To the Community – if you agree with me please add your support as a comment below.
Dear Eufy Security,
I would like to petition for open source API’s, a Dev share program, and local direct app communication or mini server app/docker image. First off, I love your hardware and the base products are really well developed, however the software mobile app side seems immature and featureless. I’m not sure if this is due to lack of manpower of lack of a clear vision about where the product lines are headed, in any case it’s a shame as this lack is hurting your bottom line.
I understand the business idea of locking users into the Eco-system but people are currently backward engineering your software already to do what your staff has failed to provide to its customers. Most customers will either put up with what you offer, find a workaround (like me), or leave you for another competitor. As a friend said, “I can throw money at Ring and even if its still not exactly what I want I can get something closer and I don’t have to tinker with it.” Not really what you want to hear from your customers is it?
Embracing open dev program (or similar) and working with these people can offer many benefits including improving the software at a faster pace and becoming one of the preferred (if not the first choice) for DIY users for their security needs. As a customer I do want your company to succeed so I can have the security setup I want. You have the hardware we want, now please give us the software we want so we continue to buy your hardware. Example… right now I’m looking into motion sensors. I’m weighing my choice with Eufy because I have to use an open source app to setup the integration I want since I can’t do it natively. If you offered native integration with Home Assistant (as an example) it probably won’t be a choice for me since most motion sensors I’m looking at are around the same price point. Why might I currently choose something, else… open integration without the fear that you’ll change your API and ruin my integration workaround. From what I’ve read, I think these changes will resolve (in time) most of the complaints users have with the current Eufy offerings as well as offer the versatility the current products don’t have.
So what exactly am I partitioning for…
Open API’s – Allow the tech savvy DIY communities to use your API’s to integration with other products that currently you don’t have integrations for such as home assistant.
A DIY Community section – Give the DIY users a community where we can share our self made integrations which Eufy can then take and make their own with little to no cost. Let us do the work to make Eufy successful.
Mobile App (or local server) direct communication – There is no reason with why (with a few app enhancements) tech savvy users need to rely on your servers and the internet to access their hardware. Either let us configure our mobile apps to link directly with the hardware or allow us to run a mini local server to do this. This will save Eufy some money as there would be less server-side resources, plus Eufy can truly claim “Privacy is Our Priority” as the hardware will then be functional without an internet connection which most of the DIY security products can not claim.
Dev share program – Be open and take our MONEY!!! I won’t pay for your cloud storage, that’s why I bought your local storage hardware in the first place. However if you offered an open dev program that part of the cloud storage cost directly helps with the open source development then I would reconsider since now I’m directly helping other people like me improve on the same products I have and want improved also.
