How to Add Eufy Camera to Synology Surveillance Station

How to Add Eufy Camera to Synology Surveillance Station

ByRaphael S. Raygoza

This guide walks you through the complete process of adding a Eufy camera to Synology Surveillance Station, even though Eufy doesn’t natively support ONVIF or RTSP. You’ll learn workarounds, third-party tools, and configuration tips to integrate your Eufy security camera into your Synology NAS for centralized monitoring and recording.

Key Takeaways

  • Eufy cameras don’t support ONVIF or RTSP out of the box, making direct integration with Synology Surveillance Station challenging without workarounds.
  • Use third-party tools like Home Assistant or FFmpeg to bridge the gap between Eufy’s closed ecosystem and Synology’s surveillance platform.
  • Enable local access and disable cloud-only features on your Eufy camera to allow local network streaming and improve privacy.
  • Configure Synology Surveillance Station with custom camera profiles using RTSP or HTTP streams generated by middleware solutions.
  • Test your setup thoroughly before relying on it for security, including motion detection, recording, and remote access.
  • Keep firmware updated on both Eufy and Synology devices to ensure compatibility and access to the latest features.
  • Consider network bandwidth and storage needs when adding multiple cameras to avoid performance issues on your NAS.

How to Add Eufy Camera to Synology Surveillance Station

If you’re a Synology NAS user who’s invested in Eufy security cameras, you might be wondering: Can I add my Eufy camera to Synology Surveillance Station? The short answer is yes—but not directly. Eufy cameras, while excellent for home security, operate on a closed ecosystem and don’t support standard protocols like ONVIF or RTSP, which Synology Surveillance Station relies on for camera integration.

This guide will walk you through the full process of connecting your Eufy camera to Synology Surveillance Station using proven workarounds. Whether you’re using a Eufy SoloCam, Indoor Cam, or Doorbell, you’ll learn how to stream video to your Synology NAS, set up motion-triggered recording, and manage everything from one centralized dashboard.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a working setup that lets you view, record, and manage your Eufy camera feeds directly within Synology Surveillance Station—no cloud dependency, no third-party apps cluttering your workflow.

Why Add Eufy Cameras to Synology Surveillance Station?

How to Add Eufy Camera to Synology Surveillance Station

Visual guide about How to Add Eufy Camera to Synology Surveillance Station

Image source: kb.synology.com

Before diving into the technical steps, let’s talk about why you might want to integrate Eufy cameras with your Synology NAS.

First, centralized management. Synology Surveillance Station is a powerful, user-friendly platform that lets you monitor multiple cameras from one interface. Instead of switching between the Eufy app and other security tools, you can see all your feeds in one place.

Second, local recording and storage. While Eufy offers cloud storage, it often requires a subscription. By routing your camera feed to Synology, you can store recordings locally on your NAS—saving money and increasing privacy.

Third, advanced features. Surveillance Station supports motion detection, smart alerts, timeline playback, and integration with other Synology apps like DSM and Mobile. You can even set up automated responses, like sending email alerts or triggering lights when motion is detected.

Finally, scalability. If you plan to expand your security system with more cameras, Synology makes it easy to add and manage them all under one roof.

Understanding the Challenge: Eufy’s Closed Ecosystem

How to Add Eufy Camera to Synology Surveillance Station

Visual guide about How to Add Eufy Camera to Synology Surveillance Station

Image source: kb.synology.com

Eufy cameras are designed to work primarily through the Eufy Security app and cloud services. They use proprietary protocols and don’t expose standard streaming interfaces like RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) or ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum), which are required for direct integration with Synology Surveillance Station.

This means you can’t simply plug in your Eufy camera’s IP address and expect it to work. The good news? Clever developers and the open-source community have found ways to extract video streams from Eufy devices using local network access and middleware tools.

Prerequisites: What You’ll Need

Before starting, make sure you have the following:

  • A Eufy camera (SoloCam, Indoor Cam, Doorbell, etc.) that supports local access.
  • A Synology NAS running DSM 7.0 or later with Surveillance Station installed.
  • A stable local network with both the Eufy camera and Synology NAS connected via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
  • Admin access to your Eufy account and Synology DSM.
  • A computer or Raspberry Pi (optional but recommended) to run middleware like Home Assistant or FFmpeg.
  • Basic familiarity with networking (IP addresses, ports, etc.).

Step 1: Prepare Your Eufy Camera for Local Access

The first step is to ensure your Eufy camera is accessible on your local network and not locked behind cloud-only features.

Enable Local Access in the Eufy App

  1. Open the Eufy Security app on your smartphone or tablet.
  2. Go to Settings > Device Settings and select your camera.
  3. Look for an option like “Local Access” or “Enable Local Streaming”. This may be under “Advanced Settings” or “Network.”
  4. Toggle it ON. This allows the camera to stream video over your local network without requiring cloud connectivity.
  5. Note the camera’s IP address. You can usually find this in the device info or network settings.

Tip: Some Eufy models (like the SoloCam S40) have limited local access. Check Eufy’s support page for your specific model to confirm compatibility.

Disable Cloud-Only Features (Optional but Recommended)

To maximize privacy and reduce reliance on Eufy’s servers:

  • Turn off cloud recording if you don’t need it.
  • Disable remote access via Eufy app if you plan to use only Synology for viewing.
  • Ensure your camera is on the same subnet as your Synology NAS (e.g., both on 192.168.1.x).

Step 2: Choose a Middleware Solution

Since Eufy doesn’t support RTSP natively, you’ll need a middleware tool to extract the video stream and convert it into a format Synology can understand. Two popular options are:

  • Home Assistant – A powerful open-source home automation platform that can integrate Eufy cameras and expose them as RTSP streams.
  • FFmpeg – A command-line tool that can capture and re-stream video from Eufy devices.

We’ll cover both methods, but Home Assistant is recommended for most users due to its user-friendly interface and active community support.

Step 3: Set Up Home Assistant (Recommended Method)

Home Assistant can act as a bridge between your Eufy camera and Synology Surveillance Station. Here’s how to set it up.

Install Home Assistant

You can run Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi, a virtual machine, or even directly on your Synology NAS using Docker.

Option A: Install on Raspberry Pi (Recommended)

  1. Download the Home Assistant OS image from home-assistant.io.
  2. Flash it to a microSD card using Raspberry Pi Imager or BalenaEtcher.
  3. Insert the card into your Raspberry Pi, connect it to power and your network, and boot it up.
  4. Access the Home Assistant setup page at http://homeassistant.local:8123 or the Pi’s IP address.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to create an account and complete setup.

Option B: Install on Synology NAS via Docker

  1. Open Docker in DSM and go to the Registry tab.
  2. Search for “homeassistant/home-assistant” and download the latest image.
  3. Create a new container, map port 8123 to 8123, and set a volume for configuration (e.g., /docker/homeassistant).
  4. Start the container and access it at http://[your-nas-ip]:8123.

Add Eufy Camera to Home Assistant

Once Home Assistant is running:

  1. Go to Settings > Devices & Services > Add Integration.
  2. Search for “Eufy Security” and select it.
  3. Enter your Eufy account email and password.
  4. Home Assistant will scan your network and detect your Eufy camera.
  5. Follow the prompts to complete the setup.

Note: You may need to enable “Local Push” in the Eufy app for Home Assistant to detect the camera.

Generate an RTSP Stream

Home Assistant doesn’t expose RTSP directly, but you can use the “Generic Camera” integration to create a stream URL.

  1. Go to Settings > Devices & Services > Add Integration.
  2. Search for “Generic” and select it.
  3. Choose “Camera” as the device type.
  4. In the Still Image URL field, enter: 
    http://[home-assistant-ip]:8123/api/camera_proxy/camera.[your_camera_entity_id]

    Replace [home-assistant-ip] with your Home Assistant server’s IP and [your_camera_entity_id] with the entity ID of your Eufy camera (e.g., camera.living_room).

  5. Set Stream Source to the same URL.
  6. Save the configuration.

Now, Home Assistant provides a stream URL that Synology can use.

Step 4: Add the Camera to Synology Surveillance Station

Now that you have a stream URL, it’s time to add the camera to Synology.

Open Surveillance Station

  1. Log in to your Synology DSM interface.
  2. Open Surveillance Station from the main menu.
  3. Go to Camera > Add > Add Camera.

Select Camera Type

  1. Choose “Network Camera”.
  2. Select “Generic” as the manufacturer.
  3. Choose “Generic RTSP” or “Generic HTTP” depending on your stream type.

Enter Stream Details

  1. In the Camera Name field, enter a descriptive name (e.g., “Living Room Eufy”).
  2. In the IP Address field, enter your Home Assistant server’s IP.
  3. In the Port field, enter 8123.
  4. In the Path field, enter: 
    /api/camera_proxy/camera.[your_camera_entity_id]
  5. Set Protocol to HTTP.
  6. Leave username and password blank unless you’ve set up authentication in Home Assistant.
  7. Click Next.

Test and Confirm

  1. Surveillance Station will attempt to connect to the stream.
  2. If successful, you’ll see a live preview.
  3. Click Apply to save the camera.

Tip: If the preview fails, double-check the URL, IP address, and camera entity ID. Ensure Home Assistant is running and accessible from the Synology NAS.

Step 5: Configure Recording and Motion Detection

Now that your camera is added, set up recording and alerts.

Set Up Recording Schedule

  1. In Surveillance Station, go to Recording > Schedule.
  2. Select your Eufy camera.
  3. Choose a recording mode:
    • Continuous – Records 24/7 (uses more storage).
    • Motion Detection – Records only when motion is detected (recommended).
    • Custom – Set specific times (e.g., only at night).
  4. Click Apply.

Enable Motion Detection

  1. Go to Event > Motion Detection.
  2. Select your camera and click Edit.
  3. Draw motion zones on the video preview (optional).
  4. Adjust sensitivity and detection threshold.
  5. Enable “Trigger recording” and “Send email alert” if desired.
  6. Click OK.

Set Up Alerts

  1. Go to Notification > Email.
  2. Configure your SMTP settings (Gmail, Outlook, etc.).
  3. Test the email alert to ensure it works.
  4. Go to Event > Action Rule and create a rule like:
    • When motion is detected → Send email + Record video.

Alternative Method: Using FFmpeg Directly

If you prefer not to use Home Assistant, you can use FFmpeg to capture and re-stream the Eufy camera feed.

Install FFmpeg on a Linux Machine or Synology

On Synology (via Docker or Entware):

  1. Install Entware from the Package Center.
  2. Open Terminal and run: 
    opkg install ffmpeg

Capture Eufy Stream

Use a command like:

ffmpeg -i "rtmp://[eufy-camera-ip]/live" -c copy -f flv "rtmp://localhost/live/eufy"

Note: Eufy uses RTMP internally, but the exact URL varies by model. You may need to use tools like Wireshark to sniff the stream.

Stream to Synology

Once FFmpeg is running, add the stream to Surveillance Station using the RTMP or HTTP output URL.

Warning: This method is more technical and less reliable than Home Assistant. Use only if you’re comfortable with command-line tools.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Camera Not Detected in Surveillance Station

  • Check that the stream URL is correct.
  • Ensure Home Assistant or FFmpeg is running and accessible.
  • Verify firewall settings on your router and Synology.
  • Try accessing the stream URL directly in a browser or VLC player.

Low Video Quality or Lag

  • Reduce the resolution in Home Assistant or Eufy app.
  • Ensure your network has sufficient bandwidth (5 GHz Wi-Fi recommended).
  • Limit the number of simultaneous streams.

Motion Detection Not Working

  • Check that motion zones are properly configured.
  • Ensure the camera feed is stable and not dropping frames.
  • Test with a high-contrast movement (e.g., walking in front of the camera).

Authentication Errors

  • If using Home Assistant, ensure you’ve logged in with the correct Eufy credentials.
  • Disable two-factor authentication temporarily during setup if needed.

Best Practices for a Reliable Setup

  • Use a wired connection for your Synology NAS and Home Assistant server if possible.
  • Assign static IPs to your Eufy camera, Home Assistant, and Synology to avoid connection issues.
  • Monitor storage usage in Surveillance Station and set up automatic deletion of old recordings.
  • Update firmware regularly on all devices to maintain compatibility.
  • Test your setup weekly to ensure everything is working, especially after updates.

Conclusion

Adding a Eufy camera to Synology Surveillance Station isn’t straightforward, but with the right tools and steps, it’s entirely achievable. By using Home Assistant as a bridge, you can unlock the full potential of your Eufy cameras—centralized monitoring, local recording, and advanced automation—all within your Synology ecosystem.

While the process requires some technical know-how, the payoff is worth it: greater control, enhanced privacy, and a truly integrated smart home security system. Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast or a Synology power user, this setup empowers you to build a robust, scalable surveillance solution without relying on cloud subscriptions.

Start with one camera, test thoroughly, and expand as needed. With patience and persistence, you’ll have a seamless security setup that works exactly the way you want.

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