Color night vision: An all-new Starlight Sensor records night time video in full, vivid color. The Starlight Sensor can see full color in environments up to 25x darker than traditional video cameras and the new f/1.6 aperture captures 2x more light.
Indoor/Outdoor: Wyze Cam v3 is a wired video camera with an IP65 rating so you can confidently install it outside in the rain or inside in the kids room. Phone Compatibility- Android 5.0+, iOS 9.0+
No subscription required: Free cloud storage is included with your purchase meaning your video recordings are safely stored in the cloud automatically. You always have access to the last 14-days of recordings inside the Wyze app.
Motion & Sound detection: Wyze Cam records video when motion or sound is detected and sends an alert straight to your phone. Motion Detection Zones and custom settings allow you to adjust the sensitivity of detection or turn it off completely.
24/7 Continuous Recording: Continuous video recording with a 32GB MicroSD card (sold separately). Just insert the MicroSD into the base of the Wyze Cam and you’re all set.
IFTTT certified connect all of your different apps and devices. When you sign up for a free account, you can enable your apps and devices to work together.
One-way talk feature is not available via Alexa.
Specification: Wyze Cam v3 with Color Night Vision, Wired 1080p HD Indoor/Outdoor Video Camera, 2-Way Audio, Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT
Product Dimensions
6.38 x 5.69 x 9.98 cm, 213.19 Grams
Date First Available
April 7 2021
Manufacturer
Wyze
Place of Business
Kirkland, WA 98033, US
Item model number
WYZEC3
Country of origin
China
10 reviews for Wyze Cam v3 with Color Night Vision, Wired 1080p HD Indoor/Outdoor Video Camera, 2-Way Audio, Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT
2.8out of 5
★★★★★
★★★★★
3
★★★★★
1
★★★★★
1
★★★★★
1
★★★★★
4
Write a review
Show allMost HelpfulHighest RatingLowest Rating
★★★★★
forresto –
I bought 2 of these and……
All the online reviews were based on some low introduction price.
Standout Pros: -the image quality in low light is excellent. -1080p is OK -the built in mount is impressive, tilt and swivel, magnetic mount, 3m adhesive and metal disk for wall mounting. Can stand without being mounted. -it really is a slick and small box that is aesthetically pleasing. the all black face except for trim is good. -comes with a 6ft USB power cable. -SD cards of 128GB work for recording -can record live video/manually on tablet / phone. -Free cloud of 12s every 5 minutes…maybe this is con.
Cons: -motion detection AND the motion detection AI are terrible. many missed events and many false events. – $2/month USD This increases the cost of ownership significantly but ads features like full cloud features, person detection, vehicle detection and many other features. -motion detection zone is very primitive; one zone, no exclusion and a minimum detection zone is fairly big. This made one of my cameras useless for the purpose. There are custom zones on the V2 camera so maybe this will never happen with V3. This is a huge con. ***FIXED*** they updated the unit to have many zones that can be turned on/off….I would up it 1 star for this. -No windows software, only tablet and smartphone. -good to -20C – 45C…..so not for everyone’s outdoors
For some situations this cam is a 5 out of 5, for others it can go from not suitable to pretty good. Picture quality at night is great. Shop around before buying multiple of these based on the hype.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
JC Rivas –
Tengo la versión 2 desde 2018 y cuando salió ésta no dude en actualizar en cuanto estuviera disponible para compra en Amazon México. La Wyze Cam v2 ya era un buen producto y ahora que es resistente al agua y al polvo, más flexible para instalarse al incorporar un magneto más potente y la posibilidad de utilizar un soporte de cámara estándar, se “recomienda sola”.
Para reseñarla la puse en un soporte metálico de forma que quedara claro que el imán que tiene su base hace innecesario atornillarla en la mayoría de situaciones; escogí un punto en el que tuviera un vidrio enfrente y otros objetos detrás que pudieran reflejarse (en éste caso una cortina) y subí dos fotos, una al medio día y otra en la noche; de forma que se pudiera apreciar la legibilidad de la imagen incluso teniendo reflejos de luz y de objetos en un vidrio, además observando color en la obscuridad; el resultado habla por si mismo.
La recomiendo totalmente, es muy útil considerando las notificaciones de movimiento que además se almacenan en la nube sin necesidad de suscripción (por supuesto la opciones de reconocimiento de objetos usando inteligencia artificial y la disponibilidad de tomas por movimiento de mayor longitud hacen el servicio de Wyze Cam plus muy recomendable), además de permitir la grabación continua al agregar una memoria micro SD. La aplicación de Wyze tiene mejores características que las opciones que típicamente usan otras opciones también de bajo costo.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Eyail –
Ésta cámara de seguridad es una de las más (o si no, la más) accesible en el mercado, pequeña (por tanto fácil de pasar desapercibida) y con funciones a la altura de las marcas más reconocidas.
**Lo bueno**
-El tamaño tan pequeño hace que pueda ser más fácil de ser ignorada.
-El setup es súper fácil, en menos de 2 minutos ya se tiene una cuenta wyze y la cámara lista para ser controlada con el teléfono por medio de la app.
-La calidad de video es genial, de hecho mejor que la de otras marcas con precio mayor.
-Es fácil de instalar, de hecho, puede acoplarse en una área metálica pues en la plataforma tiene 2 imanes, por lo que si la quieres poner en una ventana con marco metálico no seria hacer orificios en paredes o acoplamientos especiales.
-La velocidad de las notificaciones enviadas al teléfono al momento que la cámara detecta movimiento es casi nula (de 1 a 2 segundos).
-La suscripción PLUS no es obligatoria, pudiendo elegir grabar con memoria interna de 32 a 128 GB las 24 horas del día, 7 días a la semana.
-Al usar memoria interna para grabar, ya sea 24/7 o por eventos (detección de movimiento), no es necesario remover la memoria una vez llena, pues las nuevas capturas sobre escribirán sobre lo más viejo.
-Las funciones en la app para controlar la cámara no son para nada complicadas.
-El poder usar el micrófono para comunicarse por medio de la cámara usando sólo el teléfono.
**Lo malo**
-La calidad de audio no es muy buena, se necesita esta muy cerca de la cámara para que detecte bien el audio.
-La cámara funciona sólo con corriente eléctrica, por lo que en un apagón o un bajón al switch eléctrico y tu protección quedará vulnerable.
-El cable de alimentación de corriente es muy corto. Afortunadamente se puede comprar en cable-extensión por separado.
-La aplicación no soporta el lenguaje Español, lo que complicaría a quien no sepa Inglés.
**Nota final**
A pesar que éste producto se vende en México entre 45 y 60 dólares (contrastado con los 20 o 35 dólares en los que se vende en USA), la verdad es que no se siente cómo mala inversión, sino lo contrario. Ésta cámara vale cada peso; además irónicamente, aún el precio en que se vende, sigue siendo muy accesible en el mercado mexicano.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
RickN55 –
Just purchased the new V3 Wyze cam to upgrade my V2 for the new colour night vision which is excellent quality. It beats the V2 in every way from picture quality to how smooth the firmware works, motion detection zone works to how much better quality the cam itself feels. The image quality is excellent in the day and night see pic (picture is taken during the night with no street lights on at all) Set up is really easy, takes all of about 2minutes, it comes with a very sticky 3m pad to stick where you like. The USB cable is of decent length and quality and fully waterproof if you decide to fit outside. The cam itself is fully waterproof with rubber inserts sealing the SD Card slot. I fitted a 128GB SD card in mine for continuous recording which is just under 2 weeks of full recording on 128GB. For the money this camera is huge bang for buck!! Strongly recommend.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Amazon Customer –
Well, it was working great until the outdoor-rated USB charger died. So I reached out to Wyze support, and was told that the warranty is void outside of the lower 48 US states, even if you bought through a Canadian retailer!
Buyer beware, I guess, they don’t seem to care about Canadian customers or retailers.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Dominator –
If I had know that the V3, unlike the older V2 didn’t have grid like like detection zone, I wouldn’t have bought this. Instead of picking and choosing what should be monitored, you have to make a single box which is horrible and almost useless for an outside camera. How do you release a new camera without the basic features of the older version?
Just like with the V2 of course, the app is mediocre. You can’t set individual notifications sounds per individual cameras. So if you have multiple cameras, you may not want to be notified of motion by all the cameras all the time but for example, the one camera in a spot that should never get a false alarm, you may want that camera to have it’s own sound so you can drop everything and look at the video.
Low light view is the best feature of this camera and if that’s important to you then this is the one to get. Otherwise, I’d get the V2 which is less expensive (where I am) and has better detection zone options.
Wyze needs to stop flooding us with silly new crap that nobody wants and improve what they have.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
W –
QC has serious issues on these V3 cams. Terrible static noise you can’t hear anything from the other end. It’s a shame because the picture quality is certainly better than the V2 but I don’t plan to buy a new product that doesn’t work 100% as they advertised. Not to mention, the cable that’s soldered to the back of the cam already came loose when I first opened the package. Umm
I honestly think many of these five stars reviews are either paid/fake or guys didn’t really test their unit thoroughly and just gave a 5-star regardless. The static noise issue on these V3 cams are being reported by tons of users and it’s well documented. I am surprised wyze couldn’t provide any answers nor a fix to this. It seems like they pushed out these new cams way too quick without much testing. Kinda disappointing and I am returning mine.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Franticchick –
Just got it and the instructions are very straight forward but CANNOT get it to connect. Even my boyfriend who is very tech saavy and has 2 of the older versions can’t get this camera to connect to my wifi. I’m super disappointed.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
David –
30 days with 2 units, Glitchy, unreliable, no customer service. Amazon, Microsoft severely restricts you from seeing images. All android emulators- worthless, not workable, freeze, crash. Bought with 1 yr of Plus. recieved only 20 days. Forced to repurchase another 1 yr for each. Now all offline, Error Codes. Semi worthless now. Hold off buying until Microsoft stops Android emulators from Blue Screen of Death on your PC and Amazon allows fire tablets to view images but both phones and Fire tablets too small to really see what happened. If both reverse course, glitches fixed, customer svs added, could be great, but not now. Dozens of videos of frail, unreliable Chromecast, other ways to see images on pcs but none really functional, reliable. Just buy a functional Nest or a POI multicamera with DVI central recorder unit. Wyze promises to make it functional but never will. Running Wyze V3, Nest and Ring side by side. All have their strengths. Wyze V3 The V3 Starlight sensor is breakthrough. Realize that incredible Night is Day color vision comes with 6 ft fireballs around 900 lumen outdoor lights. There are less light sensitive settings that darken the light level to Ring and Nest levels. Lots of settings with V3 but you can fine tune. Adding the monthly PLUS AI analysis and incident reports doubles the value . It’s a must, buy it. Nest Doorbell -with its 4K sensor allows double the zooming than any 1080 sensor, hands down best hardware but cost 10 x as much to purchase and 3 times per month more. It does catch things the Wyze misses and vice versa. IF you add the $10 SD card to Wyze Z3, (and you should), both record full time 24/ 7. . Ring Doorbell Pro -Ring Doorbell Pro is a part time recording device that, I hate to say it, misses 75% of everything, no matter how you set it. It’s a long on the tooth, past it’s day, replace it with a Wyze Z3 now device. Ring is still OK IF it turns on and captures what happened. Ok if all you want to do is record people who come close to your door. The downside of Ring is that all the porch pirates know Ring sends a low quality image and then locks the users out for 3-8 minutes, which give the Porch Pirates 3 to 8 minutes safe escape. Porch pirate know Wyze and Nest respond fast and offer no escape window. Police Dept has warned against Ring. I’m leaving the Ring in just as real time only camera backup because little resale value, not worth removing.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
JS –
****** Update: Nov 2021 ******
One of the biggest complains is the lack of warranty, but Wyze has officially announced their arrival in Canada and offer a 1 year warranty from products purchased from Wyze or an authorized reseller (Amazon). I’ve included a screenshot of what their warranty terms are in my review.
Warranty claims are made on the Canadian Wyze site by filling out a support ticket with “Tech Support” as the support topic. More information can be found there.
Pricing seems to be about the same so it Prime members are probably better off buying from Amazon to get the free shipping since at the time of writing, Wyze only offers free shipping on purchases exceeding $99.
As I originally removed 1 star for the lack of warranty past Amazon’s return policy in my original review, I’ve adjusted my rating back up to 5 stars.
Original unmodified review below: —————————————- Wyze Labs has made a lot of noise about the incredible night vision of the Wyze Cam v3’s starlight sensor so I decided to do a quick head-to-head against its older sibling, the venerable Wyze Cam v2, which many of us have come to love for its amazing price and surprising durability.
The first thing to notice is that the two units are very close in dimensions, but the v3 has a short wire that hangs out the back like a tail for the micro usb cable to plug into. The connector has a rubber sleeve for the cable to slide into which helps to prevent water from getting in between the connectors as the new unit carries an actual weather resistant IP65 rating. That being said, many of us (myself included) have had no issues using the v2 outdoors even though it is rated for indoor use only, so the IP65 rating of the new unit may not be a convincing enough reason to upgrade.
Both cameras record at 1080p and daytime quality on the v3 has improved, but it’s only noticeable when comparing the two back to back. As the daytime image quality of the v2 isn’t that bad, this probably wouldn’t be a good enough reason to upgrade. Video fps has increased from 15 fps on the v2 to 20 fps on the v3 which certainly helps with the smoothness, but it’s still lagging behind most cameras (that are probably more expensive), which record at a more standard 30 fps. Field of view remains unchanged at 110 degrees for both cameras, and from what I could tell, they’re about the same.
Two way communication has improved in the sense that you no longer have to push a button to talk, then release and listen for the reply like a walkie talkie. The new camera acts more like a telephone now in that once turned on, you can have bidirectional communication at the same time. This makes it easier for those that use the Wyze cam at the front door to talk to people.
Some features unchanged are wifi connectivity is still only 2.4GHz, an SD card is still available and the cable and power brick are exactly the same as what came with the v2. The same power cable will come as a disappointment for those who were hoping for a longer cable. The mounting mechanism is unchanged as well as the ability to adjust height and swivel, but one improvement that is notable is that they finally got around to drilling a hole into the bottom of the feet making it easier to mount on a wall with just a screw. I’d been drilling my own holes on the v2’s feet prior, so I really like this change.
OK, now to talk about the proverbial pachyderm in the room that is the starlight sensor on the v3. I’ve included some pictures in my review comparing the nighttime footage of both the v2 and the v3 under different scenarios, but in short, the starlight sensor is indeed game changing.
In my opinion, the single biggest reason to upgrade is that the starlight sensor allows the ability to see in colour at night through a window (IR lights and glass windows don’t work), as long as there is some ambient light. The last part of that previous sentence is the key. You NEED to have some ambient light for the starlight sensor to work and this is what they don’t really tell you. You don’t need a whole lot of light, like a streetlamp, or even the light from a bright night sky/bright moon may be enough, just as long as it’s not close to pitch black.
If it’s too dark, the v3 is smart enough to revert to its IR lighting which is surprisingly much improved over the IR lighting on the v2 and the pictures in my review say it all. There is increased IR range and intensity that allows you to see so much more detail on the owl, and the detached garage behind the owl is noticeably more lit up with the new camera. Furthermore, there are settings to adjust the IR light intensity for further or closer range which is a nice option as close range use turns off the 4 IR lights that can be seen on the front of the camera at night.
CONCLUSION
The million dollar question is should you upgrade and my answer is that it depends on whether or not you need the improved night vision that the v3 offers.
If you are pointing the camera through a window and have ambient light outside (ex. streetlamp lighting), then the ability to see colour at night through a window is truly worth the price of admission.
If you are using the camera outside and rely on IR lighting because it’s just too dark out need the longer IR range of the new camera, the IR lights on the new camera are quite a step up as can be seen in my review photos.
If you don’t need the improved night vision or you’re just using the camera indoors to monitor a room, then the answer is probably a no.
Finally, Wyze does not provide warranty for their products for Canadians which is a major bummer and why I’ve subtracted one star. Reliability seems to be okay from the other Wyze products that I have and Amazon does have a 30 day return window. Most issues that seem to crop up are dead on arrival or issues that are apparent right away, but that being said, it’s still worth pointing out that after 30 days, you’re basically on your own.
PROS
• Starlight sensor for night vision is really is game changing and when there isn’t enough ambient light, the IR lights are much stronger on the v3 providing a substantial improvement in night vision over the v2 • Starlight sensor allows full colour at night through a glass window if there’s enough ambient light outside (ex. streetlamps). The takeaway is that you NEED some ambient light for it to work. • IR light intensity can be set for near or far use • 2-way talk is now bidirectional at the same time, vs. the v2 which is push to talk • Approved for outdoor use with IP65 rating • They finally drilled a hole in the feet to allow easier mounting on the wall with just a single screw • Same 14-day free cloud service and SD card support for continuous recording • 20 fps video recording is improved over 15 from its predecessor, but still lacks behind the more standard 30 fps
CONS
• No warranty from Wyze meaning you’re only covered by Amazon’s 30 day return window. • Pricier than the v2 model and a lot pricier than the $23.99 USD price direct from Wyze ☹ Canadians are still getting bent here. • Still only 2.4 GHz wireless • Wyze interface for playback is still lacking compared to others • Same limitations as with the v2 (ex. 5 minute cooldown on notifications unless paying for subscription) • Wish included micro-USB cord was longer
forresto –
I bought 2 of these and……
All the online reviews were based on some low introduction price.
Standout Pros:
-the image quality in low light is excellent.
-1080p is OK
-the built in mount is impressive, tilt and swivel, magnetic mount, 3m adhesive and metal disk for wall mounting. Can stand without being mounted.
-it really is a slick and small box that is aesthetically pleasing. the all black face except for trim is good.
-comes with a 6ft USB power cable.
-SD cards of 128GB work for recording
-can record live video/manually on tablet / phone.
-Free cloud of 12s every 5 minutes…maybe this is con.
Cons:
-motion detection AND the motion detection AI are terrible. many missed events and many false events.
– $2/month USD This increases the cost of ownership significantly but ads features like full cloud features, person detection, vehicle detection and many other features.
-motion detection zone is very primitive; one zone, no exclusion and a minimum detection zone is fairly big. This made one of my cameras useless for the purpose. There are custom zones on the V2 camera so maybe this will never happen with V3. This is a huge con. ***FIXED*** they updated the unit to have many zones that can be turned on/off….I would up it 1 star for this.
-No windows software, only tablet and smartphone.
-good to -20C – 45C…..so not for everyone’s outdoors
For some situations this cam is a 5 out of 5, for others it can go from not suitable to pretty good. Picture quality at night is great.
Shop around before buying multiple of these based on the hype.
JC Rivas –
Tengo la versión 2 desde 2018 y cuando salió ésta no dude en actualizar en cuanto estuviera disponible para compra en Amazon México. La Wyze Cam v2 ya era un buen producto y ahora que es resistente al agua y al polvo, más flexible para instalarse al incorporar un magneto más potente y la posibilidad de utilizar un soporte de cámara estándar, se “recomienda sola”.
Para reseñarla la puse en un soporte metálico de forma que quedara claro que el imán que tiene su base hace innecesario atornillarla en la mayoría de situaciones; escogí un punto en el que tuviera un vidrio enfrente y otros objetos detrás que pudieran reflejarse (en éste caso una cortina) y subí dos fotos, una al medio día y otra en la noche; de forma que se pudiera apreciar la legibilidad de la imagen incluso teniendo reflejos de luz y de objetos en un vidrio, además observando color en la obscuridad; el resultado habla por si mismo.
La recomiendo totalmente, es muy útil considerando las notificaciones de movimiento que además se almacenan en la nube sin necesidad de suscripción (por supuesto la opciones de reconocimiento de objetos usando inteligencia artificial y la disponibilidad de tomas por movimiento de mayor longitud hacen el servicio de Wyze Cam plus muy recomendable), además de permitir la grabación continua al agregar una memoria micro SD. La aplicación de Wyze tiene mejores características que las opciones que típicamente usan otras opciones también de bajo costo.
Eyail –
Ésta cámara de seguridad es una de las más (o si no, la más) accesible en el mercado, pequeña (por tanto fácil de pasar desapercibida) y con funciones a la altura de las marcas más reconocidas.
**Lo bueno**
-El tamaño tan pequeño hace que pueda ser más fácil de ser ignorada.
-El setup es súper fácil, en menos de 2 minutos ya se tiene una cuenta wyze y la cámara lista para ser controlada con el teléfono por medio de la app.
-La calidad de video es genial, de hecho mejor que la de otras marcas con precio mayor.
-Es fácil de instalar, de hecho, puede acoplarse en una área metálica pues en la plataforma tiene 2 imanes, por lo que si la quieres poner en una ventana con marco metálico no seria hacer orificios en paredes o acoplamientos especiales.
-La velocidad de las notificaciones enviadas al teléfono al momento que la cámara detecta movimiento es casi nula (de 1 a 2 segundos).
-La suscripción PLUS no es obligatoria, pudiendo elegir grabar con memoria interna de 32 a 128 GB las 24 horas del día, 7 días a la semana.
-Al usar memoria interna para grabar, ya sea 24/7 o por eventos (detección de movimiento), no es necesario remover la memoria una vez llena, pues las nuevas capturas sobre escribirán sobre lo más viejo.
-Las funciones en la app para controlar la cámara no son para nada complicadas.
-El poder usar el micrófono para comunicarse por medio de la cámara usando sólo el teléfono.
**Lo malo**
-La calidad de audio no es muy buena, se necesita esta muy cerca de la cámara para que detecte bien el audio.
-La cámara funciona sólo con corriente eléctrica, por lo que en un apagón o un bajón al switch eléctrico y tu protección quedará vulnerable.
-El cable de alimentación de corriente es muy corto. Afortunadamente se puede comprar en cable-extensión por separado.
-La aplicación no soporta el lenguaje Español, lo que complicaría a quien no sepa Inglés.
**Nota final**
A pesar que éste producto se vende en México entre 45 y 60 dólares (contrastado con los 20 o 35 dólares en los que se vende en USA), la verdad es que no se siente cómo mala inversión, sino lo contrario. Ésta cámara vale cada peso; además irónicamente, aún el precio en que se vende, sigue siendo muy accesible en el mercado mexicano.
RickN55 –
Just purchased the new V3 Wyze cam to upgrade my V2 for the new colour night vision which is excellent quality. It beats the V2 in every way from picture quality to how smooth the firmware works, motion detection zone works to how much better quality the cam itself feels. The image quality is excellent in the day and night see pic (picture is taken during the night with no street lights on at all) Set up is really easy, takes all of about 2minutes, it comes with a very sticky 3m pad to stick where you like. The USB cable is of decent length and quality and fully waterproof if you decide to fit outside. The cam itself is fully waterproof with rubber inserts sealing the SD Card slot. I fitted a 128GB SD card in mine for continuous recording which is just under 2 weeks of full recording on 128GB. For the money this camera is huge bang for buck!! Strongly recommend.
Amazon Customer –
Well, it was working great until the outdoor-rated USB charger died. So I reached out to Wyze support, and was told that the warranty is void outside of the lower 48 US states, even if you bought through a Canadian retailer!
Buyer beware, I guess, they don’t seem to care about Canadian customers or retailers.
Dominator –
If I had know that the V3, unlike the older V2 didn’t have grid like like detection zone, I wouldn’t have bought this. Instead of picking and choosing what should be monitored, you have to make a single box which is horrible and almost useless for an outside camera. How do you release a new camera without the basic features of the older version?
Just like with the V2 of course, the app is mediocre.
You can’t set individual notifications sounds per individual cameras. So if you have multiple cameras, you may not want to be notified of motion by all the cameras all the time but for example, the one camera in a spot that should never get a false alarm, you may want that camera to have it’s own sound so you can drop everything and look at the video.
Low light view is the best feature of this camera and if that’s important to you then this is the one to get. Otherwise, I’d get the V2 which is less expensive (where I am) and has better detection zone options.
Wyze needs to stop flooding us with silly new crap that nobody wants and improve what they have.
W –
QC has serious issues on these V3 cams. Terrible static noise you can’t hear anything from the other end. It’s a shame because the picture quality is certainly better than the V2 but I don’t plan to buy a new product that doesn’t work 100% as they advertised. Not to mention, the cable that’s soldered to the back of the cam already came loose when I first opened the package. Umm
I honestly think many of these five stars reviews are either paid/fake or guys didn’t really test their unit thoroughly and just gave a 5-star regardless. The static noise issue on these V3 cams are being reported by tons of users and it’s well documented. I am surprised wyze couldn’t provide any answers nor a fix to this. It seems like they pushed out these new cams way too quick without much testing. Kinda disappointing and I am returning mine.
Franticchick –
Just got it and the instructions are very straight forward but CANNOT get it to connect. Even my boyfriend who is very tech saavy and has 2 of the older versions can’t get this camera to connect to my wifi. I’m super disappointed.
David –
30 days with 2 units, Glitchy, unreliable, no customer service. Amazon, Microsoft severely restricts you from seeing images. All android emulators- worthless, not workable, freeze, crash. Bought with 1 yr of Plus. recieved only 20 days. Forced to repurchase another 1 yr for each. Now all offline, Error Codes.
Semi worthless now. Hold off buying until Microsoft stops Android emulators from Blue Screen of Death on your PC and Amazon allows fire tablets to view images but both phones and Fire tablets too small to really see what happened. If both reverse course, glitches fixed, customer svs added, could be great, but not now. Dozens of videos of frail, unreliable Chromecast, other ways to see images on pcs but none really functional, reliable. Just buy a functional Nest or a POI multicamera with DVI central recorder unit. Wyze promises to make it functional but never will.
Running Wyze V3, Nest and Ring side by side. All have their strengths.
Wyze V3
The V3 Starlight sensor is breakthrough. Realize that incredible Night is Day color vision comes with 6 ft fireballs around 900 lumen outdoor lights. There are less light sensitive settings that darken the light level to Ring and Nest levels. Lots of settings with V3 but you can fine tune. Adding the monthly PLUS AI analysis and incident reports doubles the value . It’s a must, buy it.
Nest Doorbell
-with its 4K sensor allows double the zooming than any 1080 sensor, hands down best hardware but cost 10 x as much to purchase and 3 times per month more. It does catch things the Wyze misses and vice versa. IF you add the $10 SD card to Wyze Z3, (and you should), both record full time 24/ 7. .
Ring Doorbell Pro
-Ring Doorbell Pro is a part time recording device that, I hate to say it, misses 75% of everything, no matter how you set it. It’s a long on the tooth, past it’s day, replace it with a Wyze Z3 now device. Ring is still OK IF it turns on and captures what happened. Ok if all you want to do is record people who come close to your door. The downside of Ring is that all the porch pirates know Ring sends a low quality image and then locks the users out for 3-8 minutes, which give the Porch Pirates 3 to 8 minutes safe escape. Porch pirate know Wyze and Nest respond fast and offer no escape window. Police Dept has warned against Ring. I’m leaving the Ring in just as real time only camera backup because little resale value, not worth removing.
JS –
****** Update: Nov 2021 ******
One of the biggest complains is the lack of warranty, but Wyze has officially announced their arrival in Canada and offer a 1 year warranty from products purchased from Wyze or an authorized reseller (Amazon). I’ve included a screenshot of what their warranty terms are in my review.
Warranty claims are made on the Canadian Wyze site by filling out a support ticket with “Tech Support” as the support topic. More information can be found there.
Pricing seems to be about the same so it Prime members are probably better off buying from Amazon to get the free shipping since at the time of writing, Wyze only offers free shipping on purchases exceeding $99.
As I originally removed 1 star for the lack of warranty past Amazon’s return policy in my original review, I’ve adjusted my rating back up to 5 stars.
Original unmodified review below:
—————————————-
Wyze Labs has made a lot of noise about the incredible night vision of the Wyze Cam v3’s starlight sensor so I decided to do a quick head-to-head against its older sibling, the venerable Wyze Cam v2, which many of us have come to love for its amazing price and surprising durability.
The first thing to notice is that the two units are very close in dimensions, but the v3 has a short wire that hangs out the back like a tail for the micro usb cable to plug into. The connector has a rubber sleeve for the cable to slide into which helps to prevent water from getting in between the connectors as the new unit carries an actual weather resistant IP65 rating. That being said, many of us (myself included) have had no issues using the v2 outdoors even though it is rated for indoor use only, so the IP65 rating of the new unit may not be a convincing enough reason to upgrade.
Both cameras record at 1080p and daytime quality on the v3 has improved, but it’s only noticeable when comparing the two back to back. As the daytime image quality of the v2 isn’t that bad, this probably wouldn’t be a good enough reason to upgrade. Video fps has increased from 15 fps on the v2 to 20 fps on the v3 which certainly helps with the smoothness, but it’s still lagging behind most cameras (that are probably more expensive), which record at a more standard 30 fps. Field of view remains unchanged at 110 degrees for both cameras, and from what I could tell, they’re about the same.
Two way communication has improved in the sense that you no longer have to push a button to talk, then release and listen for the reply like a walkie talkie. The new camera acts more like a telephone now in that once turned on, you can have bidirectional communication at the same time. This makes it easier for those that use the Wyze cam at the front door to talk to people.
Some features unchanged are wifi connectivity is still only 2.4GHz, an SD card is still available and the cable and power brick are exactly the same as what came with the v2. The same power cable will come as a disappointment for those who were hoping for a longer cable. The mounting mechanism is unchanged as well as the ability to adjust height and swivel, but one improvement that is notable is that they finally got around to drilling a hole into the bottom of the feet making it easier to mount on a wall with just a screw. I’d been drilling my own holes on the v2’s feet prior, so I really like this change.
OK, now to talk about the proverbial pachyderm in the room that is the starlight sensor on the v3. I’ve included some pictures in my review comparing the nighttime footage of both the v2 and the v3 under different scenarios, but in short, the starlight sensor is indeed game changing.
In my opinion, the single biggest reason to upgrade is that the starlight sensor allows the ability to see in colour at night through a window (IR lights and glass windows don’t work), as long as there is some ambient light. The last part of that previous sentence is the key. You NEED to have some ambient light for the starlight sensor to work and this is what they don’t really tell you. You don’t need a whole lot of light, like a streetlamp, or even the light from a bright night sky/bright moon may be enough, just as long as it’s not close to pitch black.
If it’s too dark, the v3 is smart enough to revert to its IR lighting which is surprisingly much improved over the IR lighting on the v2 and the pictures in my review say it all. There is increased IR range and intensity that allows you to see so much more detail on the owl, and the detached garage behind the owl is noticeably more lit up with the new camera. Furthermore, there are settings to adjust the IR light intensity for further or closer range which is a nice option as close range use turns off the 4 IR lights that can be seen on the front of the camera at night.
CONCLUSION
The million dollar question is should you upgrade and my answer is that it depends on whether or not you need the improved night vision that the v3 offers.
If you are pointing the camera through a window and have ambient light outside (ex. streetlamp lighting), then the ability to see colour at night through a window is truly worth the price of admission.
If you are using the camera outside and rely on IR lighting because it’s just too dark out need the longer IR range of the new camera, the IR lights on the new camera are quite a step up as can be seen in my review photos.
If you don’t need the improved night vision or you’re just using the camera indoors to monitor a room, then the answer is probably a no.
Finally, Wyze does not provide warranty for their products for Canadians which is a major bummer and why I’ve subtracted one star. Reliability seems to be okay from the other Wyze products that I have and Amazon does have a 30 day return window. Most issues that seem to crop up are dead on arrival or issues that are apparent right away, but that being said, it’s still worth pointing out that after 30 days, you’re basically on your own.
PROS
• Starlight sensor for night vision is really is game changing and when there isn’t enough ambient light, the IR lights are much stronger on the v3 providing a substantial improvement in night vision over the v2
• Starlight sensor allows full colour at night through a glass window if there’s enough ambient light outside (ex. streetlamps). The takeaway is that you NEED some ambient light for it to work.
• IR light intensity can be set for near or far use
• 2-way talk is now bidirectional at the same time, vs. the v2 which is push to talk
• Approved for outdoor use with IP65 rating
• They finally drilled a hole in the feet to allow easier mounting on the wall with just a single screw
• Same 14-day free cloud service and SD card support for continuous recording
• 20 fps video recording is improved over 15 from its predecessor, but still lacks behind the more standard 30 fps
CONS
• No warranty from Wyze meaning you’re only covered by Amazon’s 30 day return window.
• Pricier than the v2 model and a lot pricier than the $23.99 USD price direct from Wyze ☹ Canadians are still getting bent here.
• Still only 2.4 GHz wireless
• Wyze interface for playback is still lacking compared to others
• Same limitations as with the v2 (ex. 5 minute cooldown on notifications unless paying for subscription)
• Wish included micro-USB cord was longer