I’ve been using Wyze cameras at my home since they introduced the original Wyze Cam back in 2018.
At the time, internet cameras were on the expensive side, and new startup Wyze priced their camera at just $20.
Since then, Wyze has upgraded their camera through several generations, adding features and improving the image quality and security. Their Wyze Cam v3 ($35.98) and v3 Pro ($49.99) are very nice, but the price has crept up to more than double the cost of the original camera.
Last month, Wyze introduced new cameras that are a throwback to the original, with some new features and a price that’s back down to $20.
I’ve been testing out the Wyze Cam OG ($19.99) and the OG Telephoto ($29.99) for a few weeks. I’ve also been testing Wyze’s newest camera that pans and tilts, the Wyze Cam Pan v3 ($33.99). The new cameras are available at Wyze.com and the prices I listed are introductory, and Wyze says the prices will increase $4 after a “limited” special launch period.
Wyze Cam OG
The OG is an indoor/outdoor camera with a fixed 120-degree field-of-view and a small built-in spotlight. It can stream record 1080p video to the cloud or to a microSD card (not included).
The OG has a different mounting system that Wyze’s other cameras. It has a small screw mount and an adjustable base that seems more solid than their previous models.
Wyze says the OG can load live video 50 percent faster in the app than other Wyze cams. It does seem speedy when you ask the app to show you the camera’s live stream. You’ll also get faster motion notifications.
The OG also has upgraded two-way audio. You can hear what’s going on and speak to people in front of the camera using the Wyze app. The built-in 40-lumen spotlight is nice, but it isn’t going to light up your entire yard. The OG is weatherproof, so you can mount it outdoors.
The OG has color night vision, and I have to say, the image is impressive in low light.
Wyze Cam OG Telephoto
The OG Telephoto shares the features of the OG, but with two big differences.
It lacks the spotlight, and it replaces the wide-angle lens with a 3x telephoto lens for a much closer view of whatever you are watching. Everything else, including the 1080p image, IP65 weather resistance, 24/7 recording with an optional microSD card and color night vision, is the same.
The OG Telephoto also shares the same size and shape as the OG and it also shares the new mounting system.
Working together
The new OG cameras have a feature that’s new to Wyze cams – the ability to stack two cameras together.
Each OG camera has a slot on the top, much like you would mount a flash on a camera.
You can stack any combination of the OG cameras, and Wyze makes it easy with an optional $8.99 kit that includes a USB cable splitter that can power both cameras from one USB plug. It also comes with the stack mount and a USB power adapter that can power both cameras.
Wyze has also updated their app to give the stacked OG cameras a new feature – picture in picture.
When you call up the video from one of the stacked cameras, you’ll see a small tab on the right that you can touch to show a smaller view of the other camera.
It is a very slick implementation.
The stacked cameras can point in the same direction, or they can capture different angles. You can have two wide-angles, two telephotos or one of each.
Wyze Cam Pan v3
The newly redesigned Wyze Cam Pan v3 is much improved over the v2.
The camera is now weatherproof for outdoor use.
Horizontal rotation is 360 degrees, and the vertical lens rotation has increased to 180 degrees.
You can control where the Pan v3 points via arrow buttons in the app. The camera takes a second to respond, but movement is smooth and silent.
It has a privacy mode, which points the camera down and puts it to sleep, which is good for when you are home and don’t really need to be recorded by a camera that can follow you as you walk around.
You can also set “waypoints” which are saved positions, so if you place the Pan v3 in a large room, you can set a preset to look at the front door, and perhaps a view down a hallway or toward a patio door.
Once you have the waypoints set, press them and the camera will spin to the saved position.
The Pan v3 can also track motion and follow the subject across its field of view.
Like the other cams, it can take up to a 256-gigabyte microSD card for continuous onboard recording. You can view the recording through the Wyze app.
The camera captures 1080p HD video, has two-way audio and has night vision and it has an 8x digital zoom.
All three new Wyze cams are powered by USB.
Subscriptions
Wyze has several subscription levels for saving data to the cloud.
Without any subscription, the camera provides a live video view, but will only save still images of motion events to the cloud and it will save them for 14 days. If you choose this basic service (no subscription), please use a microSD card in each camera, which will provide continuous video recording.
Cam Plus ($1.67 per month per camera or $9.99 per month for unlimited cameras) offers unlimited length video clips to the cloud (recorded on motion), which will be saved for 14 days. It also offers Wyze Web View, which is a way to see live streams of your cameras on a computer. Without a subscription, you can only view your cameras on a phone or tablet.
Cam Plus also offers person detection, package detection, vehicle and pet detection.
Cam Protect ($3.33 per month per camera) offers everything in Cam Plus, plus facial recognition and 24/7 professional monitoring. This monitoring will notify you and call for emergency services if there is sound or motion detected while your system is armed.
Conclusions
I’ve trusted Wyze cameras in my house for years and I’m excited to add these new cameras to my home monitoring system. My mom is also a happy Wyze cam user.
I’m excited to see Wyze returning to a more inexpensive price point, while keeping the features up to date. The ability to use all these new cameras indoors or outdoors makes them much more versatile.
