Why this indoor security camera is indispensable for me – and it’s utterly adorable

It’s safe to say the Eufy Security Indoor Cam S350 has become indispensable in my home. What truly makes this indoor security device stand out is that it houses two cameras in one body: one with a wide-angle lens and the other with a telephoto lens. The wide-angle lens camera has a 130-degree field of view when static and records in 4K. 

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The telephoto lens camera records in 2K, features 3x optical zoom, so you can zoom in on people or objects without sacrificing image quality, and an 8x digital zoom. Both cameras have a low aperture, at f/1.6, to better capture lighting and record in low-light conditions. 

The device can then smoothly pan, tilt, and swivel in any direction, giving you a full view of its surroundings. The Eufy Cam S350 smoothly tracks people in motion, keeping the target in view without staggering, and the Local AI in HomeBase 3 can distinguish humans from pets. 

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We paired this camera with our HomeBase 3, which we had at home and use for the rest of our Eufy security system. The HomeBase 3 retails for $150; it’s a hub for Eufy security devices that supports local storage for its cameras, so we can enjoy the full benefit of a security camera without monthly fees. However, you don’t need to buy a HomeBase 3 to use this camera.

The Indoor Cam S350 can store footage on the HomeBase 3, but also on an inserted microSD card, which is not included, of up to 128GB. This card would still give you the local storage you need to avoid paying monthly cloud fees and it would support the live notifications of detected motion. 

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These pan/tilt indoor cameras are commonly marketed as baby monitors or pet cams because they can track motion in real-time and cover the lens when the privacy mode is turned on. While this camera is perfect for any of these options, I use it as an indoor security camera in conjunction with our security system.

My home’s Eufy security system includes some motion sensors spread around downstairs, several outdoor security cameras, a keypad, and the HomeBase 3, which sounds an alarm when the system is triggered. 

I don’t use indoor cameras in our living room, where I have a motion detector, because I don’t like the idea of having a camera looking at my family’s every move. If a sensor detects motion and the alarm goes off at three in the morning, I cannot see the motion. So, I do have a smaller pan/tilt Ezviz camera that is always set to privacy mode so that I can look at it whenever motion is detected. But this process takes time. 

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The Eufy Indoor Cam S350 has become a better solution to this problem, as it works with my existing system and gives me a live view within the same app as the rest of my security devices. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Eufy Security Indoor Cam S350 works seamlessly each time motion is detected. It doesn’t get distracted by false alerts often, notifications appear quickly on my mobile device when triggered, and it can quickly hide its lenses when privacy mode is turned on. 

I love to schedule when the camera goes to privacy mode; I set a schedule to have it automatically guard each night at bedtime and stop watching during the day. I wish it had a button to manually engage privacy mode so the camera can stop capturing motion when I press it. 

These additions to the camera’s privacy mode would only be a bonus, as the camera performs and records so well that I don’t miss them, but they would be nice to have. As it is right now, I’d recommend the Indoor Cam S350 to anyone looking for an indoor security camera, pet cam, or baby monitor camera, as it’s proven capable of performing these tasks with clear, high-resolution images.