Eufy video doorbell review: keep footage at home

An eufy video doorbell keeps local footage in the house. eufy, one of Anker’s brands, says live view, alerts and playback use local storage, with no monthly fee.¹⁶ You still need the app and an account, and a few optional features send pictures to the cloud.

Last checked October 28, 2026.

At a glance

• What it is: A video doorbell that stores clips on the doorbell or on a HomeBase hub in the house.
• Works on: The doorbell, the free Anker eufy app for iPhone and Android, and a web portal.³⁵
• Price: You buy the doorbell. The US E340 page listed $169.99, and also $149.99 in a chart. No monthly fee for local clips. Plus was $15 a month.¹²
• Licence: Proprietary. Anker grants a personal licence and reserves all other rights.⁶
• Best for: Households that want doorstep video at home and will leave cloud extras off.
• Official site: eufy.com/collections/video-doorbell

What an eufy video doorbell does (and how it protects your privacy)

When someone rings, or the doorbell sees movement, it saves a clip. eufy says most models record those events, not all day. The wired C31 and the S4 can record continuously. The US collection listed the S4, with a chime, at $299.99.¹

The E340 runs on a battery or existing doorbell wires, stores 8 GB on the device, and can work alone or with a HomeBase.² The S380 has 16 GB built in, takes a drive up to 16 TB, and deletes old clips when nearly full. eufy says those files are encrypted and only you can open them.⁴ If Wi-Fi drops, eufy says recording can continue, but live view and alerts stop.¹ Live view still uses your internet connection. See what the internet provider can still see. eufy says face matching runs on the chip in the device.³

Key features of the eufy video doorbell

• Local recordings with no required monthly fee. Cloud backup is optional.¹
• Storage at home: 8 GB on the E340, or 16 GB in a HomeBase S380, up to a 16 TB drive.²⁴
• Person, package and face detection, with face matching on the device.²³
• Privacy zones left out of the live view and the recording.³
• Text alerts by default. A picture preview is a short-lived cloud thumbnail.³
• Two-way talk, six quick replies, and a battery eufy says charges in five hours.²
• Five guest accounts, granted by the owner, plus optional Alexa and Google links.⁵³²

Pros and cons of an eufy video doorbell

Pros

• Local clips need no monthly fee.¹
• The E340 uses a battery or existing doorbell wires.²
• eufy says face data stays on the device, and staff cannot start a live view.³
• A HomeBase drive can grow to 16 TB.⁴

Cons

• You need an account, the app and Wi-Fi, on a 2.4 GHz network per the setup guide.⁵
• Picture alerts and cloud backup use Amazon’s cloud.³
• End-to-end encryption is an Advanced Encryption option. In-transit encryption is what eufy calls the default.³
• The software is closed. Anker’s personal licence reserves other rights, and some security updates cannot be refused.⁶
• A nearly full HomeBase deletes old clips. A larger drive, or favorites, is how eufy says you keep them.⁴
• Alexa or Google, if linked, adds that company’s account.²

Is an eufy video doorbell safe and private?

eufy says these products are built to run locally and, where they can, to stay off the cloud. Home clips, it says, use AES encryption, a scramble that needs a key to read, and video, event lists and face data are encrypted on the way. You sign in to watch. eufy says staff cannot start a live view, and that it sees a clip only if you share it.³

Advanced Encryption is the end-to-end option. eufy says only your authorized devices can decrypt the video, with the keys in a vault only you know the password to. Paid cloud backup also keeps video at Amazon Web Services. eufy says it cannot decrypt that copy, including for police. Alerts are text unless you opt in. A thumbnail is then held briefly on Amazon’s cloud and set to delete. The E340 page states the same rule.²³

In January 2023, The Verge reported playing unencrypted eufy streams from across the United States. Eric Villines, Anker’s head of communications, told The Verge the web portal had not used end-to-end encryption and that those streams were later encrypted. He said local video is encrypted on the device or HomeBase, eufy cannot open it, and a Video Doorbell Dual setup photo kept in the cloud was removed and held no face data.⁸ On 28 January 2025, the New York Attorney General’s office said it secured $450,000 from Fantasia Trading LLC, Power Mobile Life LLC and Smart Innovation, LLC. It said some video from their eufy cameras, doorbells and locks was not end-to-end encrypted, that part of a connection used no encryption, and that a stream could be opened from its web address with no login. The settlement requires the companies to substantiate encryption of video in storage and in transit.⁷

How to get started with an eufy video doorbell

1. Buy from eufy’s collection. It lists the E340 and the wired S4.¹
2. Install the free Anker eufy app from the App Store or Google Play. Support lists Android 5.0 or later and iOS 11 or later, not Windows phones or Kindle Fire.⁵
3. Create a free account in the app.⁵ If you use an email address you also use elsewhere, BellCrier checks email addresses against known data breaches and emails you when one turns up, with what was exposed and how to fix it.
4. Join a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, as the setup guide requires.⁵ On the E340, wired power still needs the battery installed.²
5. Leave cloud backup off to keep clips at home, on the E340’s 8 GB or a HomeBase S380 at firmware V3.3.2.6 or newer.²⁴ Use text alerts, Advanced Encryption and two-factor sign-in.³
6. Draw a privacy zone over anything the lens should ignore, and share a guest account instead of your password. One device allows five guests.³⁵

Who should use an eufy video doorbell (and who might prefer something else)

It fits a home that wants a doorbell, a phone alert and recordings in the house without a monthly bill. Pick the E340 for a battery or existing wires, or the S4 when the door is wired and you want all-day recording.¹² Leave Alexa and Google unlinked unless you want those accounts involved.

A Zigbee home, using a low-power smart-home radio, is closer to the Aqara doorbell. Frigate is the open-source recorder for ordinary network cameras on a computer you run.

Frequently asked questions

Is the eufy video doorbell free?

The app is free. The doorbell is a purchase. Cloud backup is a paid extra, and Plus membership was listed at $15 a month. eufy says local recordings need no subscription.¹²⁵

Is an eufy video doorbell safe?

eufy says home clips are AES-encrypted and that staff cannot start a live view.³ In 2025 the New York Attorney General’s office said some video from this line, including doorbells, was not end-to-end encrypted and could be opened from a web address with no login.⁷

Does the eufy video doorbell work on iPhone?

Yes. The free Anker eufy app is on the App Store and Google Play. Support lists iOS 11 or later and Android 5.0 or later.⁵

Does eufy store doorbell video in the cloud?

eufy says motion clips are stored locally. Cloud storage is a plan you add.³ Thumbnail previews, if you turn them on, are held briefly on Amazon’s cloud.²³ Anker told The Verge a Dual doorbell setup photo had been stored in the cloud and then removed.⁸

Sources

1. eufy: Video Doorbells
2. eufy: Video Doorbell E340 (Battery Powered)
3. eufy: Your Privacy is Our Priority
4. eufy Support: About S380 HomeBase Storage
5. eufy Support: About Anker eufy app
6. eufy: Terms of Service
7. New York Attorney General: Attorney General James Secures $450,000 from Companies Selling Home Security Cameras that Failed to Secure Private Videos
8. The Verge: Anker finally comes clean about its Eufy security cameras