I discourage anyone that is thinking about buying an OG version camera. Do not buy one until WYZE fixes serious issues with their playback/SD card reading. Please read many posts from other people that are having significant recording and playback issues with these OG cameras. Its not just me!!!
My (15) OG cameras started experiencing a playback issue roughly mid January. I think it is associated with a firmware update they did because prior to mid-January, I had no issues with them prior. WYZE refuses to respond and try to help. (I have 27 WYZE cameras in total and 15 are the OG version. All others are fine.)
I won’t rehash here all of the attempts that I made to have WYZE address it, or all of the trouble shooting I have done to root cause the issue. The problem is in their camera!!! If you are interested, go read my other posts on multiple threads.
In the meantime since these cameras are VERY important to the security of my home and property, I have started to replace them. Very disappointing that WYZE will not support and respond. Even more disappointing that they are still selling this version of camera and propagating the issue in their customer base!! I have been an avid supported since the very early days and over 100 WYZE items in my smart home eco system. There support has gotten terrible over the past couple years.
Here is my OG pile so far… Good luck with yours!!!
I would be glad to try that. Can you explain how? I had asked WYZE for that option and never got a response. Doesn’t mean I cant, I just don’t know how maybe…
As far as I know, OG doesn’t allow you to manually flash firmware.
With Android, he could roll back the app version via apkmirror.com to rule out app issue, but he’s using iOS. The only other option he can do is go back to app version RC 2.50.0 (14) via TestFlight, but there are other known bugs in that version listed here
Since most of the community comments have been suggesting it is my SD card on other threads, I have done a little testing. Here is what testing, and supporting logic, I have to rule out the SD card as the issue
As a reminder, if you assume it was the SD cards, all 15 SD failed at the same time.
The same card in other cameras did not.
I have bought 2 different brands of high endurance cards. All of my cameras have had the junk Gigastone 32gb SD cards in them and they have worked fine for years.
.
When I swap the failed SD card from the OG to a V2 or V4, it works fine and in fact, will play the “playback” from it from 2 days prior that the OG stored there.
When I take the good SD card from the V2 or V4 camera and place it in the OG, it fails. It also lets me view playback from the previous days but does the same issue where it plays for 30 secs and then stops.
When I take a brand new “High Endurance” card and put it in my OG, it fails to playback correctly.
Now, for my WiFi signal that it seems the other half of the comments are suggesting is my problem. Again, all 15 failed at the same time frame in the same locations they were before and distance from my routers. Other version of cameras are still fine with many of them being much further from my router than the OG’s.
I have Starlink and 8 EERO hard wired mesh routers around my property.
When I replace the OG cameras, I take the SD card from it and put it in the new V4 camera and mount it in the same location. It now works fine. Same WiFi network, same distance from router, same SD card, same everything.
This is an OG camera problem. WYZE needs to acknowledge it and fix it!!! DO NOT BUY THEM unless they address the issue.
Personally, I’m not interested in proving anything to support. Wyze can prove to me that their product is functional or the cameras can go back to Amazon. I still have a few weeks to return them.
One of my “high endurance” microSDs cards would not mount correctly in my OG cam. After initially working, the camera would soon report that there was no microSD card in it. After switching the card out, it is working.
Other than that, my 2 OG cams are wyrking-as-designed.
When users report issues with their microSD cards, they usually make some sorta claim that Wyze is trying to push users to their CAM+ program.
If Wyze was manufacturing the SD cards, I could see the validity in using them with their camera, but I would guess they’re just rebranding no name SD cards from Ali Express or someplace like that. They don’t even mention on the product page that they are high endurance, so no, I won’t be using them
How do I do that? I don’t see any place on their website to contact them other than to talk to that POS chat bot. They used to have a service number you could call to get support. That has been removed a few years ago I think.
FYI, I bought them through Amazon and the return window has closed…
I struggle with doing that because they were working and I bought them over multiple batches/purchases. Then all 15 of them stopped playing back correctly because of incompetence from WYZE. I expect the “not-so-WYZE guys” to do the correct thing and fix it, or reach out directly to me for resolution.
I hate to try and back door getting paid back by having the credit card company fight my battle.
I did a charge back once and now Wyze blocks my purchases now.
They sent a V3 pan and it was delivered to wrong address, they eventually sent another by USPS which I warned was the problem. That camera never made it also .
So I did a charge back because over a month went by, and thought that was the end of it …
Months later there was a sale so I tried to buy a camera but now the purchase is automatically cancelled in a day or so. Guess I am on the list
Jokes on them now because with all the security issues and outages that have increased in frequency since I no longer am interested in purchasing anything from Wyze
