Here is a video review of the Wyze Cam Pan smart home security camera:
Summary:
The Wyze Cam Pan is an affordable wireless smart home security camera. It offers various features, excellent video quality, 2-way audio and much more. The camera is compatible with Android/iOS devices.
The brand: Wyze
The model: Cam Pan / WYZECP1
Specifications:
| Video quality | Full HD video (1080P) |
| Lens angle | 120° |
| Night Vision | Yes |
| Tilt Range | 93° |
| Pan Range | 360° |
| Rotation speed | 110° per second |
| Audio | Yes, 2-way microphone |
| Power input | 5V DC, 2A |
| Operating system | Android 4.0+ iOS 8.0 + |
Links to purchase the Wyze Cam Pan smart home camera:
Via Amazon:
The pros:
Compact size – The camera is shaped like a small rectangle. What’s funny about it, is that this is the larger model offered by this brand (
Friendly app – To use the Wyze Cam Pan, you’ll need to download the
Wyze app, which you can download here:
Easy to install & setup – It took me several minutes to download the “Wyze” app, install it, register a new user account & connect the camera. If you follow the instructions in the app (or on Wyze website), then you probably will succeed to do that quickly.
From a physical standpoint, installing the camera is an easy task as well. At the base, it has a ¼ threaded screw hole that is compatible with standard camera mounts and can be mounted to any surface.
- Please note you can find online additional accessories to maximize your experience with the Wyze Cam Pan.
Excellent video quality – The camera shoots videos at 1080P Full-HD resolution, and the outcome during live-streaming and in the saved files looks great.
The video quality looks great when zooming in (up to X8 times larger) and in night vision mode (the camera distinguishes 18 steps of gray).
Works with Amazon Alexa – The main reason why I purchased this camera is that it is supposed to synchronize with Alexa.
After pairing the camera with your Amazon device, you should be able to ask Alexa to show your camera on any Amazon device with a screen, to pull up a live feed of your camera for up to 10 minutes.
- Currently, Wyze cameras work with Echo Spot, Echo Show, and Fire TV 4K & HD.
Unfortunately, as can be seen in my video of the Wyze Cam Pan, I didn’t manage to use it with my Fire HD 8 tablet. From what I understand, this device doesn’t support this camera. Hopefully, this issue will be solved someday soon, because based on the available devices you can use it with, I don’t see any logical reason to prevent more potential users to do that.
- Pan/Tilt movement.
- Zoom in (up to 8x)
- Saving video into files.
- Playback – users can view videos in Playback mode by scrolling through the timeline and pinch zoom the timeline for easier navigation (it is possible when a microSD card (not included) is installed).
- 2-way audio (speaker & microphone).
- Record videos or take pictures directly to your phone for later viewing or sharing.
- Night Vision.
- Continuous Recording – Footage can be recorded and stored to a microSD card (sold separately) continuously. Older files are automatically overwritten when storage reaches capacity.
The list of advanced features includes the following:
- Support Amazon Alexa (Assuming you’ve read what I wrote in the previous paragraph).
- Pan Scan – The camera automatically scans its surroundings by rotating to up to 4 custom waypoints. It pauses for 10 seconds at each waypoint before moving on to the next one.
- Motion Tracking – It auto-tracks any moving object detected within its field of view.
- Motion and Sound Detection – When the camera detects motion or sounds, it will record a 12-second video that is securely stored in the AWS cloud.
- Motion Tagging – Highlights motion in both live stream and playback modes.
- Motion Detection Zone – Create a custom detection zone to only trigger alert videos for motion detected within a specific area of the camera’s field of view.
- Motion Tagging – Highlights motion in both live stream and playback modes.
- Time Lapse.
- Smart Sound Recognition – It recognizes the unique tonal patterns of smoke alarms and CO monitors to alert you to these specific emergencies.
- Push Notifications – Receive a push notification to view an alert video when motion or sounds are detected and recorded.
- Alert Scheduling – Set an alert schedule to automatically turn on & off motion and sound detection at specific times of the day.
- IFTTT Integration – Set up IFTTT applets to automate your Wyze Cam Pan. Wyze Cam Pan supports 4 triggers (motion, sound, CO alarm, and smoke alarm) and 5 actions (turn on/off motion alerts, turn on/off push notifications, and upload an alert video to the cloud).
You get free rolling 14-day cloud storage – By owning the Wyze Cam Pan, you have free access to saved motion and sound-triggered alert videos for rolling 14 days, in perpetuity.
According to the manufacturer’s site, the files are saved into secure AWS cloud storage. Wyze Cam Pan uses end-to-end encryption for uploading and downloading alert videos to/from the AWS cloud.
The cons:
Audio quality isn’t brilliant as I expected – Not sure what are your standards for the audio quality in wireless cameras, but I wasn’t astonished by the built-in speaker.
It’s not that the audio quality is bad, but I had great expectations based on what it was written on the package…
You need to create another account to use the app – Once you download the Wyze app, you need to register. It might be obvious, but this means another user & password that you need to keep somewhere safe.
At least you are not requiered to register a new account when the files are saved on cloud storage (as mentioned above)…
Suitable for indoor use only – According to the manufacturer, this camera is intended for indoor use only. However, you can find online accessories that will allow you to use it outdoor (not sure if these are official/licensed accessories).
Can’t be used with a computer – Currently, the Wyze Cam Pan is compatible only with Android/iOS devices. I’ve checked the Wyze website support forum, and there are many users who are asking for this feature, but it is currently not available.
I am still not sure what the USB port is for – At first, I thought there’s a purpose for the existence of the USB port at the back of the camera
Then, I’ve read on the forum at the Wyze website, that it has no purpose
Following that, I published the first edition of my review, but someone commented that the USB port is intended for “Daisy Chain”.
So I scrapped my video review and spent more time of this issue on the Wyze forum.
As of now, I know that it is possible to use the USB port for Daisy Chain, but it isn’t clear how it works over time. Other than that, there are several speculations on what is the purpose of this USB port.
User manual:
FAQ:
Q: Can I use the Wyze Cam Pan with a different app?
A: So far, I didn’t try to operate it using a different app/software, so I don’t know the answer to that.
Q: Can I operate/control the Wyze Cam Pan with my computer?
A: From what I’ve read on the manufacturer’s website, you can operate this camera using a smartphone or tablet. You cannot run it on a computer. Hopefully, this issue will be changed over time.
Q: Will the Wyze Cam Pan work with other smart assistants, except Amazon Alexa?
A: From what I know, the Wyze Cam Pan is compatible with Amazon’s Alexa only.
Q: What is the USB cable length?
A: The USB cable is approx. 1.8 meter long (6 foot).
Q: Is this camera suitable for outdoor use?
A: No, the Wyze Cam Pan is designed for indoor use only.
For more details about the Wyze Cam Pan smart home camera – leave a comment and I will do my best to help.
Q: What is the USB port (at the back of the camera) for?
A: Currently, there’s no use for this port…
Q: How does the free rolling 14-day cloud storage work?
When you turn on one of the detection options (i.e. motion/sound detection), the Wyze Cam Pan will automatically record a 10-14 second Event video.
Event videos are automatically stored to the AWS cloud via end-to-end encryption and can be viewed for up to 14 days in the “Events” tab of the Wyze app.
After 14 days, Event videos are deleted and cannot be recovered.
There is no subscription involved, no trial, just constant use with a 14-day time expiration for individual video clips.
Photos of the Wyze Cam Pan smart home camera:
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