Eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam vs. YI Smart Home Camera: Which should you buy?

Eufy Indoor Cam 2k Review Front View 2
Eufy Indoor Cam 2k Review Front View 2 (Image credit: Christopher Close / iMore)

Eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam

Eufy Indoor 2k Cam Render Cropped

Eufy's bargain indoor security camera offers above-average video quality, AI person and pet detection, alerts to let you know when the baby is crying, and is compatible with Amazon, Apple, and Google. It supports local storage and has no paywall to unlock any of its best features.

Eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam

Better resolution and integrations

AI-powered human detection alerts
2K resolution
Supports local storage and 24/7 recording
Alexa, Google Assistant and HomeKit
Recorded motion-triggered responses
Larger FOV
More expensive
No free cloud storage

YI Smart Home Camera

Yi Home Camera

Don't let its cheap cost fool you: the YI Smart Home Camera is a reliable purchase thanks to AI detection, free cloud storage for motion-activated clips, Alexa compatibility, and its Windows app for checking camera feeds while at work.

YI Smart Home Camera

Better price and free cloud storage

AI-powered human detection alerts
Supports local storage and 24/7 recording
Very cheap
Free temporary cloud storage
Works with Alexa
Has a PC app
Lower resolution
More expensive cloud storage
Detection alerts aren't as specific

If you're looking for indoor cameras that offer AI person / pet detection and local storage out of the box, with no need for a monthly subscription, you'll want to weigh the Eufy 2K Indoor Cam vs. YI Smart Home Cam. Both are bargain-priced wired cams with useful features like sound detection, strong infrared night vision, and smart home integration. The Eufy Cam is double the price of the YI Cam, but has some spec and feature differences that may justify spending a bit extra.

Eufy 2K Indoor Cam vs YI Smart Home Cam: AI detection

YI Cam 3 On Table

Source: YI Technology (Image credit: Source: YI Technology)

Many home security cameras and systems offer person detection, only sending you an alert if it detects human beings moving and ignoring pets, cars, or other everyday movements. However, most of them only offer this as part of a subscription or professional monitoring service. Eufy and YI are two of the rare companies that don't charge you for this and still differentiate between people and pets by default.

With the Eufy app, you can choose to have it detect people, pets, all other motion, crying, and other sounds. You can choose the interval between triggered event recordings so you aren't inundated with alerts from the same source, and you can adjust the sensitivity of the visual and audible alerts so only large things or loud noises will alert you.

By comparison, YI uses the more traditional person detection setting. It can recognize humans versus pets, but its primary settings are either to detect humans only or all motion based on your sensitivity settings. However, it can specifically detect crying, making it useful as a potential baby monitor.

Thanks to AI detection, both cameras can ignore your pets and spot intruders both inside and outside.

Which cam pet owners should pick depends on what they want in an indoor security cam. If they want one that ignores their pets, both are solid bets. If they want one that specifically sends you an alert that a pet has entered a room it's not supposed to, then you'll want a Eufy Cam because of its more specific pet alerts. The Eufy 2K Indoor Cam also lets you pre-record a message that triggers if a human or pet enters a specific activity zone, so you could have your Eufy shout "get off the couch" in your voice if the dog goes where it shouldn't.

One rare perk both cameras offer is that they can detect motion through glass during the day. Even though neither is rated to work outdoors safely, you could theoretically point one towards a sliding glass door and get motion alerts of people walking outside. Just don't expect it to work at night, as IR won't travel through glass.

Eufy 2K Indoor Cam vs YI Smart Home Cam: Storage and subscriptions

The new normal for security cameras today is for manufacturers to sell them for cheap, then recoup the costs by locking important security features and storage behind a monthly subscription. One positive of both these cameras is that they have microSD card slots, making cloud storage optional.

The YI Cam can take any microSD card up to 64GB in size versus 128GB with the Eufy 2K Indoor Cam. That extra storage space is more useful if you intend to record on a camera 24/7, but most users will stick with AI-activated alerts, making 64GB plenty. That being said, if you don't buy a microSD card or your storage fills up, these cams can only provide alerts and live view unless you pay for cloud storage.

One perk of the YI Smart Home Cam is that it automatically stores six-second clips to the cloud free for 24 hours, giving you time to download them before they're deleted. That being said, six seconds isn't much time to get a clear sense of what's happening. For longer alerts and longer storage time, you need a cloud storage plan. Depending on your tier, you'll get between a week and a month of stored clips. Your YI Cam records for as long as it detects motion, and it doesn't wait between activations to start recording again.

Only YI offers free cloud storage for 6-second clips, but Eufy charges you less for its cloud subscription.

As for the Eufy Cam, you get no free cloud storage whatsoever, but a cloud subscription will cost you less than with YI. Eufy charges $3/month or $30/year for 30 days of cloud storage for a single camera, or $100/year for a cloud subscription bundle for up to 10 cameras. YI bills you $40/year for one camera for seven days storage, $100/year for five cameras' storage for 15 days, or $150/year for five cameras for 30 days' storage and access to an emergency services button in the app.

Eufy 2K Indoor Cam vs YI Smart Home Cam: Specs

a YI Home Camera sitting on a table

Source: YI (Image credit: Source: YI)

The main area where Eufy shines above YI is in resolution and field of view (FOV). As its name implies, the Eufy 2K Indoor Cam offers 2304x1296 resolution, versus the industry-standard 1920x1080 on the YI Smart Home Cam. That will give you slightly better visual quality of recordings and live view. Plus, Eufy has a 125-degree FOV, versus 112 degrees on the YI.

Otherwise, both cameras are fairly similar in what they offer. Each indoor cam has strong night vision, with eight infrared LEDs to help boost their range. Neither works on the 5GHz band, only connecting to your network over 2.4GHz. Both use a Micro-USB cord connected to a power outlet.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 Eufy Security 2K Indoor CamYI 1080p Smart Home Camera
Price$40$19
Dimensions2.17" x 2.17" x 4.09"3.1" x 1.3" x 4.5"
Weight98g136g
Field of view125º112º
Resolution2K1080p
FPS15 (up to 24 with HomeKit)15–20
Night vision8 IR LEDs8 IR LEDs
PowerWiredWired
Wi-Fi2.4GHz only2.4GHz only
2-way audioYesYes
Activity zonesYesYes
Alerts for crying / loud noisesYesYes
Person detectionYesYes
Local storageYes, up to 128GB microSDYes, up to 64GB microSD
Cloud storageYes: $30/year per camera or $100/year for up to 10 camerasYes: free 6-second clips stored for one day; for longer clips and storage, $40/year per camera or $150/year for up to 5 cameras
Smart home integrationWorks with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKitWorks with Alexa
Emergency response button in appNoYes (with subscription)
AppsiOS / Android / web browseriOS / Android / PC

The only spec we're not clear on is the YI Smart Home Cam's frames per second (FPS). YI lists it as hitting 15 on its Amazon page and 20 on its own website. By contrast, Eufy typically hits 15 FPS, but can reportedly boost its FPS speed to 24 if you connect it to an Apple HomeKit account. Only Eufy offers HomeKit integration or allows you to control your cameras using Google Assistant commands.

Fortunately, both cameras will work with Alexa commands through an Echo speaker. You'll mainly check your cameras' security feeds and alerts using their respective iOS or Android apps, but YI also has a handy PC app you can use, which some users can take advantage of on their work computers. With Eufy, you'll need to use its web portal.

Eufy 2K Indoor Cam vs YI Smart Home Cam: Which should you buy?

Eufy Security Indoor Cam Series Hero

Source: Eufy (Image credit: Source: Eufy)

The Eufy 2K Indoor Cam 2K just beats out the YI Smart Home Cam in specs, but 2K versus 1080p and a few extra degrees of FOV aren't necessarily enough to justify spending twice as much for a smart home camera — particularly if you want to buy multiple to fill your home. A more reasonable justification to pick Eufy is if you already have a Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit smart home hub set up.

Either camera is a solid choice for pet or baby owners thanks to their AI smarts, and we're big fans of any security cameras with local storage that save us on expensive cloud storage costs. If you would prefer not buying microSD cards for multiple cameras, however, you can make a case for either company. YI gives you limited free cloud storage, but we think six second clips won't be enough for most users. If you do choose to pay for the cloud, Eufy will charge you less and guarantee 30 days of storage for a single camera, where YI only gives you seven days for a higher cost.

Michael L Hicks
Senior Editor, Wearables & AR/VR

Michael is Android Central's resident expert on wearables and fitness. Before joining Android Central, he freelanced for years at Techradar, Wareable, Windows Central, and Digital Trends. Channeling his love of running, he established himself as an expert on fitness watches, testing and reviewing models from Garmin, Fitbit, Samsung, Apple, COROS, Polar, Amazfit, Suunto, and more.