SpotCam Eva 2 review

The SpotCam Eva 2 has a neat trick few other home security cameras can match: It can physically pan and tilt, so that it can follow subjects around the room. This makes it easier for you to place the camera where you like and still capture what you need.

And, at $50, it’s one of the cheaper home security cameras, too. However, a lack of two-factor authentication and a Byzantine subscription service detracts from its usefulness. Read the rest of our SpotCam Eva 2 review to see how well it performed.

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SpotCam Eva 2: Price and availability

The Spotcam Eva 2 is available for $49.95 on Amazon. It first went on sale in late 2020.

SpotCam Eva 2: Design

The Eva 2 is kinda cute. Similar to the Arlo Baby monitor, it looks like a mini-snowman, with one white sphere perched atop another. The top section can spin 360 degrees horizontally, while the camera inside can tilt 90 degrees vertically. Around the back of the bottom is a microUSB port and a small speaker. 

The Eva 2 can be mounted on a ceiling or wall, and comes with a pair of screws and wall anchors. It measures about 4.5 inches tall and 2.5 inches in diameter. It’s not weatherproof, so it should only be used indoors.

The camera can only connect to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks, and it also lacks two-factor authentication, a security feature that we feel should be standard on all smart home devices.

SpotCam Eva 2: Video quality

The SpotCam Eva 2 produces good but not great video. While not up to the par of the Arlo Ultra, the Eva 2’s 1080p feed is at least equal to other budget cameras, such as the Wyze Cam v3. Daylight videos were reasonably detailed -- enough to make out someone’s features from about 12 feet away -- but it wasn’t sharp enough to read the lettering on my shirt, and there were a good amount of artifacts throughout the entire frame. Colors were also true to life, such as my powder-blue shirt and a green watermelon on the table. 

SpotCam Eva 2: Tracking

The standout feature of the Eva 2 is its ability to physically pan and tilt, which gives it much more range than a standard security camera. 

It was very responsive when following me around. Unlike the Amazon Echo Show 10, which has a smooth motion, the Eva 2 snaps around when it senses you’re reaching the edge of its frame. It’s pretty quiet, but you can still faintly hear the sound of its motors turning.

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A patrol mode will cycle between four preset locations, which you can set in the app, while an auto-pan function causes the camera to continually pan 180 degrees right and left. It’s a bit dizzying to watch. I didn’t find either of these features particularly useful, as the camera doesn’t stop when it senses a person. 

From within the app, you can also manually pan and tilt the camera, as well as set the speed at which the camera will turn.

SpotCam Eva 2 app

SpotCam’s app is relatively easy to navigate. The home screen shows a thumbnail image from your camera in the top third; the bottom section is largely blank except for an ad to upgrade your subscription. 

Tapping the thumbnail brings you to a live view of your camera, below which is a series of icons and a timeline showing when it detected activity. You can scrub back and forth between events, or, if you click on the Events tab at the bottom of the screen, you can see thumbnails of each event. 

A small icon to the right swaps out the timeline view for camera controls. Other options include setting a schedule for when the camera will turn on and off and taking a snapshot. You can also adjust the image quality, enable night vision, and choose when to receive alerts. However, if you want to set up a custom motion zone, you’ll need to subscribe to its Virtual Fence feature.

SpotCam’s app also lets you view the feeds from other SpotCam owners who have chosen to make their camera feeds public.

However, SpotCam’s app lacks two-factor authentication, which we consider to be the bare minimum when it comes to security.

SpotCam Eva 2: Storage and subscriptions

Unlike a lot of the more popular home security cameras, SpotCam does offer 1 day of free video storage. In addition, you can also view live video, get motion and audio detection, and receive alerts on your phone. 

If you want to store video for longer periods, 3 days of rolling cloud storage costs $3.95/month or $39/year, while 7 days of rolling cloud storage is $5.95/month or $59/year. If you want 30 days of rolling cloud storage, it’ll cost you $19.95/month or $199/year. 

Except for the 1 day of free storage, SpotCam’s cloud storage subscriptions aren’t as good as what you’ll find from Ring, Arlo, and Nest, all of whom offer longer storage periods for less per month.

Nest also offers three hours of video recording, as well as people, animal, vehicle, and package detection for free. 

Here’s where things get a bit confusing. Using AI, SpotCam can detect additional activities, subjects, and objects, but you need to subscribe to use them. Here’s a brief rundown of what each offers:

• Indoor Service Pack ($9.99/month): human and pet detection, missing object, and virtual fences.
• Outdoor Service Pack ($9.99/month): human and vehicle detection, missing object, and virtual fences. 

You can also subscribe to get individual features, such as Face recognition ($9.99/month), Human detection ($5.95/month), Baby crying detection ($5.95/month), Pet detection ($5.95/month), and Vehicle detection ($5.95/month). 

While this a la carte offering gives you a lot of choice, your monthly bill can quickly add up.

SpotCam Eva 2 review: Verdict

For a budget home security camera, the SpotCam Eva 2 performs well. We especially like its physical pan and tilt functionality, something that’s a rarity among devices of its ilk. However, the low cost of the camera is offset by its numerous subscription options, which over time make the cost of ownership far higher than other home security cameras. For example, the Nest Cam Indoor will cost just $99, and will offer people, animal, vehicle, and package detection for free. And, it has two-factor authentication. But if you want a home security camera that can cover nearly every square inch of a room, then the SpotCam Eva 2 might be worth your consideration.