Maker profile · eufy
eufy Cameras and the HomeBase: Local Storage and the Anker eufy App
eufy, the security brand of the Anker group, built its camera range around local storage: a HomeBase that keeps recordings inside the house, and standalone models that store clips on the camera itself. Paid cloud plans exist, but they are optional.
- HubHomeBase, or none on standalone models
- StorageLocal, no monthly fee
- CloudOptional paid plans
- AppAnker eufy
01 · Setup route
Where a eufy system is set up: the eufy app
A HomeBase and its cameras are added in eufy’s app, listed in the U.S. App Store as Anker eufy since its rename and called simply the eufy app in eufy’s own setup articles.
The app, as listed
- Listed in
- Its title in the U.S. App Store since the rename from eufy Security; eufy’s articles call it the eufy app.
- Where devices are added
- Only in this app, for HomeBase units and cameras alike.
Addresses that belong to eufy
- eufy’s domaineufy’s website, with its products, privacy documentation and plan details.
- A second eufy domaineufy’s security web portal, on eufylife.com, a domain the brand also uses; eufy’s own documentation pages link to it.
Not part of setting up a eufy system
- A call out of the blue, or a number copied from an ad or a pop-up
- Remote control of a computer, whatever the reason given
- A fee to unlock local storage, or a payment outside the eufy app and eufy.com
- A verification code read out or passed on to someone else
How a eufy setup works
On a HomeBase system the HomeBase comes first, because the cameras pair with it rather than with the router. It is connected to the router, typically by the Ethernet cable in the box; a button on it puts it into pairing mode, announced by a spoken prompt, and the app then finds it on the network and adds it to the eufy account.
Each eufyCam is paired the same way, by a button on the camera, after which the HomeBase discovers it and keeps its recordings from then on. Standalone cameras such as the SoloCam models skip the HomeBase and join the home Wi-Fi themselves. Both routes begin and end in the app, and Guide 1 covers the general ways a camera is given network details.
02 · The system
How a eufy system fits together
Video stays in the house unless a cloud plan is chosen. A chip for every part shows its job in the system.
A eufyCam
- What it does
- A battery camera that sends its recordings to the HomeBase over a wireless link of its own.
- What it needs
- A charged battery, topped up by solar on some models, and a HomeBase within range.
- What depends on it
- Clips and live view begin here.
The HomeBase
- What it does
- Stores the system’s video, sounds as a siren and, on recent models, recognizes people on the device rather than in the cloud.
- What it needs
- Mains power and a connection to the router over Ethernet or Wi-Fi; the HomeBase 3 can take a 2.5-inch drive for more space.
- What depends on it
- Local recordings exist only here, so a HomeBase that goes missing takes them with it.
The home router
- What it does
- Connects the HomeBase and any standalone cameras to the internet.
- What it needs
- A network they can join.
- What depends on it
- Viewing and alerts away from home.
eufy’s servers
- What it does
- Carry notifications, their preview images and remote viewing, and hold clips for owners who choose a cloud plan.
- What it needs
- A eufy account.
- What depends on it
- Anything seen outside the house.
The Anker eufy app
- What it does
- Formerly eufy Security: adds the HomeBase and cameras, shares access and offers the optional cloud plans.
- What it needs
- A phone signed in to the eufy account; two-factor authentication is available in its settings.
- What depends on it
- Every setting, and every person given access.
eufy’s standalone outdoor cameras, sold under names such as SoloCam, and its indoor cameras join home Wi-Fi directly and keep clips on built-in storage or a memory card, depending on the model. They suit a single position, such as a side gate, where a HomeBase would be one device too many.
Some standalone models can also be added to a HomeBase later, which brings their recordings into the same place as the rest of the system. Each model’s specification page states which HomeBase models it works with.
03 · Plans
What a eufy system does with and without a plan
With the switch on the left the account has no plan; on the right, a eufy cloud plan. The cards follow the switch.
Without a plan: 3 of 5 in full, with recognition on HomeBases that offer it.With a cloud plan: 4 of 5 in full; recognition still depends on the HomeBase.
- Local recordingIncludedIncludedOn the HomeBase or the camera, with no fee.Unchanged with a plan.
- Live viewIncludedIncludedStreams live without a plan.Unchanged with a plan.
- Alerts with preview imagesIncludedIncludedDelivered through eufy’s servers.Unchanged with a plan.
- On-device recognitionIn partIn partOn HomeBase models that offer it.Unchanged: it runs on the HomeBase, not the plan.
- Cloud copies of clipsNot includedIncludedClips stay on local storage only.Clips are also kept in eufy’s cloud.
Local storage removes the monthly fee and keeps recordings off the company’s servers, but notifications, the preview images inside them and viewing from away from home all pass through eufy’s systems.
04 · Genuine or imitation
Five things that carry the eufy name
Five items that use the eufy name, genuine and otherwise. Every answer comes with its reasoning, and the total updates as the items are answered.
Item 1 of 5
https://www.eufy.com/
Correct. It is genuine.Not this one. It is genuine.
The name before .com is eufy, which makes this the brand’s own domain.
Item 2 of 5
https://eufy.example/
Correct. It is an imitation.Not this one. It is an imitation.
The right brand name on an ending eufy does not use. Whoever registered it, it is not the Anker group.
Item 3 of 5
Correct. It is genuine.Not this one. It is genuine.
The app’s current title, with the Anker group’s U.S. company on the publisher line.
Item 4 of 5
Correct. It is an imitation.Not this one. It is an imitation.
The old app name with a publisher from outside the Anker group: the combination copies rely on after a rename.
Item 5 of 5
An offer to unlock HomeBase storage for a one-time fee, paid over the telephone.
Correct. It is an imitation.Not this one. It is an imitation.
Local storage on a HomeBase carries no fee to unlock, and eufy does not sell anything by unsolicited telephone call.
correct answers out of 5 so far, counted as each item is answered
05 · Background
eufy, from Anker to the HomeBase
- 2011Anker foundedThe charger and battery maker that later creates eufy is founded.
- 2018The first eufyCameufy’s first battery camera system, built around a HomeBase, is crowdfunded.
- 2022–23Preview imagesResearchers question what eufy cameras send to the cloud; Anker acknowledges shortcomings.
- TodayAnker eufyThe app formerly called eufy Security is listed under a new name.
What local storage does and does not cover
The distinction between local recording and local everything became public in late 2022, when security researchers showed that some eufy cameras sent preview images to the company’s cloud for notifications and questioned how fully some video streams were encrypted. In early 2023 Anker acknowledged shortcomings and described changes to its notification options and encryption; eufy’s privacy documentation now sets out what is uploaded and when.
The app’s new name
The app long known as eufy Security is now listed in the U.S. App Store under the title Anker eufy, published by Power Mobile Life LLC, the Anker group’s U.S. company. Renamings like this are a moment of opportunity for imitation listings, because owners searching for the old name can be shown something else. The publisher line, rather than the title, is the stable check. Its security settings include two-factor authentication.
06 · eufy’s own pages
Where eufy publishes its own information
eufy’s products, privacy documentation and plan details sit on its own domain.
- eufy’s own websitewww.eufy.com