So I have been an incredibly loyal Wyze Customer for years. I have purchased well over 40 cams, Deadbolt, Sprinkler (love it), Plugs, Whole home security suite, outdoor plugs, bulbs, scales, headphones (4 sets) List goes on.
First off, let me say I am happy with the home security, and the headphones, plugs, etc… All of those are great.
My issue is with the cameras.
From Day 1, ALL of the cameras, v1, 2, 3, pan, outdoors, you name it. Always have had disconnect issues. Always. Ive had other cams (blink etc) that never had an issue… I know its not the network… Other devices are solid.
Each time a camera disconnects I have to power cycle it. That kind of defeats the purpose of security (if it doesnt work when i need it to). Some of these plugs are in pretty hard to reach spots.
Is this just a pervasive issue that others have? If so, I think I just have to bail on the cameras (and I dont want to).
If there is a fix, please let me know. When they work they are awesome… But at any given time at least 2-3 of my 12 cameras are just down (wont connect til i power cycle).
Often when we offer our suggestions, people don’t like them. (We would not offer them if they didn’t work.) What they don’t like is the extra effort/expense. But it’s still a solution. So, with that in mind, here’s a couple.
Don’t use the power adapter that comes with Wyze. Its marginal power, at 1 amp. Look for some adapters that are 2.0/2.3 amp. Some of us use a multi-port higher amperage and “tie” several together. Helps us recognize issues.
Get some Smart WiFi plugs to power cycle the cameras. Do not depend on the power down/restart on the camera. If its down, the restarts not going to work anyway. I like the Smart WiFi plugs that allow me to set a schedule daily. And I usually start mine at 03:00 to 04:00 am., when I hope nothings going on. Also, no harm in letting them cool 5 minutes before starting.
Check the specs on your router. What’s the max limit of devices it allows for connections? Could everything you have, are you close? Too close, that ceiling could be disconnecting your gear. You can use “Fing” to could all your devices. Free, simple. Apple store and Google Play.
I havent heard the Bigger adapters before.
The fact that Wyze is likely aware of the issue, but they dont ship bigger adapters concerns me.
The smart wifi plugs is certainly an option, but that only works when you know there is an issue. For instance with 12 cams, I dont check them every day, I just expect them to work and record a clip when needed…
Router is fine. It can handle hundreds of connections, and has for years. I have 7 big strong pucks around the house (garage, back yard area. I have coverage 3-4 houses down from me).
Unfortunately if the fixes are as such (and I have no reason to believe they wouldnt work) thats just a non starter. Ive already spent a ton of money on a product that should work. To find out the fixes are “just spend more money” Is ridiculous.
Im not shooting the messenger here either. You were kind enough to respond. Thank you for that.
At this point id rather spend more money on a new system without these issues then spend another dime on wyze cams which just dont work…
Frustrating too. I want to like them. Im a huge fan of wyze as a whole.
Now, you see why most people don’t bother to take the time to detail a suggestion and explain the why. I am sorry this is going to sound to you, rude. But here goes anyway. I gave some suggestions. But I really don’t care if anyone uses them. Why would I? It works for me. You don’t want to do them, any of them. That’s okay. A least we offered some ideas. And as I recall, that’s what you were looking for.
I am super thankful for those options you presented… I mentioned that above as well. Just because they dont work for me, doesnt mean im not appreciative.
Its more on Wyze than anyone at this point to improve their products
I used to get offline cams when I first installed Wyze a long while ago. I upgraded my router and only got them occasionally. I installed non-Wyze Smart Plugs (compact round ones) on all my cams so that I could power cycle my cams remotely. It worked well. As my Wyze device load grew, I added a daily power cycle to all my cams.
Then I upgraded my router again last year. Since then, 100% device uptime across the board, shut down all power cycle schedules, haven’t had to power cycle an offline cam since. 70+ Wyze devices and growing.
I solved my offline issues by supporting them with a WiFi network and router that would treat them with the respect they deserve and not keep dropping them.
Sam, I don’t know where you came up with that one. Yes, there have been quite a few reports of the Wyze adapters failing, but current should not be an issue. Because it was easy to test at my desk, I just measured a V3 Pan - one of the higher current cameras. With the camera just sitting there in daytime mode the power is just under 2 watts. When locked into night mode with the IR LEDs on, and both elevation and azimuth motion being commanded, the power got up to about 4.75 watts. That would be a potential issue except for two items: 1) the V3 Pan comes with a 2A (10 watt) adapter, and it would be highly unlikely to have both El and Az motors running continuously.
@K6CCC , I hear you. And I can only guess that the Pan has a much better adapter. Because all my V2 and V3’s are much better when using a higher amp non-Wyze adapter. Maybe it would not be necessary to say what I say, if Wyze went back and sent everyone that uses a V2 or V3 the same adapter that you are using on your V3 Pan. ??
