Stripped-down, budget-priced home security cameras are rapidly becoming the exception rather than the norm. Eufy\u2019s new Indoor Cam 2K is a perfect example, boasting some of the most advanced technology available and a steal at just $40<\/p>\n
Along with its 2K resolution, the AC-powered camera’s standard features include event-triggered recording, night vision, 8x zoom, and two-way audio. It also boasts AI-enabled human and pet detection and<\/em> the ability to identify a crying baby. Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit\u2014including HomeKit Secure Video, the Apple protocol that allows for the analysis of recorded video clips on a local HomePod, iPad, or Apple TV, as well as encrypted video storage in iCloud\u2014are all supported.<\/p>\n This review is part of TechHive\u2019s coverage of the best home security cameras, <\/span>where you’ll find<\/span> reviews of competing products, plus a buyer\u2019s guide to the features you should consider when shopping.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n You can store up to 128GB locally on a microSD card. Eufy also offers a pair of cloud storage plans that save your videos for 30 days before overwriting them with new footage. The Basic plan provides storage for $3 a month or $30 a year per camera. The Premier plan gives you a bulk discount for up to 10 cameras for $10 a month or $100 a year. A third option is to save to Network Attached Storage (NAS) via Real Time Streaming Protocol. The Eufy Security companion app includes a setup guide for this method.<\/p>\n The Indoor Cam 2K includes pet, human, and standard motion detection and can distinguish a baby’s cry from other sounds.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The setup process is about as plug-and-play as security camera\u2019s get. Once you download the Eufy Security app, it shepherds you through the steps of pairing the camera to your phone and connecting it to your Wi-Fi network. A quick scan of the device\u2019s QR code and a login to my network and I was done.<\/p>\n The newly added camera appears on the app\u2019s device screen along with any other connected Eufy cameras. Along with the name you gave the camera during the setup, the app displays a screenshot of the camera\u2019s current view overlaid with a Play button. Pressing this opens the camera\u2019s live feed.<\/p>\n Not surprisingly for a 2K camera, the image quality is tack sharp with rich, accurate color. That should ensure any forensic video it captures will provide plenty of facial and clothing detail for authorities to use. Night vision switches on automatically in low light and illuminates the room evenly, letting you see clearly with little or no ambient light.<\/p>\n The Eufy Security app allows you to customize many of the Indoor Cam 2K’s features to suit your needs.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Below the live feed are two tabs: Live, which is active whenever you\u2019re viewing the feed, and Playback, which opens a scrolling timeline that allows you to scrub through the day\u2019s live footage. At the very bottom of the screen is an expandable toolbar with buttons for capturing video or taking screenshots of the live feed, turning automatic night vision on and off, muting the audio, sounding the camera\u2019s alarm, and accessing the library of event-triggered video clips. There\u2019s also a push-to-talk button that activates the camera\u2019s microphone, so you can communicate remotely with family members or pets or scare off an intruder.<\/p>\n The camera\u2019s AI detection worked well in my testing. Family members were generally identified as human, my dog and cats as pets. Sometimes, though, the same activity would trigger multiple events, each identified differently. For example, at one point my son rocking in his gaming chair trigged three separate alerts: one identified as human, one as sound, and one as motion. All were accurate\u2014it was a moving human making noise\u2014but the fickle descriptions highlight the inconsistencies of even very good AIs.<\/p>\n![\"indoor](\"https:\/\/images.idgesg.net\/images\/article\/2020\/06\/indoor-cam-2k_2-100848610-orig.jpg\")
<\/a> Eufy<\/small>Setup and performance<\/h2>\n
<\/a> Michael Ansaldo\/IDG<\/small>