Our cat wasn’t willing to actively participate in our testing but accidentally set off the feature anyway, and it worked (your mileage may vary depending on the cat). In March 2022, a Bitdefender study (PDF) was released detailing specific security vulnerabilities that affected all three models of Wyze Cams. We confirmed with Bitdefender that all of the vulnerabilities were theoretical—we don’t know of any users who were actually affected—and have been resolved by a security update for the v2 and v3 models of cameras.
Head over to our review of the best cheap security cameras to see how Wyze fits into the sub-$50 category. Overall, the Wyze Video Doorbell could benefit from a wider field of view, but the camera’s video quality is probably good enough for most folks. Still, don’t expect it to outperform pricier doorbell cameras like Arlo, Google Nest, and Ring. A 32 GB card isn’t huge compared to the 128 GB cards you can buy for less than $20, but Wyze says it’s enough to hold up to two days of continuous HD video or eight days of SD video.
In addition to a slight design tweak over the standard Cam v3, the Wyze Cam v3 Pro boasts improved video. The Cam v3 records at 1080p, while the Pro version bumps up the video quality to an impressive looking 2K video quality. When you lift the bottom of the camera off the stand, wyze home security you’ll find a button that puts the camera in setup mode, and a microSD card slot that’s covered with a plug. Unlike the wired-only offerings, which can continuously record like a conventional CCTV system, you’ll have to manually schedule recording on the Cam Outdoor v2.
You can adjust this camera to go just about anywhere its power cord can reach, including flat spots like shelves, upside down on ceilings, in front of windows, or on magnetic metal surfaces. Normally, the camera will wait five minutes between motion triggers, which is a long time to go without recording. wyze thermostat You might miss some key action not captured in the initial 12-second clip. You want wider or panning coverage
130 degrees is excellent for a budget camera, but more expensive devices can hit upwards of 180º, or you could find a cheap panning camera that tracks movement automatically.
To put the 70 lumens of brightness into perspective, consider that the Ring Spotlight Cam offers a total output of 750 lumens, or over 10 times what the Wyze Cam V3 Pro has. When the lights on the V3 Pro are on, they’re bright enough to light up an object within a few feet of the camera, but their effectiveness basically stops after that. You can buy The Wyze Cam v3 Pro directly from Wyze for $50, or you can save a little bit of cash by buying a two-pack of cameras for $96. Even though the main feature of the Cam Outdoor v2 is the Starlight sensor, it also has more than adequate night vision. For instance, one issue I ran into was trying to monitor a dimly lit part of my yard with my well-lit driveway still in the frame. After manually changing it to night vision, I had no issue seeing my entire backyard and even found out who had been sneaking into my pool in the middle of the night.
The entire time I had it running — a few days of continuous use — the charge didn’t go down below 98 percent. If you didn’t know, you would think this was taking video of this intruder at dusk instead of the dead of night. Wyze Cam Pan had all the features I enjoyed in Wyze Cam V2, including night vision, adjustable motion detection, and two-way audio. This is somewhat unusual in the industry – likely because some folks consider it antiquated or unnecessary. But I found it to be charming, watching the cam zip around, scanning the room. If you have your camera mounted outside, its onboard motion-sensing spotlight will assist the color night vision once the sun goes down with the added bonus of deterring anyone that might be lurking in the dark.
It’s precisely this sort of situation that has made some consumers leery of purchasing connected devices to monitor their homes. Bitdefender says updates in April of 2019 reduced the risk of an attacker snooping on the contents of the SD card. The authentication bypass issue was fixed five months later, though Bitdefender notes only on the Wyze Cam v2. It wasn’t until November of 2020 that Bitdefender received an acknowledgement to its report.
Rather than sending images through the cloud for processing and recognition, the pro’s AI is actually internal, meaning much faster response times — nearly instant, in fact. Most of the time I was testing the Wyze Cam v3, I was using it to keep track of the family dogs. They somehow seem to get into the most trouble when the grownups aren’t around. An extra set of eyes was handy, and this camera definitely got the job done. You might experience a few hiccups, but when you’re dealing with setting up security equipment, there’s always a bit of tinkering involved. I also created a motion detection zone around the door to only receive alerts that happened in that area.
According to Wyze’s public statement on the findings, all the vulnerabilities would require hackers to have access to the home’s WiFi network. Get the best value on product protection including fast repairs or replacements. Perhaps it’s time for all of us to start thinking small when it comes to home security. For other questions or concerns, I suggest consulting the community wyze security camera forum for the latest Wyze updates, news, and tips for using your cameras effectively. So now that you know everything there is to know about Wyze cameras, let’s talk a little about how much they cost to run. Wyze recently released the pro model of its v3 cam, and we’ve got to say, while it’s a little more expensive — $53.99 vs. $35.98 — it’s better in almost every way.
The color night vision is impressive, with good color and better clarity. It’s ideal for covering a small area like a front pathway or interior entryway. Schedules, shortcuts, and triggers can be set up to turn your camera on and off based on time or events (such as your front door opening if you have Wyze Door and Window sensors). To get rid of these restrictions you need to pay for Cam Plus, this gets you full-length recording with no cooldown plus person detection.