Key Takeaways
- If a camera or doorbell is still on the previous owner's account, ask them to remove it, then add it to your own account.
- If you can't reach the previous owner, ask the device brand's support about an ownership transfer. If the device still won't move to your account, power it off, take it down, and replace it.
- If the recorder is gone, check whether the cables in the wall are Ethernet or coaxial, then confirm whether the old cameras can work with a new recorder.
- If you're not sure who else has access, change your Wi-Fi and router passwords first. Once every device is on your own account, review shared users and turn on two-factor authentication.
Whether you can keep using a previous owner's security cameras and doorbell depends on whose account the devices are registered to and whether the recorder stayed with the house. Most homes fall into one of three situations: a device still tied to the old account, cameras left without a recorder, or doubts about who can still see in. Each situation needs different steps. If you're the one selling, the section for sellers covers how to clear your cameras and account before you hand over the keys.
First, Figure Out Which Situation You're In
Find the row in the first column that matches what you found at the house, then follow the next step in the last column.
| What you found | What it means | Next step |
| The app says the camera or doorbell has already been added to another account | The device is still registered to the previous owner's account | Ask the previous owner to remove it If you can't reach them, contact the brand's support Replace it if neither works |
| Cameras on the walls without a recorder or password | The seller took the recorder | Check the cable before you buy anything |
| Devices work, but you're not sure who else can see them | Old shared users, or anyone who knows the old passwords, may still have access | Check who has access |
Whichever row fits, also rekey or change the locks while you deal with the doorbell and cameras, since the previous owner may still have keys.
Still Linked to the Previous Owner's Account
For security reasons, the app won't let you take over a camera or doorbell that is still registered to the previous owner. Once you know why the app blocks you, work through these options in order: ask the previous owner first, then the device brand's support, and replace the device if neither can get it onto your account.
Why the App Won't Let You Add It
When you scan the QR code to add a camera or doorbell, the app may say the device is already added to another account. That means it is still registered to the previous owner, and eufy devices can't be switched to a new account with one tap. The previous owner has to remove the device from their account first, and then you can add it to your own.
How to Transfer Ownership or Contact the Manufacturer
The fastest fix is to ask the previous owner to remove each camera and doorbell from their own app, ideally at the final walkthrough, and then add the devices to your own account. If they offer to share the devices with you instead, ask them to remove the devices anyway. Sharing keeps them as the main account holder, and only the main account can grant other people access.
If you can't reach them and the device is a eufy camera or doorbell, contact eufy support and ask what your options are. For another brand's camera or doorbell, contact that brand's support and ask how to handle ownership transfers.
When to Replace the Old Camera or Doorbell
Replace the device when the previous owner won't or can't remove it, support can't move it to your account, and it still won't add after you've tried both.
The old setup tells you what the replacement needs. A camera mounted high with no outlet nearby calls for a wire-free camera that charges from the sun, so you don't need an electrician to run new power. A wired doorbell with a chime inside calls for one that can reuse that wiring, so you don't need to run new wire. If the wiring has been cut or doesn't work, a battery-powered doorbell avoids rewiring. The section on what to replace the old devices with below covers models that fit each case.
Cameras Left Behind Without a Recorder or Password
When the previous owner takes the recorder, the cameras on the walls usually can't keep recording. Three checks tell you whether to keep them or replace the whole system: the cable type, whether the recorder or installer can be found, and whether the Ethernet in the walls can be reused.
Check the Cable Before Anything Else
If the seller left the cameras but no recorder, a few cables in the wall may be all you have to go on, so start by working out what type of system you're looking at. Take one camera down and check the connector and cable on its back.
Here's how to tell the two cable types apart and what each one works with:
| Cable you see | What it usually carries | Cameras it goes with | Recorder |
| Coaxial: a round cable with a screw-on BNC plug, often bundled with a power pair as Siamese cable | Video from analog cameras, with power on a separate pair | Analog or HD-analog cameras | DVR |
| Ethernet (Cat5e or Cat6) with an RJ45 plug | Data, plus power on the same cable with PoE | IP or PoE cameras | NVR or PoE switch |
If you end up replacing the recorder, knowing how DVR and NVR systems differ helps you pick the right type for your cable.
Look for the Recorder, the Installer, and the Paperwork
Once you know the cable type, check the attic, garage, and low-voltage panel for a recorder or switch, then look through your closing paperwork for the original installer's contact details. Whether the recorder should have stayed with the house is a question for your agent or attorney. If you have no password and don't know the camera models, resetting each camera takes time and may not work, so don't spend long on it. If you do find the recorder, the steps to reset an NVR without the password can get you back into it.
Can You Reuse Existing Ethernet Cable With a New PoE NVR?
Yes, in most cases, as long as each run still tests fine. When the walls carry Ethernet and the recorder is gone, check three things before you buy anything:
- Confirm the cameras are PoE. A PoE camera has a single Ethernet port and runs on network cable alone.
- Check whether the old cameras can work with a new recorder. NVRs typically work best with cameras from the same brand. Mixing brands usually depends on ONVIF support, and some systems accept only their own cameras.
- Test each cable run. A single run can be up to 328 feet (100 meters). A cable tester shows whether every wire in the run is intact, and a camera that powers on and shows video once connected tells you the run carries both power and data.
If the old cameras can't connect to a new recorder but the cables test fine, the cables are worth keeping, and a complete PoE NVR system with its own cameras can run on them.
What to Replace the Old Devices With?
Each option below matches one of the situations above: a camera that won't add to your account, a doorbell that won't add to your account, and Ethernet left in the walls without a recorder.
A Camera Mounted High That Won't Add to Your Account
If the previous owner does not respond, an old camera on an exterior wall stays on their account and cannot be added to yours. If the camera is also mounted high, replacing it with another wired camera would mean a ladder and an electrician. The eufy SoloCam S340 goes on your own account from the start and, being wire-free, installs in about 5 minutes without an electrician. Its solar panel keeps it continuously powered with 2 hours of direct sunlight a day, so you rarely need to take it down to charge it. It is also a one-time purchase with no monthly fee. However, it connects to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only, so the mounting spot needs a 2.4 GHz signal.
To swap the old camera for the new one:
- Power off the camera you can't add and take it down. For a hardwired camera, shut off power at the breaker, not just the switch, and use a voltage tester to confirm the line is dead before you remove it. Then have an electrician cap the wires left in the wall.
- Stand where the old camera was mounted and check on your phone that the spot gets a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signal. Make sure it also gets about 2 hours of direct sunlight a day.
- Mount the eufy SoloCam S340 and add it to your own account. If a different power option or mount suits that spot better, compare our other security cameras.
A Wired Doorbell That Won't Add to Your Account
If the old doorbell won't add to your account but the doorbell wiring at the door and the chime inside are still in place, you can replace it without running new wire. The eufy Video Doorbell E340 works with existing doorbell wiring and chimes, so when your wiring meets its requirements, the mechanical chime inside still rings when someone presses the button. It can also run on battery power. Video is stored on the doorbell itself, with 8 GB of local storage, so you can play back what happened at the door without a subscription.
On wired power, the existing line has to supply 8 to 24 V and more than 10 VA, and the battery needs to stay installed. To ring directly, the indoor chime has to be a mechanical one, and the doorbell isn't compatible with the original eufy Wi-Fi Chime (T8020) or eufy Chime (T8740/T8742). It also connects to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only. If your wiring doesn't meet these requirements, run the doorbell on battery power instead.
Before you take the old doorbell down, turn off its power at the breaker, then photograph how its wires are connected. After you remove it, check whether the existing holes and anchors in the wall or door frame can be reused, and if they can, use them when you install the eufy Video Doorbell E340.
Ethernet in the Walls but No Recorder
If the Ethernet runs test fine but the old cameras can't connect to a new recorder, you can keep the cables and replace the rest of the system.
eufy offers two PoE NVR systems, the S4 and the E40, and each comes with its own recorder and cameras. A single PoE cable carries power and video to each camera, so the existing cable runs can be reused without an outlet near every camera. Because each kit includes its own recorder with a pre-installed 2 TB hard drive (upgradeable to 16 TB) for 24/7 recording, you don't need to track down the old recorder or its password. The recorder also connects to a display over HDMI, so you can control the system from a screen as well as from the app. However, this route works only with Ethernet, because coaxial cable cannot connect directly to a PoE system.
To choose between them, count the Ethernet runs in the walls, note where each one ends, and work out how many cameras you need. If you want cameras that turn and follow a moving subject, choose the eufy PoE NVR Security System S4, whose two Bullet-PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras turn 360° and hand off tracking to each other. If you only need fixed views of the front door or driveway, choose the eufy PoE NVR Security System E40, which uses single-lens 4K cameras with a 122° field of view.
How to Make Sure the Previous Owner Can't See In
Three steps close the most common ways the previous owner could still see in: take down the devices you can't add to your account, close off access you can't account for, and secure the eufy devices that are now on your account.
Power Down and Remove Devices You Can't Take Over
If the previous owner says a camera doesn't work but its green light is on, don't assume it's off. If you can't add an old device to your own account, the safest option is to cut its power and take it down. For a hardwired camera, turn off its circuit at the breaker and confirm the line is dead before you take it down.
What to Do If You Can't Tell Who Has Access
The previous owner or the original installer may still know your Wi-Fi password, or there may be devices on your network you don't recognize. Log in to your router and look through the list of connected devices, writing down any you can't identify. Then change your Wi-Fi password and your router's admin password, so any device that only had the old password drops off your network. If you're still unsure, go through the signs a camera has been accessed by someone else.
Review Shared Users and Turn On Two-Factor Authentication
Once your cameras and doorbell are on your own eufy account, these settings control who else can see them:
- Start with your shared users. You control who has access to your eufy devices and can remove a shared user at any time.
- Watch for login emails. Whenever a new device logs into your eufy account, you will receive an email notification, so check any login you don't recognize.
- Turn on two-factor authentication. In the Anker eufy app, open the sidebar, go to Control Center, and select Two-Factor Authentication.
- Enable Advanced Encryption on supported devices, so your videos can be decrypted only by you on devices you've authorized.
If the previous owner stops by unannounced, a video doorbell on your own account lets you know in real time and saves the footage.
Selling the House? Clear Your Cameras Before You Hand Over the Keys
If you're on the other side of the sale, take these three steps with your cameras and account before you hand over the keys:
- Download the recordings you want to keep. You can download videos as decrypted files from local storage to a computer or phone, though 24/7 continuous recordings can't be downloaded.
- Clear the storage on your eufy device. For cameras that work with a HomeBase, go to the Devices tab, select the HomeBase, then tap Settings, Storage, and Clear Storage. For a camera or doorbell with its own storage, open its settings, then Storage or Camera Storage, and choose Clear Storage or Format. Formatting local storage will permanently delete all of the data stored on the device.
- Remove each device from your account. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advises sellers to remove administrative access for connected devices so the new owners can set up their own accounts. If you're leaving a device for the buyer, open its settings in the app (the gear icon) and tap Remove Device. If you won't use the account again, delete your eufy account.
Conclusion
Cameras and a doorbell left on the walls don't mean the previous owner also handed over the account and the recorder. When an old device can't be moved to your account, consider setting up a system that is registered to you from the start. Once the new devices are in, check your shared users and login alerts, and if you're still deciding what else the house needs, start with what to install first in a new house.
FAQ
Can I use the previous owner's eufy camera with my own account?
Yes, once the previous owner removes it from their account. There's no one-tap way to move it to a new account, but after it's removed, you can add it to yours the same way you would add a new device.
What if the previous owner won't remove the camera or doorbell from their account?
Contact the device brand's support, or eufy support for a eufy device, and ask about an ownership transfer. If the device can't be moved, or you'd rather not wait, replace it with a camera or doorbell registered to your own account.
Do I need a new recorder if the old DVR or NVR is gone?
Yes, if you want the cameras to record again. First check whether the wall cables are Ethernet or coaxial, since that decides which recorder you need. Ethernet runs can be reused with a PoE kit that has its own hard drive. If your new recorder supports the old cameras, you may need to reset a security camera before pairing it.
How do I know no one else can view my eufy cameras?
Review your shared users, watch for email alerts about new device logins, and turn on two-factor authentication. Remove any shared user you don't recognize.
What should I do with my cameras before selling my house?
Download the recordings you want to keep, clear the device storage, and then remove the devices from your account or delete the account so the buyer can set up their own account.
