Battery Cam Pro not charging

After the latest firmware update on the Wyze Battery Cam Pro, I have noticed the battery (when plugged into the camera) will not charge when connected to the solar panel. I plugged the battery directly into the solar panel and the battery began to charge. It is only when the battery is in the camera with the solar panel also plugged into the camera. I completed a full factory reset and that did not resolve the issue. Has anyone else noticed this same issue? I also purchased a new solar panel thinking that could possibly be the issue and I had the same result - the panel charged the battery when directly plugged into the panel however when the battery was inserted into the camera and the solar panel also connected, the battery would not charge. Thanks in advance for any possible assistance.

Is it possible that just the icon isn’t reflecting that it is charging? I know I’ve seen some mention of that with one of the cams before. Or is it definitely not charging at all (significantly lower battery life)?

If the latter, is it possible something is causing the cam to use more power, is it logging more motion events or something (possibly due to firmware bug or a setting that got reset during the upgrade)?

@skell290,

I have 3 WBCP cams, all 3 on solar panels. I have not seen any charging issues. Oldest cam is 1 1/2 years old.

Some more info please. What does the charge indicator in the app say. When getting direct sunlight do you see, or have you seen the lightning bolt indicating it is charging?

I suspect the battery is not making good contact when inserted. When you insert the battery do you feel and hear a slight click when pushed in?

An idea. If memory serves me right the WBCP does not need the battery to power on. If the unit is accessible it would be a good test (if someone knows this for sure chime in).

If it powers on then it would indicate that the contacts are dirty. An appropriate contact cleaner could be tried. Not only on the battery but internal to the battery tube.

If it does not power on then a discussion with Wyze support is suggested.

@skell290 - It is charging. I thought the same thing when I first got mine. And that is because the app doesn’t always display the lightning bolt icon.

Make sure the cable is “seated” firmly into the camera from the solar panel. Then put it directly in the sun. And I mean a true sunny day. Clouds will prevent it from charging. In the winter, the angle of the sun was so low (in Indiana), the panel wouldn’t get enough sun.

I bet you will see it’s charging if you leave it about 2-3 hours. And you will eventually catch the lightning bolt. I think it shows up when the Solar Panel is sending all the gigawatts on a sunny day.

When I initially had an issue like this, I did some testing and found out that I did not have the Cable plugged into the Camera far enough. So it might be as simple as pushing the cable in further if possible.

In my case, the water seal (o-ring) made it feel as if it was seated, when in reality it was not.

Is there an echo in here??? :slight_smile:

:rofl:

I saw the post and wanted to share my thoughts. Glad it echoed what you said. :wink:

I’ve seen that behavior on other battery devices that have solar, they won’t show the charge indicator when the solar is just helping keep the camera running, it only appears when there is excess energy that is actually increasing the battery charge. I know I’ve seen this discussed in here before so I suspect that may be what is going on. Maybe the new firmware slightly changed the threshold or something, or maybe OP just didn’t notice before.