With two camera lenses, infinite battery life thanks to the solar panel and a powerful 3K resolution, the Eufy SoloCam S340 sounds like an almost perfect surveillance camera. But is there a good security gadget behind the attractive technical data? In the Eufy SoloCam S340 test, we want to take a closer look at what this pretty piece of technology from the Anker subsidiary has to offer.
Technical data
| Camera | Dual camera (wide-angle and telephoto lens) |
| Resolution | Wide-angle lens: 3K (2,880 x 1,620 pixels) Telephoto lens: 2K (2,304 x 1,296 pixels) |
| Camera range | 15 minutes |
| Zoom | 8x zoom |
| Night vision | Night vision in color (with LED switched on) |
| Spotlight | Yes |
| Field of view | 135° |
| Pan and tilt | Horizontal: 360 Vertical: 70° |
| Battery life | – 3 hours (without solar panel) – Lifetime (with at least 2 hours of sunlight per day) |
| Video memory | Built-in memory (8GB EMMC) |
| AI features | Motion detection, person detection, vehicle detection |
| Smart home compatibility | Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant |
| Weather protection | Dust and water protection to IP65 |
| Temperature range | -20° and 50°C |
| Price | € 187.99 * |
Scope of delivery
Inside the cuboid packaging you will find the SoloCam, the removable solar panel with bracket, the wall mount, two USB-C cables, mounting materials (screws and plugs) and a Quick Start Guide.
Eufy SoloCam S340 test: design and workmanship
As we have come to expect from Eufy devices, the SoloCam S340 once again comes with a handsome design and excellent build quality. This feeling is not dampened by the fact that it is primarily made of plastic. According to the manufacturer, it is protected against water and dust to IP65 and should be able to work in temperatures between -20° and 50°C without any problems. Thanks to its flexible design, you can mount the surveillance camera either on the eaves or on the wall.
This allows you to give it the right location for the best possible sunlight exposure, and the scope of delivery includes a practical solar panel that you can connect directly to the camera. However, the panel is also useful for shady locations. After all, unlike other surveillance cameras with an integrated solar unit, you can also mount the panel externally. A three meter long connection cable then ensures that the solar energy gained is still passed on to the camera.
With a weight of around 690 g and dimensions of 100 x 130 x 100 mm, the camera is quite compact and inconspicuous. The chic, classic black and white color scheme also contributes to its inconspicuousness. The camera unit, on the other hand, is anything but inconspicuous. On closer inspection, even a layman can see that not one, but two lenses are used. We will find out later whether the quantity pays off. There is also an LED light, the motion detector and the microphone, which is used for the two-way audio. The speaker, which is located on the front of the housing, serves as a counterpart to the microphone.
Eufy SoloCam S340 test: Setup with the Eufy app
There’s one thing you have to praise Eufy for every time. And that is the uncomplicated setup of the smart home gadgets. Setting up and installing the SoloCam S340 is not rocket science either. First, you should download the Eufy app and integrate the camera into your smart home as a new device. The smartphone application takes you by the hand and shows you step by step what to do. The camera is set up in a flash. Now you can take care of the various settings within the app. This is where Eufy scores again with a great overview.
Even newcomers will quickly find the menu item they are looking for. To begin with, you should take a look at the Motion detection item. Here you can not only adjust the sensitivity of the motion detector and determine whether all movements or only human movements should be registered. The person detection makes it possible. In the test, this worked excellently so that there were virtually no false alarms when my dog scurried through the picture. You can also specify whether there should be “blind” areas where the camera leaves movements uncommented.
But with these blind areas, you are also operating the camera in accordance with the applicable data protection law. Your camera simply ignores movements that take place in public traffic or on the neighboring property. If you want to go one step further, you can also simply make your SoloCam S340 blind for these areas. The corresponding sections will then be blacked out. These and other settings are not made in motion detection, but in the video settings. You can also let off steam with numerous other settings for audio, notifications and lighting.
Eufy SoloCam S340 test: What the dual camera can do
The heart of every surveillance camera is, of course, still the camera unit. The Eufy SoloCam S340 offers not just one, but two lenses. These are a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. The interaction between the two cameras worked very well in the test and produced a great image quality. The wide-angle lens offers a resolution of 3K and a remarkable 135° field of view.
However, as the camera can be rotated 360°, the field of view is actually 360°. The telephoto lens in turn offers 2K resolution and an 8x hybrid zoom. What’s really cool is that both lenses can work independently of each other. You can also display the respective images at the same time. This gives you a camera image in the long shot and one with zoom to the desired location. The images are also really impressive at night.
You don’t just get a plain black and white recording. Thanks to the integrated LED, the surveillance camera also offers color recordings at night. Although there is a difference in quality compared to the daytime recordings, the night-time recordings are also quite impressive. Only distant objects appear somewhat blurred. However, if you want to switch off the LED at night, you will also receive images in black and white.
- You might also be interested in this: Eufy S100 Wall Light Cam test
Eufy SoloCam S340 test: Video storage and smart home
At a time when manufacturers of surveillance cameras are happy to pay high subscription fees for cloud services and corresponding video storage, Eufy takes a pleasantly different approach with its S340. The device has an 8 GB memory on which the video recordings are saved. For you as a user, this means that you don’t have to pay monthly follow-up costs to save the recordings. In terms of Smart Home, you are offered a double-edged sword.
If you want to use the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa in your own four walls, or already do, this is the right place for you. Thanks to compatibility, the current live image, for example, can be shown on a smart display from either manufacturer by voice command. But that brings us to the second edge of the sword. After all, that’s it for compatibility. If you use Apple HomeKit, Samsung Smartthings or other providers, you’ll be left out in the cold. If networking is important to you, the S340 may not be suitable.
Eufy SoloCam S340 test: Lifelong battery life?
Thanks to its solar panel, the S340 should be able to offer a lifelong battery life. At least when the sun is shining. According to Eufy, just two hours of sunshine a day should be enough to keep the battery level consistently high. However, if the surveillance camera is unable to keep its promise, you will be offered a battery life of three months in any case. Eufy specifies this at least in the event that the solar panel is not used.
Conclusion
You have to look with a magnifying glass to find any criticism of the Eufy SoloCam S340. So let’s start with the positives. On the one hand, there is the stylish look, the excellent build quality and the high level of durability. Secondly, the security gadget is very easy to set up and install. The camera scored highly in the test with razor-sharp images that impress with their vivid colors. Thanks to the integrated LED, it even takes colorful pictures at night! As we know it from Eufy, the app operation is very intuitive. Setting options are quickly found and can be adjusted.
Thanks to the integrated battery, the camera can also be mounted anywhere. Thanks to the solar panel, you hardly have to take it down to charge the battery when the sun is shining. More flexibility is hardly possible. But we do have to complain a little. And that’s the smart home compatibility. This is where the smart home gadget is not so flexible. Apart from the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, no other smart home systems are supported here. This is a shame and will hopefully be rectified in the future with corresponding updates. But if that doesn’t bother you, this is an almost perfect surveillance camera.
Eufy SoloCam S340
Design & workmanship
Hardware
App usability
Camera
Smart Home Features
Value for money
92/100
The Eufy SoloCam S340 does almost everything right. Only a little more compatibility with other smart home systems would have been nice.
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