EUFY's E340 WiFi Video Doorbell Review - Ditch Recurring Fees for Advanced Home Safety
EUFY’s E340 WiFi Video Doorbell Review - Ditch Recurring Fees for Advanced Home Safety
Key Takeaways
- The Eufy Security E340 Video Doorbell has impressive features like 8GB storage and smart detection capabilities.
- The doorbell’s design is rugged with an angular look and LED lights, but lacks HomeKit.
- Setup is quick and easy, offering both battery and hardwired options, with clear app instructions.
The Eufy Security E340 Video Doorbell has got what it takes to beat out some of the biggest names in smart security. Features like 8GB of internal storage and smart detection capabilities go a long way, and I love all the built-in LEDs. All that’s missing is HomeKit support.
eufy Security E340 Video Doorbell
8/ 10
$140 $180 Save $40
With the eufy Security E340 Video Doorbell, two cameras work together to deliver advanced viewing. The front-facing camera focuses on people, while the downward-facing camera fills in the gaps with a view of the floor in front of your door.
Video resolution
Up to 2K (2,560 x 1,920)
Wi-Fi connectivity
2.4GHz
Battery
Optional
Measurements
5.91 x 2.03 x 1.11in (150 x 52 x 28mm)
Live View
Yes
Two-way Talk
Yes
Advanced Motion Detection
Yes
Night Vision
Black-and-white and color
Pros
- Excellent video and audio quality
- Wired or wireless install
- No subscription required for stored recordings
- Advanced smart detection works well
- Great app
Cons
- Could do with some more lens protection(s)
- No HomeKit, Matter, or IFTTT support
Expand
$140 at Amazon $140 at Best Buy $180 at Eufy
Design: An Angular Approach
Jerome Thomas / How-To Geek
I’ve been reviewing a lot of tiny security cameras lately, so you can imagine my surprise when I first held the E340 in my hands. Weighing just over a pound, this doorbell feels way heftier than that. When it comes to cameras though, the stronger the better, so the E340’s rugged IP65 rating makes a lot of sense—it feels tough because it is tough!
Like most of Eufy’s video doorbells , the E340 is black all over, alternating between a glossy top panel where the lenses and chime button are located, and a smooth matte finish on the back and sides. The rear of the bell is also where you’ll find the quick-release battery, which has a USB-C charge port.
The E340 has an angular design, especially toward the bottom of the bell, where the downward-facing camera is located. But to my surprise, there were no raised edges anywhere, which doesn’t bode well for those lenses. If handling the unit in battery mode, one good drop on the ground could spell disaster. The very bottom of the bell sticks out about a quarter-inch than the rest though, so I’m wondering if Eufy thought that was enough to protect the second lens. Still, raised edges would go a long way.
Jerome Thomas / How-To Geek
I liked that Eufy thought to include a small LED light strip at the top of the bell, along with bookend spotlights for the bottom lens.
Measuring 5.91 inches tall, 2.03 inches wide, and 1.11 inches from top to bottom, I would make sure you have about 7 inches of top-down space when mounting the doorbell.
Setup: Up and Running Quickly
Everything I needed to mount the E340 was right in the box, and installing the doorbell was a simple process. You’ll be able to choose between a hardwired or battery-powered setup (I opted for the latter), and I was pleased to see how easy it was to release the battery to recharge it.
You’ll need to download the Eufy Security app (for iPhone and Android ) and create a free Eufy account to use the doorbell. The app provided clear instructions for setting up the E340, and after connecting to my 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and installing a firmware update, I was up and running.
Adding the EufySecurity skill and linking my Eufy account was quick and easy, too. At first, I couldn’t get the live view to appear on my Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen), but arming and disarming the E340 was enough to complete the handshake. The “Alexa, show me [doorbell name,” command brings up a live view of both lenses, and you can communicate using two-way audio.
Video Quality: What I Like to See
The Eufy E340 delivers bright and colorful video quality from both lenses. The front-facing 2K cam is the real star of the show, providing a wide field of view and plenty of picture detail. This isn’t to say that the second lens doesn’t show up for work though. The 1,600 x 1,200 pixel count gave me crystal-clear views of whatever was hanging out on the ground, in front of my apartment door.
Neither lens can pan or tilt, and there’s no mechanized zoom either. I was satisfied with the E340’s digital zoom, but other doorbells I’ve tested have been able to zoom further, and without as much of a quality drop-off as I experienced with the E340.
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By nightfall, the E340’s infrared sensors kick in, which brings me to a disappointment: turning on colorized nighttime footage can be hard to find in the app.
Audio Quality: What I Like to Hear
The E340 has a built-in microphone and speaker for two-way audio. Using the Eufy Security app, the Alexa app, and my Echo Show 5, I was able to communicate with individuals outside my apartment. For the most part, the E340 does a nice job with voice volume.
When people talked, I could hear them clearly, and outside of some normal compression, there wasn’t much in the way of distortion or interference. The microphone is sensitive, too! When I was capturing test audio, a car drove by my apartment building, and the E340 picked up the muffled noise (no open doors or windows) of the vehicle passing by.
Using the Eufy Security App: Everything You Could Ever Need
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I thought the Eufy Security app was easy to use, and had every feature and customization I could think of.
You can press the “Play” button to jump into a live view of both cameras . You’ll find a few commands at the bottom of the screen, including options to record, take a screenshot, turn on two-way audio, issue a quick reply, and mute the E340’s speaker. You’ll get the clearest picture in portrait mode when looking at live views, but you can tap the shapes icon in the bottom-right corner of the second cam window to enter landscape. Oddly, you can’t just turn your phone to switch the orientation.
The Explore tab is basically a giant page of Eufy advertisements. The edge tab (a square with “AI” in the middle) is a dashboard for your E340’s AI-powered detection skills, but you’ll need the Eufy HomeBase 3 to use these capabilities.
Eufy Cloud Storage and HomeBase 3: Do you Need Them?
Jerome Thomas / How-To Geek
One of my favorite features of the Eufy E340 is its local storage capabilities. You can store up to 8GB of footage on the Eufy doorbell, without having to invest in a monthly subscription. The company claims that’s enough storage for up to 60 days of video, though your mileage will vary based on how active your camera is.
If you need additional storage, you can do one of two things: You can either invest in a Eufy Cloud Storage plan or buy the HomeBase 3. The former is a $3 per month subscription, for a single camera, and gives you up to 30 days of cloud storage. If you have more than one Eufy camera on your network, the Premier plan is $10 per month and adds 30-day cloud storage for up to 10 cameras. You can pay for both Basic ($30 per year) and Premier ($100 per year) plans annually, too.
If you want to unlock your E340’s AI-driven smart detection features, and up to 16GB of local storage, I suggest purchasing the HomeBase 3 module. In fact, with an external hard drive connected to the HomeBase, you can offload up to 16TB of local storage.
Do keep in mind that neither the subscription nor the HomeBase is required to operate the E340.
Should You Buy the Eufy Security E340 Video Doorbell?
The Eufy Security E340 Video Doorbell is a great alternative to competitive products from the likes of Ring, Arlo, and Nest. I tend to be a bigger fan of cost-conscious doorbells designed for folks who don’t want to invest in cloud storage platforms if they don’t have to.
All of the E340’s most important features (video and audio quality, motion detection, in-app event log, and so on) work very well, and outside a single hiccup when adding the device to my Alexa ecosystem, the doorbell never let me down.
eufy Security E340 Video Doorbell
8/ 10
$140 $180 Save $40
With the eufy Security E340 Video Doorbell, two cameras work together to deliver advanced viewing. The front-facing camera focuses on people, while the downward-facing camera fills in the gaps with a view of the floor in front of your door.
- Title: EUFY's E340 WiFi Video Doorbell Review - Ditch Recurring Fees for Advanced Home Safety
- Author: Jeffrey
- Created at : 2024-08-30 16:46:56
- Updated at : 2024-08-31 16:46:56
- Link: https://eaxpv-info.techidaily.com/eufys-e340-wifi-video-doorbell-review-ditch-recurring-fees-for-advanced-home-safety/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.