My WOC has been basically a stump when it comes to notifications. I know it is working and detecting motion because it has been saving a photo to the SD card every time I have triggered it.
I have two Wyze and a WOC (that I’m testing) on my patio. I triggered an event at 6:10 pm. I received an alert from the V2s at approx 6:30 pm and the WOC at 6:32 pm.
Actually this is the first time I have been able to trigger an “Alert” response from Wyze on the WOC for two days.
I’m thinking the notification problem is at the Wyze server end.
As I understand it (Please correct me if I’m wrong) the WOC sends a clip to Wyze on detecting motion and Wyze determines if it warrants an alert.
So whatever algorithm Wyze is using is not very effective at this point.
One of their problems may be their servers’ capacity for handling all of the traffic from Wyze camera video uploads. They are adding products and features and cloud subscriptions faster than their servers can keep up with. Hence, the extremely variable time-lapse between events and notifications. That may be why on some days my notifications are in a minute or two, other times hours.
I guess it could also explain why I get so MANY notifications, seemingly in violation of the 5 minute cooldown restriction. All bets are off.
I haven’t noticed excessive delays. Of course I still get zero notifications on my main phone with older app. PD from Wyze to Alexa has been good for me though.
It doesn’t sound like you notification delay is a hardware issue if your V2 also has a delay of 20 min.
If things are working properly, a notification from a V2 should be in the 15-30 sec range after motion starts and the notification from the WCO maybe 10-15 seconds later.
These times are pretty consistent for me if my android is not in “doze” mode. I.e. If I am actively using my phone for something else, the notifications come after times mentioned above. If the phone is idle for a period and is allowed to sleep there can be a significant delay for the notifications and a flood of notifications come in all at once.
I’m really digging the versatility of the WCO. I moved one to the back yard to try and capture what wildlife was feasting on fallen pears. It captured several animals throughout the night.
It does have a great image though. I don’t know where their server is based, if outside the USA that could possibly explain the varying notification times… The other issues may also be server generated but, the decision making is all Wyze management.
That is still way to slow… My Eufy notifications are nearly instantaneous. If another company can produce that kind of result then Wyze needs to re-think their methods.
They chose to send the notification after the event is uploaded and ready to view so that when the user gets the notification the clip is ready to play. I’m not saying it’s the right choice or anything but that is the justification. If you stick a sense motion sensor by any of the cameras and use the external motion sensor to trigger the videos and alert you, the notification comes in like 3 seconds.
I like my outdoor wireless cam just fine so far. Base unit is plugged into ethernet port, Web cam is attached to tree in the side yard- pointing towards driveway/street. No issues so far not even with base unit and wireless web cam.
I think the camera itself is a solid product especially for the bargain basement price. However, the limited range renders it almost entirely useless. I put it through several tests. The furthest I could get from the base station with completely clear line of site was 60 feet. This use case and scenario is unrealistic for most customers. The furthest I could get from the base station with standard drywall, an exterior wall, and vinyl siding obstructing line of sight was 19 feet which is unacceptable and cannot be expected to fulfill most customers expectations. I have perfect WiFi coverage within a 150 ft perimeter of my house. Can we maybe get the option to connect directly to WiFi rather than using the base station?
Now, I need to respond to people calling these “security cameras” and expecting them to perform as such. These are NOT “security” cameras. They are “surveillance” cameras at best, Most accurately they are video monitoring cameras. Yes there are absolutely differences between all of those types of cameras both technically and, in some cases, legally due to compliance standards. I have engineered and deployed enterprise level security camera systems consisting of over 500 cameras which required an SLA of 99.99999% availability and a plethora of regulatory & security certifications to guarantee the integrity of footage for real-time and forensic usage. You’re not doing to see anything like a Wyze cam. Even at medium size business Office building, I wouldn’t even dream of using a Wyze camera for security or surveillance. For that, You’re looking at cameras that can cost several thousand dollars and require an extensive network, server, and power infrastructure to operate. Plus, you then need specialized software to run the whole thing.
For home, I have several Wyze cam v2’s and pan scans for monitoring the inside of my house. I’m not relying on them to save my life though. These cameras are not meant for it. What are they meant for? I like to call them “peace of mind” cams. They are very easy to use, very cheap, have excellent features (like person detection) that is still considered a premium feature in entry level security camera systems, and they are great when you need to move them around house. I can check in on my pets, see if a package was delivered, etc. Basically, I can keep a general sense of situational awareness. The world doesn’t end because one of the cameras doesn’t work for a few minutes.
If you want a true security camera system for home, you have to invest in the correct equipment. I’m not saying you need to spend $500 per camera and thousands on networking equipment and servers though. You can get a quality security camera system for home without breaking the bank if you do some research BUT expect some trade offs too. It’s pretty common that these systems lack a robust mobile app with easy remote connectivity, you may have to spend extra if you want “smart” features like person detection, etc.
This is exactly the problem I’m having. Notifications are getting delayed (from both V2’s and WCO), and then when I pick up and unlock my phone I get a flood of notifications all at once. I wasn’t having this issue previously; I used to get notifications pretty consistently in seconds after an event had occurred.
I have tried turning off battery optimization for the Wyze app (prevent the phone from suspending the app in the background), but that hasn’t had any effect. So it seems there is a code issue w/ the latest Wyze app.
This is a known android issue and it happens with some other apps for me as well (gmail). Wyze has said they are working on it. It can be temporarily fixed by hooking up your phone to a computer and running an ADB command. The problem is If you restart the phone the command has to be run again.
Absolutely a legal thing. It’s the same reason gated apartment communities have “control access gates” and not “security gates”. The word security implies a guarantee of safety and therefore liability.
I like it, but it definitely has some bugs with staying connected and especially re- connecting to it while the camera is in travel mode.
Right now, I have to turn the camera off, then force close the app and clear the cache, then turn the camera back on - and even then it takes a few tries.
