The EufyCam S4 is designed to handle all your outdoor surveillance needs with a flexible, triple-lens solution.
It’s super flexible with its pan/tilt/zoom functionality paired with a high-quality fixed-view lens that keeps 24/7 monitoring on your chosen area.
It can track subjects day or night, and with excellent image quality you can pick out details on all the footage it captures.
Rating
Overall: 4 / 5
Pros
Excellent image quality
Solar charging
Pan/tilt/zoom functionality
Cons
No renter-friendly installation options
A bit expensive
$670 | For detailed surveillance and home security
Setup & First Impressions
The EufyCam S4 is easy to set up and get added to your account, with clear instructions on how to put the pieces together and mount it.
When you’re first connecting the device to your network via the app, it presents a wireless strength display so you can be sure it will reliably transmit footage.
You’ll need to position the camera so that the fixed lens has the view you want to keep an eye on, while the lower part of the camera has motorised swivel and tilt to track subjects or keep an eye on other areas.
One you’ve set it up, the camera is quite easy to use with either the companion app or a dedicated viewer like the Smart Display E10. It’s easy to view the camera feeds and control the pan, tilt, and zoom functions.
Design & Aesthetics
Considering the pan/tilt/zoom functionality and included solar panel, the EufyCam S4 is fairly compact, but it’s a bulkier unit than most other home security options.
It comes in a black and white colourway that should match most modern exterior home decoration, and has smooth rounded edges to help it blend in.
Life With The EufyCam S4
I’ve been able to test the EufyCam S4 over the past few weeks, and I’ve been impressed with its performance and functionality.
Positives
Easily the most noticeable feature of the EufyCam S4 is its image quality. The camera provides clear, detailed images even in less-than-ideal lighting situations. Using its array of camera lenses, you’ll be able to get a detailed image of anything going on in your surveillance area.
It delivers a quality 4K image resolution for picking out details. Switching between the regular and wide-angle lenses works well and gives you a bit of extra reach when it comes to spotting distant subjects.
The pan/tilt/zoom functionality is very helpful if you’ve got blind spots in your area or need wide coverage of a larger yard.
The camera has plenty of longevity with the included solar panel. It produces up to 5.5 watts of power, and Eufy says that’s enough to keep the camera running with just one hour of sunlight per day.
Overall I’ve found that to be true – the camera never once lost power in my testing.
Negatives
There’s not many negatives to discuss in terms of functionality. The EufyCam S4 accomplishes what it sets out to do.
If I had to pick one thing, the camera itself is fairly large, so if you’re looking for a discreet security solution this might not be the best option.
The companion app has a few more negatives to discuss. I’ve used it for years with a doorbell camera, and while it usually operates well I’ve run into issues where it fails to deliver notifications in a timely manner.
During testing with the EufyCam S4 I ran into an issue where the camera feed would not load, so there may still be a few issues with the app that are yet to be ironed out.
Performance & Reliability
In everyday usage the EufyCam S4 was reliable and worked well. The companion app mostly functions well, but there are rare hiccups with notifications or false alerts.
It picks up detections reliably and sends them to the app where they’re then pushed to your notifications – this worked every time during my testing period.
Tracking also functions well, the motor panning follows subjects closely and accurately.
There are a few more positives to discuss here – long term maintenance is encouraging because of the user-replaceable battery. That gives me a bit more confidence to recommend the camera to those looking for a long-term solution, since parts seem to be easily swapped out.
Practical Considerations
The most important consideration for the EufyCam S4 is where to mount it for reliable surveillance. You’ll want to consider your home wireless situation to ensure it can receive a signal.
It’s got options for mounting to a wall or to a ceiling and flexible positioning for the solar panel – either directly mounted to the camera or on a separate mount.
Unfortunately there’s no renter-friendly mounting options, only permanent options that require a drill. I tried temporarily mounting it with double-sided tape and velcro strips, but it is too heavy for these options.
Value & Alternatives
Coming in at $670 the EufyCam S4 is squarely in the premium end of the price range, but it’s flexible enough that it might replace several cameras with just one.
The pan/tilt/zoom function means you can cover a large area, and the 4K resolution paired with telephoto lenses means it can pick out small details at a distance.
Would I buy it with my own money?
Maybe. Home security is often not a one-size-fits-all solution – the utility of a camera like this depends heavily on your surveillance needs.
If you have a big area you’re looking to handle with one camera, the EufyCam S4 is definitely up to the task. It gives great flexibility thanks to the pan/tilt/zoom function and excellent image quality.
However, a camera like this is a bit overkill if you’re just looking to keep an eye on a smaller backyard.