Eufy Review: Strong Cameras, a Complicated Record

Eufy sells the security camera most people say they want. It records to a box in your house, it works without a monthly fee, and the picture is good.

That proposition is real and it is the reason this brand sells. This Eufy review also has to cover what happened when researchers looked at how local that local storage actually was.

The Timeline Worth Knowing

The company admitted its cameras were not end to end encrypted, after selling them on privacy.

In late 2022 a security researcher found that camera streams could be reached outside the official app, and in January 2023 Anker accepted that eufy cameras did not offer the end to end encryption its marketing had suggested.

What happened next matters just as much. The company encrypted its web portal, hardened it against the debug method that had been used, began rolling out WebRTC encryption across the range and committed to a bug bounty programme, which is a more serious response than most brands manage after being caught out.

Then came something stranger.

Between December 2024 and February 2025, eufy ran a scheme paying owners $2 a video to submit footage of package and car thefts, including staged ones they filmed themselves, to train its detection AI. Nothing about that was hidden, and people opted in.

It is still an unusual thing to ask of a camera you bought because the footage stays home.

What Buyers Actually Say

Fifty seven per cent at five stars and 22% at one, from nearly fourteen thousand reviews. That is a big, split pool.

The praise goes to the things the brand designed well. Easy setup, a clear app, good video, and storage you own rather than rent.

The complaints are almost entirely about what happens afterwards. Support that takes a long time to answer, firmware and connectivity problems, and warranty replacements that drag.

Replying to 13% of negative reviews, typically after more than a month, is the weakest number on the page and it lines up exactly with what those reviewers describe.

What the Cameras Get Right

1. No mandatory monthly fee on most models
2. Recording to a HomeBase you keep in the house
3. Good detection and useful notifications
4. A range covering doorbells, floodlights and indoor units

The subscription point is the strongest argument for the brand, because a rival camera at a lower sticker price with a monthly plan attached will usually cost more across three years, and that arithmetic is why so many buyers choose an eufy security camera in the first place.

The hardware holds up too.

Most of the one star reviews are about service rather than image quality, which is a meaningful distinction when you are weighing up a purchase, because a poorly built eufy security camera would be a reason to buy something else while a slow support queue is a reason to buy from a shop that will handle the return for you.

What to Check Before You Buy

Local storage on many models lives in the HomeBase. No base, no local recording.

Buy from a retailer with a straightforward returns desk, set the camera up in the first week, and test the things you are relying on rather than assuming them.

Go through the app settings once, properly, and turn off anything you did not ask for. That is good practice with any connected camera, and with this brand it is specifically warranted.

Who Should Buy

Buy if you want capable cameras without a subscription, you will keep recordings on your own base, and you accept that support is slow when something goes wrong.

Look elsewhere if privacy is the single reason you are buying, since a brand that has already misdescribed its encryption once has to earn that trust back rather than be given it.

Final Verdict

Six and a half out of ten. The cameras are good, the no subscription model saves real money over three years, and 57% of 13,714 reviewers give five stars. What holds it back is a support operation answering 13% of negative reviews after more than a month, and a privacy record that includes admitting in 2023 that cameras were not end to end encrypted and then paying owners $2 a video for home footage to train AI. Anyone reading an eufy review should buy the hardware with open eyes and go through the app settings the day it arrives.

FAQs

Does eufy require a subscription?

Most models do not. Recordings go to a HomeBase you own, though some AI features are paid on some models.

Were eufy cameras really not encrypted?

Anker admitted in January 2023 that the cameras did not offer end to end encryption as its marketing had suggested, and it has since made changes.

What was the $2 video scheme?

Between December 2024 and February 2025 eufy paid owners $2 per submitted video, including staged thefts, to train its detection AI.

Is the video quality good?

Yes, it is one of the most praised parts of the range in customer reviews.

How is customer service?

Weak. The company replies to 13% of negative Trustpilot reviews, typically after more than a month.

Does it work without internet?

Local recording continues on many setups, but test your own configuration rather than assuming it.