I don’t think so. I don’t see a control like that in the Google Home app, so I’d be surprised if Google Assistant can affect the lighting since these aren’t like other smart lighting products. If you’re getting this to work for you, then I’d be interested to learn how and what you’re saying to Assistant.
It does for me if, for instance, I have Ambient Light enabled and the lights are on (because it’s within the time frame of the schedule I set) and then I try to turn them off with the Bulb Cam icon overlay. I can tell it not to ask me the next time, but I prefer having the override warning in case I bump it by mistake.
That’s similar to what I do: Ambient Light at the driveway and porch set to 40% from 15′ p̄ sunset to 30′ ā sunrise with a bump to 100% if a person or vehicle is detected (too many cats and rabbits wandering across to leave pet detections on). The deck has one with Ambient Light at 10% that bumps to 20% if a person or pet is detected, because I want to throw just a little more light if the dog shows up there, and that one turns off at midnight. Although I think more light output and options like colors or tuning the white would be cool, I like the flexibility these give with the scheduling and dimmer control.
If these had brighter lights (more lumens) in a “cooler” white (higher K), like with panel LEDs or something, then I could see something like this being an easy solution for garage or storage room lighting with those plain lamp holders in the ceiling. As is, it’s a good replacement for my previous exterior lighting, and the color temperature is close to that of the CFLs I was using before.
I agree. It’s…interesting? Different? Not very useful to me, though, and I’m struggling to imagine a practical use for it.
I’ve been waiting patiently for the “my head is on pillow” sensor and the trash can is 80% full monitor so I can be notified to take out trash before wife says “get off the internet and take out the trash”. I believe the sleeping cat warmer with motion detection will be a game changer - I await the 2 notifications a day.
It’s kind of weird and changes too fast for my taste. It might be cool if they expand it to give the user control over transition times, but so far they haven’t done this with similar requests for slower Light Strip and Light Strip Pro transitions, so I wouldn’t hold my breath for that.
That might be the answer.
You’re welcome! The Quick Start Guide is definitely quick. I can understand why they wouldn’t invest a lot of resources in static printed documentation when the app and firmware are subject to change with future feature modifications. The Help Center is pretty good generally, but it’s not infallible.
I think you’re asking excellent questions, and my understanding is that Bulb Cam is an integrated product with no user-replaceable parts, much like their other cameras (excluding thing like power adapters, cables, and batteries where those can be swapped). Similar to what @habib said, I’d expect the LED to last a long time.
That made me curious enough to look at the warranty again, and my read is that the light in Bulb Cam would be covered by the 1-year portion but not the 3-year portion for other Bulb products because the Bulb Warranty Period “excludes light bulbs that are components of other Products”. I would expect that Accessory Bulb would get the 3-year coverage, but I don’t know if that’s the case, so it would be good to have some clarification on that, because I have had a Wyze Bulb Color fail under warranty and received a replacement.
Good questions! Maybe @WyzeJasonJ can provide some insight.
Maybe someone using these on a patio and having a party? It lacks the Music Mode of Light Strip and Light Strip Pro, though, so I’m really not sure.
Thank you for your long and detailed answer. Unfortunately, hardware dies sometimes well after arrival or warranty. Throwaway products are becoming passe, right to repair, some manufacturers supplying 3-D printed parts, etc. I can think of at least one great YouTuber who’s going to chew this up.
And as we all know, software can be gated and paywall at a later time after a warranty is over. Hardware can be a tricky mistress when it tangles with Software. Sometimes chips into identical SKU devices are made to different variances and quality. Add an external cold weather environment (where this is likely to be used ) and that warranty doesn’t do as much good.
All that said, I really appreciate the forum and your answer. And of course I did order one.
Yeah, and STL files for some things have been requested in the Wishlist. Several community members seem to be pretty active with 3D printing, and I decided to learn about it myself specifically because I wanted to create an angled mount for my Wyze Video Doorbell v2. Our Moderator team added the 3d-printing tag to the Forum just last year.
If you watch the announcement video, you’ll see a clip of a snow-covered yard with a plow driving by, so the product has clearly been used in cold environments, but I understand how longevity with any of these things is a concern. Given some community reports of older Wyze Cam models continuing to see service despite being (ab)used in varying weather and climate conditions, I’d expect something like Bulb Cam to hold up just as well, if not better. If my prior light bulbs can survive seasons outdoors with some protection from the sconces, then I’d expect these to, too.
@habib & @ssummerlin, I was thinking about the whole Firefly Breathing thing again and had another thought: Bulb Cam has a microphone for 2-way audio. Light Strip and Light Strip Pro have microphones built into their controllers for Music Mode’s sound response, and those can also be linked via device groups to things like Bulb Color so that the color smart bulbs get the music responsiveness, too. I could imagine that Wyze could add a Music Mode to Bulb Cam and Accessory Bulb so that lighting changes could be synchronized to music, like if someone wanted that for an outdoor party on a patio or something, but both products would really need color options to create the best atmosphere, I think.
True. I wish the cam was hidden behind tinted glass, but even then, it is too long. I was leary about placing the bulb cam in the un-fenced front yard.
Or maybe make the camera smaller and place it on top. This would make the IR useless, but it is more concealed. I find I did not need IR with Color Night Vision.
Complete unit contained within the sconce.
Hopefully people would think the cam was a light sensor.
No Firefly Breathing Effect.
(Design the lens to look past the sconce enclosure.)
This is worthless. I can do it on the fly. I dont understand why better products id suggested like thermal. Witch are already in. You have so many abilities and creativity to do what ive made. Please help do so.
Considering that Wyze is already in the “Smart” bulb market, I was a bit surprised that the bulb cam doesn’t allow color control. It doesn’t matter to my uses, but I know there are a lot of people who use different color porch lights for various reasons. The colors can mean whatever anyone wants, but some are fairly common.
Purple: Support for domestic violence victims
Blue: Support for police
Blue: Support of autism awareness
Green: Support for veterans and the military
Red: signifying love or a warning
Or when a burglar breaks in?
