Can the cheapest $49 home security camera be beneficial? Exactly this was the question on my mind when I came to know about the WyzeCam, the very first offering from a cabal of ex-Amazon employees working under the name Wyze Labs. And the answer turned out to be yes, it can be beneficial.
Pros
- Inexpensive.
- Sharp 1080p video.
- Motion- and sound-triggered recordings.
- Small, flexible form factor.
- Free cloud storage.
- Local storage.
- Time-lapse recording and motion tracking.
Cons
- It doesn’t integrate directly with other smart home devices or support IFTTT.
Wyze Cam Review
The Wyze Cam is one of our cheapest cameras, but it doesn’t skimp at all and always maintains its quality, with 1080p HD video, integrations with Amazon Alexa, and infrared night vision.
WyzeCam challenges everything we are aware of Wi-Fi security cameras. Not only the price is a fraction of most of its popular competitors (you can easily purchase 10 WyzeCams for the price of one Nest Cam), but it also doesn’t necessitate an expensive cloud subscription or look like a sci-fi film prop.
But don’t let this endearing 2.20-by-1.97-by-1.97-inch cube trick you. It incorporates many of the similar features as $200 cameras, including 1080p video, motion and sound detection, night vision, and two-way audio. It offers 14 days of free cloud storage—which is double the majority generous offers of other DIY cams—for detection-alert videos and offers up to 32GB of local storage via microSD card.
Design and Features
At 2.2 by 1.9 by 1.9 inches (HWD), the WyzeCam is the smartest home security camera according to the size we’ve ever come across. In the past, the $60 Tend Secure Lynx Indoor camera (3.0 by 2.0 by 2.0 inches) held that title (it also was holding the title of most reasonably priced security cam). The WyzeCam is glossy white with a thin grey base that holds a hinge and swivel mechanism that enables you to elevate the overall height by a little more than an inch and angles the camera in every direction. The base is magnetic so it can attach to every metal surface or the included metal disc and double-back tape can be used to place it just about anywhere.
Under the base is a MicroSD card slot which enables you to populate with media of up to 32GB to store recorded video. With a microSD card installed (not included), there is an option of enabling continuous recording where the camera is always recording and will automatically overwrite older video when the card becomes full. Even under the base is a Setup button that is used during the initial installation.
The front of the enclosure has a camera that captures video at 1080p and has a 110-degree viewing angle with an 8x digital zoom. The video comes at 10fps instead of the typical 30fps that is offered by most security cameras, which is one of its only weaknesses. It even accompanies two small infrared LEDs that supply black-and-white night vision video up to 29 feet, and there is a microphone and light sensor present. At the backside is a mini USB power jack, a full-size USB port that enables you to power two cameras with a single power adapter, a speaker, and a small LED status light that sparks yellow during setup and turns solid blue when the camera is connected and working correctly.
The WyzeCam utilizes an 802.11n (2.4GHz) Wi-Fi radio to get connected to your home network and sends a push notification to your phone on the detection of motion or sound. It even records a 12-second video clip with pre-buffering, with a recording of the six seconds of activity before the trigger. The camera even listens to the sound of a smoke or CO alarm and starts sending a push alert whenever detected. Video is stored for free in the cloud for 14 days before it is overwritten, but if you record video and take snapshots, they will get stored directly on your phone and can be accessed through the Wyze Video and Photos Album. Not like the more costly and pricy Nest Cam IQ and Netgear Arlo Q, the WyzeCam I not capable of working with third-party devices, nor does it support integrations using IFTTT applets or responders to Amazon Alexa voice commands.
The WyzeCam mobile app (for Android and iOS) is uncomplicated to use and has a remarkable similarity to the Netgear Arlo app. All installed cameras are shown on the screen of the device by name, along with a snapshot of the most recent activity. Just click on any camera to start a live stream with buttons below the video for muting the sound, recording videos yourself, taking a snapshot, enabling two-way audio, and accessing the Video and Photo Album.
There is a Live Stream button at the bottom of the screen, a Playback button for having a look at the videos stored on the SD card, and a Time Lapse button. Time Lapse button enables you to Start, End, and Photo Interval times to generate a time-lapse video that you can save and later on share, but to take advantage of this feature, you have to install a MicroSD card.
There is a gear icon in the upper right corner when you tap on it, that takes you to the Camera Settings screen where you can enable/disable motion and sound detection and smoke and CO detection. There is even an option of setting up an Alert Schedule to let the app know when you want to receive push alerts and when you don’t. Some advanced settings enable you to enable/disable night vision, turn the camera status light on and off, enable recording to the microSD card, and upgrade the firmware.
Installation and Performance
Installation is extremely simple and effortless. You just need to download the mobile app, create an account, and click on “Add New Device”. Following the illustrated instructions, you have to plug the camera in and wait for approximately 20 seconds for the yellow LED to start flashing. When you press the setup button, you will hear the camera say “Ready to Connect”, and then continue to the next screen where you can select my Wi-Fi network and password. Next, you need to hold the camera five inches from your phone, which will display a QR code; you need to wait for a few seconds for the camera to tell you that the QR code is scanned. After that, you gave it a name, updated the firmware, and now it is ready to use.
The WyzeCam records sharp 1080p video with rich colours and no distortion at all and the black-and-white night vision video is also sharp out to around 25 feet, and well-lit with high-quality contrast. Motion and sound detection work impeccably once you tweak sensitive settings for both.
Video at 10fps is not relatively as fluid as what you expect with the Tend Secure Lynx and D-Link Mini HD Wi-Fi Camera DCS-8000LH, both of which record video at 30fps, but it’s still comparatively smooth and more than sufficient for home security. The Time Lapse feature works the same as announced and two-way audio is unexpectedly clear keeping in mind the camera utilizes a really small speaker.
Our Verdict for Wyze Cam
With the WyzeCam, you are getting a 1080p home security camera that is equipped with many of the bells and whistles that you alarm you with more costly and pricy cameras for a simple 20 bucks. The camera has recorded sharp day and night HD video in our tests and has not even once failed to record a motion or sound event or forget to send a push alert. Integration with other smart devices would be an addition that is welcomed and is being already considered by Wyze Labs, but this camera is an unbelievable deal, however. If you have some additional money to overdo, the Tend Secure Lynx Indoor is even not a bad deal, particularly if you’re fascinated by facial recognition, but the only benefit of this camera is you can get three WyzeCams for the same price.
Still, it’s a solid entry gadget if you’re a home-security newbie. Just remember that at some point Wyze Labs will have to initiate longer clips or you’ll be required to upgrade to another camera.