Over the last few years, home security has become increasingly popular. It’s not unusual to see doorbell cameras, home monitoring systems and security cameras installed in and around most homes. As someone who spent a good 10 years renting in Sydney, I never really saw the need for any kind of security system aside from our deadlocked door. However, as a new homeowner (aka I signed myself up for some crippling debt), I’ve become aware of how handy home security is. Enter: Eufy.
My partner and I live in a sharehouse situation to help pay the mortgage, so there are always people coming and going, deliveries are abundant and Uber Eats is a regular arrival, so we decided to invest and install a home security system. We already have a few of the Eufy Security Cam 2 Pro 2k Cameras installed, however, we’ve got quite a sizable property and have realised lately that we needed something a little more high-tech to monitor the front yard. So when we got out mitts on the new SoloCam S340, we were excited to say the least.
We’ve been using the SoloCam for just over a month now, here’s our honest review.
TL;DR:
- Enhanced dual-camera clarity/surveillance: up to 15m, ultra-clear 3K resolution, and 8× zoom
- Solar-powered: install once and it runs forever
- 360° surveillance: no blind spots
- Local storage, no monthly fee: one-time purchase. No monthly fees or hidden costs
- Versatile installation, effortless setup
- Cost: $399.95
Initial thoughts
When I first read about the SoloCam S340, I was pretty impressed, not only is it ultra-clear 3K resolution for up to 15m, but it’s a 360° surveillance camera, which means no blind spots (depending on how you position it). Safe to say, I was keen to see it in action.
The Set-Up
It arrived and required a pretty minimal set-up. My partner installed it in our front yard with 360° views of our cars, front yard, garage entry and front door. It’s also solar-powered, so you install it once and never have to take it down to charge it, which is something we’ve found somewhat tedious with our older 2 Pro Cameras. Just make sure you position it somewhere the solar panel can get sunlight. We had to maneuver ours around a bit and use the extension connection to allow the solar panel to sit in a place that would get sun, while still positioning the camera in the perfect spot. Adds a little more time to the setup, but nothing too strenuous.
It also offers dual views for surveillance, so you can zoom in on certain areas while still keeping a broader view of things. So for instance, we’ve got one camera zoomed in, positioned to watch the cars and the other is a zoomed-out, wider shot of the whole property.
What’s the SoloCam S340 like?
Like all of Eufy’s security setups, it pairs with the Eufy app to give you complete control and monitoring at your fingertips. The Eufy SoloCam S340 itself has 8GB of onboard storage, which adds up to around four or so hours of high-quality video footage from both the camera’s wide-angle lens and its telephoto lens.
As mentioned earlier, the dual-camera aspect is really cool, not only does it capture the wide-angle lens and the 2x telephoto, but it also uses AI-based motion detection to follow movement, tilting and panning until the person (or pet) walks out of sight. We’ve nicknamed ours Wall-E and giggle every time we notice him following us around the front yard — which would be exhausting on our big gardening days.
When you buy the SoloCam S340, you’ll also need to grab yourself a Homebase 3, which connects to the SoloCam via Wi-Fi and offloads the camera’s footage onto its own storage. Unfortunately for us, we only had a Homebase 2 when we got our new cam, and they’re not compatible, so we’re still looking to upgrade.
It’s also worth mentioning that thanks to the smart AI, it has face recognition, so you can set it up so that you’re only notified when new faces appear on camera and avoid a bunch of notifications blowing up your phone if it’s just your roommates or pets strolling past.
Is It Worth the Cost?
The Eufy SoloCam S340 will typically set you back around $749.99 — the Camera retails for $399.95, while the Homebase 3 is $349.95 — which is pretty good considering the Core Security 4 pack Kits are over $1,000. And, depending on the layout of your property, The SoloCam kind of covers what two or three regular cameras could cover, so it’s really up to you to suss out what works with your home. For us, we’ve now got the SoloCam covering the front of the property and moved the two front yard cameras to the sides of the house — meaning pretty much the whole house is discreetly covered.
Overall, it’s perfect for what we were looking for when we decided we needed to upgrade, and the fact that our older Pro 2 cameras still pair with the Homebase 3 means we can utilise our whole security system while still upgrading. The picture and audio quality are excellent, and the fact that you never have to take it down to charge it is a real cherry on top.
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