I’m wondering if keeping the Wyze Cam Pan in a south facing window all day harmed it. South facing in NE United States means sun all day long. I’ve had it since Sept 22 and it’s been working fine until middle of last week. It works GREAT in the Bright light all day, but at dusk when the light gets low there are hundreds of thin horizontal lines on the screen that rapidly come and go. The lines appear almost like tracking lines on a VHS video. I put it in a drawer, closed it and turned off night vision and the lines are every color of the rainbow. Unfortunately, after contacting Wyze Support, I can’t find my purchase receipt from HD, so I’ll just have to buy a new one, but I’m concerned that it, too, will become damaged from sitting in my front window. I have to have the camera watching the front of my house, due to the neighbor across the street harassing my kids and making false accusations against them, but my house faces due south and I have no other way of placing this camera but in this front picture window. Can anyone suggest what might have caused the problem and how I might prevent it?
can we see pictures of what you are seeing? both day and night vision?
I also have a camera facing south and I’m in Michigan, so for most of the day it is in sunlight. I haven’t seen any similar issue, but I will make sure when I get home, to check mine and see if I have anything similar beginning.
I don’t know the set u p of your house but to prevent it being in sunlight, could you mount it higher in the window so that the frame of the window would stop it being in direct sunlight? I have 2 that are mounted near the top of the inside of the window, and those ones aren’t sitting in direct sunlight nearly as much as the one I first mentioned is. if you would like I can post pictures of how I have mine set up. there might be something in them you could apply to your scenario.
As its bright sunlight outside right now, I had to move the camera into my kitchen to show what it does. (Ignore my mes, please. I have two 10 year old boys)
There really isn’t any other way to mount the camera. It’s a picture window so mounting it higher wouldn’t cut down the sunlight. I’m now wondering if UV blocking film would help.
That’s exactly what I was thinking, but I moved it around the house and it’s the same story no matter where it’s located. I even tried different usb cords. Same story. It came out of the box fine and had been set up in the front window since day 1. It just started doing this line thing within the last week. The other one I have, purchased same day, same store is experiencing no problems whatsoever, but it was not in the front window. I’m really thinking the heat or the light from the sun may have caused the problem. My windows are not new or even newer. Probably 1970s when this window was put in. Maybe even earlier.
yup. more than likely the heat caused by direct sunlight along with the heat the camera produces itself fried the sensor in some way.
a maven @Newshound did a little test on something else, but having a camera in an older un-protected window got some interesting results.
I was rather shocked at how high that got. He got an interesting result out of it too, that overheating basically caused the camera to black out until it was within a correct operating temperature. so I have no doubt that having it in the window somehow affected the sensor causing your issue. on an odd point though, I have a couple cameras in less than prime locations for heat and sunlight protection and I haven’t had any issues…yet.
My conditions were extreme, but yes, results will vary based on whether your camera is white, your glass is coated, etc.
The camera I exposed to such trauma actually still works. However, I believe your biggest issue is you don’t have a receipt from Home Depot. Without that it doesn’t matter what the reason for failure is, you can’t resolve it. Any chance you can find that receipt?
In the meantime, if you still want that view, do what I did and move the camera back from the window and mount it high. Try to keep it out of direct sunlight. That will always be preferred.
That is what I’m thinking. I’m not sure how I can accomplish mounting it further back and/or up higher. There really is no way to do it. Now, I’m just thinking about how I can mount it outside. I rent this house so putting holes in the siding is probably a no go, not to mention the siding is aluminum so it won’t be easy. I need that view though. I think I might just go with UV film for the window. As for the receipt, I’ll probably find it six months from now, while looking for something else I can’t find, in the place I put it so I wouldn’t lose it, wherever that is.
Here is a different camera of mine, mounted high on a window. The camera comes with a double-sided tape circle and metal plate. I considered the double-sided tape circle to be a little too sticky for this installation (it is really powerful glue), so I bought some 3M Command Strips to tape the metal plate to the molding. Then you just let the magnets in the mount hold the camera to the plate.
I had to take the screen off the window to give it a less obstructed view.
Super simple, super easy to remove later with no damage to anything.
Mine is a Pan. It doesn’t come with the magnetic mount. And this wouldn’t give me view of the whole street. I need view of the whole street to prove my kids aren’t doing what the crazy old guy across the street claims they are. I’ve got to be able to see out past privacy fences, bushes and my own front steps. Thanks for trying to help though. I wonder, does 3M make a mounting tape that would hold Cam Pan and a mount without having to screw anything into anything?
I’ve just tested the heat in front of that window, and today with temps at about 62 outside, the GLASS of the window didn’t get any hotter than 99, and the air where the camera sits didn’t get any hotter 97. I assume on 90 degree days, which we’ve not had here since Sept 22nd when I bought it, would be hotter. But, whether the heat caused the problem with this camera or not, I’m still going to have find another solution.
I’m having a similar problem. I’m suspicious that it might be an issue with the power supply. First the camera didn’t work at all. Then I tried switching the power supply transformer itself and it worked fine. Then I tried using an old cell phone transformer and that’s when I got the lines. I know the cell phone transformer was having a problem and only show charging. Wyze is famous for power supplies that go bad if exposed to any heat at all. You can buy these things for like two or four bucks on AliExpress. I’m going to try it but I thought I would pass this along to you even though I haven’t confirmed that this is the source of my similar problem. I just know that one power supply didn’t work at all, a new one worked fine, and this substitute new o ne is the one where it’s causing the lines. Just passing this along for what it’s worth.
