Greetings,
I am trying to obtain a definitive answer about whether or not the Wyze Outdoor camera will function completely off-the-grid. I have a use case where I need security in a remote location that doesn’t have Internet, WiFi, or cellular coverage… nor am I able to wire in Ethernet or video cabling for a NVM-type of security camera.
I don’t like that the Wyze Outdoor cannot be continuously powered, but I can grudgingly accept manually charging it every few months. But I care more about being able to set it up to record events and being able to use my phone’s WiFi radio to connect directly to the camera to download any captured videos. Is this possible?
It seems as though off-the-grid cameras (that are NOT trail cameras) are almost impossible to find. I can’t be the only person who needs security cameras that do not rely on an Internet connection.
Thank you
Wondering if you can explain your reluctance to use a trail camera which is designed to do exactly what you specify in your question. I have a trail camera that will record motion videos, you can connect to it via wifi, when in range, you can add a solar panel to increase the time between battery changes. What am I missing? Wyze cameras are fine for most things, but sometimes you need a different product.
Hi WildBill,
Wondering if you can explain your reluctance to use a trail camera which is designed to do exactly
Because I am installing several cameras on inside a building. Trail cams are large and would appear rather ridiculous in such a setting. Solar panels wouldn’t be useful inside a building with non-ideal light conditions. The building is in a remote location so access to cellular is not possible. A WiFi connection is also not feasible without incurring significant costs to span across large distances.
I was recently speaking to another person who expressed frustration in finding a solution for his own situation where his urban strata wanted to install cameras in their basement. He too needed stand-alone cameras because it would be difficult and expensive to install WiFi or network/coax into their basement.
Wyze Outdoor Cameras will work offline. There is a “Travel Mode” you can switch it to. I have used it many times when I go hiking or travel places with no WiFi.
Honestly, though, I would suggest getting a normal wired camera instead. Go to the building use a phone with Data to create a “Hotspot” WiFi for the Camera to connect to. Finish setting up the camera to that hotspot SSID and password, configure all the settings the way you want them, and then turn off the hotspot. Now the camera will continue to record to the SD card as long as it has power. Then whenever you want or need to review the footage, you either turn on the WiFi Hotspot and review the playback, or you take out the SD card and stick it in a computer and review the recordings there.
Keep in mind there is one downside to this method: if the power goes out for any reason, you will need to go there and turn on the Phone Hotspot again so that the camera can connect to internet to initiate recording again.
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Thank you so much for that confirmation. 
Actually, I have two use cases. So this is helpful for one of them. I was under the impression that I could no longer use my Wyze outdoor in “travel mode.” I couldn’t test this because the battery is dead (at least I hope it’s just the battery) in my Outdoor cam v1.
I have tested over a dozen different cameras sold on Amazon and thus far, I have not found any security camera that will work off-line and allow a hotspot via phone; I already know that the regular Wyze cameras can’t do that.
UPDATE Oh… I see, you meant a cellular data hotspot. Unfortunately, that won’t work because the remote location doesn’t have cell phone reception. Yes, there are still places in North America where there is no cell phone signal. LOL
Can you name any camera that will work in the scenario that you describe? I’ll be externally grateful. 
Thank you
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While I haven’t tried it myself, I am told that one thing you can do is buy a Wyze Cam V2 or Wyze Pan Cam V1 (or the Xiaomi equivalent) and load “Dafang” firmware onto it. This firmware was designed specifically to let the camera work without internet.
Honestly, that might be the best option.
Note: loading dafang firmware will make the camera no longer work with their original apps, but, it will record to the SD card and it can even stream using RTSP to lots of different IP cam software out there. I would run a search on wyze dafang and find a walkthrough. I just checked ebay and found some V2’s that recently sold for as little as $9.98 including shipping. I found Cam Pans that sold for around $18.19 including shipping. Either way, it seems like you could get some cams that perfectly fit your needs of no internet for under $20 if you’re willing to install special firmware and learn a little bit about how to run the dafang firmware. That would be perfect for what you’re describing as far as I can tell.
If it works out for you, feel free to check back and let me know how it turned out. 
Any updates on this? I have a similar use case. But, for backpacking. My current setup is a trail cam its fairly heavy with 8 AA batteries and not rechargeable and connecting to it is spotty.