Eufy’s Latest Wireless Camera Uses LTE and Solar Power to Take You Anywhere
I never thought that I would have surveillance cameras near my house. I had no electrical wiring, so I was left with only battery powered cameras; I was skeptical about how good they were and whether the batteries were worth changing regularly. Additionally, there is a subscription fee that most security camera brands charge, which increases over time.
Having tested a number of brands of outdoor cameras, I’ve become a real fan of the Eufy Solocam line, which avoids subscription and battery hassles. (Unlike many competitors, Eufy cameras don’t require a subscription to view and save clips.) Eufy’s latest release, the Eufy 4G LTE Cam S330 ($249.99), is an expansion with some notable new features, including the ability to switch between maps 4G LTE and Wi-Fi.
The S330 is based on the previously well-received Solocam cameras.
A few months ago, I reviewed two other cameras in the line: the wired Floodlight Cam E340 ($219.99) and the wireless Solocam S340 ($199.99). What I really liked about this line over other outdoor cameras I’ve tested is the dual lenses: a macro lens and a micro lens scan your space alongside each other, and you can easily switch between them. While even a macro lens provides great detail, a micro lens allows you to really focus on specific areas. Although I tested the wired and wireless versions, the wireless version impressed me the most, and thanks to the tiny solar panel above it, it never lost power – not during weeks of cloudy PNW weather, nor during weeks of ice and snowstorms. It continued to provide an exceptional 360 degree view of the yard. The solar panel allows you to place the camera almost anywhere – the only limitation is the availability of Wi-Fi.
This new 4G LTE camera takes the same basic wireless camera and adds 4G capabilities to it, meaning you can literally place it anywhere, as long as it gets minimal sunlight and has 4G coverage. Since the Eufy doesn’t offer LTE coverage, the device comes with a promotional card from EIOT and 100GB of free data so you can test out the 4G experience, as well as a separate micro SD card for storage. I’m guessing most people will just get a SIM card from their wireless provider with an unlimited data plan to use on their S330 – the EIOT card is just for you to try out the 4G LTE functionality. Topping up the card at their rates didn’t make sense given the amount of data you’d have to go through, although you certainly could.
It’s worth noting that Eufy has experienced security breaches in the past. The truth is that any camera system, wired or wireless, is susceptible to hacking, but wireless models are much easier to hack. Using any CCTV camera in the modern era means accepting a certain degree of risk, but to Eufy’s credit, it responded to vulnerabilities when they appeared and has yet to be repeated.
Simple, if slightly unsafe installation
The S330 looks exactly like the S340: it has a modern set of lenses mounted on a white plastic swivel base that can be tilted up, down and around. The back of the camera has a USB-C power input for charging at home, for direct wire (if you have one), or for connection to a solar panel. The solar panel can be attached to the top of the camera or mounted up to 10 feet away, and its tilt can be adjusted in any direction needed. As far as mounts go, the Eufy wireless cameras are some of the easiest to install, but I worry about their security since they are just as easy to remove. This is generally true for wireless cameras. Either way, the mount can be used in a few different positions, it’s secured with a few screws, and then you just slide the camera on until it clicks into place.
The Eufy app is great for helping you get set up. Setting up an EIOT account and installing an LTE card in the device is easy, and the same can be said for an SD card. You’ll be asked to set up the zones the camera should pay attention to, the zones it should ignore, and you can even set up the four points the camera should use by default. There are plenty of notification options, and you can tell the app if you have pets and whether it should try to identify people in your yard using artificial intelligence.
In general, the installation took me no more than 15 minutes. Eufy doesn’t require a subscription to save clips, which is a huge plus, and I connected the device to my HomeBase, which allows me to store saved clips locally.
Improved solar activity notifications on S330.
While the solar panel works just as well on the S330 as it did on the S340, the LTE model has one improvement: the app tells you how well the solar panel is charging at any time, a feature I appreciated. Like its predecessor, I had no problem keeping the camera fully charged despite having a little more activity in my yard than my other wireless camera, the Eufy.
LTE is sluggish and switching between Wi-Fi and LTE is painful.
While all wireless cameras suffer from latency (I experienced the least latency in particular with Ring cameras), it was noticeably worse when I used LTE. It was so bad that once or twice it timed out while I was away from home trying to trigger live viewing. This wasn’t a big deal, as I burned through that 100GB in less than four days, despite settings that minimized writing. Not wanting to pay the extra data charges on offer, I switched the camera to Wi-Fi. I’d like to say it was a painless process, but after repeated interruptions over several days, I finally had to remove the camera from the mount, bring it inside, and completely reset it to switch to Wi-Fi. Once I did this, connection times improved significantly.
Same great video quality as previous Solocam dual lens cameras.
The S330’s video is just as great as previous models. This is the only line of cameras I’ve tested with dual lenses. I took advantage of LTE and solar power to place the camera at the edge of the Wi-Fi range in the front yard, aiming it right at the spot where the neighbor isn’t picking up after his dog. During the day I caught the culprit, but the dual lenses turned the video of a quick glance at the culprit’s face into the ability to provide a screenshot with enough clarity to be flawless. I mean, the microlens detail is so impeccable that I noticed the dog glance sideways at its owner as they walked away.
Bottom line: A reliable camera with extended range if you need LTE
If you’re in Wi-Fi range, it doesn’t seem difficult to use Wi-Fi here, even if you have unlimited LTE through your carrier. But the LTE aspect gives you a ton of freedom if you need it – I think it would allow you to place the camera on the trail on your property or before a long ride. That said, if you plan to use Wi-Fi, I’d just go with the S340 and save $50.