How Face Recognition (Familiar Faces) Works On Eufy Doorbells

Eufy's video doorbells can easily enhance how you monitor your home's front door. The latest models now also feature AI-powered facial recognition, a big boost towards smart security. But I’ve seen some people struggle to set this up properly. 

I’ve compiled this quick guide so you can understand exactly how Eufy’s familiar faces feature works and the best way to set it up accurately. Soon, you’ll be getting custom alerts for your family and friends without having to worry about annoying alerts.

How Does Familiar Faces Work On Eufy Doorbells? 

Eufy’s Familiar Faces works by using an AI algorithm to scan the faces of visitors and match them against a stored database of known faces, providing personalized alerts based on identification. Hence, your doorbell can alert you to who’s knocking on your door.

Keep reading as I break down the facial recognition process step-by-step, from initial setup to customizing alerts for guests. All so you can get the maximum benefit from this feature. But do note that the exact features available vary from model to model and also depend on your HomeBase.

A Detailed Breakdown of Facial Recognition in Eufy Doorbells

1) The Technology Behind Eufy's AI-based Facial Recognition

Eufy video doorbells rely on advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to power their facial recognition capabilities. Here's a quick look under the hood:

• Image Processing: When you add the image of a familiar face to the Eufy Security app, the AI system analyzes the unique facial geometry, taking precise measurements of key features like the distances between eyes, nose, mouth, etc. It extracts a mathematical representation, called a faceprint, that serves as that person's biometric facial signature.
• Faceprint Database: This biometric faceprint containing the facial architecture is then stored in Eufy's encrypted local database on the HomeBase unit. The more images added for each person, the more accurate the faceprint.
• Matching Algorithms: When the doorbell camera captures video of a visitor, Eufy's AI algorithm matches the live facial data against the faceprints stored in its database in real time. If a high confidence match is found, the system recognizes the person as familiar and triggers a customized notification.

Now, let’s see how all this hi-fi AI tech helps you. 

2) Benefits of Familiar Faces in Doorbells

Having facial recognition capabilities in your Eufy doorbell gives you several advantages:

• Personalized Alerts: You can customize notifications for familiar faces, so you only get alerts for unexpected visitors. This reduces nuisance alerts.
• Distinguish Between Visitors: The facial recognition feature allows your smart doorbell to differentiate between family, friends, neighbors, and even frequent delivery staff versus unfamiliar faces like solicitors.
• Automate Actions: You can set up smart rules to trigger certain responses when someone in your facial database is detected. For instance, unlock the door for family members or turn on the porch light for expected visitors.
• Enhanced Security: Unrecognized visitors at odd hours could pose a security risk, so you can set up the camera to capture footage accordingly and even sound an alarm.

3) Setting Up Familiar Faces in the Eufy Security App

To start using familiar faces, you first need to build your database of familiar visitors within the Eufy Security app:

1. Open the Eufy Security app and select your video doorbell. Go to Settings > Smart Detection and toggle on ‘Familiar Faces.'
2. Next, tap on ‘Face Management' to add familiar people.
3. You can ‘Add Manually' by taking a clear photo through the app or choosing an existing high-quality photo or selfie from your phone's gallery.
4. Position the face centrally, capture multiple angles if possible, and ensure no sunglasses or masks are covering the facial features.
5. Give each face a custom name to easily identify later. 
6. You can also capture stranger faces and convert them to familiar faces later if needed. The doorbell automatically builds a database of stranger faces as it learns. 
7. Over time, the system's self-learning algorithms will continue refining the facial models and improving accuracy.

Pro Tip: For best results, add high-quality facial photos in bright daylight facing the camera directly.

4) Optimizing the Doorbell Camera’s Position, Angle, and Lighting

Since we’re dealing with visual identification, factors like camera positioning, lighting, and face angle when approaching the doorbell affect the accuracy of Eufy's facial recognition:

• Install the doorbell at eye level, about 4-5 feet high, angled straight. 
• Ensure a direct, centered view of the visitor's face within the camera frame. Don’t try to mount it on a side wall where it won’t see the full face. 
• Avoid pointing the camera towards strong light sources that could cast shadows or glare on the subject’s face. So ideally, it shouldn’t face the sun. 
• For reliable night performance, ensure your porch area has adequate lighting installed. The doorbell needs at least some ambient light. Total darkness significantly impacts accuracy.
• Try to inform visitors to face the doorbell camera directly from a few feet away for optimal facial scanning. Side profiles are harder to recognize. If they get too close, then it won’t be a wide angle for the AI to work with. 

So good positioning plus bright, consistent lighting gives you the best shot for Eufy's AI to correctly identify familiar faces.

5) Factors Affecting Recognition Accuracy

There are several factors that can still affect the recognition accuracy

• If someone is walking briskly with their face to the side/at an angle.
• They’re wearing a face covering like a mask, sunglasses, or hats. 
• The range is also limited, and if the person is too far or too close, then it won’t match. 
• Extreme facial expressions can also lower the match confidence level.

It's important to note that while facial recognition technology has come a long way, it’s not perfect, so don’t rely on it exclusively, either.

6) More Informed Alerts and Smart Alerts

Once you’ve set up Familiar Faces properly, you can also customize the alerts you get based on facial recognition. By going to Device Settings → Notifications, you can set up several smart alerts:

• You can set custom tones for familiar faces, making it easy to instantly know when a family member is knocking. 
• Set security alerts for unrecognized strangers approaching late at night or when you’re away.
• Create automations like porch lights turning on or your smart lock unlocking automatically if expected visitors are recognized.
• Ignore or turn off notifications for frequent or unwanted messages. You can also choose specific faces to not notify you. 

So, Eufy doorbells do give you a lot more control and context over your security system alerts. And you can filter out the false triggers so you won’t get disturbed needlessly. 

7) Data Storage and Your Privacy with Eufy Doorbells

Now, it’s natural that you’d be concerned about how your sensitive biometric data gets stored and shared:

• Eufy has stated that all processing is done locally on the HomeBase hub. Images and face data are not sent to the cloud for analysis.
• The HomeBase stores facial recognition information like faceprints locally in an encrypted format inaccessible to outsiders.
• Video footage is also saved on local storage, not the cloud servers. This ensures that the footage remains private.

Recently, there have been some allegations about data leaks with Eufy cameras. However, the company has responded, stating they comply with privacy laws, do not share user data without consent, and aim to encrypt all video streaming as well.

So, while largely designed for local processing, be sure to keep the HomeBase and your Eufy account safe, as they remain the main access point for viewing facial information and camera data.

Encountering issues with your Eufy camera's limited recording duration? Dive into detailed troubleshooting steps and potential solutions to extend footage capture.

8) Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter problems getting Eufy's familiar face identification to work properly, try these troubleshooting tips:

• Make sure your Eufy HomeBase model and Doorbell are both compatible with Familiar Faces. Not all models have the same level of smart features, as some don’t have an AI chip, and some only support ‘Face Detection,’ not recognition. Face detection means the camera knows that it’s a human, but it can’t distinguish between strangers and familiar faces. 
• Ensure ‘Familiar Face Recognition' is enabled under Smart Detection settings in the Eufy Security app.
• Check that high-quality facial photos were added properly for familiar people. Re-add photos if needed.
• Make sure the person is facing the camera at a reasonably close range under good lighting. Side profiles are harder to recognize.
• If alerts are inconsistent, delete them and then re-add the familiar face profile. Also, toggle Smart Detection OFF and ON to force a restart.
• Try resetting the HomeBase unit by using a small pin or paper clip to press the tiny RESET button on the back of the device. 
• For continued non-recognition issues, contact Eufy support to check if a HomeBase unit replacement could help.

And remember, occasional glitches do happen with AI features like these. So try waiting a day or two, and it might just resolve itself. 

Important Notes About Facial Recognition in Eufy Doorbells

Human, Pet, Vehicle, and Crying Detection

Eufy’s doorbells and other security devices have several AI features apart from facial recognition. So, depending on the model, your doorbell/camera may also have human, pet, vehicle, and crying detection. 

This depends both on the Eufy security device you own as well as the HomeBase since the AI processing happens only on the base. 

In my experience, these other AI features were not nearly as helpful as face recognition, but they’re still handy to have, and you can enable/disable them accordingly. 

Frequently Check for Firmware and HomeBase Updates

As machine learning and artificial intelligence are complex technologies, you’re likely to face occasional software bugs and algorithm limitations affecting facial recognition accuracy.

So it’s best to regularly check for firmware updates for your Eufy Doorbells and Cameras, as well as for the HomeBase. 

Maintain Your Facial Database

As people's appearances change over time, you'll need to periodically update the familiar face database for your Eufy system.

Significant changes like shaving a beard, new hairstyles or colors, aging, or even weight changes can impact how accurately a face profile matches the live person at the door. It’s particularly important if you have growing kids. 

So, about once a year, take fresh images under optimal conditions and replace the existing photos. This will ensure accuracy is maintained. 

You can also delete faces you no longer need to be notified about. Keep only your core friends and family registered for a fast and lightweight database. 

Cross-Camera Motion Tracking

Eufy’s latest updates enable cross-camera motion tracking of people and vehicles. So, if you have multiple Eufy cameras around your home, you can use all of them to track people coming and going. For example, if someone enters through your backyard, you can track their movement from camera to camera for complete perimeter surveillance.

FAQs

Conclusion

I hope this guide offered useful insight into the facial recognition capabilities of Eufy doorbell cameras. By understanding the technology powering this innovative feature and properly setting up your face database, you can set up smarter security with more personalized alerts and fewer unwanted notifications.