I have figured out how to set up recurring Timpe Lapse!!
I inadvertently set up a time lapse for a month, on a camera that I have scheduled to turn off at night (what’s the point of recording darkness), and upon checking a couple of days later I notice that the time lapse was still running in spite of the scheduled off time. So after a couple of days I removed the card, and checked the time lapse video.
Sure enough, the resulting video included several days, with the time simply rolling over to the subsequent start time (for the next day).
The final proocess is as follows.
Set up your time lapse parameters for the future.
Schedule that camera with an on/off time with the ON/OFF times being when you want the recording/time lapse to occur (in my case, daylight hours).
Let it run and enjoy the results as a continuous repeating time lapse video.
Of course if your intent is to record mutiple time lapse’ videos on a set schedule, this method will not work, but for my daylight time lapses, this is perfect.
Now, if only there were settings (like smart switch devices) that would allow for control relative to sunrise/sunset on/off timing for your location, this would be a set and forget (for a month).
I’m trying this right now. I’ve set up actions on If This Then That (ifttt.com) to turn on my camera at Sunrise and turn it off again at Sunset. The camera will be pointed out a window at my daughter’s garden. With any luck, we will end up with a nice time lapse of the plants sprouting and growing.
That sounds good, but I don’t find anything in IFTTT that supports the Wyze camera on/off function.
Are you planning to plug them into a switched power source that you can control through IFTTT? Or Are you creating an applet to perform this function? I saw some applets that do function on sunrise/sunset, and I have Wemo switches that have that capability.
I will test this too with a Wemo switch, as I’m not sure whether the time-lapse will recover from external power loss/recovery, which is how this would be treated.
I set up for a multi-day time lapse and scheduled the camera to turn off at about when it gets dark and back on just before sunrise. The time lapse was halted when the camera turned off at night and picked up again each morning.
I don’t see a need for an external scheduling mechanism.
I did some experimentation yesterday with a camera and a WeMo switch. Time lapse was set to run continuously, and I used the switch to turn the camera off and back on within the time lapse interval and then reviewed the time lapse after stopping it upon completion of the test. All the intervals were there and the time lapse resumed upon re-powering the camera.
The nice thing about the WeMo switches is that they can be set to turn on and off according to sunset and sunrise at your locale.
@CSW, The camera scheduling method (to turn the camera off and on around sunset and sunrise) is what I’ve been using for the past month. While this does work, since sunrise and sunset change on a daily basis (by a couple of minutes) the scheduling requires at least weekly intervention for appropriate timing.
With the WeMo switch (or any timer device that can trigger at sunset/sunrise time) that intervention won’t be required anymore.
At Weather Underground works better with IFTTT, the Weather Underground service has triggers for Sunrise and Sunset (asks you for your location) which I connected to the Wyze actions of Turn On and Turn Off respectively. My only concern is whether it will be reliable. I also have a Leviton “smart outlet” which has similar options to your Wemo, so I will explore that option as well.
This is a good option as well. I am pretty certain that timed events were not available back when this thread started, so am glad to see it has been added!
An amazing feature would be scheduled Timelapses. Integrating custom schedules where you can record a timelapse, say 7am-7pm for weeks at a time without having to set it daily. With the outdoor cam, this could conquer the construction timelapses market. Cameras like the Brinno TLC-200 are timelapse cameras with schedules, and create a new mp4 each day to prevent data loss over time. These would be great features. As a contractor, I like making timelapses of my work, which could lasts for months. But with this simple feature, wyze can conquer another market.
Finally figured out how to create an applet to do this (I had not explored enough previously). Thanks for the tip!
So far I have set up two different devices/cameras to be controlled by sunrise, but the timing is inconsistent. One came on 5 minutes prior to the sunrise of record, and the other came on 20 minutes after sunrise. Given the desire to have a repeatable time lapse, I will stick to the Wemo switches powering the camera on/off at a fixed time before/after sunrise/sunset.
However, I do have a different camera which I had been turning off at night, and now that one can be controlled through IFTTT. Again, thanks for the tip.
This would be a great feature. I would use it to record my (4 year old) son’s sleep, since he wakes up most days exhausted no matter when he goes to bed, and we noted with one time lapse that he appears very restless through the night.
On the outdoor cam on the beta app, they have added presets for time lapses, sunrise, sunset, and flower bloom. But we STILL can’t make them custom in terms of dates. We can set it for 30 days, but it will record through the night. I know you can work around it with routines, but it wont work on the outdoor cam. It will be easy to provide an alternative to the almost-monopoly that Brinno holds on the time lapse market. I just want to schedule time lapses for day time only while in travel mode on the outdoor cam. And it would be nice if it could save the file every couple days to prevent corruption. Are my wishes too far stretched?
It would be nice for those longer or multi-day time-lapse shots. (think building a home) to have the ability to repeat. IE. Repeat everyday for X number of days. This way its not wasting the battery at night and also not taking shots at night. Would be very very helpful!
I know that the outdoor cams have no playback and you can schedule the recording time but damn. I am not going in and scheduling a recording everyday. This is a no brainer.
In order to keep the resulting time lapse files of a manageable size, a reoccurring setting is really needed. The multi-day with shut-off for unwanted time is creative but the resulting file is unviewable (at least on Android) while running and gets HUGE!!! It is such a PITA to have to remember to go in and recreate the time lapse setting each day. Please Wyze, add this to the road map.
I get it, it’s the best option for what we have. We ask for the feature years ago, clearly they are not thinking it’s a priority. And it certainly helps with file size if the camera isn’t taking shots while it’s off!
I am a proud Wyzer and this is my first post here on wish list. I used to have 2 wyze v2s. My family is growing … now I have additional 2 V3s, Robot Vacuum and another V3 is in transit and waiting for Watch & Doorbell to be in stock back!!
Anyways, I wish there is some way to just see a Time-lapse summary of last 24 hrs of video in the 5-10 mins of time-span every end of the day … or start of the day, whichever if preferred.
I know I can create a time-lapse under the playback section, but that’s just one time. I would like to see summary of the whole day, everyday at a specific time.
If there is already some way through IFTTT or through app to create recurring time-lapse triggers, pls guide me through it. Thanks in advance!
Cool. Could you pls also mention the parameters you used in your steps? Like when you say set up time lapse for future time, what time have you used? What is the time for your daily on & offs? With these settings you mentioned, do you get a daily time lapse video?