Mobile data usage

[az0]

Sometimes I watch video clips from my phone (Android Samsung S7) using mobile data. What is the difference in mobile data usage for Cam Plus vs. 12-second video clips?

My cameras are Wyze Cam V2 and Wyze Cam Pan

[tomp]

When you are viewing a 12 second clip from the events page, it is stored on the Wyze Servers, Cam Plus is also cloud based. The method of accessing these videos is usually thru WiFi-your home network-or mobile data-cellular data that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) supplies.
Cellular data allows you to access your WiFi from out-of-range locations, like when you are out of town. Depending on your plan with your ISP, you may be charged extra for over a certain amount of data usage. WiFi access is usually not metered. This works the same for all the types of Wyze cams.

[gku2]

@tomp

Depending on your plan with your ISP

? hum …don’t you mean Mobile data plan ?

[tomp]

I guess I use the terms interchangeably. How do you define them?

[Customer]

Generally ISP refers to you home or business Internet Service Provider. It’s your mobile carrier who would provide you a cell phone plan including mobile data.

To answer the original poster’s question, if the CamPlus clip is longer than 12 seconds it will use more mobile data. The longer the motion event, the more data of course. As far as I know the rate (and corresponding video quality) is exactly the same either way.

[az0]

Sorry, I was unclear. I know how mobile data and wifi work. My wi-fi is always free, but my mobile data is metered and not free.

Question 1 (rephrased): How much data does it cost (in bytes or megabytes) to download a 12 second video clip? (The app downloads the whole clip before playing any of it, so this cost is the same whether I watch 3 seconds or watch it twice.)

Question 2 (rephrased): How much data does it cost (in B or MB) to watch 3 seconds of a clip with Cam Plus?*

Asking the same question another way: Does the data required to watch Cam Plus change depending on how much I watch (like as if I were streaming Netflix) or does it matter how long the whole clip is (as if I were downloading the whole clip to watch any of it)?

[az0]

@Customer

To answer the original poster’s question, if the CamPlus clip is longer than 12 seconds it will use more mobile data. The longer the motion event, the more data of course. As far as I know the rate (and corresponding video quality) is exactly the same either way.

So to watch 3 seconds of a 10 minute clip costs me the amount of data to download 10 minutes of video? Ouch

[Customer]

My guess would be yes, but I don’t know. I’ve never had CamPlus. My 12 second clips seem to run between 1.0 and 1.2 MB.

Edit: some anecdata –

Beta App and Firmware: 11/12/19

Are you guys using Complete Motion Capture? If so, it’s obviously going to use more data if it gives you longer clips more often. It seems like the minimum clip length with CMC is 17-18 seconds. Even if you’re viewing the same number of clips with the same frequency, it’s still probably downloading the whole video. So I’d expect data usage to spike by at least 50%. If your average clip lengths are 24 seconds, I’d expect it to be about double.