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Eufy's Indoor Cam 2K is Fine for $40

For $40, you could do a lot worse than this simple indoor home security camera.

Megan Wollerton Former Senior Writer/Editor
4 min read

Eufy's $40 Indoor Cam 2K is one of the first devices to work with HomeKit Secure Video. Secure Video is Apple's new suite of security camera features in the Home app, Apple's iOS-based interface for its HomeKit smart home service. For Eufy, that means this camera has dual identities -- use it with the Eufy app and get all the features you expect as advertisedor configure it in the Home app. I strongly prefer the first option due to the Eufy app's simple set-up and solid performance. 

7.3

Eufy Indoor Cam 2K

Like

  • It's just $40

Don't like

  • Clunky HomeKit integration

If you opt for the HomeKit route, certain Eufy features are disabled to make room for the Apple ones. Adding the Eufy camera to the Home app doesn't have a clear tutorial to follow, either, and therefore requires a good bit of trial and error to get everything up and running. Even after troubleshooting on my own and talking with Apple support, I never managed to get everything working properly in the Home app. 

That makes my ultimate recommendation two-fold: Consider the Eufy Indoor Cam 2K if you plan to use this camera in the Eufy app (it works with Alexa and Google Assistant as well as HomeKit); skip it if you were hoping for seamless HomeKit support. 

A quick note on Eufy cameras and security

Eufy has recently come under fire for sending data that was advertised as "local-only" to cloud servers, even when cloud storage was disabled. The Indoor Cam 2K was not directly named as one of the Eufy devices sending data to the cloud (that'd be the Eufy Doorbell Dual and the EufyCam 3), but it has also not been confirmed that the issue is not present on the Indoor Cam 2K. 

In a public response from Eufy, the company admitted that data was in fact sent to cloud servers, but only temporarily for the purpose of sending a push notification with a thumbnail image. Still, Eufy acknowledged a "lack of communication" and said it "will be more clear about the use of cloud for push notifications in our consumer-facing marketing materials." 

All of the indoor home security cameras we've tested

See all photos

The Indoor Cam 2K

Download the EufySecurity app to get started. Create an account and select "Add Device." Pick "Indoor Cam" from the list of options and follow the steps to connect your camera -- it took about five minutes. After that, you can view your live video feed whenever you want and adjust your settings in the app. 

In the live feed you can hit "Record" or "Screenshot" to capture a clip or image in real time. You can also hold down the "Speak" button to have a two-way conversation with someone standing near the camera -- this worked well for me during testing, with minimal delay and clear audio coming from the camera. The "Alarm" button sounds the camera's built-in siren, and the "Sound" button enables and disables audio coming from the camera in the app.

The Indoor Cam 2K's hardware is pretty much what you'd expect for a $40 camera -- it's a small, white plastic camera with an integrated stand. The stand allows you to angle the camera as needed, and the lens overall offers a 125-degree field of view. The camera also has a built-in microSD card slot, supporting up to a 128 GB card (sold separately). If you don't want to use a microSD card, you'll need to pay for the cloud plan, starting at $3 per month or $30 per year for 30 days of saved clips. Annoyingly, you have to visit Eufy's web portal to see your cloud options and subscribe; it doesn't work in the Eufy app.

eufyindoorcam2kreview

Pictured: the storage options in the Eufy app, connecting the camera to Alexa and the Eufy features that won't work in the Home app.

Screenshots by CNET

In the app you can adjust the detection settings by creating activity zones, and choosing whether you want person and pet alerts, in addition to regular motion alerts. I opted for person and pet alerts, and promptly received custom notifications letting me know a person or a pet was spotted. You can change the sensitivity of the motion sensor, too, if you are getting too few or too many alerts. The camera is also supposed to detect a baby crying and send an alert.

The video records in 2K HD, but you have the option to adjust that to 1080p HD -- and you can set the streaming quality to high, medium, low or auto, which adapts based on bandwidth. That 2K video recording is the main thing that separates this camera from the $20 Wyze Cam Indoor and the $35 Blink Mini. Eufy also has two-factor authentication, and I was able to pull up the camera's live video feed on an Amazon Echo Show 8, with the command: "Alexa, show me the living room." 

The HomeKit portion of the testing was a little trickier, as I detailed following Apple's iOS 14 launch. In short, the promised updates for HomeKit-enabled security cameras in the Home app did not work as expected -- and they ended up requiring a subscription to Apple's iCloud storage, which means Apple's "free" 10-day cloud storage in HomeKit Secure Video is only free if you pay for iCloud storage -- bummer. I'm still working with Apple on the issues I experienced in the Home app and will provide updates here and in my iOS 14 hands-on.

Final say

The Eufy Indoor Cam 2K is a solid competitor to other low-priced indoor models like the Wyze Cam Indoor and the Blink Mini. It has optional local storage, motion detection zones and other settings that set it apart. Its 2K video recording in particular separates it from Wyze and Blink.

Unfortunately, Eufy's HomeKit integration in the Home app fell short. There's also the recent privacy and security concerns to be aware of when considering the Eufy cameras.

Consider buying this camera if you want an affordable camera with strong performance (and you don't plan to use it with HomeKit). 

7.3

Eufy Indoor Cam 2K

Score Breakdown

Features 8Usability 7Design 6Performance 8