As a smart home expert here at Tom’s Guide, it’s no surprise that my house is packed with many of the best security cameras. A Ring Battery Doorbell Pro guards my street-facing front door and provides a wide view of my entryway and side yard. If you walk around my property, you’ll notice that my back door is fair game in all of my testing. This is where I install many of the best video doorbells and smart locks.
Eufy’s E330 is different from your standard smart lock because it combines both security features into a single device. This smart lock completely replaces your existing deadbolt but adds keypad, fingerprint, and app access to your home. At the same time, its 1080p camera records and stores footage on par with the best subscription-free security cameras I’ve used. How does the S330 stack up and is it worth the $279? Read on to find out if it’s a jack of all trades or a master of none.
What I like
Easy to set up and use
Setting up the E330 is straightforward. All I had to do was loosen the two interior screws on my existing door handle, remove my installation to reveal an empty keyhole, and insert the new Eufy deadbolt. While this part comes shorter by default, you can rotate the plate to extend its length for doors with larger lock holes. Next, I placed the exterior lock on the door, ran the wiring through it, mounted the interior lock, and attached the battery. All in all, it took about 15 minutes to boot up and connect to the Wi-Fi.
The Eufy app makes adding and managing the lock easy. The functionality of the built-in camera is much more limited than dedicated Eufy security cameras, as it doesn’t have a siren, spotlight, or extensive features other than screenshot or recording capabilities. However, this basic monitoring feature works very well without causing any interruptions or pixelation.
Fast notifications with free AI detection
Pressing this doorbell immediately sent an alert to both my phone and Alexa devices. This doorbell doesn’t let any time pass between detection and manually pressing the button, even on a weaker, congested 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network.
This smart lock has one of the most accurate cameras I’ve ever tested, thanks to its dual motion sensors and built-in AI. Both features work together to quickly identify objects when they trigger motion events. You can set it to a “human only” detection mode to further minimize notifications and false alarms. The device reliably notified me within two seconds when someone opened and walked through my fence that was 15 feet away, just within the E330’s maximum detection range of 15 feet. When I see a notification, I can be confident that someone is at my back door.
The smart lock’s sleek black design looks chic in daylight, and you can clearly see the round bell button and keypad on the bottom of the outdoor lock.
Multiple access points
The Eufy E330 simplifies access to your home with five different ways to open your door. I much preferred the accurate and responsive fingerprint scanner system. The setup process takes less than a minute, while the scanner on top learns your print from eight different angles and stores up to 50 different user profiles. It consistently registered my touch within two seconds, even when my fingers were covered in water from a passing shower and, grossly enough, pizza grease.
The integrated keypad offers a more general approach. You can set several individual codes depending on the type of access – permanent ones for the family and temporary codes that expire for guests or employees. These can also be deactivated in an instant.
If you’re at home and have your hands full with a project, you can even use a PIN code to open your lock with voice commands using a smart assistant like Alexa or Google.
While you’re away, you can view a live feed or open the door remotely via the Eufy app. And if you have a stubborn family member, the lock comes with two physical keys. These are easy to copy if you need access to more spare parts. Just remember that this lock cannot be recoded.
What I don’t like
Short battery life
At an average of 10 events per day, the battery drains just under 20 percent per week. At this rate, I have to charge the E330 almost monthly. That’s acceptable, but not great, but I’m not particularly keen on leaving my house unattended while I charge the battery.
Sharp but narrow 2K image
Even budget security cameras like the Tapo C120 ($29, Amazon) and Wyze Cam v4 ($36, Amazon) have moved to 2K resolution, so this smart lock combo seems a bit pricey at $279. There’s no denying that the sharp lens produces vivid colors or picks out intricate details in texture and text. But my 6’2″ frame gets cut off when I stand directly in front of the lock.
In the picture below, I’m standing three feet from the door after ringing the bell and stepping back. I still can’t see my feet or if I’d leave anything on the floor. The field of view feels narrow, whether from the sides or vertically. Some of the best video doorbells now have a more vertical orientation, making it easier to see if there’s a package at the base of your door.
And compared to traditional video doorbells, which generally offer an unobstructed view, a lock-based camera is offset and enclosed by door jambs on either side. And that lock works best where you don’t have a storm door that would obscure the camera’s image.
What do I press?
If you put a video doorbell on your door rather than on the doorjamb next to it, it will take some getting used to for any visitors. While there is a big blue circle around a button on the bottom of the lock, people aren’t expecting anything there and may just knock on your door instead.
At night, it’s even worse: the lights on the keyboard don’t turn on until you type on them, so all you see at first are the red infrared lights surrounding the camera.
Preliminary judgment
For $279, the Eufy E330 is a powerful all-in-one solution for your back or side door, where you might want a smart lock and video recording to match. The picture is rich, and the fingerprint reader is accurate and fast. Plus, you don’t need to sign up for a subscription to save video events, like you do with a Ring doorbell.
However, the battery needs to be charged once a month – there’s no instant replacement of a set of AA batteries like with most smart locks. The camera’s limited field of view can be a turn-off if your door doesn’t face directly into the area you want to monitor. This worked perfectly since my back door lock faces the only entrance to my yard, but it might be an issue for others.
I’m still evaluating the Eufy 330 to see if it makes our list of the best smart locks, so stay tuned for my full review.
