EufyCam S3 Pro security camera kit review: Daytime, all the time

Battery- and solar-powered wireless security cameras are a dime a dozen these days, so it takes something pretty special to really “wow” us here at SafeWise Australia, whether that’s a unique feature, extensive battery life, or impeccable video quality. The Eufy S3 Pro delivers all three, boasting peerless AI motion detection, an essentially unkillable solar-rechargeable battery, and the highest-quality colour night vision footage we’ve ever seen.

As is the case with the majority of Eufy security cameras we’ve tested, the EufyCam S3 Pro is quick and easy to set up and install. It’s a simple matter of plugging in the HomeBase 3 to your Wi-Fi router, downloading the Eufy Security app, scanning a couple of QR codes, and the system is good to go in less than 10 minutes.

The cameras come pre-charged, so you can mount them right away using the included hardware or simply place them on a flat surface. Of course, being solar-powered, it’s best to station these cameras somewhere that gets at least an hour of sun per day. Since the solar panel is integrated into the camera itself, there are no unsightly wires to be had. Although this can limit placement somewhat, Eufy does throw one separate solar panel (along with said unsightly wires) in the box should you want to install it and the camera separately.

Once everything is in its right place, I recommend playing around with each camera’s settings in the Eufy Security app to get the most out of them. By default, the only detection type enabled is human detection, but thanks to the HomeBase’s onboard AI, there’s also human recognition (i.e. facial recognition), vehicle detection and pet detection.

On paper, there’s not a whole lot separating the EufyCam S3 Pro from its slightly cheaper sibling, the EufyCam S3. Both sport 4K resolution, a 135-degree viewing angle, 8x digital zoom, 15fps frame rate, and AI human/pet/vehicle/face detection. Daytime footage for both is, of course, impeccable, but that’s to be expected of a 4K security camera at this price range. What truly sets the S3 Pro apart is its night vision. Bolstered by Eufy’s new MaxColor Vision technology and two additional LED spotlights, it results in what is easily the best and most daytime-like night footage I’ve ever seen—even in pitch-black.

The spotlights are so blindingly bright that, when triggered, I can imagine they’d be enough of a deterrent for some would-be trespassers. The inclusion of a piercing 100db siren doesn’t hurt, either.

Eufy’s AI object detection has always been quite good, but with the addition of radar in the EufyCam S3 Pro, false alerts are effectively eliminated. Each video event is tagged with an icon indicating what type of motion was detected, which made filtering through the dozens of videos triggered by my curious pup Hazel much easier.

Smart home compatibility has been a bit of a mixed bag in the past for Eufy’s security cameras, with some offering support for all three major platforms—Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa and Google Home—while others cater just to the latter two. The Eufy S3 Pro is the first Eufy security camera to return to the HomeKit ecosystem in five years, and it works like a dream. The only downside is that HomeKit Secure Video doesn’t support 4K cameras, so live viewing through the Apple Home app is limited to just 1080p.

According to Eufy, the expected battery life of the S3 Pro is a full year, based on around 300 seconds of recording time each day. However, as long as you install the cameras in places that receive decent sunlight, you won’t have to worry about battery life at all. In the weeks I’ve been testing this system, both cameras have yet to drop below 100%, despite one camera detecting 629 events and recording 169 events. In the Eufy Security app, you’ll find a comprehensive solar dashboard for each camera charting the battery’s level over the last seven or 30 days, along with how many milliamp hours (mAh) are being produced and consumed each day, and whether motion activation or manual control is responsible for the most consumption.

I normally hesitate to recommend security camera systems as expensive as the EufyCam S3 Pro, particularly when there are cheaper alternatives available. Yet I can’t not recommend the S3 Pro, as it blows all budget-priced competitors out of the water. The night vision alone is enough to win me over, but throw in HomeKit compatibility, 1TB of included local storage, scarily accurate AI motion detection and set-and-forget solar-charged batteries and you’ve got what is—aside from the hefty upfront cost—the perfect security camera system. Maybe just wait for a sale.