LifeHackster did his review … With the amount of compression Wyze is doing on that camera the videos could be 640X480 or less. It looks far worse than I see on my Wyze Cam 3. And at night without light it is Wyze Cam V1 quality night mode.
I think I will pass until they make a 2nd generation of this one.
I was really expecting better. I don’t know why they would even release it with this much video compression.
Wyze has certainly been doing a ton of compression lately. I am not a huge fan of that. Also, they are keeping the bit rate really low. I am sure the main reason is to keep the cost of Cam Plus low since this reduces the amount of bandwidth used and storage required for it, as well as making it so more users can use it without it overloading their limited internet bandwidth (and subsequently blaming the camera for not working well, when the main problem is their network limitations)…so I can see why they are doing it. However, I think one of the main issues in this particular case of where he is running with the license plate is that it’s only 15fps…that and the snapshot speed (“shutter speed”) could be making a big impact.
As for compression though, to be fair, a lot of camera companies are doing a lot of compression and low bitrates --especially when they start offering more than 1080p resolution, but this one does seem to have a lot more compression artifacts than most based on comparisons between Lifehackster’s other reviews. I think some of the fault is with the 15fps though, because I see similar issues when my other cams switch to nightvision and only do 15fps, and the video is far less clear in those cases too. Still, hopefully his feedback to Wyze about it will help them reduce the compression a little bit to get closer to the average of others, or maybe they’ll actually consider raising the fps from 15 to 20, especially when we use these as a plug-in camera, not just battery.
I have found that the video quality on these looks really good within a reasonable close range. The artifacts are easier to notice when you get closer to the edges of the detection distance or move really fast (since the fps is so low). I think most people won’t notice it unless they are trying to record small or detailed things at farther ranges, or have things moving really fast.
This camera does have some other strengths though. For example, using Radar and PIR makes it so that it has fewer false detection issues and preserves the battery a lot for a lot of people’s use-cases. Also, if you have regular motion (people walking), then it’s still really good in most of those cases too. It offers a really bright spotlight, and many other benefits too. However, I would definitely love to see the following improved:
Ok first off… This is being sold as a 2K camera so in theory you should have better not equal or worse effective resolution. And with the level of compression you have likely less effective resolution.
Wyze is also marketing them more now as security cameras so again being able to identify someone is pretty critical and again with this compression it is awful.
As for the compression if it was JUST a bandwidth issue they could sell a cam plus HD for more money. And they could have less compression on the local stored copy. (Noting that they didn’t even activate local video storage yet on this camera. Another reason not to buy yet.)
For now this is has worse night mode than a Cam 3. And even worse video compression than a Cam 3 Pro.
You gain a battery but you loose way to many useful features. Hopefully next years version will be better.
I received my Battery Cam Pro yesterday and it’s defective so am returning it. This appears fairly common on other tech threads I see. Not sure this product was ready for launch and/or their QA dept was asleep in the factory
What’s defective about it? What’s your experience?
i bought this camera due to the convenience. no plugs. no wires. battery operated. well…
this camera is a piece of crap. doesn’t detect. doesn’t record events. stays in power save mode so it doesn’t record events ever. (even when power save mode is clicked off). waste of money.
i literally have stood in front of the camera waving my hands & it still doesn’t record. doesn’t record me talking or my dogs bark (which she does a good amount). a van just pulled up right in front of my window. you think it recorded it. no it did not.
i have contacted the wyze team over 20 times about this, literally! & they suggested i do a step of trouble shooting- as if i didn’t do them in the first place! not my first wyze camera, not my first rodeo.
my detection settings & event recordings are all
checked. everything should be the way it should be in recording & detection.
now all they can say is, please wait for a firmware update… uhhh wyze firmware updates could be like 3 months from now!
worst camera i have ever bought from them.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!
Is the camera in a window looking out the window? The PIR sensors do not work through glass. The camera front needs to be unobstructed. I don’t know about the radar aspect of the news cameras.
I am not sure about the new battery cameras, but the WCO V1 and WCO v2 do not “detect sound” as an event trigger.
More in a bit…
My take on that cam is that its battery based so you can be sure its bottom of the barrel without thinking further 
Not like it comes with an EV car battery.
Seems just obvious to me. Keep your phone recording and the battery doesn’t last that long. Stuff has to be chopped down to lighten the load.
Mine is defective as well. The USB charging port isn’t working.
nah. the batteries actually last long. & recording it in my phone, that would be silly, that’s what can plus is for.
it’s literally just the detection.
The battery cam pro does one thing, and one thing only. It sells more cam plus subscriptions…
What a complete waste of a camera, the firmware --as is, prevents users from recording to the sd card.
I wish I would have waited for GEN2 on this product. Out of the box it’s a very nice feeling and looking porduct, but it simply is NOT reliable. Video stream comes and goes randomly regardless of the network it is on or how close it is to a router. You can still change settings on the camera (ie - the LED on the front can be toggled on/off), but the video stream disappears in the app.
Typical of new Wyze releases this one simply is not ready for prime time. I’ll give it a couple weeks to see if new firmware gets releases and fixes the issues, if not, back it goes.
I’ve dealt with poor Wyze product releases in the past - but this one is especially bad. I don’t want to be a Wyze beta tester anymore.
Dont Buy this cam is worthless
I got mine in DEC -2023, installed it on Dec-15 after 9 hours of charging
Feb-23 it was at 22%, I charged to 100% , then on APR-8 was 0%
charged it again on May 28 it was at 0%, , 9 hours to charge each time
so I decided to buy a 2nd battery
Charged the 2nd battery on May 29 to 100% then it was at 0% on Jun 7th
Wyze advertise this battery for 6 moth it died after 8 days, I am returning this 2end battery but they wont pay back the shipping, for the deflective product.
Wyze just cant make battery powered cams, same issues with my 2 other outdoor cams, have to charge them once a month, up and down on the ladder to charge these cams
I have 2 battery cam pros and have no issues with the performance except for the battery life. Both are mounted outside, 1 in low traffic area and 1 in high traffic area. Battery recharging level never became an issue, but pulling the battery to recharge did, required a ladder. I pulled the batteries, bought 20ft long flat cables from Amazon, hid the cables under siding and ran down between window frame and down to nearby inside wall outlets. The flat cables worked perfectly and did not interfere with windows closing. No more charging batteries.
I don’t see or understand all the negative issues except maybe the batteries not lasting or charging to max levels. 7 months in and I’m satisfied with the results. The camera isn’t flawless but it is not the worst cam Wyze has produced. Rushed to production, yes, because the WCO v1 & v2 were being discontinued.
@kooryh - You are just listing battery drainage without any information to where you put the camera and what is going on. I.e. is it an area where there is a lot of motion? do you have the motion light on? did you turn on power saver mode? Have you adjusted sensitivity and viewing distance?
And to be clear… Wyze DOES NOT advertise it WILL last 6 months. They advertise it will last “UP TO 6 MONTHS”. That is a vastly different statement than what you said and misleading on your part.
Wyze Battery Cam Pro | 2.5K Wireless Outdoor Cam, Works w/Solar Panel – Wyze Labs, Inc.
Both cams are mounted just below roof overhang at the high point of house siding. 1 cam is monitoring the front yard down to the shrub line and street (live on small hill) and is the low traffic area. Detection zone is carved out and activated. The 2nd cam is in back monitoring the back deck. Our primary entrance and exit to the house. Also where our Amazon deliveries are left. Again, detection zone is carved out and activated.
I only reached a point of recharging batteries once. I am in New England and the task of climbing a ladder in the cold to pull the batteries was enough to convince me to pull the batteries out and go with the wired option.
I’m a 4 year Wyze user and have over 20 cams. Know all about making the adjustments you mentioned. I also have the WCO v1 with 4 battery cams. 2 of which are starting to show declining battery life. A plus for the BC Pro is pulling the battery without taking down the cam. WCO cams have to completely removed from location to charge.
@fmills1d - I wasn’t responding to you. I was responding to @kooryh.
But, I would have definitely switched to wired cam’s in your situation!
Hello Earl:
This is Koory:
My Pro battery cam is installed on top of my front door to just monitor people and pets, very limited area, with limited Traffic and just like you I have activated zone detection
As for 6 months battery life issue, it is right on the battery Box, see the attached pictures
Yes you are correct up to six months, but my new battery just lasted only 8 days, which is lot shorter than up to six months, let see if they said up to 10 days how many people will buy one
It says “UP TO 6 months”. They don’t say “IT WILL” last 6 months. You are using an absolute by saying Wyze says IT WILL last. They don’t say that. It’s clearly conditional and with caveats.
The bottom line here is that you need to tune the thing. Outdoors has a lot of leaves, shadows, and other motions that trigger cameras.
