Anyone setting up a smart home can hardly avoid suitable surveillance technology. The Eufy brand is very popular. The Anker subsidiary now has an extensive portfolio of cameras on offer, some of which we have already had the pleasure of testing. In today’s Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 test, we want to take a closer look at a practical wall light with solar panel, rechargeable battery and large LED light.
Technical data
| Power source | Solar energy and integrated rechargeable battery (5,200mAh) |
| Lamp | Yes, brightness of 300 lumens |
| Motion sensor | Yes |
| Camera | 2K camera with 120° field of view |
| Night vision | Night vision in color |
| Detection range | 7.6 meters |
| Alarm siren | 105 dB |
| Two-way audio | Yes |
| Voice assistants | Alexa, Google Assistant |
| Video storage | – 7.3 GB local eMMC memory – no cloud usage possible – Memory expansion via HomeBase |
| Resistance | Weather protection according to IP65 standard and operating temperature between -20°C and 50°C |
| Price | € 120.99 * |
Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 Test: Scope of delivery
Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 test: Design and workmanship
The Eufy Wall Light S120 makes a very high-quality impression. The design is kept quite simple. There is a large LED unit on the front, which should provide comprehensive lighting. The camera unit sits above it.
In addition to the camera itself, sensors and a status LED are also located here. There is also a solar panel on the top. If this is exposed to sunlight, this should, at least in theory, ensure endless operation without recharging.
Alternatively, there is a USB-C port on the back for charging. This is protected by a rubber cover, as is the sync button. According to the manufacturer, the S120 offers reliable protection against the damaging ingress of water or dust in accordance with the IP65 standard.
Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 test: Installation
As the S120 is battery-operated, it can be attached to the wall of your home with great flexibility. However, Eufy does give you a few tips for positioning and choosing a location. You should mount the camera at a height of 2 and 2.5 meters. Furthermore, if possible, you should not choose a shady spot. Otherwise, the S120’s solar module would be useless.
Once you have found the right place, you can use the screws and wall plugs included in the scope of delivery to attach the camera mount to the wall. Once you have drilled two holes and countersunk the wall plugs, attach the mounting plate to the wall. Now all you have to do is insert the camera. Before you do this, however, you should first charge the camera’s battery and add it as a new device in the app. We’ll explain how this works in a moment.
The S120 has an anti-theft device to prevent unauthorized persons from simply removing it. An additional screw is used to prevent the camera from simply being removed from the mount. However, as thieves can of course also have a screwdriver with them, you should create sufficient protection by mounting the camera at an appropriate height.
Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 test: Commissioning
Before you attach the camera to the wall, you first need to add it as a new device in the Eufy Security app. This is child’s play. All you have to do is scan the QR code on the back and follow the clear step-by-step instructions in the app.
The focus here is on transferring the camera to the home network. This is done in just a few minutes. It takes a good quarter of an hour to install and commission the camera.
The first settings can now be made in the app. The whole process is even quicker if you already own a HomeBase S380 (test). This saves you intermediate steps such as typing in the Wi-Fi password.
Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 test: Camera quality
The Eufy S120 offers you a 2K resolution. In practice, this translates into really solid recordings. Of course, these cannot keep up with the premium models E330 (Professional) (test) or S330 (test) in terms of image sharpness, but they are still respectable.
So you get quite clear pictures with vivid colors. At night you get quite pixelated images. When the light is switched off, the built-in IR sensor ensures night vision in black and white. However, if you leave the up to 300 lumen light switched on, you even get night vision in color.
The 300 lumens may be enough for color night vision. Unfortunately, the S120 cannot be used for real garden or patio lighting. In my opinion, the camera’s limited field of view of 120° is somewhat annoying. Especially vertically, the angled design ensures that you have a certain blind area below the camera.
You can’t really fix this problem as you can’t adjust the angle. You should keep this in mind when choosing the mounting location. Alternative mounting plates with different angles, such as those used for video doorbells (our best list for 2024), could possibly have been a solution here.
Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 Test: Eufy Security App
The Eufy Security App also shines in the S120 with its pleasingly clear design. You can see the most important setting options straight away. And there are many of them. For example, you should urgently adjust the camera’s recording range. This is at least the case if the camera can see areas of neighboring properties or public streets.
If you don’t want constant push notifications on your smartphone, you should also adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection. The range within which the sensor should react to movements can also be regulated here. Incidentally, the S120 is not divided into people, animals and vehicles. There is “only” person detection. However, it should soon be able to do this in conjunction with the HomeBase S380.
You can also use two-way audio via the app to communicate with your visitor. The microphone and loudspeaker in the camera are used for this. You shouldn’t expect any great miracles from the audio hardware, but it should be sufficient for occasional communication with your visitor. You can also use the loudspeaker as a 105 dB loud alarm siren to scare off uninvited guests.
Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 test: Continuous operation thanks to solar module
If you mount the S120 on a wall with strong sunlight, you hardly need to worry about the battery life. After all, the surveillance camera has a compact solar module on the top. This allows it to ensure that the built-in batteries are supplied with the necessary energy on its own.
Similar to Eufy’s other cameras with solar panels, the S120 should only need two hours of sunlight a day to keep the batteries fully charged. This will certainly work in spring and summer. In the colder and darker months, however, you will probably not be able to avoid charging the battery by cable.
If you want to operate the S120 as battery-friendly as possible, you can do so thanks to the app settings. Here, Eufy allows you to select a suitable working mode. You can opt for optimum battery life or optimum monitoring. The choice you make will affect the length of the recorded video clips, among other things.
Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 test: video storage and smart home connection
The S120 has an internal memory of 7.3 GB. This allows you to save recordings locally. If this is not enough for you, you only have one option. You can use the Eufy HomeBase S380 and benefit from up to 16 TB of storage space. However, you cannot use the Eufy Cloud.
When it comes to smart home compatibility, don’t expect miracles. Only Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant are supported as voice assistants. For example, you can display the current live image on a smart screen such as an Echo Show. Alternatives from Apple or Samsung are left out here. Alternative smart home solutions such as ONVIF are also not supported.
- Are you looking for a larger combination of wall lamp and camera? Then take a look at our test of the Eufy S100.
Conclusion
The Eufy Wall Light Cam S120 leaves a positive impression in the test. It is a high-quality combination of camera and wall light that should be a real asset for many smart homes. It not only scores points for its uncomplicated installation and commissioning. Control via the app is also child’s play.
Thanks to the solar panel, you don’t have to worry about a flat battery. What may bother some people is the blind area directly under the camera. Interested parties should also bear in mind the somewhat weak lighting and the weak smart home connection. Apart from that, however, this is a stylish and practical piece of smart home technology.
Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120
Design & workmanship
Camera quality
Usability
Features
Smart Home
Value for money
88/100
The Eufy Solar Wall Light Cam S120 is a good combination of camera and wall light, with only slight weaknesses in terms of camera quality and field of view.
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