Tried setting up my Wyze Cam Pan in a hotel room this weekend.
Was unsuccessful. Did some research in the forums here and found the ‘no password’ option when connecting the camera to the hotel’s network (to thwart the hotel’s landing page). Tried that but still didn’t work.
, Any ideas on how to connect a Wyze cam to a hotel’s wifi? Would it have been advisable to connect a separate device (iPad as hotspot, hotspot, etc.)to use as a repeater for the wifi and THEN connecting camera?
Unfortunately, iPads/iPhones don’t have the ability via their wifi radio to both broadcast an SSID (tethering) and be connected to separate wifi as the internet source. If you used an iOS device this way, you’d be eating away at your cellular data plan.
The only known way to use Wyze Cam on wifi with a landing page is to use a mobile router as an intermediate device. This requires purchase of the mobile router, approx. $20. Here are complete instructions:
RickO’s suggestion (a good one) is to use a mobile router/hotspot, such as the GL-MT300N-V2 router. I use a similar device from HooToo, the HT-TM01. It’s a combo router/hotspot and a 6000 mAh battery, all in a compact package. So it can power the camera as well as connect it to the hotel’s WiFi network. That provides some flexibility in hiding the setup in a hotel room or other location – no wires running to USB wall chargers. The 6000 mAh battery is enough to power a V2 cam and the hotspot for about 12 hours.
Another approach for ad hoc surveillance is to put a microSD card in your Wyzecam and configure it to record motion (ie., no network connectivity). Of course you lose any real-time viewing and motion notifications, but capturing video of interlopers in your hotel room may be adequate for your needs.
These are both great suggestions. Sidenote: do either of these devices support VPN?
The HooToo TM01 does not support VPN.
Some of the GL.iNet routers do, but I don’t know if the tiny MT-300N travel model has the horsepower to do so. Note the VPN tabs on the GUI interface for their V2 and V3 firmware, here:
GL instructions for OpenVPN here:
I realize this is a post much later than the discussion but I have successfully used the hotspot from my wife’s cell phone tethering the cam to it and using the Wyze app on my own phone to look. On another note, there are apps you can download to two phones that will also send a live video to the other phone…such as Alfred.
Thanks for the Alfred suggestion!! It works and was super easy to set up. I didn’t have time to get a router. I know it was not wyze cam but it WORKED for me! I had an iPad that I could leave in the room. I could connect to the wifi on the iPad and with Alfred I can monitor my dogs who I unfortunately have to leave in the hotel during the day while I was at work. I can talk with them through the app if they start to get restless.
Alfred does work well, but if you are a couple and one can leave a phone in the room it can act as a hotspot for the camera to tether to and that will work fine.
Old thread. Wanted to add I set up my V3 at an Air B&B and it worked great no issues. I also set it up at a hotel. Interesting enough, at check in (3 days 2 nights) I specifically stated no room service for my stay. I also had the do not disturb sign up. On day 2 (remember check out is day 3) we went out for lunch and shopping. I got an alert and it recorded a maid opening the door, looking in and then closing the door. Proof that these cameras are worth having when you are at a hotel. I had no issue setting it up on the open, no password wifi. I figured that would be a problem but it was not. When I asked the hotel manager why the employee was in my room, she questioned why I had a camera in my room instead of answering why there was someone in my room who was not supposed to be in my room!
The link in this post is dead. https://support.wyzecam.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015185552-How-To-Connect-Wyze-Cams-To-WiFi-Networks-With-Portal-Pages
Looks like it moved to here: https://support.wyze.com/hc/en-us/articles/360031368512-Setting-up-on-a-network-with-a-login-portal
Couple followup questions.
Thanks!
Totally different app. Alfred Camera is an iOS/Android app. Check it out here: https://alfred.camera
Nope.
I don’t know about Alfred, I’m not into macOS. But Wyze cameras are “hard coded” into the WiFi spot. Each hotel has its own WiFi, which means you need to do a camera set up each time you check into a hotel.
A mini router is a convenience. Your cameras now look for the mini router’s WiFi and the mini router can easily connect to the hotel’s WiFi. Anything that mimics the function of that mini router is OK, too. Like another phone’s hotspot, or even a raspberry pi.
A little clarification on this: At the time the article was written, you could not set up a Wyze Cam on an open (no password) wifi network. Since many hotels use either an open wifi, or a network with no wifi password but that requires to log in on a web portal once connected, it was impossible to connect a Wyze Cam to those networks.
Wyze has since relaxed the open wifi restriction, so a travel router is not necessary for open networks. I would still recommend it though in this case since your camera connection would be totally insecure. On the other hand, if the hotel uses a web portal login, you would still need a travel router since the camera itself has no web or keyboard interface with which to log itself into the portal.
Alfred Camera is not MacOS, it is iOS and Android.
Thanks for clarifying, everyone. Have a hotel stay this weekend with the family. Will report backm
Just stream it live on YouTube. Better use influencer power before it dies.
Could this article be updated as the router firmware has been updated?
Thanks.
Could this article be updated? The router firmware has been updated.