If you’ve been burgled and didn’t have an outdoor security camera at the time, then you’ve probably invested in one since the unfortunate event. I’m happy to say that my property has never suffered from a burglary so a security camera wasn’t something that’s ever been on my ‘must buy’ radar.
However, since installing and testing the Eufy Starlight 4G for this review I can see the benefit of having an ever-vigilant sentinel keeping a watchful eye over my property both night and day.
The 4G Starlight Camera is one in a wide range of security cameras that you can purchase from Eufy. They also sell doorbell cameras (such as the Video Doorbell Dual) so you can see who’s on the doorstep (and deter porch pirates from pinching unattended package deliveries).
The Eufy SECURITY 4G Starlight Camera is cheaper than the Video Doorbell Dual but it should still give you extra peace of mind as it watches your backyard while you’re away from home, especially during the holiday season.
Eufy Security 4G Starlight Specifications
Field of view: 120º
Resolution: 2K
Range: 8 meters (26 feet)
LED indicator: Yes
Mounting bracket and screws: Yes
Nightvision: Starlight Night Vision
Speaker: Built-in speaker
Connectivity: 4G LTE (Wi-Fi free)
Weatherproofing: IP67 Weatherproof
Operation: Operates between -4ºF - 122ºF (-20ºC - 50ºC)
Eufy Security 4G Starlight Features
A major feature of the eufy 4G Starlight is its ability to stream video and audio footage straight to your smartphone via the camera’s supplied MVNO EIOTCLUB prepaid 4G LTE cellular SIM card.
This gives you 100MB of free data within each 7-day period, which was more than enough data for us to check the camera feed and view clips triggered by the camera’s motion sensor during our 5-day test.
Additional data can be purchased if required. You can also pay to have clips stored online rather than just inside the camera itself (which could be handy if the camera is stolen). If it does get taken you can track it via GPS!
Because the camera uses a SIM card rather than Wi-Fi to transfer data you can install it in rural locations. Once its motion sensor activates a recording the short clip is stored as an Event inside the camera (which has a storage capacity of 8GB).
You can peruse Events on the Eufy 4G Starlight from the free Eufy Security app on your smartphone and download high-quality 2K clips if you need to get a better look at their subject (or share a clip with the authorities).
To deter unwanted visitors the 4G Starlight can emit an audio alarm while flashing its spotlight. If necessary you can view the camera’s live feed from your smartphone and press an icon to talk to your visitor (or warn off an intruder) via the camera’s built-in speaker.
The Eufy 4G Starlight should function for 3 months on its internal battery before needing to be recharged but as it comes with a solar panel charging shouldn’t be an issue. We tested the Starlight for 5 days on its internal power supply (as a sudden snowfall during our test made it too treacherous to climb a ladder and install the solar panel!).
Eufy Security 4G Starlight Build & handling
The Eufy 4G Starlight camera has a sleekly curved plastic grey, black and white body that wouldn’t look out of place in a Sci-Fi movie. The black and white solar panel complements the camera’s design and should provide an eye-catching deterrent to would-be intruders.
A waterproof flap at the back enables you to attach a USB-C charging lead (from a charger or the solar panel). You can also insert the supplied 4G LTE nano SIM card into the camera’s waterproofed rear. I accidentally inserted the card incorrectly but was able to retrieve it quickly and easily with a pair of mini tweezers.
The Eufy Security app then talks you through the step-by-step process of registering your SIM card with Eufy and syncing the camera to the smartphone app. It didn’t take long before I could see the live footage from the camera lens streaming on my smartphone.
The kit comes with screws and raw (or wall) plugs so you can use a 6mm masonry drill to fix the mount to the brick exterior of your property. I chose my backyard as the location of the Eufy camera. The mount has an adjustable head so you can angle the camera to cover important areas. You can easily detach the camera from the mount if you need to bring it into recharge.
Eufy Security 4G Starlight Hands-on
Eufy Security 4G Starlight Performance
As its name suggests the Eufy 4G Starlight camera captures good quality footage by day or night thanks to 40% more light sensitivity than other 4G cameras. Having tested a lot of trail cameras recently the nocturnal footage captured by the Eufy is certainly sharper and cleaner than its wildlife-centric cousins.
When you live-stream footage from the camera over 4G the clips can suffer from blocky compression artifacts and a jerky frame rate. However, if you view a clip of an intruder or visitor captured in the camera’s Events section you can download a higher quality 2K resolution clip that looks smoother and clearer than footage captured on the average trail camera.
The image quality is good enough to give a clear view of an intruder’s face which is what you want from a security camera. You can ask the Eufy to only record footage when a human trips its motion sensor. However, as the owner of two cats, we occasionally captured clips of our pets.
Initially, we were a bit concerned to be getting the ‘someone has been spotted’ notification on our smartphone in the middle of the night, but it turned out to be a cat. On its site, Eufy claims that the camera uses AI to improve its ability to differentiate between people and other moving subjects so we hope to see fewer cat sightings over time (having only tested the camera for 5 days).
Eufy Security 4G Starlight Verdict
The Eufy 4G Starlight will certainly give you peace of mind as it’ll send you clips from your property when its motion sensor is triggered day or night. It’s also reassuring to be able to use the smartphone Eufy Security app to view the live feed from the camera at any time, so you can ‘pop home’ in an instant from any location (as long as you have a phone signal).
Extra features such as an audio alarm and flashing light help make the Eufy 4G Starlight an effective deterrent to intruders.
The supplied solar panel means you can keep the camera charged for months which alleviates the need to climb a ladder to retrieve and charge the camera. The Eufy 4G Starlight provides “someone to watch over me” as the classic song goes!
You might also like our guide to the best indoor security cameras, and the best cheap security camera.
