Cam OG Warning: Stand Is Useless; Mount Is Nonstandard

A word of warning about the new Wyze Cam OG, which I just got. There are 2 issues with the mount/stand that seriously compromise functionality versus the Cam v3 or Cam v2.

First, the Cam OG stand is pretty useless. It only has 2 axes of adjustability. So you can move the head up/down but not side-to-side. If you wanted to mount this stand on a wall in a hallway, for example, you can’t turn the camera to look down the hall.

Second, the size of the screw mount that is used to connect the stand to the Cam OG is now much smaller (it is a #8/32 screw per Wyze support). So not only can’t you use a v2 or v3 stand, but you can’t use any of the thousands of tripod mounts that are out there (all of which worked for the v2 and v3 using a standard-sized 1/4-20 UNC tripod mount). And of course, Wyze does not sell an adapter to allow you to use a standard tripod mount for the OG, nor do they sell alternative mounts. Nor are they easy to find. I searched for a while and found this one, but it costs $7 before delivery.

When combined, this basically means I can’t put the OG in half the places I wanted to use it. Unless I can find a cheaper adapter out there, these are all going back. Very disappointing, Wyze.

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Between the goofy mount, the convoluted way to review motion alert videos, shameless Cam + up selling, washed out colors, bug where a 2nd linked camera throws an Error 90 code if you try to access it from the home page but no problem accessing it from another OG camera where it has been linked to….stay clear of this camera. I’m sorry I bought two of them! This is almost as bad as their Garage door controller which still tells me that my garage door is open when it is closed.

Can you elaborate on this? It has seemed to be better to me since there are 3 options now instead of just 1:

  • I can still view events in the events tab just like every other camera (so it’s just as good as viewing events compared to every other Wyze camera from the start -at least with Cam Plus)
  • I can view the most recent events from the live stream page, and even filter to only see the events I want (ie: person detections or whatever other limits)
  • I select SD card playback, and it will show me where all the motion events occurred in the SD card timeline, so I can skip all the recordings of nothing happening and know exactly where to go to in order to start the event right where something I care about is happening. I even tried it without cam plus and I could still view all the events on the SD card playback with everything showing up. In this way it was even better to me than the other cams, even without cam plus).

I have been loving the new UI for events, I am just curious what some people don’t like about it. Not disagreeing, just wanting to sincerely understand.

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The problem is the interface is inconsistent. The main problem is if you go into the Events page from the Home Screen and select an OG camera, sometimes the event shows the motion object but a lot of times it does not. Would like to see Wyze work on this. But then there is just a Play button. If you click on it, they spam you with an “Upgrade to Cam Plus” popup. To view the video, you have to click the “playback” button at the bottom. If you go to the camera from the Home Screen, you have to click the “Jump to SD” button. Just needs to be streamlined. It starts to make more sense once you get some events loaded but it’s a confusing mess at first. I’ve been a long time V1, V2 and V3 user. Another gripe - When is Wyze going to give us a landscape app for iPad heavy users??? So tired of rotating my 12.9” iPad to view my cams!

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Approved the Wishlist for this. :slight_smile:

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Do you mean the live view after clicking into the camera?

how do you do that? is it just OG feature?

i don’t see any way to view events from there. I can see playback of my SD card, but no events.

Am i missing something? v3 w/ can plus.

I expected a “events” list, or at least a link to events only from that camera that i clicked into. Going through the events tab and picking one camera at a time has been a pita.

Yes, on the V3 Pro, Pan V3, or OG. The newer cams have this, the older models don’t yet have this new interface, but Wyze has indicated that if people like it then they will consider updating the rest of the cams to do this too.

As I said above, only the newest 3 cams do it for now. They all have a new menu/interface. The older cams like the V3 might get this update later.

For the V3, you can still view all the events in the events tab, and then click on the playback link from those videos and it will still link you to that spot on the SD card.

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My wishlist request for a mount converter has been approved. Please vote for it if you want to use other mounts with the OG!
https://forums.wyze.com/t/mount-adapter-for-cam-og/256347

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Or, you know, just fix the thing after this first production run. I don’t see how a non-standard thread helps anyone or saves any money. It’s like using a proprietary power or audio connector in 2023.

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Or, you know, just fix the thing after this first production run. I don’t see how a non-standard thread helps anyone or saves any money. It’s like using a proprietary power or audio connector in 2023.

This! I was a bit shocked to see that it wasn’t a standard 1/4"-20 mount. The supplied stand is not very good. It wouldn’t be an issue if it came with a standard mount. Now it’s an issue. :man_facepalming: If this is not fixed, I won’t buy another OG if I need another camera. Since they are positioning the OG as a back to basics $20 camera, I hope there’s a $30 V4 on the horizon.

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I agree, I was disappointed with the stand.

Here is an alternative I might try using, it says only Cam V3, but I think the OG Cam will fit:

PEF Mount for All-New Wyze Cam V3 ONLY, Weatherproof Protective Cover and 360 Degree Adjustable Wall Mount Solid Housing for Wyze V3 Outdoor Indoor Smart Home Camera System (White, 2 Pack)

Or use link: https://a.co/d/4YrDn0v

Keep in mind that the OG is slightly smaller than the v3. You might have to add some padding so it doesn’t wobble inside.

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Thank you! I’ll update my experience after I try it.

We just bought a few V3 white outdoor i closersthere cheap,and ordered more today,the camera is a little smaller we used 3m sticker patch, and worked great

Then we used the 3M sticker to make it fit just right

Quick update: I ordered the adapter referenced in my OP. So far, so good. Only issue is that it does increase the distance between the mount and the cam by about an inch, which may be good/bad/meaningless depending on your use-case. Oh, and it adds about 40% to the cost of the OG cam :frowning:.

I just bought a few white V3 inclosers,which have the standard screw mount and comes eith the wall mount as well,i use the alien type on the bottom of the cam since its a bit smaller than the V3 works great

I was quite disappointed in my OG because I could not get the angle I needed (and felt the V2/V3 magnetic mount was superior with wider variety of usage). Then noticed these kinds of mounts usually have rotating shaft (giving it another axis), but Wyze chose not to add this, or a standard screw so other mounts could be used. SMFH. All of this almost made me return it, and still doesn’t inspire confidence in Wyze’s current engineers.

Anyway, here’s something to try if you’re in a situation like mine. (Needed third axis for downward angle. Mounted on indoor wall /window frame fairly high, pointed out window.) I removed only the bottom screw of the wall mount, swiveled mount to downward angle I wanted, and “tacked” to this position with tiny screw (or tape behind mount is probably enough). Top anchored screw is plenty to hold weight, bottom for locking orientation. More difficult than V2/V3 magnetics, but it will keep position better (for example when I simply change WiFi password and have to reset and remove all cams to point at QR code JFC!).

The cameras are excellent and since the cost of everything is way up thats why they went with the standard M4 mount i currently bought the M4 mounts now i can use off the shelf mounts like i have on my V3 Ve-Pro

I was totally unaware of a mount change when I ordered two OG cameras to replace a couple of V3 cameras that have gone “starry” in the night shots. (No amount of cleaning the outside lens fixes the star rays that show up as a halo around lights.) So now a quick swap suddenly means a whole lot of work and more holes in my house. I have some old V1 camera enclosures that use the standard size mount and they worked! The camera doesn’t fit in the enclosure exactly like the old…it’s a little mis-aligned around the lens, but it isn’t a problem. It looks like the enclosure might be cropping the bottom of the picture, but it doesn’t. I might go back and see if I can prop up the camera inside the shell to raise it, but since it’s not causing a problem I’m not sure it’s worth another trip up the ladder.