Brand Loyalty 101 – eufy

Scott Satori
Nov 26
3 min read

Most people don’t plan to be loyal to a specific smart-home brand. They just want everything to work without juggling five apps and a handful of subscriptions. But the reality is that most ecosystems are incomplete. One company does cameras but not locks. Another handles locks but not garage doors. A third only works well if you pay for their monthly cloud plan.

That’s why eufy is the first stop in this series. It’s one of the few ecosystems that can realistically cover every major access point of a typical Florida home, including the overlooked one: the garage entry door, which comes with a handle instead of a deadbolt. eufy is the only major brand with a handle-style smart lock that fits this door without any drilling or door modifications.

If you’re an Apple Home user, the fit is even better. eufy is one of the few companies with reliable Home compatibility, and their AI features run locally through HomeBase with no subscription. Most competitors charge monthly fees for person detection, pet alerts, or facial recognition.

Why eufy works for real homes

1. It fits how your house is actually built

The front door gets most of the attention, but the garage entry is often the bigger security gap. Builders don’t install deadbolts on these doors, and most smart-lock brands only support deadbolt formats. The eufy C33 handle lock fits the existing cutout and adds fingerprint, PIN, and key access without altering the door.

2. Local storage matches the Apple mindset

Eufy's HomeBase S380 stores and processes your video locally. That means:• your recordings stay in your home• faster notifications• no required subscription• AI features like person, pet, and facial recognition run on-device

For Apple Home users who prioritize privacy and reliability, this aligns well with how they already expect technology to behave.

3. One ecosystem means fewer headaches

Every extra app introduces another failure point. eufy covers doorbells, indoor and outdoor cameras, solar cams, pan/tilt units, deadbolt locks, and the rare handle-style lock. That consistency reduces troubleshooting and eliminates the “this works with that… sometimes” problem.

Example whole-home layout

Front Door• Smart Lock S330 (camera + fingerprint + PIN + key) • Video Doorbell E340

Garage Entry• C33 Handle Lock (fingerprint + PIN + key)Fits the standard handle-only door design with no modifications.

Outdoor Coverage• SoloCam E42 (solar + HomeBase storage) • S330 Dual Cam or S340 solar pan/tilt

Indoor Coverage• Indoor Cam E30 (4K, pan/scan)

Pros

A complete security and access ecosystem

Smarter coverage without mixing brands. Cameras, locks, doorbells, and solar options all live in the same app.

Local storage and local AI

HomeBase handles storage and AI detection, so person, pet, and facial recognition features work without a monthly fee.

One of the few brands with dependable Apple Home integration

This reduces friction for iPhone/iPad users and plays nicely with an Apple-first home.

Only major company offering a true handle-style smart lock

Essential for garage entry doors where deadbolts are not installed.

Cons

Higher up-front cost

The hardware isn’t the cheapest, but the lack of required subscriptions evens things out over time.

Limited smart-home expansion beyond security

eufy doesn’t offer a deep line of switches, dimmers, or power-monitoring devices. If you want full-home lighting control, you’ll need to pair eufy with another brand.

Full-feature performance depends on HomeBase

Devices work without it, but the best experience—local AI, unified storage, and smoother Apple integration—comes with HomeBase 3.

The takeaway

If you’re an Apple Home user and want a smart-home setup that matches the way your home is actually built, eufy is one of the strongest ecosystems available. You get reliable access control, local storage, local AI, and one of the only smart-lock solutions that properly fits the garage entry door without modifications.

This isn’t about owning more devices. It’s about designing a smart home that feels consistent, secure, and simple to maintain.