Home monitoring without subscription?

[imwatchinyou]

My subscription has expired and I can not afford to renew it. How can I set it up without renewing the subscription?

[SlabSlayer]

You can use the contact and motion sensors with the hub without a HMS subscription… You just will not have any access to or use for the monitoring tab since there is no professional monitoring. There is no self monitoring option. I don’t believe you will be able to use the Disarmed\Home\Away functions without a subscription. Someone here will be able to confirm that.

All the sensors will need to be set up for notifications on\off thru a rule so you get a push notification if any are opened while you are away. If you program several rules, you can use them for disarmed\home\away but you can’t assign on duty and off duty without the monitoring tab.

[WildBill]

@SlabSlayer is correct about using the HMS system without a subscription. You lose all the settings available in the monitoring tab (home, away, disarmed, “Tunes” for the sensors, etc.) You can, as @SlabSlayer pointed out, use the sensors for automations in rules and for notifications. It’s just more complicated and you need to use rules and shortcuts to make it work. Also, no siren/alarm from the hub.

[imwatchinyou]

thanks folks! I’ll just put it on ebay for sale.

[SlabSlayer]

Post it in the Watercooler area as for sale and list the sensors that are with it. You might find a Wyze user who wants a second hub or someone looking to break into monitoring. (Not literally)

[HangingOut]

This is really a shocking discovery. I just found this out, as my free first year of monitoring ended, and I don’t even want the monitoring, just the alarm, and now if I don’t pay for monitoring, I have a bunch of worthless hardware. I really like WYZE products, but I think that this is incredibly poor service. If you are going to force me into an annual contract, at least discount it, if I am not even using the service, and I just want to use the hardware i bought

[SlabSlayer]

The hardware will continue to function as a hub with connected smart sensors. The keypad will not be of any use. It will not continue to operate as an “Alarm System” without the subscription.

[HangingOut]

Thanks for the confirmation, which I thought was shocking and couldn’t believe the tech support when they said that was the case. It doesn’t make sense. So I need to pay $120 per year, even if I just want a self monitored alarm. I like WYZE products but this seems like a pretty bad deal. I am sorry I bought it in the first place.

[SlabSlayer]

There are many users who have requested a self monitored option to the HMS. The Wishlist topic requesting this is below.

I actually prefer the Noonlight monitoring because I may not be available to check an alarm alert and I also get the Homeowners Insurance discount.

There are others who use shortcut rules without the monitoring (arm\disarm) to turn on\off sensor notifications and smart plugs connected to an external siren to trigger as a local siren alarm. A link is also provided below:

Wyze Home Monitoring: Self Monitored Mode ASAP

Add a permanent “Self Monitored Mode” for those of us that do not want central dispatch. I understand that this can be achieved with “Test Mode.” However, this results in a permanent “You are in Test Mode” card that eats up a lot of screen space. UPDATE 12-JUN-2021: Test mode also disables a number of other features, such as Critical Alerts. With “Self Monitored Mode” it would deactivate central dispatch and eliminate this needless card on the screen. UPDATE 12-JUN-2021: Self Monitoring Mode wo…

Add a loud Siren (also integrated with HMS)

@ken63 and any others trying to add an external siren: I found a way around the problem of how to arm/disarm it without having to go in and change multiple sensors every time - see below. It’s a bit clunky and is not integrated with HMS, but it does work! Attach a loud external alarm to a Wyze Plug (let’s call the plug “Siren”). I use a 12V Honeywell siren & 120>12V adapter that I got on Amazon. Plug “Siren” into a second Wyze Plug (let’s call it “Alarm Master”), and plug “Alarm Master” into …

Motion control tip for siren based on alarm mode

I wanted my Motion Detected Siren to be triggered by Motion sensors in accordance with the Home page shortcut rule modes of Disarmed. Home, or Away. I couldn’t use any of my V3 cams because they responded to leaf/light motion and person false identification. The Motion and Entry sensors were not good stand-alone triggers because they are always “active” — the notifications can be disabled but the on/off trigger is only “inactive” when the batteries are gone. To solve the setup issues I used t…

[HangingOut]

thanks for the input, I appreciate someone who at least gets what I am saying. Yes, I get some want monitoring and that is great, but there a so many system that DONT require an annual fee to use, I would have never bought this if I knew it required an annual fee, since I want an alarm, but no monitoring. You I just jump through a bunch of programming hoops to make the sensors act as an alarm, but the key pad is still dead and I need the keypad.

[viscerator]

So here is a different problem i am having from the same no subscription issue.

Now that I have no subscription, i have no way to control my hubs monitoring setups and configs, as well as the disarm and arming cycle. I now have sensors that set the alarm off because it is automatically arming itself every night with no way to control it.

I would be perfectly happy to just use the notifications for doors left open, but now they are setting the alarm off as well. Not sure how you are supposed to basically permanently disarm the alarm, and just use the sensors as basic notifications.

[SlabSlayer]

@viscerator, thank you for posting that. I wasn’t aware that the alarm schedules would continue to operate and still set the alarm to armed after the subscription expires.

I assumed that all monitoring functionality would cease along with the blocked access to the monitoring tab.

With no access to the monitoring tab, I can understand how it would create a real problem.

How do you disarm the alarm once it starts going off? Isn’t the app and keypad useless since you can’t get to the monitoring functions?

My only recommendation would be a deletion and reinstall of the hub and unfortunately all the sensors with it.

[viscerator]

I am unable to stop the alarm going off from my phone. I get notices of the sensor triggers on app but no way to respond from phone/app.

I did test the keypad and that does still work. I can disarm via my previous pin and code. No way to manage the pin anymore. But every night everything re-arms and i end up setting the alarm off every morning going into my garage.

So i am really disappointed and feel like the material around working without a subscription is completely false. The previous settings are all locked and no way to adjust.

[SlabSlayer]

@viscerator

the material around working without a subscription is completely false. The previous settings are all locked and no way to adjust.

They definately work without a subscription. @WildBill can confirm this. You don’t get the monitoring, but they do work with sensors for notifications and automations.

This is direct product of the subscription expiration lockout. It isn’t clearing the previous settings when the subscription expires.

Short of a reinstall, I’m not sure how to get those settings cleared out since you have lost access to the Monitoring tab.

Perhaps others will post in with some experience having dealt with this.

[WildBill]

I can confirm that sensors work without a subscription. I let mine expire because I didn’t find it useful. My door sensors and motion sensors still work for automation and notification. I can’t change settings for “tunes” when a door opens, but I have it configured for the two doors I’m interested in.

Without the subscription various settings are no longer available, such as turning on/off the tunes settings for specific door sensors. I never used HMS in a live mode so I never turned on Home or Away so everything was already “off” when my subscription ended.

Update:

Just had the “tune” settings fail on the two doors I was monitoring. Now I have no way to check or change the settings. Posted over here about the issue:

No longer getting "tune" sound with door opening

Yes, first thing I tried.

[rltidd]

I just leave mine in test mode. Never used the subscription. Everything works fine. Keypads, android phone can be used to put in home, away, or off. Only thing I can not do is add a SIREN, something for which Wyze customers have been asking since 2019.

[WildBill]

Test mode requires a subscription which costs around $100 per year for…what exactly?

[viscerator]

Months later my system has still been unusable since my subscription ended. I tried support and support tickets with no resolution. They have basically sold an unusable system without the subscription.

I have even reset everything per support and i am still stuck with a system that arms and disarms itself with no way for me to alter it.

So i am forced to leave everything unplugged, If i could return the system, i would. They have falsely advertised the system as useable without a subscription, but that simply isn’t true.

[Enigma]

Abode allows you to do self-monitoring exactly like how we want Wyze to let us do it. I also just assumed that Wyze would allow me to do self-monitoring as well… 3 month trial subscription ended, and now I cant even use the keypad to arm and self-monitor lol what a joke. Im going to throw it in the trash and go back to Abode. Nope, not selling or giving away free or discounted Wyze gear to help Wyze perpetuate what I consider to be a not-so-customer-friendly business monitor. I love all the forum members here who assist with work-arounds, it truly is helpful…but it also just helps Wyze ignore a poor biz model IMO. No need to justify that its a great system or not, self-monitoring should be hone security DIY 101 at this point…and that INCLUDES the ability to use the darn keypad to arm and disarm, and have a siren!!

[yt9pocb4]

Glad I came across this thread before committing a purchase. I think Wzye’s product price and subscription are still very competitive, but the kit isn’t usable without a subscription. I hope Wzye can be transparent about this bring this point upfront before the purchase.