No continuous recording? Psh! will not buy
I don’t know the minimum speed, but the base’s Ethernet connector only supports 10/100 MB ("Interface port: Fast ethernet (10/100)), so more speed would only be a waste of money.
They were cheaper two years ago.
This would be fine at $39.99.
Keep in mind all 4 cameras probably won’t be in use simultaneously, so 1 or 4 cameras shouldn’t make much difference.
I’m using an old Powerline AV200 kit to connect one base station and the effective speed is about 40Mbps. This is still enough consistent bandwidth to view the stream from one WCO. Any of the new Powerline adapters should give you more than enough speed.
Sweet, cool, this sounds awesome, I’d like to get on board and throw cash at you … but … wait, I live … not in the states … so, I can’t
This is so annoying, you keep doing this to me
Guess I’ll just be forced to wait for, what, another year?
I made a post where you can vote on a second version asking for continuous recording: Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 Ideas
I am not one to post much–but feel compelled to tell you how great this video is. I think this journey (which I’ve followed from nearly the beginning) has been great for you guys. I personally loved seeing the journey of the challenges and overcomings you as a team did to accomplish your goals. I’m a little disappointed Fay (?) didn’t get in the water lol!! But loved seeing her be teased. Loved this video, loved the journey. I truly hope this proves as successful–and I don’t see how it won’t—as your previous cameras. Love your travel mode idea to boot!! Can’t wait to see your next one. Maybe this one in motion like the indoor one?? Best of luck.
Thank you very much everyone for your responses. Even though they are marketed as an outdoor camera, I think it will fill those gaps inside the home where it is hard to get power or even a WIFI signal.
Why can’t Canadians order your products? Why not even provide an option to just have a private courier pick it up and let us deal with the shipping?
Voted
So i just ordered my outdoor cam, how do i know if i am in the first 50k ordered?
You’re not. There were over 50K yesterday.
Check the Shop tab in the WYZE app.
awww, that sucks, I was able to purchase the nest previously and got a camera inside. You snooze you lose!
Will RTSP firmware be available? I really need that…
Tell me about it … It is a pain …
I bought my first camera when I was stil in the US, I relocated to Europe in 2018 …
I tried purchasing some cam on Ebay, and got Xiaomi ones instead … So I ordered them and get it delivered to friends’s place and they either resend them (which cost me a bomb as I pay the shipping fees twice) or wait for some friends to travel to Europe … (and trust me it works really well on 220 volts )
Am pretty sure Wyze would make really good business outside the US, as competition is not as good (especially interface of the app).
My 0.002c
NB : If they are looking for a European reseller, we can work on it (am that convince by the products )
TL; DR
Great outdoor camera with a novel feature (capability to take it/put it anywhere and have it record to micro SD) but some opportunities have been missed, IMHO.
The 2 main issues (for me) are:
- Weatherproofing is based on rubber cover. (This really should not be a thing)
- No continuous recording. (also should not be a thing. Should be a feature that becomes “unlocked” or “available” when the device receives external power or charges).
Detailed thoughts (sorry for the wall of text, I’m just passionate about tech):
I want to start on a positive note by saying that I really like Wyze, as a company. You guys have really been disruptive in an awesome way to the home automation and especially wifi cam industry by setting yourselves apart as 1. extremely social with customers and 2. selling value based, inexpensive devices. So, thank you! It’s obvious how many manuf. had had to drop their device prices because people are discovering your company every day and buying your products. I have supported and continue to support your company by purchasing and recommending your product(s).
That being said, I think you’ve missed the mark a bit with the Wyze Cam Outdoor. Plenty people are going to buy it because it’s inexpensive vs. other cameras and does have some great features, but I suspect that in a few months this forum is going to be flooded with complaining folks and folks who purchased without reading the specs/capability of the camera.
The two main issues (for me) are:
- Weatherproofing is based on rubber cover.
- No continuous recording.
I suspect that some 3rd party is going to release a case or accessory to “fix” the issue with the rubber covering, allowing people to wire the camera to solar panels or directly to power. Although this will void the warranty. Solar panels are how I made my battery-powered outdoor cameras bareable. Regarding my Blink XTs, for example, even though I intended and figured there’d be a certain amount of clips recording, it turns out that way more do/did and my camera that should last ~2 years on batteries typically went out in 12-18 months, and that is still being conservative. I can only imagine what a camera that’s slated to last 3-6 months will do.
Here, I think you should have gone the route of making the camera fully weatherproof regardless of the rubber flap OR provided some kind of rubber accessory that fits/replaces that flap for people who want to solar or directly power the camera.
Some people only think they want battery-powered cameras, imho, based on ideas they have or what they think owning one entails. My idea when getting them was; no holes through my walls or having to run long wires to outlets, I could DiY and changing batteries every 2 years? no big deal!,
The reality was, even though I live in a great neighborhood with no /very little crime (knock on wood!), I mount my outdoor cameras high enough where even the tallest person can’t just snatch it off the wall (because kids will be kids and just like some of them will run and ring your doorbell at 3am, I’m sure if a camera is within reach, someone will take it), which means I must climb a ladder to deal with them, obvious but then there was that expectation that the camera is going to last 2 years, which is what Blink XT advertises. That did not happen. It’s not that Blink lies or anything. It’s just really a really lean, conservative usage scenario only factoring a certain amount of recorded clips + camera setting and I did not set up my camera that way, not to mention I do live view the cameras now and again (which is not considered in their usage scenario either). I ended up with about 12 months on 2 and 18 months on the one that got probably 10 clips a month).
Having to change the batteries every 12 months ended up being a hassle. I imagine this with most folks, especially if they have to deal with more than 1 camera (I have one of every side of my home, so 4). In essence, with my Blink XT cameras, I had to get up on a ladder, climb to where I can comfortably reach 8-9ft and replace the batteries. I’m also scared of heights. I never had to do this with my Reolink cameras but they came with solar panels so that was a non-issue (I would not have purchased a camera slated for 6 months of battery life otherwise). You also have to think about unforeseen things like the camera software glitching or having issues. With a wired camera, you just power cycle it. With a wifi, battery-powered camera, this means getting on that ladder and taking it down to do what needs to be done. I never had issues with my Blink XTs, thankfully. They’ve never frozen or dropped off or stopped connecting to Wifi. It happened once to one of my Reolink Argus cameras and all I had to do was remove the battery and put it back on. With a sealed battery camera, this is impossible which means the camera will either need to be reset or hopefully come with some sort of reboot button. Still, it means getting on a ladder and possibly taking the camera down.
I mentioned these things in this forum back when people were begging for an outdoor camera so it’s disappointing that it was either not seen, ignored or otherwise. It’s a missed opportunity.
Regarding continuous recording, this is another disappointing aspect. Although, I’m not sure if this is hardware or software limited. If hardware limited, like, the camera will overheat when recording full time, then boo. If it is the software that is limited, then meh, hopefully, you’ll change your minds. Ultimately, I envisioned something like the Reolink Argus 2 (great everything but frustratingly inconsistent PIR) or Blink XT (free cloud recording, great features, awesome PIR, etc.) meets Wyze cam indoor (microSD for local storage, impeccable support, inexpensive, awesome features, reliable PIR, the list goes on). I was hoping for and envisioned an outdoor, ‘primarily’ battery-run but connected power supported camera with “extra abilities” once given continuous power through either a solar panel or dedicated power. Pretty much an Arlo, but cheaper and with better support A camera that will run lean and efficiently while battery-powered; for example, it will detect people and general motion, can schedule recordings, etc and do pretty much what you have intended it to right now, but which open up extra options when power is attached, so at that point, it can record 24/7 and maybe unlock higher bitrate recording or something along those lines.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m still going to buy one! I have a great usage scenario for it. My back porch is enclosed. We lock the door at night but a ne’er-do-well can always tear through the enclosure and break the glass sliding door so I will put a WCO within an easily reachable distance (I currently use my Reolink Argus 2 but it’s very inconsistent) - if the worst-case scenario occurs, I will be alerted instantly and police will have footage, even if the camera is discovered and destroyed.
So, yeah, some things that would have made an outstanding product were definitely missed here. If somehow Wyze manages to remove these limitations. I’m down to replace my Blink XTs. I also have to reiterate that I expect a flood of buyers’ remorse when some people discover some of these things.
Here’s what I expect/predict from some early adopters (especially people that have not read the faq/specs, etc.):
“My camera doesn’t last 3 months!!” (because it’s recording double the amt. of clips and they had no idea the usage scenario is 3-6 months @ ~20 clips per day).
“Why can’t I record 24/7 like Wyze indoor?!” (because they figured Wyze Outdoor would do the same thing as Wyze Indoor)
"So I have to take the camera down every time the batteries run out of juice and then wait 3-4 hours for it to charge?!!) (Because, again, some people don’t read the details on things they purchase).
“What? I can’t just plug the camera into a solar panel or power, but there’s a charging port?!” (I agree, future complainer, but oh well.)
I definitely agree with you on all points! If you want to vote on a new Outdoor Cam with the ability to be plugged in while staying weather proof and have continuous recording you can do that here:Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 Ideas
I hope Wyze realizes that a lot of people want continuous recording on the Outdoor Cam and they want it to be able to be plugged in!
Arlo’s latest generation connects power via a magnetic connector. Also has a swappable battery. However it is much more expensive.
The video says you need to plug it into a “base station” and shows something in white that looks like two Alexa hocky pucks stacked on top of each other. The webpage for the camera does not otherwise mention it so its a confusion point for me.
Also, what happens with the other v2 Wyze cams I have? Do they work with this? Im trying to understand why I cannot use the new outdoor cam in the same fashion I use my existing cams by connecting them to my network.
If there a thorough FAQ to look at?