Wyze cam

SawMaster

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I just got one of these for home security and noticed there's no specific thread on them although there are several mentions elsewhere. I was able to set mine up with a cheap tablet which uses a crappy version of Android 7. I've had problems using that device with other cams, so kudos to Wyze for the app that should work for everyone. I can't imagine a better cam for the US$27 I spent.

I don't recall seeing anything on the cards used with these though- like so many others they list 32GB as maximum but I'm wondering who might have tried something bigger? To begin with mine is going to be on loan so I need it to work flawlessly before I hand it off.

Phil
 
I have 2 Wyze cams - 1 PanCam and 1 standard V2. Really can't beat them for the price.

I've been meaning to do a review but too many other things are getting in the way and that will have to wait for a couple more weeks.

The app has a few shortcomings but for $20 + shipping I didn't expect a lot and it is functional.

Haven't tried (or needed) any card larger than the 32GB recommended but I seem to recall reading some user comments that 64GB cards work.
 
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I discovered their 'official' forum since I posted, and in a brief overview I found people using 128GB cards successfully but like many dashcams, they need to be in FAT32 format. They share many of the same techniques, issues, and solutions with dash and action cams which makes them more understandable to me :) It seems the "pan" version has some troubles all it's own but the standard cam does great things for the price (y) I'm definitely going to get more unless this one turns out to be a dud.

Phil
 
... It seems the "pan" version has some troubles all it's own...
Yeah, the 'pan cam' had an issue with a single F/W update that caused issues with motion detection and related functions. I experienced it myself. It took a few days to get resolved but it's been rock solid since then. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it based on my experience. Lot of added capability for an additional $10.

It's literally twice the size of the standard camera - necessary to house the motor unit(s?) - which puts some limitations on mounting locations and methods.

I would have mentioned the Wyze user forum but just assumed you already knew about it. Don't know what made me think that - maybe a 'senior moment'. :banghead:
 
Thanks for starting this thread. Have been following it on Facebook. Seems lots of positive feedback.
 
I became interested in buying a WYZE Cam, my daughter is completing the construction of the house and I would like to buy and check it, and then maybe buy a WYZE Cam for her as a gift.
But this impossible for such an amount of money

WYZE CAM on Amazon.jpg
 
I became interested in buying a WYZE Cam, my daughter is completing the construction of the house and I would like to buy and check it, and then maybe buy a WYZE Cam for her as a gift.
But this impossible for such an amount of money

View attachment 49257


The Wyze Cam is actually a licensed version of the identical (hardware) Xiaomi XiaoFang camera that uses proprietary firmware and a custom app designed by Wyze Cam. The licensing agreement Wyze Cam has with Xiaomi restricts sales to North America.

The identical looking Xiaomi XiaoFang was available in various other international markets using Xiaomi's app and firmware according to which market it was sold in. You can find a review of the Xiaomi XiaoFang
HERE.

I'm not sure if the Xiaomi XiaoFang version has been discontinued but I suspect it might have been because the usual vendors like Banggood don't seem to carry it anymore but there are many very similar models available from Xiaomi that might make for a suitable substitute for a Wyze Cam. In fact, some of the newer models have better features and improved performance than the original Wyze Cam or Xiaomi XiaoFang. Then again, you might be able to find a XiaoFang available somewhere if you do some searching but make sure it will work in Russia and that it has a Russian language option as some people have reported receiving them that come with an app that is only in Chinese.

One alternative model that looks interesting is the
XIAOMI Mijia C90655. It is more expensive than a Wyze Cam but not too much and it might suit your needs.

There are numerous small wireless IP cameras on the market and some of them are quite inexpensive. Maybe one of those would work for you as well?



I don't know anything about it but this one caught my eye. For the money ($23.00 USD) it has a nice feature set and 868 five star reviews out of 900, 32 four star reviews and nothing below that.



Again, if you buy any of the cameras mentioned or linked here make sure they will function properly in Russian before you purchase.
 
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Bringing an old post up from the dead. I've just ordered a Wyze cam V2 for inside the window upstairs. Read good reviews on it so thought I'd try for £40 off Amazon Prime, can always send back if no good. The quality of the picture looks great on some YouTube videos.
 
Originally, the Wyze Cam V1 & V2 were only available in North America due to their licensing agreement with XIAOMI which makes the original but identical XIAOMI XiaoFang hardware to which WyzeCam added their own firmware and App. I'm very pleased to see it is now available in the UK but I'm rather shocked at the price. The amazing thing about the original Wyze Cam was the price. It was and still is $20.00 USD (plus shipping) in the U.S. when ordered directly from Wyze Cam and $26.00 on Amazon. £40 works out to $ 56.09 USD at current exchange rates! There are other cameras available that are quite similar in size and performance to the Wyze Cam but not for 20 bucks!

Wyze Cam also has a new V3 version which is waterproof, has a new sensor, new processor, a faster ƒ1.6 lens, color night vision, faster frame rate, more IR LEDs and an array of other new features. The cam is currently unavailable however due to what Wyze Cam claims is a "A global shortage for key materials like silicon is making it impossible to meet demand for some of our newest products." Not sure what the price will be. It's also not clear if they will eventually phase out the V2 when the V3 becomes available or just keep it in their line-up as a more basic, less expensive product. How the new Wyze Cam v3 compares to the Cam v2


wyzecam.jpg

 
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Originally, the Wyze Cam V1 & V2 were only available in North America due to their licensing agreement with XIAOMI which makes the original but identical XIAOMI XiaoFang hardware to which WyzeCam added their own firmware and App. I'm very pleased to see it is now available in the UK but I'm rather shocked at the price. The amazing thing about the original Wyze Cam was the price. It was and still is $20.00 USD (plus shipping) in the U.S. when ordered directly from Wyze Cam and $26.00 on Amazon. £40 works out to $ 56.09 USD at current exchange rates! There are other cameras available that are quite similar in size and performance to the Wyze Cam but not for 20 bucks!

Wyze Cam also has a new V3 version which is waterproof, has a new sensor, new processor, a faster ƒ1.6 lens, color night vision, faster frame rate, more IR LEDs and an array of other new features. The cam is currently unavailable however due to what Wyze Cam claims is a "A global shortage for key materials like silicon is making it impossible to meet demand for some of our newest products." Not sure what the price will be. It's also not clear if they will eventually phase out the V2 when the V3 becomes available or just keep it in their line-up as a more basic, less expensive product. How the new Wyze Cam v3 compares to the Cam v2


View attachment 55508

Thanks for the info, I believe the UK version on Amazon doesn't come with the UK plug so have to use USB or an adaptor over here for it iirc. Yes it sounds like the camera is alot more expensive over here than in the US, but in comparison to the Ring stick up cam we were considering at £69 on offer from £89 plus £25 per year subscription it still works out great value if it all works good. I already have a Ring Doorbell 3 plus so can't justify another £25 subscription fee per year for another Ring Device. I feel the £25 sub fee on the Rings should allow two-three devices for that £25, one is abit tight imo.

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Thanks for the info, I believe the UK version on Amazon doesn't come with the UK plug so have to use USB or an adaptor over here for it iirc. Yes it sounds like the camera is alot more expensive over here than in the US, but in comparison to the Ring stick up cam we were considering at £69 on offer from £89 plus £25 per year subscription it still works out great value if it all works good. I already have a Ring Doorbell 3 plus so can't justify another £25 subscription fee per year for another Ring Device. I feel the £25 sub fee on the Rings should allow two-three devices for that £25, one is abit tight imo.

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It should be a good value even if it does cost more than in the U.S. Also, FYI, any standard UK 5.V USB wall adapter/charger will work for the camera but the camera is powered by USB regardless. It uses a standard cable which it will come with.

As for the subscription service the Wyze Cam comes with basic, free 14 day cloud storage included with the purchase of the camera. That's one of the "features" you get with the camera that makes it such a bargain. More recently Wyze Cam added a an optional feature rich subscription cloud service for $1.99/$1.25 USD per month but you don't need it. Plus the cam accepts a microSD card so you can have local storage.
 
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I've just ordered a Wyze cam V2...
I used to be a big fan of Wyze but in the last 12 months or so have changed my mind. While the hardware itself is fairly impressive given the price point the QA for software and firmware is totally lacking. Just about every release of either will invariably introduce new bugs, and in a few cases, reintroduce previously fixed bugs. I only have 1 Wyze camera left out of 7 devices owned at one point and on it I have to run a firmware version at least 4 generations old just to have the functionality that was there when I bought it.

I don't see things improving either as they seem to be more interested in bringing new 'cheap' products to market and are letting support for the existing product line dwindle away to the point of being near non-existent. Comments have been made on the Wyze user forum comparing customer support as being not a whole lot different than throwing a handful of dark matter into a black hole.

Based on my first hand experience I cannot in good conscience recommend any Wyze product regardless of how it looks based on published specifications.
 
It should be a good value even if it does cost more than in the U.S. Also, FYI, any standard UK 5.V USB wall adapter/charger will work for the camera but the camera is power by USB regardless. It uses a standard cable which it will come with.

As for the subscription service the Wyze Cam comes with basic, free 14 day cloud storage included with the purchase of the camera. That's one of the "features" you get with the camera that makes it such a bargain. More recently Wyze Cam added a an optional feature rich subscription cloud service for $1.99/$1.25 USD per month but you don't need it. Plus the cam accepts a microSD card so you can have local storage.
Thanks for the detailed info, I was thinking of running it on an SD card rather than subscription, am I right in saying it can record 24/7 on the SD Card?

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Thanks for the detailed info, I was thinking of running it on an SD card rather than subscription, am I right in saying it can record 24/7 on the SD Card?

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Yes it should record as long as the card has room or overwrites. I don't recall the card size limit or if that has been upgraded. I use a 32GB card.

I have a V1 version of the Wyze Cam and I basically like it despite a few glitches but I should explain that I haven't been using it as much as I expected so I'm a bit out of the loop on some of the more recent developments in firmware or app. The reason is that I live in a rural area where I have very limited internet bandwidth and the camera was sucking up bandwidth to the point where it was interfering with my other internet activities. Now I use it only when I am away from home as an adjunct to my full time surveillance system.
 
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There is also another cam you may want to take a look at its called LittleElf I used to use it when I was out and had to keep an eye on the dog. when she was a puppy.

LittleElf Wifi Cam

Capture.PNG
 
Yes it should record as long as the card has room or overwrites. I don't recall the card size limit or if that has been upgraded. I use a 32GB card.

I have a V1 version of the Wyze Cam and I basically like it despite a few glitches but I should explain that I haven't been using it as much as I expected so I'm a bit out of the loop on some of the more recent developments in firmware or app. The reason is that I live in a rural area where I have very limited internet bandwidth and the camera was sucking up bandwidth to the point where it was interfering with my other internet activities. Now I use it only when I am away from home as an adjunct to my full time surveillance system.
Do you know how many hours roughly the SD Card records before re writing back over on a 32GB?

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Also if you don't go for the subscription can you still view what the camera has recorded on the SD card on your phone? Or do you have to take card out and view on laptop?

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Do you know how many hours roughly the SD Card records before re writing back over on a 32GB?

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Depends on the recording mode. Per the Wyze product description about 2 days in HD mode and 7-8 days in SD mode. SD and HD modes have the same pixel dimensions just the bit rate is lower for SD.

The V2 camera also has the option to record only when it detects motion thus extending the time before overwriting occurs.

Note however that I've documented instances where the motion detection totally failed and significant events were not captured. This is just one of the reasons I can no longer recommend Wyze products and am in the process of replacing mine. IMO the Reolink E1 is a much better option for not a significant increase in price - plus it has the ability to view real time feeds and recordings via a PC (Windows or iOS) which is something that can't be done with the Wyze cameras which are limited to mobile devices only.
Also if you don't go for the subscription can you still view what the camera has recorded on the SD card on your phone? Or do you have to take card out and view on laptop?

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You can view from your phone but an internet connection is still required.
 
I can view my IP camera from the phone on mobile data, but yes it is a bit buggy and moving the PTZ camera around are more or less useless.
I assume this would be much better with 5G.
 
Wyze Cam is certainly one of the best nanny cams available. The Wyze Cam Pan provides high-end functionality at an affordable price. Its swiveling body and eye provide it with a vast field of view, allowing it to observe the entire room. The Wyze Cam Pan is a low-risk alternative that won't let you down if you're not sure if you want a security camera or if you need to add more than one to your home.

It can follow the activity from one corner to the other thanks to its motion detecting and tracking capabilities. So whether it's your dog throwing a party on the couch, your kids playing in the playroom, or something more sinister like an invader, this small camera will capture it. My colleague Tuba has mentioned some other nanny cams too: https://techsherlock.com/best-nanny-cams/
 
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