eufy Security eufyCam S330 (eufyCam 3), 4-Cam Kit, 4K Solar

Why it's worth it

This kit gives you four 4K wire-free cameras plus a HomeBase that keeps the footage in your house — 16GB built in, expandable with your own drive. With a couple of hours of sun a day on the solar panels, you can mostly stop thinking about charging them.

The subscription math is the whole argument here. Ring and Nest want a monthly fee before they'll hold onto your video history. eufy keeps clips encrypted on the HomeBase in your hallway closet instead, and you can add a hard drive if you want months of footage on hand. Nothing to cancel, nothing to renew, nothing that stops working when a card expires. PCMag has made the same point about eufy's local-storage approach.

Battery life is the other reason to go this route. eufy rates the camera for up to a year between charges with sun on the panel, and CNET has reported that figure holding up in third-party checks. The catch is traffic. Point one at a busy street with vehicle detection switched on and owners watch that year shrink dramatically. Aim it at your own driveway instead of the road.

From our review of 6 eufy home devices

What we like

• +The subscription math is the whole argument here
• +Battery life is the other reason to go this route
• +Night footage is where 4K earns its keep
• +BionicMind learns your household, and it genuinely helps

What to know

• –Four 4K cameras is a lot of Wi-Fi and a lot of storage
• –This is also the most expensive setup here by a wide margin, and it's a commitment — four mounting points, four trips up a…