Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt review: Nowhere to hide

By John Velasco Published April 21, 2022

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Anker Innovations’ smart home sub brand, Eufy, has made strides building up its portfolio. The EufyCam 2 and Eufy Security Video Doorbell have proven to be top contenders in their respective areas, but now comes the task of taking security inside of the home with an indoor camera. The Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt is an intriguing option for watching over your home and protecting your privacy.

As the name implies, Eufy’s Security Indoor Cam uses a rotating base that allows it to pan and tilt — delivering the maximum degree of coverage inside your home. No matter where it’s positioned, it can be manipulated to cover just about any area. This implementation is rare among indoor cameras, so it has a distinct advantage over its fixed counterparts.

Typically, indoor cams are best situated in corners to maximize their coverage. With this feature, however, it can be placed anywhere and still cover all corners – and that’s despite the camera’s moderate 125-degree field of view.

By comparison, Ring’s Indoor Cam has a wider 140-degree field of view. However, since the Eufy Security Indoor Cam has an advantage with its articulating camera, it could potentially cover a wider area. On top of that, it can also be mounted on walls and ceilings to obtain a better vantage point, for even more coverage.

The only complaint I have with the pan and tilt is that the camera can’t freely rotate past a certain point. There seems to be a locking point, so it can’t continue to pan past a 360-degree rotation. Instead, you have to rotate the camera back in the other direction. This can be a bit confusing while you’re using the feature.

The Eufy Security Indoor Cam Pan and Tilt offers a few notable features that preserve your privacy in the home.

First and foremost, there’s a microSD slot for local storage, in addition to the cloud storage that’s available. It’s peace of mind for those who want to ensure that the footage recorded by the camera remains private.

It’s worth noting that cloud storage plans start at $3 per month through Eufy for 30 days of rolling video history, which is only good for a single camera. Meanwhile, the $10 monthly subscription will cover up to 10 cameras with the same 30 days of rolling video history.

Secondly, the camera can be turned off through the app, resulting in the camera tucking itself away — thus exposing its microSD slot. It can effectively work as a privacy shutter, which is nice, because the camera lens is completely obstructed. However, I wish there was a button on the camera itself that could cover the camera and mute the mic. There’s also an LED light on the base of the camera that blinks red to indicate the live stream is being accessed.

Lastly, there’s the option to set activity zones, so any motion or detection registered in the specified zones will alert the camera to take action. All of these features indicate that privacy is an area of interest for Eufy.

There’s plenty of detail to distinguish faces and pets.

However, a big omission is the lack of 2-factor authentication. I applaud all the efforts put forth by the Eufy Security Indoor Cam Pan and Tilt, but 2-factor authentication is an important privacy and security feature that Eufy needs to include.

Eufy pushes beyond most of the competition with its 2K video capture resolution. There’s plenty of detail to distinguish faces and pets, but the resolution dials down to 720p whenever the lighting conditions take a dip. It’s strange that it does this, especially when night vision footage captures at 2K resolution. Despite this, the video performance of the Eufy Indoor Cam is better than average.

One of the strange features about the camera is its ability to yell at people or pets. Seriously.

Whenever it detects a face or pet, it’ll yell “Hey, what are you doing there?!” I was actually alarmed the first few times it yelled at me, because of the shrill tone of the recording. Luckily, the motion/pet detection sensitivity can be toned down, and there’s an option to disable it entirely.

The integrated speaker is weak, so conducting conversations through the camera is challenging. And while the siren function can quickly startle people, it’s not loud enough to alert neighbors in most situations.

Lastly, I wish the camera was smart enough to know when I’m home or not — much like how Google’s Nest Cams can automatically switch on/off depending on your phone’s GPS coordinates. Instead, it’s all manual for the Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt, which means you’ll have to manually select its mode whenever you leave home and return.

There’s plenty to like about the Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt, and even more when you factor in its $50 price. Combining that with its rich set of features, excellent video performance, and emphasis on privacy, its rivals in the space will have no choice but to admit that it’s a legitimate player.

Cameras are typically fixed, but with so many moving parts to the Eufy Indoor Cam, there’s a cause for concern that it may break down. One of the downsides about being so cost-conscious is that it’s mostly made out of plastic, so I imagine it’d take a hit if it falls hard onto the ground. If you’re worried about internal components conking out, there’s a 1-year limited warranty for defects.

For its price, not really. If you’re looking for something cheaper, the Wyze Cam V2 is an outstanding option for $20. On the other hand, the Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor is another solid package with advanced tech such as integrated Google Assistant, HDR video, and a 4K sensor.

Yes. Eufy has a solid, all-around security camera that won’t break the bank.