Im new to Wyze products and so far my camera has been SO frustrating! Why would it suddenly go offline?
And they recommend powering it off then back on. It’s on the ROOF!
So my questions are:
What would cause it to go offline when nothing has changed?
And what can I do to prevent it?
What can I do to get it back online without getting the ladder out?
Any help would be awesome
Welcome to the Forum, @karenwall! 
What firmware version is your camera using? I ask this because I had connectivity issues with my first Cam Pan v3 for a few months shortly after acquiring it, and those were eventually resolved with some firmware updates. Prior to that, I was frequently power cycling my camera using a smart plug: I had my Cam Pan v3’s power adapter plugged into a smart Wi-Fi plug so that I could remotely cycle the power instead of physically unplugging the camera and plugging it back in.
That brings me to my second question: Do you have access to the power remotely at all? I understand that the camera is on a roof, but that could mean a lot of different things with respect to power. For instance, you could have the camera’s power adapter plugged into a long extension cord, and maybe the extension cord’s plug is accessible without much effort. More information about your installation might be helpful. (Maybe you can just try flipping the breaker for whatever circuit that camera is plugged into?)
If you do have to get the ladder out, then I’d recommend taking a third-party smart plug up there with you and plugging the camera’s power supply into that—provided that all of this (the power supply and smart plug) can be protected from the elements and the site where you’d plug in has an adequate Wi-Fi signal. That way if you have to power cycle the camera in the future, you can do it remotely. I’m suggesting a third-party plug for two reasons:
- I think a lot of Forum users would agree that having your smart plugs in a different ecosystem—especially if you’re using them specifically to power cycle Wyze Cams—is a hedge against problems caused by Wyze server outages. In other words, if Wyze has a server glitch and you can’t connect to the Cam Pan v3 in order to do a Restart within the app, then maybe that same glitch would prevent you from connecting to a Wyze Plug, too, if that’s what you were using.
- Wyze Plugs have had issues with being unable to regain their connections after a network outage, and the recommended solution in the past has been to physically unplug the Plug and then plug it back in. That would be super inconvenient in a use case like this.
I’ve been using Tapo P105s because they’re relatively inexpensive, and I’ve found them to be reliable. I have one of those up in the ceiling of my garage that I can use to remotely power-cycle a myQ hub when its app reports that it’s offline. That would be similar to your roof camera situation, I’d think.
Another thing I’d want to consider, and which you haven’t really mentioned, is your home Wi-Fi. What’s the signal like up wherever the camera is? How is your Wi-Fi coverage overall?
I’m also curious about power. Since you say this is on a roof, I’m imagining that it’s outdoors and exposed to the elements, so how do you have it mounted and powered? Is it possible that the camera is dead and not just offline? Are you using the Wyze Outdoor Power Adapter or some other solution that seals all power connections from weather? More detail about this would be helpful, too.
Welcome. I want to mirror everything that @Crease said. 100% correct.
And since you asked for help, that sounds like “all help”. So, let me add. You did not mention anything about your current home network. Like single router? mesh router? You don’t need to answer, because we do not have any business knowing. You of course do. You need to check a couple of things. 1) signal strength at the camera like @crease mentioned. 2) (no need to answer this here) count how many devices you have on your network - everything ipads, computers, TVs, smart home stuff. Get that number/quantity. Then use Google, look up your router and see how mean connections it permits? Some old gear is as few as 20. New stuff is 200. If your number exceeds or sometimes is even close but below, that could be your issue and it will happen again. You fix that by turning off stuff, or replacing/upgrading your network router.
And many of us that have been using Wyze cameras a long time, don’t use the Wyze camera power adapter. I believe it to be marginal power. I have replaced all mine with high amperage adapters. Even to the extent of buying a multi-port 2-3 port and using only the 1 port for the camera. Its made a difference.
Thank you both for your questions and suggestions. The next morning the camera was back online and has remained so.
It is mounted on the roof using the outdoor power adapter. That is plugged in to an outlet that is under the eave of the roof, so protected, but very high up.
I tried a firmware update but it said I already had the newest version.
I like the idea putting in a smart plug. I will do that.
The question about our router is a good one. I think it’s ancient. I will check into that.
Does the fact that the camera came back online by itself give any clue as to what the problem might have been?
Again, thank you for taking the time to help.
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If it does, then I don’t know what that clue would be. 
That’s good to know about the Outdoor Power Adapter. Depending upon the type of outlet it’s plugged into and how well it’s protected from the elements, if you’re going to use a smart plug then I’d consider one that’s rated for outdoor use (Wyze makes one, and I use them and like them, but I don’t know if it would be my first choice for this kind of application) and/or installing a weather-resistant outlet enclosure that’s large enough to accommodate whatever smart plug you decide to use, such as seen here:
Some community members even use the regular Wyze (indoor) power adapters with these outdoor boxes:
I can see that @habib is responding as I type, so maybe he’ll share his own photos (which I linked above). 
Thanks for sharing an update!
I just like to add that most router WiFi signal emanates downward that is why it is recommended to install them as high as possible. I am guessing the WiFi signal has a hard time reaching the camera.
It does me. It reminds me that you (admittedly old) router may have exceeded its maximum number of connections. And the Wyze cam came back on line because ‘room was made for its connection”. “Room made for its connections” = Some other Internet connected device in your home possibly was: a) turned off, b) left the home’s range of Wifi - such as went to work or school, c) a neighbor, neighbor kid is not right now hijacking your WiFi connection to download porn (worse case, of course, but possible) Just a couple of unsettling reason, and good reason to replace your router with a newer/refreshed one anyway.
A lot of today’s IoT devices of course are what’s called persistent connections. But even though, they sort of drop into a standby state until something triggers them like motion or a program’s call to wakeup. Wyze cameras sort of do this to reduce the bandwidth used 100% of the time. We get a sample of this when we open the Wyze app and select a camera. It usually takes a second or two to send the wakeup, and show me the image message. The “con” in this, is the cameras have a habit or going too deep into that standby state and sometimes drop offline.
Now, I admit this is probably not exactly how Wyze cameras behave, but its just about the same result we get.
You couple Google your router and find out how many connections it allows in its specs. You can download an app called Fing and run it to see how many devices are on your home network. Are you exceeding the limit? Or you could just use the excuse/justification to pickup a new router because yours is old. The number of devices allowed as improved drastically in the past 5+ years because we continue to add more Internet devices to our homes. Having no info about your house/property, requirement, I am not going to suggest brand or model budget limitations for a router. Lots of us, buy new stuff and sell our older and slightly older on eBay. My point is, its a source too.
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