A much cheaper camera with floodlight is his one, I could only find it in Spain:
https://www.energeeks.com/tienda-online/inicio/camara-ip-wifi-exterior-con-foco-observer-i (EUR 70)
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Review: Eve's Outdoor Floodlight Camera Offers Privacy-Focused HomeKit Secure Video
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A much cheaper camera with floodlight is his one, I could only find it in Spain:
https://www.energeeks.com/tienda-online/inicio/camara-ip-wifi-exterior-con-foco-observer-i (EUR 70)
If you don't intended to let your house fall into disrepair, you got to learn some basic electrician installation skills or you will end up in the poor house.
I'm not going to judge a person who feels uncomfortable hiring a professional to do the job instead. If you don't have confidence in your ability, then by all means, avoid letting that doubt lead to realized failures.
I've only had to call a professional once and it was for an HVAC issue but even that led to the realization that my hypothesis for why it failed was right so I could've probably fixed it by just trawling youtube like everything else.
I'll probably leave the water and septic to the professionals regardless though. 😂
I am a new and inexperienced home owner, and I am learning things as I go. I mainly hired this out because I was also installing several other cameras at the same time. They were much higher up and I didn’t own a tall enough ladder then.
I’ve learned to paint, mud drywall, repair things with bondo and wood filler, and this weekend I’m teaching myself how to caulk well. On the agenda is starting to learn how to do minor electrical work, and I will start out with swapping some bathroom vanity lights, which I’m hoping will be easy enough. It’s a process when you’re new to this!
No.
Every motion-enabled floodlight I've used in the last 40 years has been set up the same way so it's not like this is something new.
I had a couple cameras on circuits that were on a switch. I just wired the load directly into hot, bypassing the switch. Then I replaced the switch with a smart switch, leaving no load on it, and used HomeKit automations to make the switch control the camera's floodlight.
In effect, it works like it did before with the switch controlling the light, but the power to the camera is never interrupted.
I understand that...doesn't change the fact I don't like that functionality. Haha! 😁
This is the way I figured I'd manipulate it into working if I ever bought these for my 4 corners. I already installed a Lutron Caseta switch for each of the front and back pairs. Just have the device always hot but use the respective switch's state to manipulate the light's state via HomeKit.
I don't care for that functionality much either but glad to see my hunch is actually actionable if my need for cameras around the perimeter of my home outweighs my distaste for how to get the switch to actually work like someone would expect.
Frankly, if I ever need more camera than the doorbell circle view and the circle view above my garage...I'll probably just go the PoE route while fully networking my house.
It's not as much to do with camera view as it is where the existing electrical boxes on the exterior of your house are.
Lights that are intended to be "floodlights" are often mounted on the underside of a horizontal eave and not on a wall. So a lot of times, if you are replacing a light on a wall with something like this, you are eliminating a decorative or general-illumination sconce and not necessarily something that would've been pointing at your face and activated by motion.
It's the difference between replacing this:
And replacing this:
I'm never adding another device to my home that has a hub. Ever.
I disagree. Caseta is still easily the best light switch option and the fact it is on a stupid simple radio hub setup is why.
That fact that it has memory built in, makes the difference in my opinion. Or you can get a camera that solely relies on cloud space, but that seems a bit of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Thus I have iCloud AND on site storage. We all have different opinions I guess.
I have 4 Netatmo cameras which record to my NAS via FTP, which in turn is backed up to the cloud. I keep nine months of data. The cameras are flexible, as is the app. I use HomeKit to view in realtime and to turn on & off the spotlight as needed.
Could not find any waterproof rating such as IP65 and lo and behold one Amazon reviewer reported it let in water at the first rainfall. This is basic stuff for an outdoor camera which will be exposed to rain at some time even in the hottest countries.
Eve back in May came out with the Eve Outdoor Floodlight camera, one of the only floodlight-enabled HomeKit Secure Video cameras that are on the market. I have been testing the camera for several months now to get a feel for how it works and whether it's worth investing in.
Part of the reason that this review has taken so long is because the Eve Camera has some installation caveats that potential buyers should be aware of. This is a wall-mounted floodlight camera, so it needs to replace either an outdoor light or an existing camera oriented in the same way, unless you're going to install a new electrical connection.
My house has a lot of wide-angle downward-facing lights/cameras mounted just below my gutters, with these positioned in a way to see much of the yard. The Eve Camera can't be angled downward, so it can't be installed in the downward orientation that's common for security cameras or floodlights. It needs to be a straight-on position, like where you might put a doorbell camera. There is some tilt so you can tweak the angle, but not enough that it can replace something like a downward-facing Ring floodlight camera.
I ended up removing a Ring camera that was mounted on the wall by my back door, but I found that the Eve Camera has a smaller base than the Ring, so it did not fit the space. The base is also too small to fit a typical junction box outside that you might have for another light or camera, which is is a hassle if this is the only setup you have. I ultimately needed to replace and repair some siding to get the camera set up, and I'm still not sure that it's watertight. If you're replacing an existing camera, be aware that there might be some extra work to get it to look right, and this is likely going to be an issue for a lot of people.
As for installation, this is a camera that needs to be wired directly to a junction box. You can do it yourself, but you need some electrical wiring experience. I hired an electrician to install the camera, and he said it was simple enough minus the base sizing. Note that the Eve Outdoor Camera is limited to a 2.4GHz WiFi connection, which feels outdated.
Once installed, powered on, and connected to HomeKit, the Eve Outdoor Cam works like any other HomeKit Secure Video camera. The video feed is viewed directly in the Home app, but it can also be accessed through the Eve app. You need an iCloud+ subscription to use HomeKit Secure Video. The cheapest $1 plan allows for one camera, the $2.99/month plan allows for five cameras, and the $9.99 per month plan allows for unlimited cameras, with all plans also including iCloud storage and other iCloud+ features.
The Eve Outdoor Cam offers 1080p video and it can record at night with night mode. Quality is reasonable and I can clearly see what's going on in my yard, but 1080p resolution is not enough to see details clearly from more than 8 to 10 feet away (I have this complaint about all of my cameras). During the day, it's not quite as crisp as my Ring cameras in areas with a lot of variation in light and dark, but at night, the feed is sharper with less noise than my other cameras.
HomeKit Secure Video has the benefit of being encrypted, which gives peace of mind that your video feed isn't being viewed by someone else. It can only be viewed on your own devices and footage is stored in iCloud. Security comes with some sacrifice in usability, and I don't think the Eve Outdoor Cam is as seamless to use as my Ring cameras, nor does it offer the same features and reliability.
There are times when the Eve Outdoor Cam fails to record, and it's an issue that I haven't been able to pin down. It's gotten better with iOS 16, but it still happens. It records whenever motion is detected, and another thing - it's sensitive to motion. "Motion" includes falling leaves, so it goes off constantly if I don't use Activity Zones and limit notifications.
The Home app offers a lot of customization options. You can have the Camera record video only when you're away and stream at other times, or it can record both when you're away and when you're home. It can also be turned off entirely from the Home app, and there are options to disregard audio and delete all recordings.
You can set select times to record and choose to record all motion or only when people are detected. It also uses facial recognition and can tell you when specific people show up on the camera. There is no option for continuous recording, and footage is stored when motion is detected.
Notifications are customizable, so you can opt to receive notifications during select times, when motion is detected, when people are detected, or when a clip is recorded. The Eve Cam can detect people, animals, vehicles, and package deliveries, providing tailored notifications. Rich notifications are supported, so you can see a preview of the feed, but a major annoyance I have is that tapping one of these brings me to the light toggle in the Home app rather than my camera feed.
The Eve Cam's light will come on when motion is detected at night, and it has been reliable in my testing, but there is a slight delay before it activates. It stays on for a short period of time after motion detection and then turns off automatically. There is a microphone so you can speak to someone who is near the camera with two-way audio, but it doesn't offer the same siren feature available through other cameras like Ring.
Recorded footage is stored in the app in a timeline and you can scrub through each motion event. The app stores 10 days of footage, and clips can be saved or deleted. Compared to the Ring app, I find the Home app to be buggy, slow, and hard to navigate to find what I'm looking for. It's just clunky in general, and it's one of the major downsides to HomeKit Secure Video. This is in no way Eve's fault since it's Apple that designs the Home experience.
Eve does allow the camera footage to be viewed live in the Eve app, but all of the recordings are limited to the Home app, so I rarely open up the Eve app. It does have a push to talk button, a toggle for the light, and volume controls for the microphone and speaker, but there's nothing else that can be done in the Eve app.
I know the HomeKit Secure Video cameras don't come with the privacy concerns around other cameras like Amazon's Ring devices, but the Home app just isn't as straightforward or as simple to use as the Ring app. I live in a neighborhood where my cameras are mostly used to watch the local wildlife so I have the benefit of not being too concerned about Amazon's privacy practices, which is why I prefer the Ring experience.
I have more issues with HomeKit Secure Video both in terms of recording and accessing my recorded footage, but the service still works well enough. As for the Eve Camera, I've been largely satisfied with the performance, with the exception of the installation process. I haven't had issues with motion detection or connectivity, and the recording problem I have is likely a Home app problem rather than a problem with the camera itself.
Bottom Line
The Eve Outdoor Camera is one of the only HomeKit-enabled outdoor camera options that also has a light, so there isn't a lot to choose from if you've opted for the HomeKit Secure Video ecosystem. Luckily, the Eve Outdoor Camera is all around decent.
The camera looks sleek on the wall and it doesn't take up too much space for those who are looking for something subdued, but potential buyers should be aware of the installation issues and prepared for some headache getting the camera set up. It's also limited to 1080p and it can struggle a bit with high variation in light and dark, but it comes with unparalleled privacy.
How to Buy
The Eve Outdoor Camera can be purchased from Amazon.com for $250.
Article Link: Review: Eve's Outdoor Floodlight Camera Offers Privacy-Focused HomeKit Secure Video
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I have one and it does have a flood light.That is not a floodlight camera.
When I researched before, there were some eufy cameras that had HomeKit Secure Video support, but not any that had flood lights.
Acutally, I really like the eufy Security Floodlight Cam 2 Pro, been watching it since it was announced and planned on getting two of them once they has HomeKit Support, but that never happened:
eufy Security Floodlight Cam S330, 360-Degree Pan & Tilt Coverage, 2K Full HD, 3,000 Lumens, Smart Lighting, Weatherproof, On-Device AI Subject Lock and Tracking, No Monthly Fee, Hardwired
eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam Protects You, Your Family, and Your Privacy Every eufy Security product is engineered to ensure your security data is kept private. Have peace of mind that you will have a secure record of everything that happens around your home. Know When You Are Needed The built-in ...www.amazon.com
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Are you talking about the eufy 2C Pro?
If so, it does have a light, but not a flood light. Just a small, little light. eufy calls it a "spot light", but according to the reviews, it doesn't light very well.
Flood lights, by definition, light up a large area.
I remember looking into the eufy 2C Pro camera a while back. The reviews on YouTube seemed to be overall positive, but IIRC, the light was often mentioned to not be very bright and worked best if there was additional lighting, otherwise, the night vision was better for the image.
There are eufy security cameras with actual flood lights, but none of them have HomeKit Secure Video support.
The eufy camera that I am really interested in, but there is currently no HomeKit Secure Video support has the type of light I am looking for, and eufy calls it a "flood light" in the name versus just a "spot light" as a feature like the eufy 2C Pro:
eufy Security Floodlight Cam S330, 360-Degree Pan & Tilt Coverage, 2K Full HD, 3,000 Lumens, Smart Lighting, Weatherproof, On-Device AI Subject Lock and Tracking, No Monthly Fee, Hardwired
eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam Protects You, Your Family, and Your Privacy Every eufy Security product is engineered to ensure your security data is kept private. Have peace of mind that you will have a secure record of everything that happens around your home. Know When You Are Needed The built-in ...
www.amazon.com
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Are you talking about the eufy 2C Pro?
If so, it does have a light, but not a flood light. Just a small, little light. eufy calls it a "spot light", but according to the reviews, it doesn't light very well.
Flood lights, by definition, light up a large area.
I remember looking into the eufy 2C Pro camera a while back. The reviews on YouTube seemed to be overall positive, but IIRC, the light was often mentioned to not be very bright and worked best if there was additional lighting, otherwise, the night vision was better for the image.
There are eufy security cameras with actual flood lights, but none of them have HomeKit Secure Video support.
The eufy camera that I am really interested in, but there is currently no HomeKit Secure Video support has the type of light I am looking for, and eufy calls it a "flood light" in the name versus just a "spot light" as a feature like the eufy 2C Pro:
eufy Security Floodlight Cam S330, 360-Degree Pan & Tilt Coverage, 2K Full HD, 3,000 Lumens, Smart Lighting, Weatherproof, On-Device AI Subject Lock and Tracking, No Monthly Fee, Hardwired
eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam Protects You, Your Family, and Your Privacy Every eufy Security product is engineered to ensure your security data is kept private. Have peace of mind that you will have a secure record of everything that happens around your home. Know When You Are Needed The built-in ...www.amazon.com
Yeah it’s the 2C Pro. Having used one for the best part of 9 Months, I’d definitely say it’s flood lights, rather than a spot light. I probably saw the same reviews as you.
The basis of night vision being 'better' is that it provides more contrast. And that is generally always going to be the same for black and white. When the light is turned on, it lights up pretty much everything you can see, and there is enough light to maintain a colour image.
The difference between flood light & spot light is obviously in the description of the name. The fact that it lights a large area, would indicate it’s a flood light rather than a spot, which does just that.
Sure some are more powerful flood lights, but this certainly does the job. Photos just now.
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Thanks for the examples.
It definitely provides light for the recording, but not what a typical floodlight would do.
I think a telling part of the photos you sent is what looks like a street light which is pretty far away from the camera. The way the street light illuminates the area around it is what I would consider more of what a floodlight would accomplish.
With the shadows of the fence, you can see that the street light provides a lot of light for your camera as well. If you are in an area without the supplemental lighting, the little light on the 2C Pro would show I think. Maybe plenty of light to record close to the camera, but not the nearly the amount of light of the eufy's Floodlight Cam 2 Pro or other floodlight camera.
The point being, people looking for floodlight cameras are most likely wanting the area to be illuminated similarly to how the street light is in your photos.
I don't think the amount of light provided by the 2C Pro is the selling point, or even a main feature of it. For actual floodlight cameras, the light provided is the selling point. This is why the eufy advertises the amount of light provided on their floodlight cameras, but not their other outdoor cameras.
It's not as much to do with camera view as it is where the existing electrical boxes on the exterior of your house are.
Lights that are intended to be "floodlights" are often mounted on the underside of a horizontal eave and not on a wall. So a lot of times, if you are replacing a light on a wall with something like this, you are eliminating a decorative or general-illumination sconce and not necessarily something that would've been pointing at your face and activated by motion.
It's the difference between replacing this:
And replacing this:
There have both horizontal and vertical mounted floodlights at my home. I got an Eve to replace one of the vertical mounts, but doing horizontal isn't impossible, and really isn't too difficult, it just requires some additional purchases at a hardware store.
This is an example of someone from Reddit:
A more ideal solution is to be able to mount it to a horizontal location right out of the box, but that I the problem with HomeKit Secure Video, there is hardly any options.
Yep, there's always a way - but I'd have to REALLY want that specific camera/light combo to go that far.
I'm still using Nest gear, which avoids the issue, but for our use case having the separate devices in different locations is fine anyway.
Makes sense!! I think you would also be surprised how easy something like adding an outlet behind your TV is so that there are no wires exposed. I’m a first time home owner as well and I just watched a couple YouTube videos, made sure I was following basic safety practicing, and have a super clean setup now with my HDMI and other cords fed through the wall as well.
Something I have started to learn is that many projects are made simple by just having the right tools. I also found a tip on Reddit once that advised to just buy the tool when you have a problem and learn it yourself. Now you have a tool for future problems, a new skill, and it probably cost less than hiring someone to do it. I think the example on Reddit was a clogged drain, so they guy just purchased one a drain snake which was about the same as it would have been to hire a plumber. I have found this advice useful.
I have a proper flood lights too. What you are forgetting is the inverse square law when it comes to light.
The light provides the ability to record in colour.
I can tell you that when my dedicated food lights are on, there is little difference in illumination to when the flood light on my camera is on, except it is far brighter near the source.
The main factor here is the quality of the cmos sensor (or whatever technology they are using for their sensor) and the ability to pick up details/contrast in low light, and not the amount of light that is emitted. If a light is twice as bright, there will be a sharper fall off from the source and greater contrast. A camera (sensor) will struggle more with this fall off greater than a camera (sensor) dealing with a lower light source. It comes down to the dynamic range of that camera (sensor).
In practice, if you have a brighter light source, there will be a bigger difference in the illumination within the image compared to that of a less bright light source. And that’s generally not a good thing (depending on the quality of the sensor).
I think we should agree to disagree. Having these cameras installed, and understanding the inverse square law when it comes to light and its range, I’ll believe the science, given the same/similar sensor.
If only I had a house
Jokes aside, I'd like having an iCloud based option (ideally a fully offline solution, but if I had to use an online service, I'd use iCloud) and this surely is compelling.
I'd love to eventually have a full homekit only system.
I don't like the idea to install an app for every thing I'd get.
Jokes aside, I'd like having an iCloud based option (ideally a fully offline solution, but if I had to use an online service, I'd use iCloud) and this surely is compelling.
I'd love to eventually have a full homekit only system.
I don't like the idea to install an app for every thing I'd get.
No, not really forgetting about anything. With talking about the color of the recordings and camera sensors, I think we may be getting off of what I was originally talking about, the ability to light up an area. This is the whole point of a floodlight, and the difference between a camera with a small light on it, and something like the Eve Outdoor Floodlight Camera.
The disagreement was about my statement that there are hardly any floodlight cameras that had HomeKit Secure Video support. You said that eufy makes them, and have the 2C Pro as an example. eufy make floodlight cameras, but none with HomeKit Secure Video support. They make cameras with small lights that has HomeKit Secure Video support (like the 2C Pro), but they are not floodlights.
In the photo example you had, the streetlight lit up everything, almost as if it was daylight out. The light provided by the 2C Pro looked like it was maybe on par with a 60-watt incandescent bulb.
My point is that there is a difference between a floodlight and a small light provided on the eufy 2C Pro. The small light on the 2C Pro cannot light up an area like even a cheap floodlight could.
A simple outdoor sconce light on a porch can illuminate an area, but it doesn't provide the amount of light that a floodlight can.
That may very well be. The light on my iPhone also provides the ability to record in color, but that doesn't make the light provided a floodlight.
I think you are just talking about the ability to record in color, and I am talking about the ability to illuminate an area.
Do they provide more light than the 2C Pro?
I agree, but then again other users are reporting that water somehow got into their Eve outdoor cameras. User error for sure as I've had 4 hooked up for months (that I installed and wired myself!) and they're still dry.
They make gaskets and gang box covers with seals for a reason...