I've heard nothing but good things about the eufy range. The 2K cameras usually retail for $799 but are on special for $699 via JB-Hifi and Good Guys automatically price beat this down to $688 (click Price Beat button if required).
Looking at the historical deals on here this is great value for a brand new system.
Dumb question, but does Uber delivery really incur $0 charge? Do i need to be Uber One member - how do they make money?
It was $10 for me last time I chose that option
Standard "buyer beware" about the inherent limitations of battery powered wireless cameras.
If you are handy enough to run some low voltage ethernet cabling and your installation permits it, wired cameras with similar features and better performance are available for around the same price. IMO the one-time hassle of a wired installation is easily worth the additional reliability, security and expandability.
Some background information on last year's security/false advertising scandal relating to Eufy cameras: https://www.theverge.com/23573362/anker-eufy-security-camera…
I believe many or perhaps all of these issues have been resolved now, but it's a timely reminder on a post that begins with "I've heard nothing but good things about the eufy range"
Have to agree. I have this exact set, and while they've served me well for the $400 I paid (everyone should buy the Grade C refurbs) the limitations of the battery models is ever apparent. I've missed multiple critical happenings due to quirks with the system. They only start recording when they think something is worth recording, so sometimes you totally miss the start of an event. Also regardless of what anyone says, taking these down to charge is a royal pain in the arse. Solar panels can alleviate this.
Overall I wouldn't pay $700 for this kit, tho am happy with them for $400. Having said all of that, owning this has only made me want a wired 24x7 recording setup even more than ever.
I have the same. The grade c refurbs are great.
I went with some solar panels off AliExpress and they have been good. Running off solar means you can turn the sensitivity up so you get more things recorded.
My Temu panels don't seem to want to work. I can't figure it out - sometimes the charging icon will show while the panel is in full sun but most of the time not… and the battery use hasn't slowed.
@Hinee: Weird. Did you change the settings for the camera? (under power source in power management)
These are the ones i bought https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005005888729164.html
What is considered C grade? are the lens and battery life ok? or just really cosmetic scratches?
im thinking of whether the price difference of a C grade and A grade are worth it
I honestly have no idea - if you told me when I first opened the box that they were brand new I wouldn't have given it a second thought. And I've seen countless comments pretty much saying the same thing. It truly baffles me and is why I mention the C's so often.
You know when you get something that has that glossy black plastic and after a couple of weeks if you look really close you can see superfine scratches on it?
Yeah, if you look from within 30cm you can notice some really small marks on the glossy black. Mounted you would never know.
Haven't had any problems with battery life. They last months though i now have a couple on solar panels.
If you are handy enough to run some low voltage ethernet cabling and your installation permits it, wired cameras with similar features and better performance are available for around the same price. IMO the one-time hassle of a wired installation is easily worth the additional reliability, security and expandability.
I'm partial to wired cameras myself but haven't seen them at this price point. Can you provide some links?
Here's an old deal as an example - prices have risen along with everything else, but this kind of package is what I was referring to: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/616476
This is the best current price I could find quickly on eBay, but given the current 20% coupon it's entirely possible that there's a better deal out there: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/276589018802
Direct from the manufacturer's webpage, the same bundle is currently $641: https://reolink.com/au/product/rlc-520a/ but you never ever should pay full price for Reolink gear, they're pretty much perpetually on sale somewhere.
The 510a/520a are a pretty old but still very capable design, but if your budget will stand it, the much newer CX-410 is a pretty impressive bit of kit. You can get a bundle with 4 cameras and NVR for $796 here: https://reolink.com/product/cx410/ (click on the bundle deals to see pricing for kits which also include the ethernet cables etc).
I found a much better price for the Reolink bundle here:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000727863806.html
So with PoE cameras, I just need to be able to have a long enough ethernet cable for the setup? Is there an outdoor/water-resistant ethernet cable? What else do I need to know?
So with PoE cameras, I just need to be able to have a long enough ethernet cable for the setup?
Yes - the maximum ethernet cable length is 100m, but this is theoretical and can be extended in various ways too.
The normal arrangement is that the NVR (black box with hard drive inside) is installed in a central location inside your house, ideally adjacent to your home router which it can plug straight in to allow remote camera viewing.
Each of the cameras has a single ethernet cable connection to the NVR, which pulls double duty - it provides power to run the camera and allows a data connection for constant and/or scheduled recording.
Is there an outdoor/water-resistant ethernet cable?
Regular ethernet cable is already water-resistant, except at the terminations at each end. However, regular ethernet cable is not designed for constant exposure to sun and weather.
There are various forms of external grade ethernet cables depending on the application, from additional layers and UV-stable insulation to armoured cable for direct-bury underground installations.
The Reolink kits come with waterproof connection sleeves that will protect the cable terminations in an outdoor setting, but in general the cameras are installed in such a way that ethernet cables stay entirely inside your ceiling/wall cavity, out of harms way.
Thanks for the info! Didn't know that this setup (PoE) exist - so comparing to battery-powred cameras, these will be much more reliable (live view, connection delay, and detection etc.)? My current setup is TP-Link, all battery-powered cameras…
so comparing to battery-powered cameras, these will be much more reliable
Definitely a major step up in both reliability and response time.
The major drawback of wireless battery cameras is the tiny power budget - running a camera sensor and maintaining a constant wireless connection chews a lot of power so camera needs to be "asleep" most of the time to avoid draining the battery. It only remains "awake" enough to detect motion, and there's always going to be a delay while the camera goes to full power, starts recording and cranks up the wireless connection to send notifications. When you consider the limitations, it's pretty impressive that wireless cameras work as well as they do.
In contrast, PoE cameras have power to spare, and can easily support bright spotlights and other power-hungry attachments, in addition to always-on motion sensing and AI person/vehicle/animal detection. They also usually have much larger storage drives which allow a week or two of 24/7 recording for multiple cameras, so they don't miss a thing.
The major downside to PoE cameras is the one-time setup cost, in time and/or money. Crawling around in the ceiling and dropping cables down walls can be tricky, uncomfortable and often frustrating, and there are limitations about where you can run a cable that battery powered cameras just don't have. People without suitable tools and skills to run cable would typically have to engage an electrician who will charge ~$100 per camera location.
@klaw81: Thank you for the detailed explanation. I think I will review my setup and circumstances and see if I can get a PoE system.
@beOson: No worries - happy to help.
By the way, here's an example of tough UV-rated ethernet patch leads designed specifically for external cameras and antennas: https://ubwh.com.au/Ubiquiti/Accessories/UACC-Cable-Patch-Ou…
You can buy whole rolls of this cable if you're feeling rich.
Damn good price!
$670.92 inc GST on JB HiFi Corp/Business