Tech Talk

Wi-Fi is excellent for connecting battery-powered security cameras so you can have wire-free surveillance of your property. But there are plenty of places Wi-Fi can’t go where you still might want some digital eyes. Eufy Security’s latest smart security camera, the 4G Starlight Camera, is designed to solve this problem.

The 4G Starlight can be left unattended in remote locations while still providing the owner with access to any footage it captures. The Starlight uses 4G LTE cellular connectivity through AT&T to communicate with the Eufy app on your phone or tablet. It also has a built-in GPS location tool to help recover it if it’s lost or stolen. The camera costs $249 and will be released on April 15th. It also has the option of a $20 solar panel to keep it charged. The AT&T SIM card is sold separately with a monthly service fee of around $30.

The specs for the Starlight camera include 2K resolution, 2.5x digital zoom, color night vision, a spotlight, a 5-megapixel lens, and three months of battery power. Built-in smart detection to detect people uses onboard AI, which Eufy says is five times faster than cloud-based AI. The camera uses a starlight sensor to capture full-color images in low light, and the spotlight is there if needed.

Image: Eufy

The companion solar panel is a 2.6W high-efficiency panel that should continuously power the camera with just a few hours of direct sunlight each day. Without it, you will need to bring the camera indoors to charge, which it does via a USB-C cable. A camouflage silicone cover to help prevent the camera from being stolen or damaged by weather is coming soon, Eufy says. The camera is IP67 rated to withstand rain, dust, and extreme temperatures (-4 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit).

Any captured footage is stored locally on the camera using an included 8GB enhanced multimedia card, which is not removable. There are no monthly fees required to view saved video, but you will need to purchase an AT&T SIM card for the 4G connection and pay a monthly AT&T connectivity charge. While Eufy has a cloud subscription service, no cloud storage is offered for this camera.

There’s not a lot of competition in the cellular security camera space. The closest option in terms of specs is the $250 Arlo Go 2 LTE / Wi-Fi camera, which, unlike the Eufy, works over Wi-Fi as well as 4G LTE. Wi-Fi connectivity lets you use cellular as a backup if the internet or power goes out.

The Arlo also has two-way audio that the Eufy doesn’t have, but it only offers 1080p video compared to 2K for the Eufy. Both have three months of battery life and built-in GPS. For the Arlo, you’ll need to pay for a US Cellular or Verizon data plan, the latter of which starts at $5 a month with an existing plan. While the Arlo camera has an option of a removable microSD card to view recorded footage for free, you’ll need to subscribe to Arlo Secure (starting at $3 a month) for smart alerts and cloud storage of video. Eufy doesn’t charge for smart alerts and this camera doesn't have a cloud storage option.