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Eufy Security SoloCam E40 review rating
advantage
- No need for Femtocell/Base Station-connect to 2.4Ghz WiFi
- You can buy 1 camera (instead of 2 in a pack)
- Acceptable price
- Compared with alternative brands, superior battery
- Excellent AI character detection
shortcoming
- Rely on good WiFi (eufyCam may provide better range)
- In my opinion, the eufyCam range is usually better than this
Since I reviewed Eufy security cameras and doorbells, I have been a big fan of Eufy security cameras and doorbells Eufycam E As early as the beginning of 2019.Then OFILM doorbell and eufyCam 2C In recent years, my two main suggestions for doorbells and battery cameras.
I have always attributed the excellent battery life of the eufyCam series to the use of a home base, but now Eufy has launched the SoloCam series, which is connected via WiFi and does not require a home base at all. They claim that E40 can use up to 4 months of battery, so you won’t lose much compared to 2C.
But is the overall performance equally good?
SoloCam S40 vs. SoloCam L20 vs. SoloCam E40 vs. SoloCam E20 Specifications
| SoloCam S40 | SoloCam L20 | SoloCam E40 | SoloCam E20 | |
| Suggested retail price | 199.99 USD / 199 GBP | 149.99 USD / 149.99 GBP | USD 129.99 / GBP 120 | 99.99 USD / 99.99 GBP |
| solve | 2K | 1080p | 2K | 1080p |
| Night vision | Color night vision | Color night vision | Infrared night vision | Infrared night vision |
| Spotlight brightness (adjustable) | 600 lumens | 600 lumens | / | / |
| Color temperature (adjustable) | 4000K—6000K | 4000K—6000K | / | / |
| Battery Life | The combination of solar energy and built-in battery provides almost unlimited power | 4 months | 4 months | 4 months |
| Local storage | 8GB emmc, 2 months storage space | 8GB emmc, 2 months storage space | 8GB emmc, 2 months storage space | 8GB emmc, 2 months storage space |
| Two-way audio | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Artificial Intelligence Person Detection | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| voice assistant | Alexa and Google Home Assistant | Alexa and Google Home Assistant | Alexa and Google Home Assistant | Alexa and Google Home Assistant |
| Weatherproof | IP67 | IP67 | IP65 | IP65 |
E40 is in the middle of the SoloCam range, you get better resolution than L20, but you miss the spotlight and color night vision.
SoloCam S40 is probably the most interesting camera in the series, 2K has spotlight and color night vision functions, and is battery-powered at the same time. It expands the battery through the built-in solar panel. Although I doubt it will extend the battery a lot in the UK in winter.
Setup/install
For most of these devices, the settings are almost standard. Your phone needs to be connected to a 2.4Ghz WiFi network. Then, you provide the WiFi password and display the QR code to the camera. Everything is completed in a minute or so.
For WiFi, I have an access point, which is located in the downstairs room where SoloCam E40 is located, and it shows that my WiFi connection is good. Therefore, it is easier to connect to WiFi than my Ring Doorbell. However, depending on your WiFi settings, you may get a better range by using the eufyCam of the base station.
During the setup process, you will be asked for your preferred power option. The best battery option limits the clip length to 20 seconds, while the best monitoring time is up to 60 seconds. For this review, I chose the best surveillance to ensure that I captured some good shots for the sample.
The physical mount is the same as most battery cameras, so for me, I reused the mount for the Eufy 2C in front of my house.
Performance-night and day recording
In hindsight, the location of this camera is suboptimal for surveillance. It is too high to capture any identification shots of anyone entering my property.
Similarly, when someone passes through the gate, they will quickly pass through the surveillance area, which means that my clips tend to be short. This is not a major problem for me, because I have many other cameras that are monitoring further away. However, this does mean that the sample shot is a bit short.
Except for my location, the quality of the video is good enough.
Motion detection
Motion detection seems to be excellent. I set it to only humans with default sensitivity, and I don’t know it missed any scenes of someone.
Human detection may have become the norm now, but compared with the old-style motion detection, the difference is still surprising, the old-style motion detection will continue to trigger trees, shadows, rain and almost anything.
You can optimize detection, including motion area and sensitivity. You can also choose to set it as all actions. In this case, it will only detect humans during the day and all movement at night.
Strangely, there is no vehicle option, and competing brands such as Reolink offer this option.
Battery
The battery life performance is much better than expected. I deliberately pointed the camera at my property, not the sidewalk outside it, so I didn’t even need to use the sports area. I only have about 5 to 10 events per day, and battery life seems to drop by about 1% per day.
So I hope to be able to do it for three months. This is the best surveillance, but my clips are often short.
Prices and alternatives
The Eufy SoloCam E40 is priced at 120 pounds, while the cheaper E20 is priced at 100 pounds, both of which are regularly discounted.
For battery-powered cameras connected via WiFi, the Reolink Argus series may be your best choice. The suggested retail price of Argus 3 is approximately £90, but there are regular discounts (20% discounts are currently available with coupons).This Argus 3 Pro It’s £95, with a 5% discount. I find that the battery life is far less than that of Reolink cameras, but they can all be supplemented with a fairly large solar panel, and they cost only £25.
If you need more than one camera, then Eufy 2C or 2C Pro makes more sense. You have a longer battery life and a spotlight for colorful night recording. The only problem here is if you have a very large house and the cameras are far apart. I have been able to use one of mine in the shed and the other at the other end of my medium-sized property.
comprehensive
The Eufy SoloCam E40 is excellent and fully meets your expectations. The battery life is very good, and as far as the battery camera is concerned, the video quality is also very good.
Personally, I would choose one of the 2C models, where the 2C two-piece package is about 90 pounds per camera, or the 2C Pro is 150 pounds per camera. You can get longer battery life and additional spotlights to improve monitoring. However, if you specifically need a camera, or may not be able to find a base camp in a reasonable location to run two cameras that are far apart, then the SoloCam E40 makes a lot of sense.
This is a bargain for the suggested retail price of £119.99, which has been as low as £83 and often falls between £95 and £100.
Overall, the Eufy series cameras are still my preferred wireless battery-powered camera solution. They are all competitively priced, perform well, and do not require additional subscription fees.
Last updated on 2021-12-14 / Affiliate link / Image from Amazon Product Advertising API
