeks now and I am very satisfied with the use. The cameras respond very well and accurately to movement of people or vehicles and not to, for example, a cat walking through the garden at night. In the period mentioned, 1 false alarm during a heavy rain shower. One camera is aimed at the front door, which makes the use of a video doorbell unnecessary, when someone now walks up the driveway, the app gives a notification even before the doorbell has been rung. The image is sharp, especially if you download a video. The recorded sound is also crystal clear and talking back through the camera via the app works smoothly and is clearly audible. The options for setting the cameras are extensive and more than sufficient, only the circle for geofencing I find too large. Three of the four cameras are hanging in a place where the sun reaches them well and can charge them, the one camera in the shade cannot catch any sun but still has an impressive battery capacity. After 4 weeks of use, the last mentioned is also still at 92% battery with regular movement detected. All in all a more than fine set with a good price/quality ratio. Recommended for those who want to monitor a (large) area without having to pull cables.

Great product, high quality. The app is reasonable, but lacks some basic functionality, such as combining geofencing with scheduling.