The primary purpose of installing a motion-activated outdoor camera is to detect unwanted movement outside your home while you are away. While traditional CCTV recording cameras can capture footage of a robbery, motion-activated cameras can capture footage and simultaneously send you an alert that there is suspicious activity while the incident is taking place.

This eliminates unwanted surprises, decreases crime, and increases your peace of mind. Some motion-activated cameras use a light image sensor technology to detect movement within their field of view. Another type of motion-activated camera technology determines if movement has taken place by comparing pixels in images it captures of its environment. Whenever the camera detects a drastic enough change in lighting (like, say, a person's shadow), its sensor activates, and it begins recording footage. Whenever your camera's sensor is activated, it will start recording video and send an alert to an app on your mobile device. This means you can get notifications in real-time from anywhere in the world as your indoor or outdoor security camera detects activity.

The Eufy outdoor camera uses AI motion detection to trigger notifications. How it works is simple—A PIR motion sensor on the camera will trigger when a heat signature matching a human heat signature crosses the field of view. At that point, the camera can analyze if the shape appears to be human and will begin recording, and then send a snapshot of the person’s face to the Cove Connect app.

Most motion-activated security camera models only record video when they detect suspicious activity. They are designed to do this so that you aren't stuck with hours upon hours of footage of a still, lifeless room. Footage without movement doesn't benefit you in any way. Since these cameras are designed to record and store video only when there is movement, you save on storage space.

Different cameras record videos for different lengths of time after they are activated. Most will continue recording and saving footage for 3–5 seconds after the camera stops detecting movement. The minimum and maximum length of recording is from 10-120 seconds. There is a "cooldown" interval (the time between the last motion event and when the camera begins recording again) that is configured to capture motion if movement events exceed the 120 seconds.

The Eufy outdoor camera stores video locally on the camera. This video can then be downloaded through the Cove Connect app and saved to your phone. The camera’s local storage supports up to 8 GB or 2 months of storage at a time, depending on the amount of activity captured by the camera.

Motion-activated cameras will usually get their power from batteries or an AC power outlet. Both methods of power have their benefits. If you choose an AC-powered camera, you won't have to worry about battery life. On the other hand, if you choose a camera that uses batteries, you won't have to worry about your camera functioning in a power outage.

The Eufy outdoor camera uses a rechargeable battery powered by either the included USB-C cord, or by the solar panel on the camera. As long as it is mounted in a place where it will receive sunlight for approximately 2 hours per day,the camera will not need to be taken down for recharging, so you get the best of both worlds.

The Eufy outdoor camera comes equipped with 2-way audio communication, meaning that you will be able to speak through the app to your camera, and visitors can speak through the camera and be heard from the mobile app. This feature allows you to communicate, even if you are not at home.

Eufy’s outdoor camera is compatible with our Cove Connect app. From the app, you can download clips, talk through your cameras, and change your settings for your camera. To download the app, visit the App Store or Google Play Store and search for “Cove Connect.”

Entryways are an excellent place for a motion-activated camera because any time someone comes to your door, the camera will activate, record footage of the person at your door, and send you a notification of the movement.

You might also consider installing your Eufy outdoor camera above your garage, in the backyard, or somewhere else.

If you don't like where your outdoor camera is placed and feel like it could capture a broader view, move it somewhere else. Just unscrew the base and move the camera to a new location. As long as the camera is within range of your Wi-Fi router, your camera should work fine.

1. Adjust your camera's sensitivity If your camera sends alerts whenever a bug flies past, try decreasing its sensitivity threshold. This will make it less likely to falsely mark minuscule movements as potential threats.
2. Pay attention to the type of motion-activated camera you are using. The motion sensor on this camera is PIR and therefore activated by temperature changes. In that case, you'll want to be aware of upcoming hot and cold weather events that may affect the camera’s motion sensor accuracy.
3. See if your camera came with “activity zone” features. Some cameras can be set up to ignore any movement that happens in a specific part of the camera’s field of view. For example, you could draw a zone around your street, and any motion in that particular area would not trigger a recording or notification.
4. Keep your camera clean, especially if you have one placed outside. Keeping bugs and spiders from establishing a home around your camera will prevent them from setting off a false alarm.