There are many home security systems available to help ease our minds when we're out of the house, ranging from a simple sonic alarm on the outside of a building to more complex systems that will send notifications or camera footage to a linked smartphone if an intruder is detected. Some propose going even further – using drones or robots as live feed sentinels. eufy by Anker Innovations has joined this already crowded space with a totally wireless home security camera on Kickstarter which has a battery pack that you'll only need to charge once every year.
"When we started this project, we wanted to tackle everything that's wrong with current security services including building a total wireless camera that could continuously operate outside for one year on a single charge – even in the event of a power outage," Anker's Steven Yang said. "But we also wanted to make the eufy EverCam more accessible to more people by offering a solution with a lower upfront hardware investment, a simple, no-cost installation and free home-based storage."
The EverCam's 13,400 mAh Li-ion battery is claimed to be good for 365 days per charge, or 3 years in stand-by mode, with Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 allowing the battery to be juiced up in less than 3 hours. The security camera wirelessly transmits data to the system's HomeBase hub over Wi-Fi, which also rocks a 5,200 mAh battery so that it can continue to operate for up to a week in the event of an outage.
The hub can switch to a sub-1 GHz wavelength while on standby to conserve power, is Ethernet-cabled to a home router for access to the internet, and features a 3 W speaker that sounds (up to 100 dB) in the event of a home invasion.
When the EverCam system's motion detectors register movement, the EverCam uses AI-enhanced facial recognition technology to recognize family, friends and regular visitors who pass in front of the 140-degree, F2.2 lens and determine who is a stranger. Two-way audio also allows users to interrogate visitors such as delivery drivers or service people without opening the front door.
The IP66 weatherproof security camera can be strategically positioned using mounts designed to deter would-be pilferers, but if determined thieves do manage to make off with an EverCam, it will "brick itself to prevent it from being hacked or used by someone else."
The hub comes with a 16GB microSD media card (can be optionally expanded up to 128 GB) for storing AES-128 encrypted Full HD recorded footage, including anything captured with the camera's night vision mode. And if home-based storage isn't enough, eufy is offering cloud storage for US$2.99 per month, per camera. Recorded footage can only be accessed using the EverCam iOS/Android/browser app, which makes use of AES-256 security for login.
The system can be set to be always on and recording, or home owners can avoid having to review hours and hours of boring, no action footage before getting to an incident by using the app to set it to only record when heat signatures are detected or when someone not in its database enters the property.
The EverCam Kickstarter campaign has already blown past its funding target with about a month left on the clock. Pledges currently start at $219 for a camera, hub, entry sensor, magnetic and screw mount, cables and microSD card. And if all goes to plan, expected to ship to backers in September. The video below has more.
Sources: eufy, Kickstarter