INTRODUCTION

   If you happen to be living in a large building or if you're lucky enough to have a front gate chances are you already have an video intercom installed which allows you to see who's knocking on your door. Still, for regular houses this was never as popular not just due to cost but also required installation. This all changed roughly a decade ago when the guys over at RING (an Amazon company) released the very first battery operated video doorbell and the rest as they say is history. Since then, many manufacturers all over the world have released their very own video doorbells in an effort to grab a piece of the pie but as expected not all models were up to the task. Eufy has its very own line of video doorbells and today with me i have one of their most popular models, the Video Doorbell Dual 2K.

   eufy’s motto of “Smart Home Simplified” is what drives us to build easy-to-use smart home devices and appliances that are designed to enhance your life. From laser-guided robotic vacuum cleaners to wireless security systems, every eufy product is developed using cutting-edge technologies and is designed for your convenience. eufy is developing a new generation of connected devices and appliances that work seamlessly together to simplify the complete smart home experience. eufy is part of Anker Innovations, one of the leading and most trusted consumer electronics brands in America.

   As its product name clearly states the 2K Full HD Dual Camera Doorbell by Eufy (available in both wired and battery versions) is an IP65 certified (dust and water proof) model that sports not 1 but 2 cameras (frontward and downward/package/porch camera) positioned in such a way that the total vertical viewing angle comes very close to 160 degrees (an interesting feature, especially if you live at a place where courier companies drop packages on your door). The cameras themselves are actually quite interesting since the frontward facing one can record video at 2K resolution (2560x1920p) with a horizontal viewing angle of 160 degrees whereas the downward facing one can record up to Full HD video (1600x1200p) with a horizontal viewing angle of 130 degrees. Both cameras connect wirelessly (2.4GHz Wi-Fi) to the bundled HomeBase 2 station (also doubles as a chime and an 100dB siren) which in turn records everything (clip length can be up to 2 minutes) onto a built-in 16GB eMMC flash storage which according to eufy can last up to 180 days (30 recordings per day of up to 20 seconds in length each - unfortunately it's non-expandable). The doorbell also has a convenient two-way audio function (microphone/speaker), PIR & Radar motion sensors (can detect people, faces - facial recognition - packages and general motion), 4 IR LEDs for night vision (16ft/5m range), HDR (high dynamic range) capability, two bright LEDs (turn on when motion is detected) and an 6500mAh lithium-ion battery pack which can provide sufficient power to the doorbell for up to 6 months (10 motion detections per day with up to 20 seconds in length each). The Video Doorbell Dual 2K is also compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Homekit and via the eufy security Android/iOS app you can control all of its features from video quality, audio volume levels and recording length to its radar and PIR motion sensors.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The doorbell arrived inside a white and blue box that has a product picture at the front right next to a product description in 7 languages.

On the left side of the box, we find a few words about the eufy smart app and as for the right side here eufy has a few words about their products.

At the rear of the box, we find a topology drawing, 3 pictures used to showcase the main product features and the bundle contents.

The entire bundle is placed inside a formed piece of plastic so no chance of damage during transport.

In terms of bundle eufy has done a great job since aside the video doorbell dual 2k and its HomeBase 2 station with its power adapter (EU/UK tips) inside the box you'll also find a mounting bracket (for the doorbell), 15 degree mounting bracket (for the doorbell), screw hole positioning template, bracket detaching pin, ethernet cable, microUSB cable, 2 warning stickers, 2 plastic bags with mounting pieces and the quick start guide.

THE VIDEO DOORBELL DUAL 2K

The black and gold glossy plastic IP65 certified enclosure of the eufy Video Doorbell Dual 2K measures 165mm in length, 53mm in width and 28mm in thickness.

To have a better idea about its size i placed it right next to the Arenti VBELL 1 model.

For a video doorbell the 2K (2560x1920p) resolution of the primary (frontward) camera is very good (as is the 160 degrees viewing angle).

The downward camera (also referred as package and porch camera by eufy) with its resolution of 1600x1200p and 130 degrees viewing angle may not be as impressive but it more than gets the job done.

Turning the camera over we find the sync button (syncs the doorbell with the Homebase 2 station), microUSB charging port and the two doorbell wired connectors (connection with existing doorbell wires).

The HomeBase 2 station is made out of plastic, comes in white color (i was hoping eufy also had a black version) and measures 131mm in height, 85mm in width and 85mm in length.

At the front of the HomeBase 2 we find an activity LED.

Moving at the rear we find the speaker perforation (for the 100dB siren and the chime feature), USB 5V/2A charging port, RJ45 ethernet port, power port, sync/alarm off button and the reset button.

SECURITY APP

Once you install the eufy security app and choose the HomeBase 2 station it will search and inform you of available firmware updates.

After that you just need to sync the HomeBase 2 station with your Video Doorbell Dual 2K.

Next step will be to select your preferred view which is having each camera take a portion of the screen (split-view) or by using picture in picture (PIP).

From the main tab you can switch between available eufy devices and access the top left menu which includes options like cloud storage (extra), experimental features and the device compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Homekit.

You can access the various modes and automations for the doorbell (and all your connected eufy devices) from the security tab located on lower right corner.

From the settings tab you can enable/disable night vision, audio recording and HDR, adjust video quality, choose video encoding, set volume levels, adjust motion sensitivity, choose the preferred chime, select a power plan and enable/disable facial recognition.

You can also access the HomeBase 2 from within the app to check available storage, format the storage, adjust volume levels, enable/disable notifications and check for firmware updates.

VIDEO QUALITY

If you turn your smartphone on the side the display will change to picture in picture as seen above (still, it's by far the best way to use this doorbell due to its 2K image quality and 160 degrees viewing angle).

From the live feed you can start recording at will, take screenshots, use one of the pre-loaded voice responses, enable/disable audio, start two way communication, disable AI mode and switch between feeds.

Video quality is very good during the day and as you can see zoom quality is very good too.

The 4 IR LEDs located at the front of the doorbell have a range of roughly 5 meters so since from the doorbell itself and the wall it's just over 7 meters I’d say results are very good.

Instead of using IR LEDs for the downward camera eufy went with two regular LEDs which also do a good job (here as you can all see they were reflected on the desk i placed the camera on and that's why the end result is somewhat dark).

Again, 7+ meters away the IR LEDs don't do a great job (still you can see what's there, just not in great detail).

CONCLUSION

   Video doorbells have become quite popular lately and since I also happen to be very interested in them this doesn’t really surprise me. Still out of the 7 video doorbells I’ve either used or reviewed to date none really piqued my interest. Sure, they all get the job done but none came close to being exactly what I wanted to use at either home or the office. Well, the Video Doorbell Dual 2K by eufy does, not only because of its 2K resolution and its two available cameras but also due to its battery life, audio quality (always compared to the other models I’ve used) and available features/options. As a matter of fact, since I started using/testing it 2 weeks ago battery has dropped to 59% so the 6500mAh internal battery is clearly enough for at least 3 weeks of normal use (more like 4-5 weeks for me - November update, battery lasted for 35 days). Facial recognition is an interesting feature too, yes it takes a couple of weeks to work properly (identify people who live or visit your home frequently) but it does and that means less notifications on your phone (which in turn results in better battery life). Still, not all is perfect here either and so during my tests I came across 2 downsides. First was signal strength, something which I didn’t expect since the HomeBase 2 station is roughly just 6 meters away with a single concrete wall in between. Of course, I’m using the Video Doorbell Dual 2K at high video quality so that might be the reason, still I do think that eufy should improve on that. Second is the limited storage (16GB) which you can’t expand. Eufy announced that they would allow storage expansion via the USB port at the rear of the HomeBase 2 station eventually but that never happened because they decided to focus on the HomeBase 3 station instead (16GB however is not enough, no matter how one sees it, especially if you sync more cameras to that HomeBase 2 station).

   Currently the Video Doorbell Dual 2K by eufy retails for USD259.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 248Euros in the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which may not seem affordable enough but it’s actually ok for what you’re getting in return. At the end of the day the Video Doorbell Dual 2K may not be perfect but it’s by far the best video doorbell I’ve used to date and even though I haven’t used but a small fraction of what’s available in the market I still believe that it’s worth the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Video / Image Quality
- Dual Cameras (2K / Full HD)
- Viewing Angles (160 Degrees)
- IP65 Certified Enclosure
- Two Way Audio
- Good Microphone & Speaker Quality
- Available Features / Options (Facial Recognition / Modes / AI)
- Easy Setup & Use
- Battery Life (12 Months Standby)
- PIR & Radar Detection Sensors
 - HomeBase 2 Station (16GB eMMC Storage / 100dB Siren / Chime)
- Cloud Recording (Monthly Fee)
- Security Android / iOS App
- Bundle

CONS

- Fixed Storage (Non-Expandable)
- Signal Strength (Could Be Better)
- Price (For Some)