Eufy Floodlight Camera Review | PCMag

Smart floodlight cameras are ideal for keeping tabs on your home's exterior at night. When the Eufy Floodlight Camera ($179.99) detects motion events, it lights up your property with bright LEDs and records 1080p footage. And unlike most of the competition, it saves that video to local storage rather than the cloud. That said, you can’t control its lights with your voice, and it doesn't work with many third-party platforms. If you want a floodlight that works with HomeKit and lots of other smart devices, the pricier Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera ($249.99) is a better option and our Editors' Choice for high-end outdoor security cameras. If you don't care about voice controls, the much more affordable Wyze Cam Floodlight ($84.99) is another winner.

Weatherproof, With Onboard Storage

The Eufy Floodlight Camera uses a white IP65 weatherproof enclosure that measures 9.0 by 11.0 by 7.0 inches (HWD). Both the Wyze Cam Floodlight and Ezviz LC1C Smart Floodlight Camera sport the same waterproof rating.

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Two square LEDs sit on the fixture's adjustable arms. The lamps are dimmable, put out 2,500 lumens each, and have a 5,000K white color temperature. Three wires (neutral, hot, and ground) protrude from the back for supplying power. For comparison, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera uses brighter, 3,000-lumen bulbs.

An adjustable arm just below the lamps supports the camera assembly. The enclosure houses a 1080p camera that enables a 130-degree vertical field of view and uses infrared LEDS for black-and-white night vision. When you activate the floodlights or if a fair amount of ambient light is available, the camera will switch over to color night vision. The assembly also contains a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor; a speaker and microphone; and an LED indicator. The LED blinks white when the camera detects motion or is recording an event; stays solid white when in an idle, but working, mode; and flashes red rapidly when something triggers its alarm. A 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio for connecting to your home network and a 100dB siren round out the components in the assembly.

When the Floodlight Camera detects motion, it records a video and sends a push alert. It even uses pre-buffer technology to capture the three seconds of activity that precede said event. It relies on 4GB of eMMC memory and can store up to 14 days of video (based on a daily average of 30 one-minute clips), but you can’t expand the storage on your own. However, if you subscribe to Eufy's $2.99-per-month Basic Plan, you can keep up to 30 days of storage for one device. The $9.99-per-month Plus Plan lets you store up to 30 days of recordings for up to 10 devices.

The Eufy Floodlight Camera works with Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands and routines, and you can cast video to an Amazon Echo Show or Google Hub device. But doesn't support Apple’s HomeKit platform or IFTTT integrations, doesn't integrate with other Eufy devices, and you can’t control the floodlights with your voice like you can with the Google Nest Cam With Floodlight.

App Configuration Options

The Floodlight Cam uses the same Eufy mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as other Eufy devices. It appears on the Devices screen in a panel that displays the last captured image.

Tap the play arrow to launch a live stream from the camera and rotate your phone to view it in a full-screen mode. Below the video panel are buttons for turning the lights on and off, as well as for manually recording video, capturing a snapshot, initiating two-way talk, and muting the sound. Tapping the icon with the three bars in the lower right corner lets you access event recordings; enable or disable night vision, set off the siren, and access the Camera Settings menu. The Setting menu is where you enable or disable the camera and floodlights; configure motion and recording length settings; check the camera's internal storage capacity, and assign an alert tone. Here, you can also change Wi-Fi settings, set up a light schedule, adjust floodlight brightness, and configure audio and siren settings.

Easy to Install, Great Video Quality

The Eufy Floodlight Camera is a hardwired fixture, so if you’re not comfortable working with electrical wiring, you should hire a pro to install it. Installation is fairly easy: I started by plugging the fixture into an outlet indoors using the attached three-prong plug. I opened the app, tapped Add Device at the bottom of the home screen, and selected the Floodlight Camera from the list. The app prompted me to scan the QR code, but the device didn't have a QR code. As such, I tapped the No QR Code option, selected my country of residence, and made sure that my phone was connected to the same Wi-Fi network that I was going to use for the floodlight. I verified that the LED was flashing red and pressed the Sync button on the top of the camera until I heard a beep. I then verified that the LED began to flash white, entered my Wi-Fi password, and waited a few seconds for the device to join my network. I gave the fixture a name to complete the pairing process. At this point, you can watch a helpful installation video or use the quick start guide instructions to attach the fixture to your house.

I unplugged the camera, removed the three-prong plug, and took the fixture outside (the floodlight must be installed directly onto a junction box). I turned off the power to my existing fixture at the electrical panel, removed the old fixture, and attached the Eufy mounting bracket to the junction box. I connected the three wires to the black, white, and ground wires coming out of the junction box; secured them with wire nuts; and tucked everything neatly into the box. I secured the fixture to the bracket using the included mounting hardware and restored power to the circuit. I verified that the LED was solid white and ran an internet connectivity test to complete the installation.

The Eufy Floodlight Camera delivered solid video quality in our tests. Daytime video shows rich colors and crisp image detail, while black-and-white night recordings are detailed and well lit. Color night video is also sharp, but colors aren't as vibrant as what you get with recordings from daytime hours. 

Its LEDs shine bright and illuminate my backyard well. They responded quickly to motion triggers (as did the loud 100dB siren) and followed my lighting schedule to a tee. Video recordings appear just as sharp as the live feed, and the camera reliably carried out Alexa voice commands to stream video to an Amazon Echo Show. The motion sensor worked as intended, and push alerts arrived instantly.

Good for Local Storage, But Not the Best Overall

The Eufy Floodlight Camera is more than capable of illuminating your yard or driveway at night so you can see what’s happening. It's also easy to install, offers color night vision, and performed well in our tests. And unlike most of the competition, it can store up to 30 days of recordings locally, as opposed to in the cloud. That said, it doesn’t offer all the third-party integrations or the high-res 2K video that you get with the battery-powered Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera. And if you’re looking for a more affordable smart floodlight and don’t need HomeKit support or voice control, the Wyze Cam Floodlight is an excellent value.