Anker Eufy’s latest video doorbell is a smart lock with a fingerprint sensor

Eufy, Anker’s smart home brand, has soft-launched its latest product: The $399 Eufy Security Video Smart Lock.

Available on Kickstarter, it is a video doorbell and smart lock all-in-one device that should ship to backers in May 2022, with a general release to follow one month later. It’s not only interesting for combining two functionalities but also because it features a fingerprint reader to unlock the door. It can also send alerts when specific people arrive or leave via facial recognition, according to Anker.

It’s as if Eufy combined its $260 Eufy Smart Lock Touch and Wi-Fi with the $200 Eufy Video Doorbell 2K but then added more features. Pocket-lint hasn’t had a chance to test the device, but we do have some concerns. For one, when it comes to video doorbells, people don’t often realise they’re supposed to press the camera someplace alert the owner.

With Eufy’s device, the doorbell button is on the door lock, so we could see people getting mixed up and not knowing what to do. 

Eufy also hasn’t mentioned the battery life, so we suspect the door lock and security camera might both drain the battery fast. 

Eufy has said the video doorbell part will sport a 2K camera with night vision, a 160-degree field of view, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and a speaker and microphone, plus a plug-in digital chime and motion detection. The lock will be triggered by a fingerprint reader or keypad, and the device offers app and voice control.

(Note that there is no physical keyed lock.)

Eufy claimed it can recognise your print in under 0.3 seconds and uses artificial intelligence to better learn your prints and your family’s prints over time for an even faster reaction time.

Like with all Eufy’s camera products, recordings are stored locally, presumably working directly over Wi-Fi to store footage on the device.

The Eufy Security Video Smart Lock is now available on Kickstarter. The super early bird special is $199 for the first 2,000 backers.