Reviewing the Eve Outdoor Cam — How Does It Stack Up With the Top Security Cameras?
Having an outdoor security camera significantly decreases the chances of a break-in. In fact, a home with a security camera is 300% less likely to be broken into compared to a home without a security system. Today, increasing your home security by adding an outdoor security camera or two is easier than ever – the hard part is choosing the right one for you.
The Eve Outdoor Camera is an intriguing option for Apple HomeKit users, with many of its features exclusively tied to having a HomeKit system. I installed and tested the Eve Outdoor Camera above my back door to review if it’s a solid option worth the $250 price tag. Read my Eve Outdoor Cam review below.
Today's Top Deals
The #1 Best-Selling Keurig on Amazon Is on Sale for a Limited Time
This Citrus Juicer Has 35,000 Reviews and Is Now Under $15 for Prime Members
Eve Outdoor Camera Specs
Apple HomeKit Secure Video
1080p/24fps H.264 video
157° field of view
Infrared night vision
Flood light with light boost
Infrared motion detection: 100°, up to 8 m / 26 ft. at 2.5 m / 8.2 ft. mounting height
Two-way communication with built-in microphone and speaker
IP55 certified
Setting Up the Eve Outdoor Camera
To install the Eve Outdoor camera’s flood light, I removed the outdoor light above the door that leads from the backyard to the garage. That left a big hole where the previous light was, and the previously installed light bracket prohibited typical installation of the camera. That’s why the outer casing isn’t on the camera.
With the installation, we found some areas where it was hard to fit our fingers to connect the wires because of the tiny amount of space. That being said, I found the little mechanism to connect the camera’s wires to your existing house wires to be a godsend. There was no need to wrap wires around each other and tighten with twist-on connectors, instead, it used push-in wire connectors which made the electrical installation a breeze.
My biggest gripe was with the installation and fastening the camera to the mounting bracket. You need to use an Allen wrench to screw the camera into the bracket and there’s not much room to maneuver as you’ll see in the photo below.
Once installed, connecting the Eve Outdoor Camera to my Wi-Fi was as simple as downloading the Eve app, scanning the QR code on top of the mounting bracket and following the prompts. You’ll need to have an iCloud account to install the camera. The whole thing took me about an hour (even with the hiccups of my lighting and bracket situation.)
Eve Outdoor Camera Features
The camera has a 157-degree field of view, which covers almost the entirety of my narrow but long backyard. There are 3 motion detection settings, high, medium and low. When testing the motion detection, I kept receiving motion notifications from the wind blowing the table cover on the outdoor table, so I turned it to low which fixed the problem.
The camera footage looks clear and the two-way communication works well. When someone is in front of the camera, you can press the “push to talk” button on your app to speak with them, and the microphone picks them up loud and clear. The video feed is in color during the day and when it gets completely dark the video feed changes to black and white. However, if you have a floodlight that kicks on, the picture will be in color. As you can see below, both the night vision and the floodlight color night vision look great.
You can set automation and scenes through the App or HomeKit app, as well as timers for your camera’s floodlight or facial recognition to notice people you have tagged in your Photo’s app. Unfortunately, you need a central hub like an Apple TV, HomePod or HomePod mini to have automation available. You can’t even record video without a central hub, confining to mostly live video feeds, motion detection and two-way communications.
The Verdict: Should You Buy The Eve Outdoor Cam?
Having so many useful features such as voice commands, facial recognition and automation strictly tied to HomeKit and another piece of Apple equipment like an AppleTV or HomePod Mini is a bummer for both Apple and non-Apple users. It limits voice AI choices and also ups the price for users if they want a full swath of capabilities. The camera is already $250, so if you tack on a $100 HomePod Mini or a $150 Apple TV, you’re up to $350-$400 for a single camera. You can get three Arlo Essential cameras for the same price.
So, would I buy this camera? Not to take anything away from what it does — the camera works well, the live feed looks great and both the Eve app and Apple’s HomeKit app make it easy to control the camera — but it’s too expensive and too tied to HomeKit. Unless you already have a central hub, then we recommend going with a different outdoor camera option.
Read More:
More Top Deals from SPY
Gildan White Cotton T-Shirts Are Just $2.60 for a Limited Time
Get 4 Months of Amazon Music Unlimited for Free During Prime Day - Offer Ends Soon
Best of SPY
