If you are a newbie to the idea of a smart home or office security system, or you are looking build a home security system with top-of-the-line features without breaking the bank, the Wyze Cam indoor security camera is a brilliant choice and start-point. Built by a team of Seattle-based ex-Amazon employees, Wyze Labs aims to provide home security gadgets with affordable price points. And the Wyze Cam is a promising product.
With beautiful design and aesthetical properties, the Wyze Smart Home Camera is also laced with features you wouldn’t find on pricier smart home cameras from more renowned brands.
For the price the device sells for, 1080p HD recording, impressive remote control, and configuration via app, Alexa integration, night vision, sound recognition, accurate motion detection, carbon monoxide alarm, general smoke detection etc are impressive features and selling point of the Wyze Indoor smart home security camera.
Wyze Smart Home Camera Key Specs
- Dimensions: 2.2 x 2 x 2 inches
- Weight: 14.1 ounces
- Body material: Plastic
- Storage: Micro SD card support (up to 32GB)
- Model: WYZEC2
- Extras: Adhesive metal plates, 6-foot long power cord
Design
Unlike the majority of smart home cameras out there that are shaped awkwardly or in a way that easily gives them off as a security camera, the Wyze Cam comes in a boxy cube shape that fits blends perfectly in any part of the home you choose to install it – bedrooms, kitchen, living rooms etc.
You should, however, be informed that while the Wyze Cam can be fitted outside the house to perhaps monitor the front door or garage, it is best used in the house as it is specifically built for indoor use. Using it outdoors may get it damaged easily as it lacks waterproof or dustproof protection.
The engineering of the device’s hinge and stand is likewise brilliant. You can choose to sit the camera on a table or surface in the 2-inch boxy form it comes in. Or alternatively, have the camera sitting upright on a countertop with the adjustable stand extended from the bottom.
On the stand, the camera can be rotated 360 degrees while the stand in itself can only be pivoted and tilted up to 180 degrees. Interestingly, the Wyze cam comes with built-in magnets at the bottom which allows it to be mounted firmly on metal surfaces.
Alternately, the Wyze SmartHome camera can be mounted on walls using the adhesive plates that come out of the box with the camera; this eliminates the need for screws and punching holes on surfaces to hold the camera in place.
On the rear is the ports for inserting the 6-foot long power cable while the pairing button and micro SD card slot is at the bottom of the camera.
Features
For only $20, the Wyze smart home camera comes with features that trumps some $200 security camera. Asides from recording High Definition videos at 1080P, the Wyze cam can detect motion and use its smart sound recognition technology to identify smoke alarms, sound and carbon monoxide in the home and notify you of any of these events through the app.
The app, by the way, is compatible with Android (running Lollipop v5.0 OS or newer) and Apple (iOS 8.0 or newer) devices. Before you purchase this cam, ensure your smartphone is compatible with the app. Still on compatibility, the Wyze Cam supports only 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks (not 5GHz). So, you might also want to ensure your WiFi router is a 2.4GHz router.
The camera is suitable to be used during the day and night, thanks to its inherent support for night vision (up to 30 feet away). While the camera can record a 10-15 seconds alert video when it detects motion or sounds and securely uploads them to Amazon’s AWS Cloud via end-to-end encryption, users can also choose to record continuously and save locally to the inserted SD card. Uploaded files are, however, available for 14 days only.
Other noteworthy features of this fantastically affordable but feature-packed Wyze camera include integration with Alexa smart home speaker or smart displays as well as its ability to adjust its level of sensitivity to motion and sound.
You can ask Alexa via voice to show you live footage or recordings of wherever you have the Wyze camera in your home. On the app, you can set motion sensitivity to either high or low. High sensitivity will pick up the movement of curtains or pet(s) and alert you about them via app notifications. Low sensitivity, on the other hand, will most likely pick up human movements only.
Price
Touted as a $20 smart home camera, the Wyze Cam price could cost you more, especially if you purchase it with a reliable micro SD card backup for local video recording storage. Also, while the device cost $19.99 on Wyze’s official website, the price could be as go up to $25 on third-party eCommerce websites.
