When last we left our heroes, they were giddy with excitement about their new Eufy E340 video doorbell with dual cameras. I described installation of the doorbell as a dream, where it took mere seconds to add to our network.
We still had three remaining outdoor Wyze cameras: one wired and two wireless. The wired camera was one of the base model Wyze cams, mounted to the corner of the garage looking at our driveway, with power snaking inside the garage door.
Eufy Outdoor Cam E220
After analyzing the plethora of outdoor cameras available from Eufy, Steve chose the $80 wired Outdoor Cam E220 to replace the wired Wyze camera. The E220 is a fixed camera with 2K resolution, color video, and motion detection. It’s not HomeKit-compatible, but most of Eufy’s outdoor gear are incompatible with HomeKit.
The Outdoor Cam E220 was another easy install to the network using the Eufy app. Just like the doorbell, you scan the QR code on the camera, and then the camera scans another QR code in the app, and you’re done.
Most of Eufy’s outdoor cameras require something called a HomeBase, and we really didn’t want another hub or bridge. We’d resisted for a long time because of this, but now with just two cameras left to replace, we realized resistance was futile.
HomeBase S380
We purchased the $150 HomeBase S380 to go along with this camera and our future outdoor cameras. My understanding was that it would help us put our outdoor cameras into HomeKit, but that comes with a huge asterisk, which I’ll explain in a bit.
The HomeBase does provide two valuable functions. The most important function is that it can store all of your video recordings from your cameras. Remember, Eufy prides itself on not charging you a fee for storage on cloud-based servers; instead, you put your own hard drive in this unit to store your videos.
For those of you who remember Honda Bob, a dear local friend and a NosillaCastaway, before he passed away, he gave me two bare SSDs in a tiny Pelican case. They’re each 500GB, and I finally found a home for them in our HomeBase S380. I think it would make him very happy to know this was how it got put to use.
HomeBase 3 Installation
HomeBase 3 installation is extremely straightforward. I plugged it into my gigabit switch over Ethernet that is plugged into our gateway Eero router. Then I plugged in the power. When the HomeBase finishes booting up, it invites you to use the app to add it to your network using the Eufy app. Just like with the cameras, the app asks to scan the QR code on the bottom of the HomeBase. Then it asks you to press a sink button on the back of the device.
I’m not sure exactly how we got into this mess, but when we followed this process, the HomeBase told us that we should add it to the iOS home app first. Remember, I was under the impression that I could put the HomeBase S380 in HomeKit so all of the Eufy devices would be visible to us in the Home app, so that sounded dandy to us.
We scanned the QR code with the Home app, and it was immediately recognized and added as a bridge inside HomeKit. But the S380 HomeBase was still not in the Eufy app. When we tried to add it, the HomeBase kept telling us to put it in HomeKit first. HomeKit thinks it’s already in there, but other than seeing it as a bridge, we can’t do a darn thing with it.
I entered into a frustrating conversation with Eufy tech support via chat. The gentleman attempting to help me didn’t make a lot of sense, and in one case, when I asked him a compatibility question about their products, he sent me a URL that was a Google search. He eventually said I’d be contacted via email in the next day.
I got the email, and the experience wasn’t much better. I noticed at one point that there was an option to escalate the ticket, and that was my savior. Shane from Eufy was great. He had me do a couple of things to try resetting the device (which we’d already done multiple times) and eventually said they’d just send us a new HomeBase.
While We’re Waiting — Two Wireless SoloCam S340s
While we waited for the replacement HomeBase S380, we bought two more cameras to replace our wireless Wyze cams. Again, after extensive research, which included asking text chat at Eufy for help, we chose the $200 SoloCam S340, which is battery-powered and charged with a solar panel. Look for bundle deals, especially on Amazon. For example, they sell a SoloCam E340 and a HomeBase S380 together for $300 which is $50 cheaper than buying them separately.
From eufy support person: Here is a list of products that work with Homebase 3
eufy Cam 2 pro (Battery) ← can't find it
eufy Cam 2c pro (Battery) ← doesn't work w/o a homebase
eufy Cam S330 (eufyCam 3) [Battery/ Solar] ← expensive as S340 not as good
eufy Cam S300 (eufycam 3c) [Battery] ← can't buy just one
eufy Cam S3 pro (Battery/ Solar) ← Add on (needs homebase)
Solo Cam S340 (Battery/ Solar) ← *GREAT - Chose This*
Solo Cam C210 (Battery) ← old model
Solo Cam E30 (Battery/ Solar) ← Maybe? $120
Solo Cam S230 (Battery/ Solar) Floodlight ← don't need floodlight
I know this camera costs a lot, but it is insanely cool.
Steve removed the old outdoor Wyze cam which we had bought as a founder’s edition. It came with a little black cowboy hat as a special gift. The squirrels loved that hat — chewed all of the way through it.
Here’s what’s cool about the S340. It’s solar-powered, it’s got AI motion tracking, and it’s got a 1X AND 3X camera.
Adding it to the network was easy peasy, following the same process as all of the other cameras. Once Steve had it mounted on the fence where the old cowboy Wyze cam lived, we got to start playing with it.
This camera tracks your motion as you run around the yard, and zooms in on the subject with that 3X camera. Ok, it doesn’t zoom, but you know what I mean. I put a screenshot of the Eufy app when Steve was in our side yard, where we mounted the second E340 Solo Cam. You can see Steve petting Kepler in the distance by the gate, along with a window an intruder might try to enter. On the bottom half, the camera is automatically zoomed up on him.
Our 5-year-old granddaughter Siena got up early one morning and ran some experiments by herself to test how it works. I’m chuffed that she is clearly going to be a scientist of course, but she illustrates it quite well. In a video in the shownotes, she walks side to side, squats down and back up, tests just moving one arm, and even tilts her head to one side. In all cases, the S340 tracks her every movement in the 3X view while showing the full yard view from the 1X camera. She eventually talks to the camera because I started talking to her through it.
The S340 also lets you create preset positions for the 3X camera when no little girls are running around doing experiments. Our fence where the camera is mounted is only about 6 feet tall, and they recommend 7-10 feet up. The downside of having this shorter mounting point is that the camera is pointed down a bit lower than we’d like. At the farthest distance from the camera on the other side of the yard, 5’9″ Steve gets his head cut off. It’s not the fault of the camera but a mounting problem on our side. We considered mounting the camera on a tilt, but that would have wreaked havoc with the gimbal on the camera.
All of these features, including people and pet detection, would be lost if we put these cameras into HomeKit.
New HomeBase S380
We got the new HomeBase S380 and ran through the same process we’d been trying with the original, and it jumped onto the network and was visible in the Eufy app. What a relief!
After we had it in the Eufy app, we were able to add the four outdoor cameras to the device for onboard storage of video: the E340 doorbell, the E220 outdoor cam, and the two S340 Solo cams.
The other minor function the HomeBase provides is as a chime for the doorbell. We have the Echo in the kitchen ringing, and the Chime add-on I described last week, but they’re all downstairs, so it’s nice to hear it upstairs as well. And of course the doorbell notifies our watches, phones, Macs, iPad …
By this time, I was thinking I didn’t want to put these cameras into HomeKit anyway, but I went back to the Eufy site to try to figure out what could be done with HomeKit and the HomeBase. Get this. Only one camera from Eufy works in HomeKit with the brand new HomeBase 3, and it’s not any of the ones we bought.
Eufy App
Before I close out our adventure with Eufy, I want to talk a little bit about the Eufy app. It’s really useful, it’s really good, and it’s often baffling because it has so many features. We’ve been diving in and back out of menus for weeks, and I suspect we’ve only explored half of the settings. It’s so deep and varied by product that I’m itching to mind map it just so I can understand it.
After enjoying constant notifications for three days or so while the grandkids were here, I had to spend some quality time figuring out how to tame the notifications. By going into the HomeBase 3 in the Eufy app, I was able to set all but the front doorbell to have no notifications during the day, but after nightfall, give us all the notifications.
Bottom Line
Here’s the funny thing. We don’t live in a high-crime area. We just really like cameras. Steve put it best when he called it a hobby bordering on an obsession. With 11 Eufy cams and two outdoor Ring floodlight cameras, we think we’re done buying cameras for a little while. It took a lot of research because they have so many options, but we’re delighted with the Eufy cameras we purchased.