One of my biggest challenges has been trying to find ways to wire my Wyze cameras around my house. I would like more of an outside coverage and for many areas I can set them to look outside through windows. But even inside, using a power cord makes it a challenge when trying to mount them up high, because some areas it’s a distance to an outlet. How is everyone else dealing with this dilemma?
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longer cords from amazon…I haven’t had a problem with 16 footers, but ive heard more then that and you can possibly get electrical charge drops due to resistance and can cause the camera to misbehave.
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I currently have 4 cams:
I had an outlet installed to power one of my cams way up at my clerestory windows along the roofline. Because it takes an extension ladder to get up there, I also installed a WeMo switched outlet in case I ever need to cycle the power to the cam.
I wired up two more cams outdoors from an outdoor light fixture.
One more inside required an extension cord to get to the outlet. I tied the Wyze cable to the curtain rod so the extension cord could hang behind the curtain without issue.
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The 3 of mine that are a distance from an outlet, used either a 6 foot, or a 12 foot indoor extension cord,to get power to the cameras. I also used these little 3m command strip decorating clips to hold the cords. I tried a 26 foot USB cable I had laying around,and the camera wouldn’t even power up. 
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That’s excellent advice from @Newshound to add a WiFi switched outlet so that Wyzecams in a remote location can be rebooted (power-cycled) remotely.
One caution however - some such outlets default to power-off mode after a mains power failure. Some retain the setting they had before the power failed. And some power up in an unpredictable fashion. If a Wyzecam is connected to a WiFi switched outlet that comes up in power-off mode after an outage, the camera will be offline until you turn the outlet back on with the outlet’s remote control app.
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I have used three of these ext power cords with no problems so far. They now come in black also- now that all of mine are white!
Also second the wireless plug for power cycling. Has helped me a couple of times - esp. when out of town. I use these- they work well and default to last used state. Have their own app and IFTTT integration.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074576LSB/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_awdo_NzB0CbPESW3V5
Good luck!
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I’ve had no issues with the 25’ amazon cables. Have 3 cameras running on them and soon to have 3 more… not a bit of problems with them… (knocking on wood as I type) lol!
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I used 12v alarm cable to extend the original USB cable so as to keep the drilling hole size as small as possible. Yes, you need to do some soldering to secure the wires joining. But note, the wires in the original USB cable is really thin and delicate, it will break if you yank it too hard.
How long have you made the cables? Just curious if going longer than the 25’ amazon cables is a possibility without causing any connectivity issues… and being able to customize the cable length for a neat instal would be an added bonus as well.
Used them also.
I have an application that I’m planning however I need at least a 35’ run… going to install a camera on my mailbox post to face back towards my house to get a full view of the front of my house and if that works another one in the garden on the other side of the driveway facing the side of the house and side yard. Might just have to give it a shot and see what happens…
For long wire runs, it’s best to feed 12VDC over standard 2-pair telco or alarm wires, and then convert to 5VDC at the camera with a dashcam power converter or similar. There are many posts on this forum describing this approach. For long exterior runs, cable that’s rated for burial can be used to avoid problems with water/moisture getting into the wiring.
These longer USB cables work great for a camera only. If you attempt to use these longer USB cables with a Camera and a Bridge it will not work. My bridge would stop working after a couple minutes.
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Do the same thing they do when wiring security systems, run small wire. There is very little current drawn by the cameras so you can use very tiny wire run along the baseboards and moldings. They also make wire that just tapes to the wall that the outside can be painted to match the wall. You will have to deal with the connections but connector for that also exist. Look at LED accent lighting to see what they use.
DC loses power of distance way too easily. Just install a new AC outlet close to where you want the camera. I put one in my garage so I could aim from above the rafters downward at an angle that picked up both car bays and the side door coming in. It took 16ft of 14 gauge wire, a duplex receptacle, a single gang work box and a few wire nuts. If you own your own property you are allowed to pull your own electrical permits, you can put an outlet anywhere you want. Running long DC wires is not just unsightly it also has too much potential to fail.
The current drawn by a Wyze cam is close to 0.5A when the IR LEDs are on, and even more by a PanCam when the motors are running. In contrast, the current flowing in a security sensor loop is typically 10 to 15 milliamps. Powering a Wyzecam over a long run of “very tiny wire” may be problematic.
All that is needed is to get to the closest outlet so what is considered a “long run”? There is always wiremold that can get you close to the point where you want to locate the camera or even to the camera if that is desirable.
As mentioned on this website in other post, many are replacing thier old wired cameras with Wyze Cams and reusing the power line (usually 12v) ran to the old camera. They insert a DC-DC converter that drops the power from 12v to 5v and turns it into a USB micro connector. You need to ensure the Power Brick is able to handle camera though. Depending on the DC-DC converter you will have some power loss, so you will need to take that into account. A 12v 2amp Power supply will supply around 24watts of power, which would be equal to a 5.75 amp 5v power supply.
In practice, I just made sure the 12v supply amperage is equal to the 5v amp requirement. Also you may be able to get away with check buck converters, but if you decide to share the 12v line with other cameras or continue to use the Analog cameras in addition to the wyze camera you will need a DC-DC converter with good filtering.
For example I used these splitters with these
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5GP7SF
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BHC5P9K
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072XB6GH9
Using the pigtale units to connect to a DC-DC converter.
I liked this unit as I could choose to plug in the USB or connect via a pigtail and continue to the run. This was good where the camera or wire will go thru a harsher environment.
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I’m a bit late in replying here, but I recently got my first Wyze cam and now I’m trying to figure out how to wire them up, Exactly what did you do to tap into your outdoor light fixture?
I have a front porch where I’d like to place a cam, but the best spot for the camera is maybe 10 feet in a straight line from an outdoor outlet. However, between the ideal spot and the outlet is the front door. So I’d have to figure out a way hide the line and go under or up and over the door. This might be possible, but there is a light fixture on both sides of the door and one is maybe a foot from where I’d like to place the cam. So if I could tap in there it becomes a much shorter run.
Thanks!