Eufy SoloCam Series Comparison - S40 vs L20 vs E40 - Which One Is Better?

[@buennyfry3134]

I've had the L20 for over a year now and I haven't had any issues with it. In fact, it's still one of the fastest loading cams in the Eufy app (#1 spot goes to the S300 cam connected to the Homebase 3). It also has the loudest alarm out of all the cams I have. Supposedly, Eufy will integrate the L20 (and other Solocams) into the Homebase 3 and I can't wait until they do so I can add it into my automations. I also bought a cheap USB-C-to-micro-USB adapter from Amazon for the solar panel and it's been working flawlessly. No need to wait for Eufy to make a probably overpriced adapter just for solar panel use.

[@jamcmanus2186]

I bought two eufy e20 solocams in November 2021 and set each up...one for the front of the house, one for the back. They each worked wonderfully until May, 2022. It was odd, but within a couple weeks of each other, both cameras died. The cause of death? Not sure, but they each started refusing to connect or stay connected to the network. I tried everything and even walked through troubleshooting with Eufy. This happened to both cameras within a few weeks of each other and I immediately went through the steps of trying to fix each when it happened. That means I dealt with all of this twice. Anyway, the end result for each situation was Eufy sending replacement cameras because I was still under the 1 year warranty. So...May/June 2022, I have two new eufy cameras back up and operating great. I was happy with Eufy support. They're great and seemed to stand by their product. No hassle on the replacement process. Now, we are in April 2023. Guess what happened? One of the cameras is doing exactly what happened to the original cameras....refusing to connect to the network. It's out of the blue, too. It was working fine and it was time to charge it so I put it on the charger and got the notification that charging was done. Suddenly it won't connect. It won't even beep if you try to go through the steps to uninstall the camera altogether and reinstall. I can't even factory reset it. I tried going through the steps with Eufy customer service to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. Sure enough I was doing it right. The camera has just decided it's not going to work anymore. I asked Eufy if these cameras are intended to be disposable, and they assured me they are not, however I find the evidence to suggest otherwise. This is now three cameras which have died when they are less than a year old. I am no longer under the 1 year warranty which only applies to the original purchase date. Eufy does not warranty the product to last a year. They promise to replace faulty products that die within a year of the original purchase. That's a big difference, and to be fair, that's industry standard as far as warranty practices go. However, what the heck, Eufy? The evidence shows that your products are meant disposable cameras that are thrown away and replaced once you use for 6 months to a year. At least the Eufy solocam e20 is. Let's see how much longer the back yard camera lasts. If I'm correct, it won't last more than a few more months. Anyone have suggestions on a camera brand without a subscription they would recommend?

[@paulmiyagishima7655]

Nice comparison video! What impressed me most was how good the audio was. Your voice came in perfectly clear even at 40ft on all of the cameras. These are all great cameras except the solar one has to be in a specific area with full sun. Going towards the camera is such a great test for people who want to mount a camera to the side of the house that leads to the backyard. These are all very nice cameras. It would come down to price and where you could mount the camera. Great Job again!

[@LifeHackster]

Thank you. Eufy have been good with audio except when it is windy and this particular day it wasn't...

[@mikehusv707]

Just purchased two L40 and they work flawlessly. Detection is far better than my other eufy cams and light is also bright. I would like to see an update L40 review video from you. And once again keep up good work.

[@acastr1234]

Hi. What's the difference between the l20 and l40?

[@5murf495]

Thank you for making this video it really helped me out a lot in making a choice. Keep up the great work!

[@tyler_drdn]

Great comparison! With so many options it's hard to choose which Eufy is the best.

[@LifeHackster]

@kupolov...Thanks for watching!

[@belizarius_997]

Exactly the review I was looking for. Thank you very much!

[@LtKernelPanic]

These are getting closer to what I want. What I want is basically a better quality Wyzecam V3 with local storage, RTSP and continuous recording. The problem is finding that with Wifi since pulling cable isn't an option right now.

[@LifeHackster]

Check out my Reolink Duo review.

[@richardverano6343]

I really can't see any difference in video between the L20 and the S40 so don't think I would need the 2k. Also thank you for addressing the issue of the device Offline with Eufy, I have L20 (which I left you a comment about in that video) and it has been updated and has not gone offline since.

[@LifeHackster]

I know.. I think it is the compression that Eufy uses and it is not really that good compared to other 2K quality cameras.

[@DannyT636]

Outdoor cam seems very good I purchased 2 just recently

[@elmonsutanto9440]

"Nice one buddy!". Really helped me to choose to buy which of these three products and other products too.

[@concerncitizen8763]

If I may I give you suggestions for future videos. Do some or all parts of the videos in your the driveway. I'm assuming most people buy camera to point it at their driveway or in front of their house. 1. Do the distance test (10/20/30etc) in your driveway. This will give an idea to potential buyers on how clear the human face is when a person is walking towards their house/main door. Example postman/ups/ visitors/walking neighbour 2. The running man test can be replaced by having your car pull into the driveway and pausing the video. This will allow users to see if we can see the license plate. (At an angle or straight) 3. Detection test can be done by you walking across the sidewalk and see at what distance the camera records the motion event and if the video is clear.(imitating neighbour/stranges walking in front of your house, kids walking across your lawn, dog walkers walking across the lawn to pick up 💩 etc)

[@LifeHackster]

Thanks for the suggestion. There is a reason it is in my backyard though because it is a bit controlled like lighting, camera's positioning, little to no obstacles, and my testing like detection, alert notification will not be affected by other factors if it is in my front yard. Also my front yard doesn't really equate to you or other's front yard but a rectangular square space with almost the same lighting at night and I do the same testing on all WIFI outdoor cameras that I review, then you can check my other videos and you will be able to compare the quality and performance of these cameras even if I don't have a specific comparison video. I do have update videos though like on the E40 and soon it will be with the S40 because, it will be installed in my front garage area for the long term or update review.

[@MasterRoastshi]

Been waiting for a home base version of the s40. Hopefully they release one soon.

[@LifeHackster]

I'm just hoping that it can just be a firmware update and not a different model.

[@MasterRoastshi]

@@LifeHackster that would be great but seems like they've been advertising and splitting up standalone and base station models.

[@willygunnerlewis5468]

Great review again. Been waiting for comparison between E40 and S40 performance. Obviously the solar panel and spotlight make it more complete and desirable - but the E40 (which i own) seems the sharper performer. If a solar panel is added - that takes it near the S40 price - then only missing the spotlight. Not sure weather to add another E40 or pay extra for the newer S40...?? 🤔

[@LifeHackster]

The E40 performs better than the S40 but the S40 is more all in one and it is pretty decent in actual use in my front garage area.

[@SugaHoneyIceTea36]

I’m about the buy the e40 and happy I didn’t pick up the s40 as it will be mainly be recording head on 20ft in. From what I’ve seen in this video you can bypass the s40 before it even detects you in that distance /time

[@willygunnerlewis5468]

Go for it. Tidy camera. Wish it had a bit more detection range but it's not bad tbh. Mine now covers my driveway entrance and garden gate entry. Works well detecting movement at medium distance. I use in conjunction with a POE camera which covers the whole garden area 24/7.

[@mele2259]

Always the best reviews !! Any idea when bestbuy will sell the s40? Thanks

[@LifeHackster]

I'm not sure about Best Buy. I'm hoping soon.

[@johnbautista5946]

Can you do a review on the Eufy solo camera L40

[@All-Great-Things]

Enjoy watching your videos and thanks for providing helpful information and hard work put behind presentations. Wanted to mention one thing if you can let viewers know when your are discussing on video quality, the time when you are showing these clips, if you can also talk about where the sun is for day time video quality (for example, is it in between you and camera or behind you or behind camera). As no matter what best/expensive camera (Hollywood camera) in the world currently we can find, picture quality would still struggle when sun is behind subject and camera is in front of subject. Or would rather recommend doing all these analysis in your presentation else it would not completely make justice to your current and future camera reviews. Also would you be able to cover NAS storage setups. As many of these camera's (manufacturers) do not think of fundamental thought of putting video footage safety. For me I don't mind (not always) if someone is going to damage/steal the camera, but the important thing is the video footage, what is the point of having storage card in the camera, when the camera is stolen. I know they say use the cloud services (making money), else they say use the onboard storage memory (which is of no use as explained above), instead manufacturers should give 3rd options to save it on NAS drive, I know they will say use the NVR software on your NAS drive as these cameras are ONVIF, hold on here we have to again use third party NVR software, which is another process we need to maintain on our NAS drive which is waste or resource. Rather TrendNet TV-IP310PI (but these are POE's) I used in the past provided its own inbuilt provisioning of interface logging into it's own web interface, where we just specify our NAS path and assign the storage space and it will just start writing to it, so no more third party software to do this un-necessary. Also this feature gives another advantage or plugging any USB drive to your router and then going to web interface of this TrendNet camera and linking it, and no need to use third party software. See if you can have this area covered in your future videos. Also if manufacturers are seeing this please wake up and use this feature what TrendNet has on their POE cameras, not just concentrate to much for people to use you cloud storage (I know you want to make money but have these basic features and let users choose what they want and not just force them what you always want by not featuring these fundamental features.)

[@CaptCrewSock]

Waiting on a review of the Ring Alarm Pro, any news when you will be reviewing it? Thank you for your help!

[@judylim9984]

May I pls know if the S40 is able to use an external solar panel? Cos the current position doesnt hit the sun. Thanks in advance

[@LifeHackster]

Yes, it can.

[@mgoh405]

Trying to decide between the E40 versus the S40. (In So Cal, sun is not a problem). I like to compact look of the S40. However, it seems like the E40 has better sensitivity. Is there anything else that would make one better than the other?

[@lilylilylilylily3676]

Thank you for your video. I love your video very much.

[@Rockaland2]

they all work well. I have E40 and just got the solar panel which is made very well. I wanna see the eufy L40 2k when its out.. the spot light is nice also

[@LifeHackster]

:)

[@rlfdavin]

I need the fast detection of the eufy but the starlight color night vision sensor of the wyze v3. That thing is incredible with night video.

[@redcarpetmarketing2242]

Epic reviews. I am very new to the wireless door and Camera to pair with the ECHO SHOW. I live in an apartment. MY MOST IMPORTANT NEEDS ARE 1) Be able to IMMEDIATELY USE THE 2 WAY FUNCTION on either a BLINK CAMERA OR A EUFY E40 or S40. MY 2nd most important is for it to be immediate SMARTVIEW for motion detection. Meaning, I'm needing t know you suggestion for pairing 3 items together. To pair a NEW ECHO SHOW with either the BLINK DOOR & BLINK CAMERA...OR pair my NEW ECHO with the E40/S40..? BLESS YOU

[@kloov9203]

Which would you recommend be the best choice for those buying End of 2021/Beginning of 2022? Awesome reviews and would love to see a recap of your thoughts for the year's "best of" video

[@user-nq9ev4hb2m]

Hi there, can you please suggest me good and better wifi camera with wire-free? thank you

[@LifeHackster]

These solocam series are pretty good... Reolink Argus 3 Pro is also good.

[@dannyg402012]

I'm watching to many of your videos and getting more confused. LOL ! To many options to choose from. My house is in the city. Average house, 30 foot wide lot, front door is about 15 feet from the sidewalk, then about a 8 foot grass area, then the street. Need a good recommendation for a wireless camera that can record, no fees, a module inside with a memory stick. I like the way you can "cut out" areas of what you want to pick up before the camera activates like the Blink Cameras Would like a rechargeable camera not replaceable battery's Maybe record with no alert Front of the house is not to dark since I have a street light next door thats lit pretty good. I can always change my outdoor light to a motion flood light for a separate light for night lighting recording Color night recording would be nice. And be able to add on cameras if I need to. Don't think it will work on my garage since its near the alley about the limit of 80 feet away. Unless I can add a "booster" module. More videos I watch, the more I get confused with the options.

[@samanthariley7988]

Hello, I love these cameras from your posts but I want to know how they are at vehicle detection. I have a stalker and a restraining order on them but they do night drive by’s and Rev etc. but my existing system can’t see the plates or capture them (moving about 36-40mph..60kmph) street lights provide lighting but need to know it can capture a vehicle not just people with motion detect? May be a dumb question but some Cameras list Human and vehicle detection separately in their specs.

[@LifeHackster]

Eufy doesn’t have vehicle detection. If you want to at least read plates, go with an PoE, NVR system like Reolink, Lorex etc..there is also a special case camera called LPR cameras which it’s main purpose are to read license plates day or night.

[@samanthariley7988]

@@LifeHackster thank you! I’ll do some research

[@blaiseducdaumont1280]

Thank you, I was all set to purchase the S40 until I listened to your review. Have they corrected the connectivity issue?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes, it is working good.

[@jacobsebastien3910]

Luv my Eufy S40 Solo cams 👍👍

[@gmega8]

Have you had any issues with the video feed freezing when rotating to landscape and the app crashing with the S40? I’ve been having this issue with my S40 and outdoor cam pro. I spoke with eufy support about this which they told me the issue will be addressed in the next software update for both cameras.

[@LifeHackster]

I haven't had this issue on the s40 but hoping it will be fixed soon on yours.

[@thehuguenot5615]

Could you do a ring pro 2 vs eufy 2k? I have both, and ring seems to be smarter picking up traffic. But the eufy video is so much better.

[@LifeHackster]

I'll check and see. I have setup my Ring doorbell to no false notifications of cars passing by and 100% reliable in detecting motion when people gets into close to my front door and this without using person/human detection.

[@MrFester]

The problem i have with Eufy cameras is that they capture late. The subject is normally out of frame and gone. They don't even have pre motion capture.

[@shanew7361]

I agree same issues, very disappointing.not to mention no expandable micro sd card.

[@Cagefighter]

I never have that problem!

[@Donkjnr]

You'll get that with most non wired cameras because everything goes into standby. The PIR senses motion ->wakes up camera -> camera then records which can take a few seconds. Otherwise you'll be charging it every couple of days. If you want pre-recording you need a wired camera.

[@DJ-Coma]

@@Donkjnr True, but Eufy should have a feature where their cameras pre record if they’re connected to power like Arlo does.

[@Donkjnr]

@@DJ-Coma why buy a battery powered camera and then use a power supply when they sell wired cameras? They've bridged the gap slightly with the solar panel but the consumer should buy the camera based on the traffic in its zone, if its high traffic then wired. If its outside a shed we'll out the way then a battery is fine.

[@1kingcisco]

So which security cameras would you recommend with a dual band router?

[@djbradster]

I know you've done lots of comparing. Of all the brands, what cam offers the best interaction with echo or google home for giving motion alerts. I've been using Wyze, and it's good, but really long delay. I think you mentioned blink mini is fast, but no AI. In your opinion, what cam will give me the fastest person detection alert on my echo or google?

[@LifeHackster]

Ring is the one that has the best integration with Amazon echo devices.

[@garypascoe8811]

If you have a couple of overcast days with no solar charge time, how long does the S40 battery last ? This worries me and I can not seem to find an answer. Thanks for all your videos and time to do the comparisons !

[@delbomb3131]

Considering it's supposed to last a few months without charging, a few missed days without solar probably won't be noticed 🤷‍♀️

[@MetalJase]

Thanks for your great videos. Are you sure your E40 is working OK? only, I noticed a pink discoloration, which is most visible if you look at the top and angled edges of your roof, and on the other houses in the background.

[@LifeHackster]

There is actually a difference on the video quality of it compared to the S40 which they should be the same. I'll change the position of it and see. This E40 has been out though in my fence totally exposed for 2-3 weeks while I'm trying to catch a possum living under my shed.

[@MetalJase]

@@LifeHackster 👍 Keep us updated with the change of camera position and possum! 🤞

[@AA-hn6cm]

Are they connected to your homebase when you did these tests? And also, can you suggest the best Eufy Solocam with consideration of the price and features?

[@LifeHackster]

At time of this video, these solocam cameras are not able to integrate with Eufy's Homebase. Check out the Eufy SoloCam S220 or the C210.

[@pyrophoric4]

Will the cameras notify more than one smart phone, or is it tied to a single phone?

[@LifeHackster]

You can share access to the cameras.

[@pyrophoric4]

@@LifeHackster thank you, im assuming sharing means my spouse and i will get notified at the same time on teo different phones

[@LifeHackster]

@@pyrophoric4 yes.

[@hkdanahui]

With built-in memory for video storage, does that imply if somebody were to take the cam off, all video records would be gone with the cam? Just wonder.

[@gj3281]

Will the s40 still record to local storage if the wifi drops?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes.

[@johnvdl]

Nice BUT what if you don't have the option to charge the camera and not enough sun too? I need a wired IP cam but can't find a good one. Any recommendations??? Thanks

[@rochar16]

Best Buy has the Solocam L40 similar to the L20, do you know the differences if any?

[@LifeHackster]

The L40 records in 2k resolution.

[@blaiseducdaumont1280]

Does anyone know what's the difference between the L40 and the S40?

[@LifeHackster]

Integrated solar panel for the S40.

[@blaiseducdaumont1280]

@@LifeHackster Thank you

[@rocteur]

Is there a reason why you could not power the L20 with a third party Solar Panel ?

[@LifeHackster]

L20 only has a USB C port and at this time, there is no solar panel that has a USB C plug. Eufy will eventually if not yet have an adapter for this.

[@rocteur]

@@LifeHackster I have Chinese panels which take any USB cables. HOWEVER, thanks to your reviews, I've ordered an S40 now, ;-) thanks very much! I subscribed, perhaps with your videos I'll be able to replace my Reolink TPZ battery powered camera that I'm not too keen on!

[@vernoncarter6522]

Can you move saved video captures to network storage arrays?

[@Mrjackjkchang]

I have a google home router which doesn’t separate 5G and 2.4G. I want to add a solo Cam to my existing eufy Cam 2/2 pro. I have trouble to connect Solo Cam to the base because it requires 2.4G. I have tried to move away to get 2.4G, but still fail. Do you have a suggestion for me to try?

[@LifeHackster]

Try setting up a guest network and connect it from there…guest network are usually 2.4 GHz only.

[@jakewilcox4818]

all the model names seemed to have changed?

[@webstartup]

Hi Lifehackster...you're awesome. Unfortunately, eufy does not support IFTTT. Do you know of any way to get a call if motion is detected. I would like my phone to make a lot of noise if motion is detected.

[@mgoh405]

Do the E40 have an anti-theft feature? (You stated the S40 has no ant-theft feature)

[@G3N13music]

Which solocam can be used without a Homebase?

[@infomutt2339]

The eufy Solo Outdoor 2k cam is the best camera that Eufy offers hands down.

[@LifeHackster]

I agree..also their floodlight is pretty good too.

[@outforbeer]

One thing I hate about eufy is their naming sense. They give them odd names and labels and you become lost to which is the latest and which is better. Another thing I hate is that their devices aren't intergrated with each other. Is Homebase 2 the newer version of Home base 1? Why aren't certain euphy cameras not integrated with homebase. I wish Ring had local storage. Its security system is more integrated with each other

[@delbomb3131]

Reminds me of sony, their product naming is horrendous

[@ISOaudit]

Has anyone tested the L20/L40 with a solar panel and USB adapter (micro to C) or a different cable/panel ? Wondering if its just a power requirement thing or if it just because the plug is USB C on the L40.

[@whistlebloer8254]

I just got my eufycam S40. I noticed there's no anti theft feature.

[@LifeHackster]

Yes, not the S40.

[@leemullan1118]

Sorry did you say this is not compatible with my eufy Homebase?

[@rmcf3972]

How many days does the e40 lasts?

[@Serve_one_another_with_love]

do they have free cloud storage?

[@ronm6585]

Thank you.

[@LifeHackster]

You're welcome!

[@glovedcop69]

Has the S40 reliability gotten better?

[@robertjohnston8531]

When my home base goes offline, I change my wifi channel and it comes back. Eufy products don't like sharing busy channels.

[@dabestpilot4157]

So, are you actually doing the simplisafe cam review or not? just wanted to know

[@markd.songsandstuff7728]

LifeHackster reviewed the Simplisafe doorbell cam a while back. Simplisafe has a wide range for products for home security. But there are monthly fees and their cams are outdated, only 1080 resolution, no local storage, no 24/7 recording, no POE cams, no optical zoom, rather limited features compared to some other brands. They provide descent monitoring. Having basic cameras is much better than no cameras at all.

[@LifeHackster]

No I will not. I returned it just because of how the alarm is required to setup this camera.

[@Auroramystic]

Review astro

[@troypoore]

(((((DON THE BLINK DOORBELL CAMERA PLEASEEEEEE))))))))

[@zuhairhlayel]

🌹🌹💐💐👍👏🌹🌹

[@SaschaWolkow]

👍! ✌️🇧🇪

[@christhemountain]

What's this like for false positives? I want something that records humans and vehicles and nothing else. Thanks