How to Adjust Recording Time on Eufy

Adjusting recording time on Eufy cameras helps you save storage, reduce false alerts, and capture only what matters. This guide walks you through customizing motion detection, setting recording schedules, and optimizing clip length for better performance.

Key Takeaways

• Access recording settings via the Eufy Security app: All recording adjustments are made through the mobile app, not the camera itself.
• Customize motion detection zones: Reduce unnecessary recordings by focusing only on high-traffic areas like driveways or front doors.
• Set recording schedules: Choose specific times of day when your camera should record, such as nighttime or when you’re away.
• Adjust clip length and cooldown period: Control how long each recording lasts and how much time must pass before the next one starts.
• Enable Smart Detection to reduce false alarms: Use person, pet, or vehicle detection to filter out irrelevant motion like swaying trees.
• Use Continuous Recording for 24/7 coverage: Available on select models with local storage, this mode records everything without relying on motion triggers.
• Regularly review and optimize settings: Update your preferences based on seasonal changes, new routines, or false alerts.

How to Adjust Recording Time on Eufy: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If you’ve recently set up a Eufy security camera, you’ve probably noticed it starts recording the moment it detects motion. While that’s great for security, it can also lead to dozens of short clips every day—many of them triggered by wind, pets, or passing cars. That’s where adjusting the recording time comes in.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to adjust recording time on Eufy cameras to match your lifestyle. Whether you want shorter clips to save storage, longer recordings to capture full events, or scheduled recording during specific hours, we’ve got you covered. We’ll walk you through every setting, explain how they work together, and offer practical tips to get the most out of your Eufy system.

By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:

• Customize motion detection sensitivity and zones
• Set up recording schedules
• Adjust clip length and cooldown periods
• Enable Smart Detection to reduce false alerts
• Switch to Continuous Recording (if supported)
• Troubleshoot common recording issues

Let’s dive in.

Why Adjust Recording Time on Eufy?

Before we get into the steps, it’s important to understand why you might want to adjust recording time. Eufy cameras are designed to record when motion is detected, but the default settings aren’t always ideal for every home or situation.

For example:

• Too many false alerts: If your camera records every time a leaf blows past, you’ll end up with hundreds of useless clips.
• Missed important events: Short clip lengths might cut off before capturing the full action.
• Storage issues: Longer recordings or frequent clips can fill up your local storage (like a HomeBase or microSD card) quickly.
• Privacy concerns: You may not want your camera recording when you’re home or during certain hours.

By adjusting the recording time and related settings, you can:

• Reduce unnecessary recordings
• Save storage space
• Improve video quality and relevance
• Maintain privacy
• Extend battery life (for wireless models)

Now, let’s look at how to make these adjustments.

Step 1: Open the Eufy Security App

All recording settings for Eufy cameras are managed through the Eufy Security app, available for both iOS and Android. You cannot adjust these settings directly on the camera or via a web browser.

How to Access the App

1. Download the Eufy Security app from the App Store or Google Play if you haven’t already.
2. Log in with your Eufy account. If you don’t have one, create it during setup.
3. Ensure your camera is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone and is online.
4. Tap on the camera you want to adjust from the home screen.

Once you’re in the camera’s live view, you’ll see a menu bar at the bottom with options like “Live,” “Playback,” “Settings,” and “More.”

Navigate to Device Settings

1. Tap the Settings icon (usually a gear or three dots).
2. Scroll down and select Device Settings.
3. Look for options like “Motion Detection,” “Recording,” or “Smart Detection.”

These are the main areas where you’ll adjust recording time and behavior.

Step 2: Customize Motion Detection Settings

Motion detection is the trigger that starts a recording. If it’s too sensitive, you’ll get too many clips. If it’s not sensitive enough, you might miss important events.

Adjust Motion Sensitivity

1. In Device Settings, tap Motion Detection.
2. You’ll see a slider labeled “Sensitivity.”
3. Drag the slider to your preferred level:
   • Low: Only large movements (like a person walking) will trigger recording.
   • Medium: Balanced sensitivity for most homes.
   • High: Detects even small motions (like a cat or fluttering curtain).

Tip: Start with Medium and adjust based on your experience. If you’re getting too many alerts, lower it. If you’re missing events, raise it.

Set Up Motion Detection Zones

This is one of the most effective ways to reduce false recordings.

1. Still in the Motion Detection menu, tap Detection Zones.
2. You’ll see a live view of your camera’s feed with a grid overlay.
3. Tap and drag to create custom zones where motion should be detected.
4. You can also disable zones—for example, ignore the sidewalk or backyard if you don’t need coverage there.

Example: If your camera faces a busy street, create a detection zone only over your front door and driveway. Ignore the street to avoid recording every passing car.

Enable Smart Detection (Recommended)

Eufy’s Smart Detection uses AI to distinguish between people, pets, vehicles, and other motion.

1. In Device Settings, find Smart Detection.
2. Toggle it On.
3. Choose which types of motion you want to trigger recordings:
   • Person
   • Pet
   • Vehicle
   • All Motion

Why this helps: If you only care about people, disable “Pet” and “Vehicle.” This drastically reduces false alerts from animals or cars.

Step 3: Adjust Recording Clip Length

The clip length determines how long your camera records after detecting motion.

How to Change Clip Duration

1. In Device Settings, look for Recording Settings or Clip Length.
2. You’ll see options like:
   • 10 seconds
   • 30 seconds
   • 60 seconds
   • Custom (on some models)
3. Select your preferred duration.

Recommendation: 30–60 seconds is ideal for most homes. It gives enough time to see what happened without creating excessively long clips.

Set a Cooldown Period

The cooldown period (also called “recording interval”) is the time your camera waits before it can record again after the last clip.

1. In the same Recording Settings menu, find Cooldown Time or Recording Interval.
2. Choose a duration:
   • 10 seconds
   • 30 seconds
   • 1 minute
   • 5 minutes

Why this matters: If someone walks past your camera multiple times in a minute, you don’t want five separate 30-second clips. A 1-minute cooldown ensures one continuous recording (if motion continues) or a single clip per event.

Step 4: Set Up Recording Schedules

You don’t need your camera recording 24/7. Setting a schedule helps save storage and battery, and improves privacy.

How to Create a Recording Schedule

1. In Device Settings, tap Recording Schedule or Schedule.
2. Toggle Enable Schedule to On.
3. Choose the days of the week you want the schedule to apply.
4. Set the start and end times:
   • Example: Record only from 8 PM to 7 AM (nighttime only).
   • Or: Record Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM (when you’re at work).
5. Save your settings.

Pro Tip: Use different schedules for weekdays and weekends. For example, record during work hours on weekdays, but disable recording when you’re home on weekends.

Use Geofencing for Automatic Scheduling

Some Eufy models support geofencing, which uses your phone’s location to trigger recording.

1. In the app, go to Home Settings > Geofencing.
2. Enable geofencing and set your home location.
3. Choose whether to record when you’re away or when you’re home.

Example: Set your camera to record only when your phone is more than 500 meters away. This ensures it’s active when you’re not home.

Step 5: Enable Continuous Recording (If Supported)

Most Eufy cameras use motion-activated recording, but some models—like the EufyCam 2C Pro or indoor cameras with local storage—support Continuous Recording.

This mode records 24/7, regardless of motion, and saves footage to a microSD card or HomeBase.

How to Turn On Continuous Recording

1. In Device Settings, look for Recording Mode.
2. Select Continuous instead of “Motion Only.”
3. Ensure you have a microSD card inserted (for standalone cameras) or a HomeBase with sufficient storage.
4. Set the recording quality (higher quality = larger files).

Important Notes:

• Continuous recording uses more storage. A 32GB card may last only a few days at high quality.
• It’s not available on all models. Check your camera’s specs.
• Battery-powered cameras (like EufyCam) cannot use continuous recording due to power limits.

Manage Storage for Continuous Recording

To avoid running out of space:

• Use a high-capacity microSD card (up to 128GB or 256GB, depending on the model).
• Enable Loop Recording, which automatically deletes the oldest footage when the card is full.
• Regularly back up important clips to your phone or cloud (if subscribed).

Step 6: Optimize for Battery Life (Wireless Cameras)

If you’re using a battery-powered Eufy camera (like EufyCam 2 or SoloCam), recording settings directly affect battery life.

Tips to Extend Battery Life

• Lower motion sensitivity: Reduces the number of recordings.
• Shorten clip length: 10–30 seconds instead of 60.
• Increase cooldown time: 1–5 minutes between recordings.
• Use Smart Detection: Avoids recording pets or vehicles.
• Disable recording during certain hours: Use a schedule to turn off recording when you’re home.

Example: A SoloCam S40 can last up to 365 days on a single charge with optimized settings. But with high sensitivity and long clips, it may only last 2–3 months.

Troubleshooting Common Recording Issues

Even with the best settings, you might run into problems. Here’s how to fix the most common ones.

Camera Isn’t Recording at All

• Check that motion detection is enabled in the app.
• Ensure the camera is online and connected to Wi-Fi.
• Verify the microSD card (if used) is properly inserted and formatted.
• Restart the camera by removing and reinserting the battery (for wireless models).

Too Many False Alerts

• Lower motion sensitivity.
• Adjust detection zones to ignore windy areas or busy streets.
• Enable Smart Detection and disable “All Motion.”
• Trim trees or bushes that sway in the wind near the camera.

Clips Are Too Short or Cut Off

• Increase clip length to 60 seconds.
• Reduce cooldown time so the camera can record longer events.
• Ensure the camera has a strong Wi-Fi signal—weak signals can interrupt recording.

Recording Schedule Isn’t Working

• Double-check the start and end times in the schedule.
• Make sure the schedule is enabled and applied to the correct days.
• Restart the app and camera to refresh settings.
• Update the Eufy Security app to the latest version.

Storage Is Full Too Quickly

• Lower video quality (e.g., from 2K to 1080p).
• Use shorter clip lengths.
• Enable loop recording.
• Delete old clips manually from the Playback section.

Best Practices for Adjusting Recording Time on Eufy

To get the most out of your Eufy camera, follow these best practices:

• Start with defaults, then tweak: Don’t change everything at once. Adjust one setting, test it for a day, then move to the next.
• Review footage weekly: Check your clips to see if settings are working as expected.
• Update firmware regularly: Eufy releases updates that improve detection and performance.
• Use multiple cameras wisely: If you have more than one, adjust each based on its location (e.g., front door vs. backyard).
• Combine with other features: Use two-way audio, alerts, and smart home integrations to enhance security.

Conclusion

Adjusting recording time on Eufy isn’t just about saving storage—it’s about making your security system smarter, more efficient, and tailored to your life. By customizing motion detection, setting schedules, and optimizing clip length, you can reduce false alerts, capture important events, and extend battery life.

Remember, the key is balance. You want enough coverage to feel secure, but not so much that your camera becomes a nuisance. Use the steps in this guide to fine-tune your settings, and don’t hesitate to experiment until you find the perfect configuration.

With the right setup, your Eufy camera will work seamlessly in the background, giving you peace of mind without the clutter of unnecessary recordings. So go ahead—open the app, make those adjustments, and enjoy a smarter, more efficient home security experience.