It wasn’t rain getting on the lens, just the motion of the drops that would overload the compression. It was most evident at night but also did it during lighter periods. Who knows, maybe there have been different revisions with some being worse. I recall seeing the same effect in review videos when I was trying to decide on a cam (pretty sure it was obvious in lifehackster as well as one or two others I looked at).
I have the old V3, new V3 and V4
Aside the issue I had with no recording when no internet, now solved, the old V3s were the best.
Why? Because of the 12 second WYZE playback. I get that in a few seconds, VS a couple of minutes hunting for the playback from the sd on the V4
AND, the older V3 have more range then the new V3s. The V4 and old V3 are about the same in range.
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Some nice things to know Spartan. Thanks.
Just so @afacademydad doesn’t get confused, the 12 second playback has nothing to do with the camera, it is a discontinued free subscription Cam Plus Lite that only supports V3 and earlier models. Also when you are referring to NEW V3, I am assuming you are referring to V3 Pro, right? Totally different camera.
No, i’m referring to a chip change in the original V3 during it’s production.
My original lot is 2021 and the new lot is 2023. The new lot range is not the same as the original version.
I didn’t know that until someone here pointed it out. Two huge indicators are that i didn’t have the problem in the new ones like the older ones and their range is substantially different.
Curious if that’s why some people love the v3 and I thought it was awful. I tried one in 2024 and the ghosting/blocking on it was terrible.
As @habib mentioned, the 12 second clip thing is not related to the camera itself, that’s related to an old subscription you’re grandfathered into on the older cams. New users can’t get that with any cam, old or new.
I have a number of V3’s some in early 2023 and some about 6 months ago late 2024. Not sure if they are all the same or Old vs New models. It’s difficult for me to compare them. My original one early 2023, that is my outdoor front of the house; under an eave; etc. The others are indoors; some pointing indoors, some window mounted pointing outdoors. So it’s difficult to compare them because of different lighting; window mount doesn’t use night vision LED (Because it will reflect off the window); indoor only one using normal dim lighting.
Overall, I have had absolutely no problems with any of the V3 cameras I have. The only reason for me starting this thread was because of the price. I can get the v3 for about $30 each if I buy 2. $36 if I just buy one. But at Costco, I can buy a 2-pack of V4 for $44.99 PLUS they come with 6 months of cam plus cloud storage. I know that’s either something you want ALL THE TIME, or it’s something many don’t want at all. So I’m not counting that in the price. Although technically, it’s a $36 savings for the 6 months for the 2 cameras. But not counting that, the V4 for $22.50 each from costco and free shipping is something to consider. The thing is… I don’t NEED ADDITIONAL CAMERAS… but I could definitely find a use for 2 more. Most likely 1 would be inside watching a different floor of the house and the other would be either outside or inside pointing out a window. What I have now handles recording the main areas along with my security system. But for the price… it’s tempting.
The 2 pack of v4s was like $40 at xmas at costco. MIcrocenter had them for $17.50 each, couldn’t resist picking one up as I also had an extra coupon that brought it down to like $15 after tax. That being said I’m not about to replace my other OGs with v4s, there was one particular spot where I could benefit from the better night clarity. Now I have an OG I need to figure out what to do with.
Interesting, I also have both lots and I don’t see any difference 
V4 camera BEST camera of all.
- Better video - Fact
- Spotlight built-in
- Faster
- Automation and detection is top-notch.
I use V4’s on all external cameras. I would NEVER go back to a V3. That is a big step back. Not even a contest.
Seems like there are definitely different opinions. That’s to be expected. Each person has different requirements and preferences. I’ve looked at all the cameras; while not actually trying them all. Each has some advantages. E.g. the OG and V3 pro both have zoom. (not something I need in my setup). The v3 pro and the v4 have 2K resolution. (Somewhat of a feature I might like and consider). Lights on a camera is something I definitely don’t have a need for. All of my existing cameras have ample lighting, either through motion sensor flood lights or other lighting. But these are all attributes that some people definitely can have a need or want for. So I will consider a bit longer if I should increase the number of cameras I have; and if so, which one. I think I’m still narrowed down to either additional V3 or possibly the v4 (for it’s price and resolution). I definitely appreciate all the input.
Mike
Personally, I would go with the V4 over V3 as the V3 will eventually come to EOL. The only time I would opt for V3 is for the ability to take advantage of Cam Lite, but if you don’t have it the choice is clear.
Question: Seeing one or two comments about something can be a fluke or people who are morons and don’t know what the hell they are doing. But looking at a lot of reviews from different retailers about the V4, and something popped up quite a few times. I’m hoping the people are morons. But on quite a few reviews, people have said that they CAN NOT RECORD to the SD Card UNLESS they have/paid subscription. So, I am curious if anyone has RECENTLY BOUGHT a V4 and if you are able to record to SD Card without needing a subscription? I say recently, because the reviews I’m looking at with the complaints, are reviews from the last few months. Thanks
Mike
You can record to the SD Card without a subscription with a V4. Reviewers are lying.
Similar to the “someone is talking through my camera” or “the camera is following me around the room”. It’s not, and no one is talking to you.
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I figured so. Everything describing the v4 says it records continuous/events to sd card just like the v3. Just curious WHY there are so many morons in the world. These are the people that really need to rely on others to do everything for them. They aren’t capable of doing things themselves. But… not knowing the people personally, and seeing quite a few complaints, it makes you wonder if there is an issue or just A LOT OF MORONS out there. Thanks Earl
Mike
So true. I have three V4 cams recording continuous to the SD cards right now and I have the cloud recording for all three turned off because the field of view has a lot of motion going on that I don’t want cloud events for. I’ll turn the cloud recording back on in about 4 more hours.
What is cloud recording? You can turn off the Event Captures but keep the camera recording. You don’t have to stop it from always watching.
I turned off event recording, Event Captures are saved on the AWS servers up in the sky, 
All of those models support digital zoom. None of them have optical zoom. So cross that off your differences list. In theory, the 2.5K cams will have clearer zoomed in pictures than the 1080P ones. Due to the higher compression, some of that benefit is lost though.
I don’t think there is any reason to buy a v3 unless you have Cam Plus Lite and want it for that purpose. I don’t think there is any reason to buy the v3 Pro unless you want the free built in Person detection (I can’t recall if it includes any others or not).
I can confirm I record continuous to SD card on my v4, 6 or so months now, card is always full and has the latest videos.
I can now proclaim myself not a moron. Need to go figure out how to change my forum title.
You’ll see it in posts here too, there are a ton of people (who have that certain way of talking, if you know what I mean) that say wyze has disabled features to force you to subscribe. They will not listen to any reason, they will not fix the setting that they’ve messed up, they just come here to state that the earth is flat and move on.