I've been a fan of Wyze smart home products, including security cameras, for years.
For the past few weeks, I've been testing Wyze's newest camera, the Wyze Cam v4 ($35.98, wyze.com or Amazon). It has several new and upgraded features compared to v3 at the same price.
spec
Wyze Cam v4 features 2.5K Quad-HD resolution (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) with color night vision, wider dynamic range for better colors, and a larger sensor for sharper images.
The camera has four infrared LEDs that provide illumination for night vision. Video is captured at 20 frames/second during the day and 15 frames/second at night.
The v4 is IP65 weatherproof and can be used indoors or outdoors.
The camera has a speaker and microphone so you can have two-way conversations through the Wyze app on your phone or tablet. It has a more powerful amp and better microphone than the v3.
The v4 features a motion-activated LED spotlight, and when motion is detected, the camera can sound a siren, sound an alert, or read a message that says “You're being recorded.” The speaker can sound a 99 decibel alarm and has echo and noise cancellation features.
Like other Wyze cameras, the v4 has a microSD card slot, so you can add a memory card and record 24/7 without a subscription. v4 supports cards up to 512 GB.
Wyze has added support for Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, but it's still only in the 2.4 GHz band.
v4 continues to use a microUSB cable for power. The v4 includes a 6-foot USB cable and a USB power adapter.
Wyze includes a tool-free magnetic attachment method with a metal disc that can be applied to any flat surface. The v4's adjustable base has a strong magnet.
setting
Wyze has changed the way cameras are set up and configured. With v3, you had to hold your phone in front of the lens for the camera to read the QR code from the app.
The new method has fewer steps and uses Bluetooth. That's a clear improvement.
Before you can set up your camera, you need to download the Wyze app and set up an account.
The app will send information about your Wi-Fi network name and password to your camera.
During setup, you can name your camera and configure notification settings. If you have multiple cameras, they will all be displayed on the app's main screen.
Apps and subscriptions
An app is required to communicate with the Wyze cam. You can check each camera on the main screen of the app. Touch the thumbnail to see a live video view from the camera.
With v4, you can retrieve and review a list of recent events. What you see in these events depends on whether you have a memory card installed or subscribe to Wyze's cloud storage service.
Wyze has several subscription levels.
First of all, there is a free basic plan. This allows for real-time remote viewing of video feeds, still images for motion notifications, and his 5-minute cooldown between motion event captures. The image will be stored online for his 14 days.
Cam Plus costs $2.99 per month per camera or $19.99 per year. In addition to real-time video viewing, Cam Plus stores unlimited length video clips of captured events in the cloud for 14 days. You can also rewind and fast forward clips, and view video feeds and live views through a browser on your computer.
Cam Plus also includes AI detection that alerts you when the camera detects people, packages, vehicles, or pets. We have a neighborhood cat that patrols our yard, and the camera accurately tags each cat visit as a pet.
These notifications are also useful when a package is delivered. Wyze AI is pretty good.
There's also Cam Protect, which costs $3.99 per month per camera, or $39.99 per year. It has all the features of Cam Plus, plus friendly facial recognition and the ability to arm/disarm the camera so it can act as a security system. Its systems are monitored by a 24/7 emergency response service, and you can be notified by text or phone if an alarm goes off.
security concerns
Wyze has experienced multiple security issues over the past few years, and it would be remiss of us not to mention them. The latest incident left around 13,000 users able to view other users' camera thumbnails. Some had access to video feeds from these cameras.
This occurred as work was done to bring the system back up from an outage.
I received an email from Wyze explaining this issue.
“This incident was caused by a third-party cached client library that was recently integrated into our systems. This client library was under unprecedented stress as devices came back online en masse. As a result of increased demand, the mapping of device IDs to user IDs got mixed up, causing some data to be associated with the wrong account.
“To prevent this from happening again, we've added a new layer of validation before a user connects to an event video. We've also added a new layer of validation to our user-device relationship checks until we identify a new client library. We have modified the system to bypass caching for the system. Thorough stress testing has been conducted to prepare for extreme events like the one we experienced.”
Wyze isn't the only technology company with a security slip. I personally still use their cameras, but all my Wyze cameras monitor areas outside my home.
I think Wyze is a company that is trying hard to do the right thing. Their cameras are high quality, easy to set up and use, and very competitively priced.
conclusion
v4 is very responsive within the app. Touch a thumbnail and a live video stream will appear within 3 seconds. The picture is sharp and the sound is much improved over v3. I love gadgets that just work. Once it's set up, it's ready when you need it.
Overall, the Wyze Cam v4 is a worthy upgrade. Better resolution is what everyone wants from their cameras. The color night vision is impressive, and the better audio components and LED lighting are welcome additions. I like that Wyze has taken the time to refine the setup process and reduce complexity.
For the price, you can't beat these cameras. By purchasing a microSD card with each camera, you can see how you like the features before deciding whether to subscribe.
Jim Rossman is a technology columnist for Tribune News Service. Contact him at jrosmantechadviser@gmail.com.
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