The latest security cameras from Anker’s smart home company Eufy can see clearly in the dark, use radar motion sensing to reduce false alarms, and record 24/7 while wired. Like other Eufy cameras, the new S3 Pro offers free facial recognition, package, vehicle and pet detection, as well as local storage of recorded video without a monthly fee.
Unlike most other Eufy cameras, the S3 Pro will work with Apple Home and is compatible with Apple’s HomeKit secure video service.
The EufyCam S3 Pro will launch this week and includes two cameras and a HomeBase S380 for $549.99. HomeBase 3 supports smart alarms and local storage (16GB onboard storage, expandable to 16 TB). It also connects the S3 Pro to Apple Home, making it the first Eufy camera to work with Apple’s smart home platform since 2019’s EufyCam 2 series.
Eufy spokesman Brett White confirmed edge The S3 Pro will be compatible with HomeKit secure video. Apple’s end-to-end encrypted video storage service. “The plan is for all future devices to have Apple Home compatibility, and we are also considering grandfathering older devices,” White said.
The S3 Pro has a new color night vision feature called MaxColor Vision, which promises “daytime-like footage even in pitch-black conditions, without the need for spotlights.” I saw a demonstration of this technology at the IFA tech show in Berlin this month, and it was impressive.
A camera was placed in a completely dark room and sent video to a monitor outside, where I could see everything in the room as if it were daylight. Eufy said that a 1/1.8-inch CMOS sensor, F1.0 aperture and artificial intelligence image signal processor power the technology.
While color night vision doesn’t use a spotlight, the S3 Pro does include a motion-activated spotlight, which Eufy says can adjust to the immediate lighting to give you the best possible image. You can also use the app to manually adjust the lighting while watching a live broadcast.
The new dual motion detection uses radar sensing technology combined with passive infrared (PIR) technology. This should allow for more accurate identification of people and not sound an alarm that someone is in the yard when a tree blows in the wind. Eufy says it can reduce false alarms by up to 99%.
The S3 Pro is battery powered with a 13,000 mAh battery that can provide up to 365 days of power. The built-in solar panel can power the camera for longer. In my testing of the EufyCam S3 (which also has a built-in solar panel), I hadn’t charged it in over a year.
The S3 Pro’s solar panel is 50% larger than the S3’s, and Eufy claims that it only takes an hour of sunlight a day to fully charge the camera. Eufy also includes an external solar panel with the camera, so you can mount the camera under your roof and still get power.
Eufy said the S3 Pro has a recording resolution of up to 4K and is powered by a USB-C cable. Once connected, it can record 24/7 – Eufy’s first consumer-grade battery-powered camera to do so.
- Full duplex two-way audio
- Dual microphone array records vocals up to 26 feet away
- 100dB siren and motion activated voice warning
- 24/7 snapshot function, takes a photo every minute
- Activity and privacy areas
- Integrates with Google Home and Amazon Alexa
- IP67 weatherproof
- 8x code zoom
Following some serious security and privacy incidents in 2022, Eufy has published a new list of privacy commitments on its website. The company also worked with cybersecurity expert Ralph Echemendia to address the issues, and last year he completed an assessment that the company claims showed it “met all active and passive security benchmarks.”
