Nice discussion.
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Not to turn this into a Tapo C120 topic, but something else Iāve observed with this camera but neglected to mention in my other post is that it has no apparent artificial ācooldownā period between detections, so Iāve received, for example, motion, pet, and person detection notifications on my phone in rapid succession. Again, Iām using it without any sort of subscription.
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I saw some other criticism about the app and notifications in the free version. Do you feel like itās a robust app? Giving you the same visibility, control, organization of the devices inside the app as Wyze does?
I canāt speak to all of those points. Currently, I have only the one camera and four smart plugs in the Tapo app, and I havenāt spent time exploring every area of the app. Because of that, I donāt really have experience with organization (e.g., grouping cameras and other devices, like I do in the Wyze app). I will say that, although the interface and layout is certainly different (compared to Wyze), I think the app is fairly intuitive and easy to use.
I did have to look up on Tapoās Web site (in their FAQ) to understand how to set up RTSP (by setting up a āCamera Accountā on the device itself), but thatās still done locally and was easy to connect from VLC in order to view a live stream on a PC. I havenāt yet availed myself of the free trial of Tapo Care (the cloud subscription).
Regarding notifications, what I receive as a basic user are text notifications on my phone (and Wyze Watch) with labels specific to the detection type (e.g., āMotion Detectedā, āPerson Detectedā, āPet Detectedā), and tapping one takes me straight to the recorded video event. (Iām recording to microSD, as I do on my Wyze cameras.) The notifications do not include any sort of event thumbnail image without a subscription. My understanding is that subscribing to Tapo Care (or using the trial) enables āRich Notificationsā that would include such.
From what Iāve read about Tapo cams, they have no cloud storage without a subscription but do support SD cards. One Amazon commenter mentions a ābig flawā of not being able to download SD card footage when not connected to the same wi-fi network as the camera. The Tapo FAQ pages also mention that to download SD card footage, you need to be on the same wi-fi network. Based on that, I am not clear if one can even view the detection event clips and SD card playback remotely (without setting up RTSP) - can one or not?
Even if one canāt, I might still be interested in setting up an RTSP & NVR system with a few Tapo cams to try it out. But when I start looking into how to do that, I get confused as to what all is necessary. NAS? NVR? VPN? Raspberry PI? Home Assistant? Are there any good tutorials to explain a basic first-time setup?
I hope this helps:
- NVR (Network Video Recorder): This is the central device that records and manages your camera feeds.
- NAS (Network Attached Storage): Optional, but useful for additional storage (store more recordings for longer than a limited small computer harddrive).
- Raspberry Pi: Optional, but can be used for running software like Home Assistant or custom AI detection software.
- Home Assistant: Optional, for advanced home automation and integration.
- VPN: Optional, for secure remote access.
Incidentally, you can do most all of those things with Wyze cameras too. You just need to use a 3rd party adapter like āScryptedā or Docker Wyze Bridge or Tiny Cam Pro in Server mode. Those will make RTSP available for all the Wyze cams, including this V4, then you can take that RTSP feed and put it into any of those other things to do whatever you want.
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Thatās my understanding of Wyzeās offering, as well, which is one of the reasons I believe the comparison between cameras like Tapo C120 and Wyze Cam v4 is apt.
I havenāt read that in Tapoās documentation, but I have noticed that if I select a detection event, tap the vertical ellipsis (ā®) for that event, and then tap Download, then the app briefly displays this message overlay at the top:
Unable to download clips. Your phone is not connected to the same network as your Tapo device.
Yes. That has been my experience, and I just tested it again to confirm by disconnecting from my home Wi-Fi. I can view an event video in the app via cellular data, but attempting to download the event using this same off-Wi-Fi connection gives me the error I just mentioned above. I hope that answers that question for you, because I agree that being unable to view event clips while away from oneās home Wi-Fi would be troublesome.
I imagine that there are, but something like that is beyond the scope of my interest or need at this point. Iām content with microSD recording and remote access to individual cameras, but I think what makes devices like this so powerful is their flexibility and the ingenuity of other users who are willing to document and share their experience building more complex interconnected setups.
I am glad that remote viewing is supported on the Tapos. Thank you for confirming that.
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This is just my experience with a single camera model, but youāre certainly welcome for the information.
To try to steer the discussion back to its original topic, I hope (but am not optimistic) that Wyze will actually enable free person detection on Cam v4 at some point. Otherwise, I still donāt understand what the point of āEdge AIā is on that device or why the presence of that should encourage someone to purchase a Cam v4 over something like a Cam OG (which I think is underappreciated for what it is) or a competitorās comparable device.
I agree. When they first announced the newer camera versions having Edge AI, I thought or hoped they would have on-board person detection and would support storing the clips locally so that you could view them without even needing the clips to be uploaded and stored on the cloud. That expectation turned out to be wrong.
Me too, although this post on another thread explained it at least somewhat for me:
That also explains for me what the āNotification speed: Advancedā (versus āNotification speed: Standardā) means on the camera product pages.
I personally havenāt noticed a difference in speeds but I get so many notifications that I rarely check them right away anyway. Any improvement in that regards is negated in my opinion by the different UI for the new cameras, which makes it much harder to scroll through the playback and find the part of the video Iām interested in. Iāll be interested too, to see how the Tapo app compares in that regard. It doesnāt matter how good the cameras are if the interface is bad.
My understanding is that the microSD card slot on the camera accounts for the second part (i.e., āstoring the clips locallyā), but Iām unaware of any connection that has to Edge AI, and the first part (i.e., āon-board person detectionā) still seems to be a no-go, at least for non-subscribers.
Iām glad you got something out of it. Iām aware of that discussion, and it still hasnāt answered my questions, the main one relating to the title of this topic. As of this time, Iām still not aware of any official word from Wyze that provides any kind of clarity on the situation.
I can agree that it provides an explanation for a difference in the features and how theyāre perhaps supposed to work, but that doesnāt really explain for me why my experience as an end user should be any different, and Iām thinking here of an article in the Help Center, which says this (among other things):
 Wyze Cam v4 |
 Wyze Cam v3 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Notification Speed | Advanced | Standard |
| Smart Detection | Yes, Onboard Person Detection | Yes |
| Motion Detection | Edge Ai [sic] + Pixel Diff | Pixel Differentiation |
Nothing in that article or table mentions or even suggests that a Cam Plus subscription is required for any of the Cam v4ās new features. Apparently we have to read a different Help Center article to learn thatā¦
On Wyze Cam v4 with a paid subscription, you get Person Detection and Fast Notifications.
ā¦and thatā¦
A subscription to Cam Plus is required on Wyze Cam v4ā¦to access the full feature list of Edge AI.
I still feel like Iām in the dark about what this āfull feature listā is. The only feature from this list that appears to be available to all Cam v4 users (regardless of subscription), as far as I can tell, is noted in yet another Help Center article:
- Edge AI. Faster notifications, more accurate detections, while supporting Smart Focus.
I can use Smart Focus without a subscription.
I could also possibly buy someone trying to make an argument for āmore accurate detectionsā as a base (no subscription) feature, but since the non-subscription generic motion detections are already accounted for by an app-tuned (sensitivity) setting that relates to area size for pixel differentiation, Iām not really convinced that the presence of Edge AI help much (if any) in this regard.
Yeah, and my understanding is that preference for the newer vs. older UI is a polarizing topic here. I donāt have a dog in that fight, as all of my Wyze camera models make use of the newer vertical-scrolling timeline.
In that case, Iāll have to enable continuous recording on my C120 and play with that for a while. So far, Iāve just been recording events to microSD, and the playback selection for that has all been vertical-scrollinvolves a combination of a horizontal timeline immediately below the viewer with a vertically-scrolling list of detected events below that (but easier to use and more informative than Wyzeās, in my opinion, because of the specific detections and accompanying icons that are included [motion, pet, person, etc.]).
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Back on topic. I was shocked to see wyze saying that the v4 had free person detection since this goes against their business model which completely revolves around subscriptions. But they do imply it, if not outright say it, And I notice wyze makes no attempt to clarify or correct the lie.
I see some responses in previous threads twisting every which way to explain why even though it says free person detection it doesnāt really mean that. I realize that we, in all likelihood, will never get an answer from wyze, because they donāt want to give it. They obviously prefer the illusion of free person detection, it can only increase sales and thereby the possibility of more subscriptions.
And yes other companies may cost more and wyze offers a reasonably priced product, but that isnāt the point. Saying that you get a feature that you donāt is the point. And for all the bs, that is what wyze has done here (intentionally I believe).
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I agree, and this is one of the things that I find genuinely disappointing. At least thereās no public acknowledgement that Iāve seen, though I do note that the āWhatās the difference between Wyze AI and Edge AI?ā article was updated 3 days ago as of this writing:
I donāt know what specifically has changed in that particular article, but I think itās fair to assume that some attempt at clean-up has taken place.
Definitely cleanup since it says: āOn Wyze Cam v4 with a paid subscription, you get Person Detection and Fast Notificationsā
MORE IMPORTANTLY: they removed any reference to the V4 in the 2 support pages I linked in the first post.
I guess word of this ālieā made it back to wyze and rather than do the right thing they did the wyze thing.
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Yeah, I can see that the articles you reference were also updated 3 days ago. I donāt know if Iād call that āMORE IMPORTANTLYā, because I feel like Iāve been trying to make the same points elsewhere for some time now, but it certainly appears that this is whatās happening:
If only they would do the wise thing and be clear and honestā¦.
It seems to me, that removing the incorrect wording is doing exactly that. 
Obviously, as I have said repeatedly, I think they should make Edge AI included free instead and not doing so is one of their biggest mistakes if they want to stay competitive, but if theyāre not going to do that, then fixing a lot of the wording to reduce misunderstandings is being clear and honest.
I think youāre being generous with that phrase, and I believe itās obvious from the discussion here that Iām not the only Forum member who feels misled by Wyzeās messaging. Itās my opinion that genuine clarity and honesty would involve accurate descriptions of a productās capabilities at product launch and some measure of contrition (rather than just messaging clean-up) when it becomes evident that theyāve over-promised on a deliverable.
So, I often see hyperbole when people describe the actions of others (in this case, a whole company). I am in sales now and see it often when people read emails and think the response was snarky, or the person is āstupidā, and āwhat is this person doing???ā. I think people bring a lot of emotions to a subject. Been there, done that myself.
But when you use the word ālieā, you are implying malicious behavior. Deliberate deception. By an entire companyā¦
I donāt see that here. What I see is poor wording. The left hand not always knowing what the right hand is doing because the message wasnāt the same (or clear) across the website. What I see is a young company learning some hard lessons about product development. What they make, what they say, what they print.
Iāve been a user for 7 years. Iāve had issues. I have issues now (Looking at you Wyze Switch on Beta 3). Iāve returned products and had products fail. Wyze returned items. They took my logs. They read my forum posts. They have community managers and actual employees (and FOUNDERS) engaging in the forums. I feel heard and I see a company making products that have made my home SMART (lights, temperature, locks, purifier, protection, vacuum). And it truely is a smart house. I donāt use keys and I donāt use light switches, everything turns on as needed.
But what I have NEVER felt from this company is DECEPTION. Not 1 ounce of THEM trying to get over on people. Think about it, why would they publish deceptive material, on-purpose? That is a a legal headache all day they donāt need over a $30 camera and $120 a year subscription. And itās not because they are trying to make a quick buck before they get caught.
They have been in business too long to screw around with messing with legal issues.
I think itās irresponsible to imply a company is ālyingā when it comes to marketing material unless there is blatant evidence of intent. I find it interesting that many peopleās first thought is ātheyā are trying to āget overā on me. It seems much more plausible that they just didnāt word it right.
And the thing is, as has been mentioned, they changed wording on the website 3 days ago! Which, suggests to me, that someone has been reading this and agreed with you! They fixed their wording because it wasnāt correct as everyone has pointed out! Huzzah! They listened to you and did what you asked! What is a company to do other than that?
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The evidence of intent is that they removed the false statements (I didnāt say lies) and never even acknowledged it. If something was stated by mistake then come out and say it. When questions about the V3 Pro and V4 came up there was zero response/explanation from wyze instead they left users with false impressions. Wyze has no problem announcing and pushing what they consider good news but when something is wrong they bury their heads in the ground and leave it up to volunteers to explain it to users. Be honest and upfront, but they never really have been. Yet I am supposed to believe its just a mistake when they keep doing it.
I agree that I have gotten good value from my wyze products, but that doesnāt mean I have to believe that they are an honest company that cares about its users. They are a company like most others and all that really matters is profit. So maybe they werenāt lies but they take no responsibility for false statement and that is as bad.
How long did they sit on the V1 security problem and only talked about because someone else released the information. Or the V1 sensors, that bricked if the battery died, did they ever even acknowledge it? Has wyze ever taken responsibility for system outages - I guess none were ever their fault.
So yes I am very skeptical of wyze, because they keep reenforcing that doubt.
Regarding the Tapo cams, any knowledge of them making detection voice notifications thru Alexa to an echo speaker device like Wyze for person detection?