I’ve Tested Countless Smart Security Cameras, and These Are the Ones I'd Buy During Prime Day

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For the past few years, I've been putting up and taking down security cameras at a rate that has led neighbors to worry I'm a conspiracy theorist. But as I've tested cameras from every company you can think of, from Ring to Vosker, I've learned some things along the way. I love a PTZ camera (point/tilt/zoom), which means you use your phone as a remote control and can move the focal point of the camera, often as much as 360 degrees. I prefer not having to keep a subscription—I pay enough monthly fees already for other things. I like the ability to filter my notifications easily and adjust how often I get those notifications. One singular company and product line allows me to do this: the Eufy Solocam line.

I now have a Eufy doorbell, and Eufy cameras dot the inside and outside of my home. I use them for traditional purposes, like the E340 with floodlights that watches over my driveway, and non traditional (I have an E30 in my chicken coop). But those are both models that require wiring; what impresses me even more are the solar-powered Solocams.

As a resident of the Pacific Northwest, I don't live someplace sunny; and yet, all winter long, my Solocams stay powered through the relatively small solar panels mounted directly on top of the camera. They are weather resistant—even in the worst weeklong freezes here, the backyard Solocam has let me keep an eye on my dog in the backyard. The heat domes haven't had any effect on them, either, as far as I can tell. The solar power means you can install the cameras almost anywhere, with no need to run a cord or wiring.

Eufy cameras are easy to set up—they're ready to go out of the box. Even the wired models, like the E340, come with easy instructions and a hook to help you wire them up. I am cautious around electrical work, but this was easy to do myself. The app is easy, too. All your cameras appear in a lineup, and it shows you a recent capture. Clicking on the picture takes you to a live view, and I'm always impressed at the speed with which the live view comes up, and that it almost never times out. These are both common problems on other apps.

An aspect of the Solocams I really enjoy is the dual lenses, which allow you to zoom in at 1x or 3x. The detail I can get on the zoom is incredible: I'm able to see if vegetables in my garden are ready to be picked, and I can watch bees in great detail. More utilitarian, you can see real details of someone's face as they approach the camera. Even the sound quality is fantastic. Words aren't mumbled, and you can hear voices crisply and clearly, without much lag, if you're using any of the cameras to have a conversation.

You can easily tap an icon to take you to the number of clips captured by your cameras, and there are easy-to-use filters to help you quickly get to exactly the clip you want. I click into my Eufy app an unhealthy amount of times each day to see who's at the door, if the rat in my chicken coop is back, or to double check whether the trash service emptied my cans.

If you add a Homebase (not currently on sale, unfortunately), you can skip a subscription for backup of clips, too. It's basically a hard drive that lives near your internet router and networks all your cameras. For an additional $149.99, I think it's worth it.

Eufy cameras are always a good value, but many of the models above are currently discounted as much as 35% off, making it an excellent time to stock up.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Home Depot have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale begins at midnight on July 8 and will include deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. 

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale, “Black Friday in July,” runs through Sunday, July 13 and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Home Depot extended their 4th of July sale through at least July 9, competing with some amazing deals of their own. It’s an especially good option if you’re looking for power tools, appliances, or outdoor equipment.