I currently have two outdoor “bulb” cameras that do not perform satisfactorily. I want to replace them with the new Cam Pan V4. To make this easy and aesthetically acceptable with everything still protected by the lamp shade, I would like to suggest that Wyze create a light socket mount for the camera that would allow it to replace my current ones exactly. The new mount would be a duplicate of the current Wyze Lamp Socket v2, except it would not pass electricity through it to power a light bulb it would only power the USB port. Instead, the bottom of the lamp socket would be configured to somehow securely mount to the base of the cam pan v4. The USB port on the lamp socket would then power the Cam Pan V4. Light bulb cameras, like the ones I have, were tremendously popular when they first became available. However, I am sure that, like myself, many owners would like to switch to a higher-quality camera.
@kenk3 , I converted this to a Wish List item so it gains more attention. Please make sure you vote for this Wish as one is not provided automatically.
Please tell me how to vote for this as a wish. I’m new to the forum. Thanks.
At the very top of this topic, to the left of the title, you will see a VOTE button, simply tap on that.
Welcome to the Forums @kenk3
I found a work-around that should solve the problem with no changes on the part of Wyze. I found a plastic insert for E26 sockets on Amazon. Asthetically, it would be nice if they were white, but hey! You can drill a hole in it and insert a screw from the inside to attach it to the cam pan v4 tripod mount. Then screw it into a Wyze lamp socket and screw the entire assembly into the lamp fixture outside your house. Amazon also offers short heavy vinyl covers USB A to C cables to attach the cam to the lamp socket. You just would never link the lamp socket to the Wyze app unless you wanted to turn off the power to the camera. What do you think? My original desire was to upgrade the toy-like bulb cameras I now own, but after reading a lot of the posts about the cam pan v4 and especially not being able to download the video without the card, (my front camera is 10’ off the ground) I’m not so sure. 
I think that’s one way to skin the cat. Additional thoughts:
- If you’re going to use Wyze Lamp Sockets, then you’ll want to use Lamp Socket v2. Lamp Socket v1’s USB port outputs 5V ⎓ 1A of power, while Lamp Socket v2’s USB port has 5V ⎓ 2A output.[1] The latter is what Cam Pan v4 expects to see for input.[2]
- Since this plan doesn’t use a Wyze Lamp Socket’s actual socket control (because you’re not using the E26 socket to power anything), you could probably get away with using a third-party socket with a USB output as long as it’s providing sufficient power for the camera.
- A ¼″ hole drilled through the center of the cap/plug should work for a short 1/4″-20 machine screw to attach the Cam Pan v4 (or any other standard Wyze Cam except for [first-generation?] Cam OGs, which use a smaller-diameter screw). I would be inclined to insulate the screw head that’s going to be inside the socket, so if I was going to put something like this together, I’d probably drill the hole, insert the screw from the inside of the cap, and then cover the screw head inside the cap with hot glue.
I think this contraption is going to hang down quite a bit from your lampshade, so it’s up to you to decide whether or not the result provides the æsthetic you’re seeking, but I think it’s an interesting solution to the problem. Thanks for sharing! 
Thanks for the feedback. Regarding a third-party socket with a USB output, the ones I found all hung down further than the Wyze socket v2. I can’t imagine why I would ever turn it off, but who knows, so it’s nice to have the option. I’m not sure what could require insulating the screw since it will be about 1 inch away from the Wyze socket base. The current bulb camera I have installed, as shown in my original post, measures 8” from its E26 base to the top of the housing. I don’t know the overall length of the cam V4, but I would have to add the socket v2 and about 1/4” for the cap head of the insert. The greater issues, to me, are that my current camera does not work routinely or follow its programming, and secondly, there seem to be a lot of negative posts about Cam Pan v4 problems, most concerning of which is the inability to download the recordings remotely. I’m too old to be climbing up a ladder every time I need the recordings. I know that the majority of the market is price-driven, but there must be enough of us out here who would pay more for a better product with more features. Whether that is enough to warrant Wyze creating a more expensive product is not my call, but it seems the answer is no.
Oh, I know, and I’m not saying that it’s necessary. It’s just something I would probably do out of an (over)abundance of caution and to lock the screw in place within the cap.
If you’re talking about Cam Pan v4, then its product page lists its height at 4.91″. Lamp Socket v2’s “height” is listed as 65 mm. If you mean Cam v4 (non-Pan), then that’s significantly shorter.
There are some issues with Cam Pan v4, and that seems to happen to often (I think) with Wyze products when they’re new. Eventually a lot of those issues tend to get sorted out with firmware, server, and app updates, but that takes time, bug reports, and logs. They also said (I believe in a Reddit AMA, possibly elsewhere) that some features weren’t ready at launch but are on the roadmap and planned to be delivered via future updates.
I’m not sure what you mean about that second piece, though: What detail can you add about an “inability to download the recordings remotely”? For users with subscriptions, all event recording downloading is “remote”, because those recordings are stored on Wyze servers. If you’re talking about microSD recordings, then it’s possible to play those back in the app and record those locally (to the phone) during playback, but direct remote access to microSD recordings (i.e., accessing the 1-minute video files on the card over a network) isn’t possibly with any Wyze Cams (as far as I’m aware), though it has been requested in the Wishlist:
As with any Wishlist topic, you can visit those to click or tap the Vote button above the initial post and share your ideas and use cases in the comments to show your support for the product and feature request/suggestions that are important to you.
There are also other options in the marketplace. For instance, I find with my Tapo cameras that I can playback and download my microSD recordings as long as my phone is on the same Wi-Fi as my cameras, and I can do that without a subscription. Other manufacturers offer other features. There’s a lot of choice in the market.
Thanks for the input. So it seems thet the cam pan v4 at 4.91” + the lamp socket v2 at 2.56” and the cap on the insert at .25” = 7.72”. I don’t know if the lamp socket measurement includes the E26 base. Probably not, but either way, it’s pretty close to my current lightbulb camera, which is 8” including the screw in base. And the cam pan v4 has one other advantage, it works! I’m going to purchase 2 of the cam pan v4 and 2 light sockets v2 as soon as I can. Right now they will have to remain in my personal wish list since my wife just got out of the ICU, and all my money and attention is focused on her.
It does. If you look at the dimensions on its product page (check the “Tech specs” section), you see this:
- Dimensions: 56.5mm x 56.5mm x 65mm
The last one has to be total height, because it’s the longest, and I just pulled a Lamp Socket v2 out of a lamp and measured with calipers to confirm. The others are equal because they’re measuring width/depth, but they’re measuring from flat side to flat side. If you measure between opposite vertices, then the dimension is more like 60.4 mm, so that’s probably what should be considered the maximum width (without something plugged into the USB-A port) for applications with a narrow sconce surrounding the built-in E26 lamp base.
I hope that your wife has a rapid and full recovery from whatever she’s battling. Please remember to take care of yourself during this time, too. Being a caregiver is its own challenge, and it’s difficult to provide the best care for others if we’re not first taking care of ourselves (it took me a long time to learn that lesson).
I’m going to give it a try as soon as I can afford it. When I can, I’ll use Amazon Prime so I can return them if the setup doesn’t work. I also have a Wyze forum post under lighting because I would like to be able to turn on my overhead lights in rooms with my SimpliSafe security cameras. My problem is that I have toggle-type switches, and Wyze, like others, only offers Decora controllable switches. It must be difficult/impossible to make a toggle switch controllable. The few controllable toggle switches on the market are expensive, very large, and, of course, won’t work with my Wize app. Neither Wyze nor Simplisafe offers everything the other does, but I don’t want to introduce a third app again. I now have a third app for the light bulb cameras I have, but I’m planning to replace them with the Cam Pan v4 as soon as I can. Since the togglr switches don’t seem to be available, I think I’ll put a bright lamp in the room and control it with a Wyze outlet. I want to illuminate the room because the IR image from the SimpliSafe cameras are grainy and low-quality at night.
Re: my wife, she had surgery by a top-rated surgeon to repair a herniated disc. When he put the required screws into the vertebrae above and below the disc for the plate to keep them separated, one of the screws fractured a vertebra and struck the sciatic nerve. The pain was so intense that, along with a barrage of electronic devices, they put her on more narcotics than you’d find at a rock concert. Because of the constant nerve pain, she also developed shingles on the same leg. When she began to mend physically, still in severe pain, the hospital discharged her because you can’t stay in a hospital just because of pain. Once home, without daily lab work to monitor her, no one knew when her kidneys shut down, resulting in a massive drug overdose from her prescription medications backing up.. The ER told me she wouldn’t survive the night, but with Jehovah God’s help, she did and spent the next eight days in ICU, unconscious for the first four. She’s home now, but a long way from whole again. I’m self-employed and have been home for the past 6 months caring for her, so money is tight, to put it lightly. My whole goal with all of this is so that when I have to leave her alone for some reason, I can at least monitor the outside and inside of the house.
Thanks for all your input to help me come up with a plan to make this happen.
How do you expect to accomplish this without some kind of third-party integration? I’m not aware of any sort of SimpliSafe ⇄ Wyze direct integration. SimpliSafe apparently does have a Google Home integration, but I’ve never linked it. (I’ve had Wyze linked to Google Home for several years.) Aside from that, they seem to operate a closed ecosystem, which I believe is a knock against them from users who favor Home Assistant.
Yeah, I haven’t been especially impressed with the single SimpliCam I have. I appreciate its privacy features and the push-to-talk 2-way audio in the app, and earlier this year SimpliSafe finally added a sharing feature in the app for other accounts (not just the master) to access a system, but there’s no local video storage, and I think access to recordings is restricted to higher subscription tiers.
Your wife’s had a rough time of it, and I know that can’t be easy on you. I’m glad that you have the ability to be there for her and plans to improve her safety at home.
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