Eufy Floodlight Camera E340: The King of Outdoor Security Cameras

The Eufy Floodlight Camera E340 confidently claims the top spot in its category, boasting a unique combination of features that set it apart from the competition. This isn’t just a floodlight; it’s a comprehensive surveillance system ingeniously integrated into a standard outdoor lighting fixture. The camera boasts simultaneous high-resolution wide-angle and telephoto cameras mounted on a smooth and responsive pan/tilt motor. Supplementing the impressive camera array are dimmable LED light panels capable of producing a brilliant 2,000 lumens of white light.

While Eufy has established itself with a range of excellent security cameras, a comprehensive home security system to seamlessly integrate them remains a notable absence. Despite this, the E340 stands tall on its own merits.

Once you experience the versatility and power of a pan/tilt security camera equipped with dual lenses – one for capturing a wide field of view and the other for detailed telephoto shots, with both streaming simultaneously to your smartphone and recording locally – it’s hard to settle for anything less capable.

Eufy effectively leverages the same dual-lens, pan/tilt technology found in its popular Indoor Cam S350 and SoloCam S340, enhancing it with intensely bright LED panels to create the exceptional Eufy Floodlight Camera E340. While it might not be the most aesthetically pleasing porch light available, only the Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera can rival it in the design department. The industrial aesthetic is function-forward, prioritizing performance over pure visual appeal.

Drawing on my experience with a wide selection of floodlight cameras, nothing rivals the Eufy Floodlight Camera E340. It offers a compelling combination of advanced features, excellent performance, and user-friendly operation.

Like all floodlight cameras, installation requires hardwiring the Eufy Floodlight Camera E340 into your home’s electrical system. For most users, this means replacing an existing porch light or floodlight. The installation process isn’t particularly complex, but if you’re uncomfortable working with electrical wiring, enlisting the help of a licensed electrician or handyman is advisable. Setting it up at a completely new location without existing wiring would be considerably more complex, but this holds true for all devices in this category.

The Eufy Floodlight Camera E340’s core features include dual high-resolution cameras mounted on a pan/tilt motor and dimmable LED floodlight panels that generate up to 2,000 lumens of brightness.

While the Eufy E340’s plastic construction might not match the premium feel of the Netatmo’s aluminum enclosure, its overall specifications and feature set leave the Netatmo behind.

For starters, Eufy’s cameras boast impressive high resolution. The wide-angle lens captures footage at 3K resolution (2880 x 1620 pixels), while the telephoto lens delivers 2K resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels). Both cameras are housed within a ball-shaped enclosure that’s mounted to a motor, allowing for 360-degree panning and 120-degree tilting.

If you’re investing in Eufy cameras, the Eufy HomeBase 3 NAS box makes an excellent addition to your home security ecosystem.

Using the Eufy app, you can program the camera to automatically track any movement detected within its field of view. The camera seamlessly pans and tilts, keeping the subject within the frame. You can also define specific waypoints, prompting the camera to regularly survey the scene regardless of motion. An integrated motion sensor can even detect movement outside the cameras’ immediate view.

Manual and motion-triggered video recordings can be stored directly on the camera via a microSD card slot (card not included). If the 128GB maximum card capacity feels limiting – especially if you activate the 24/7 continuous recording option – Eufy offers a reasonably priced NAS box that works with all of its newer cameras. Camera compatibility can be checked on the Eufy website.

The Eufy Floodlight Camera E340 features excellent color night vision, enabled by its powerful light panels. On-camera AI intelligently filters motion alerts, focusing on people, vehicles, and pets. Integrating the Eufy HomeBase 3 adds locally processed facial recognition capabilities.

The Eufy HomeBase S380 offers 16GB of encrypted recordings upon initial setup. You also have the option to install a 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD. The system supports drives up to 16TB. Adding the HomeBase unlocks advanced features, including facial recognition, processed locally for enhanced privacy.

The E340’s dual cameras are housed beneath a semi-cylindrical enclosure rated IP65 for weather resistance, providing complete protection against dust and resistance to water projected from a nozzle. A wide strip of plastic on the front houses motion and light sensors. The panels produce a combined 2,000 lumens of cool white light, fixed at 4000K. Microphones and a speaker enable two-way audio communication.

The lights can be dimmed and programmed to automatically turn on and off based on set schedules or sunrise/sunset times. They can also be configured to activate at night in response to motion, or controlled manually via the Eufy app. You can set independent brightness levels for each of these scenarios. Voice commands via Alexa or Hey Google are also supported. Support is limited to Google Nest Hubs. Apple HomeKit and Apple HomeKit Secure Video are not supported.

When the light panels are activated, the camera records in full color. Otherwise, the camera operates in black-and-white night vision mode. Both modes deliver excellent image quality.

The Eufy app provides a wide array of customizable motion detection settings. You can filter push notifications to alert you only to motion detected by people, pets, and/or vehicles.

The initial setup requires downloading and installing the Eufy Security app, followed by physical installation using a Phillips screwdriver. As a clever and convenient touch, Eufy includes a USB-C charging cable and recommends plugging the camera into an AC adapter before wiring it to your home. This lets you add the camera to the app and connect it to your Wi-Fi network, confirming its ability to stream video before mounting it to the wall.

Even after following this step inside the house, just ten feet from the final installation point, the Eufy app later indicated a weak Wi-Fi signal after the camera was wired and mounted. The camera uses a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 adapter. To address this, I relocated a mesh Wi-Fi node closer to the exterior wall.

The installation process involves mounting a plastic bracket to the junction box. The camera comes pre-wired to a plastic block that accepts the line, neutral, and ground wires. An S hook is included to hang the camera during wiring.

After removing your old light fixture to access the junction box, remove a plastic mounting bracket from the camera’s back, thread the wires through it, and secure the bracket to the box. A gasket prevents water ingress. Mounting options include side-of-house or ceiling/soffit installation.

Using the provided S hook, hang the camera from the bracket while connecting the wires. Push the wall wires into the sockets on the plastic block and tighten the screws to secure them. This setup is an alternative to wire nuts. After connecting the wires, remove the hook, mount the camera on the bracket, and tighten the screws.

Although installations rarely proceed exactly according to the manual, Eufy’s detailed instructions ensured a smooth process. Once power is restored, the LED illuminates and cycles through colors, confirming network connectivity and firmware updates.

The Eufy app displays feeds from both cameras, either in separate windows or in a single window, depending on zoom level. Controls for the pan/tilt motor are accessible in either view.

As expected, the Eufy Floodlight Camera E340 captures high-quality video with sharp details. Some blurring is noticeable at 3x optical zoom using the wide-angle lens.

In portrait mode, the app displays two windows: the wide-angle lens view at the top and the telephoto lens view at the bottom. You can switch to a single-view mode. The app will then automatically switch between cameras based on the zoom level. I found the dual-view mode most useful.

Buttons at the bottom of the app allow you to record, mute the microphone, control the lights, use the speaker, and capture still images. A siren icon and directional pad controls for pan/tilt are easily accessible. The motor responds quickly and smoothly to pan and tilt commands.

Switching to landscape mode displays a view from the wide-angle lens. You can then switch between 1x and 3x optical zoom, or pinch to zoom digitally. Real-time streaming quality offers choices of 720p, 1080p, 3K, or auto resolution.

In conclusion, the Eufy Floodlight Camera E340 is exceptional. Its pan/tilt motor and dual cameras survey wide areas with high-resolution video. All expected features are present, particularly with the optional HomeBase 3.

The primary reservation in recommending it over competitors like the Ring Floodlight Cam Pro is Ring’s superior overall home security ecosystem with their Alarm and Alarm Pro products. Integrating products from different ecosystems requires managing multiple apps, which can be inconvenient. Despite this, the Eufy Floodlight Camera E340 is an impeccably well-executed product offering both excellent yard lighting and home surveillance. Its onboard storage option and the secondary option of network storage using HomeBase 3 obviates the need for cloud storage subscriptions.