I have a camera v3 and like it. I want to implement a security system on a windows PC with either Blue Iris or ISpy. Just days ago I was looking at a web page on the Wyze site with instructions on installing the firmware with RTSP. Today I could not find that page or the firmware so I submitted a support ticket. I just got a response:
RTSP was considered a beta feature and we are currently assessing the path forward as the firmware versions have aged quite a bit. We have removed the firmware files for these versions for now and we’ll update the pages when plans are finalized. Please note that firmware files take a while to work on and test so you may not see an update in the near future. We apologize for the inconvenience.
So, I have seen people use Docker Wyze Bridge to interface their Wyze cameras to Blue Iris, and I found the open source GitHub page for Docker Wyze Bridge. But I cannot find any pages anywhere with step-by-step instructions on putting a system together with this. I’m not even sure if the Docker software is something that runs on windows.
I have not received my 10 OG cameras yet, but am wondering - should I just return them, unopened?
The RTSP firmware for the v3 was removed a while ago. I wouldn’t hold my breath for it coming back either. I haven’t personally used the Wyze docker bridge, but I have heard some good things about it. I do think it requires some fairly technical knowledge to setup however, but it should work on windows
Docker Wyze Bridge doesn’t currently support the OG cams, so if you have your heart set on an RTSP connection, “These might not be the cameras you are looking for”…[said in an Obi-wan voice while waving a couple of fingers].
I don’t know if Docker Wyze Bridge will end up supporting the OG cams in the future or not. It still doesn’t support the Video Doorbell Pro, and that is using the same FreeRTOS OS that the OG’s use, so maybe there is a problem related to that? IDK.
OK - the whole subject is new to me - please share some obi-wan knowledge - what other possibilities are there to get OG cams into Blue Iris. I’ve seen a lot of people like TinyCam Pro to do this type of thing, but get the impression there would be a limit of just a couple cameras. I looked for other cameras I could use - IP - but it appears to me we’re talking at least $75-100/camera - way more than the OG $20. I can’t afford a bunch of cameras at that.
If TinyCam Monitor Pro or Docker Wyze Bridge eventually add support for the OG, those would be awesome ways to do it, but they aren’t supported at this exact moment. I suspect this is because the OG uses a new Operating System (FreeRTOS instead of Linux) and may have stream limitations which were not present on the Linux models. I am just guessing here, but considering the only other FreeRTOS Wyze Camera (Video Doorbell Pro) also doesn’t have support through Docker Wyze Bridge yet, it stands to reason that is the common link between them.
So, if RTSP is critical, then you can either return the OG’s and swap them for V3’s or another model that is still pretty affordable, OR you can just hold on to them for while. Worst case scenario you can resell them later. Since Wyze operates at such low-profit margins, their products tend to hold their value really well even when sold as used, let alone as still brand new on resale, so it’s probably not much of a risk anyway.
We just don’t know how long it will take for one of the platforms to add OG support for RTSP though.
Just read the notes on the Docker Wyze Bridge about the OG. They are saying that the OG and Doorbell Pro are using a different P2P protocol than all the other cameras, apparently because they are using a different partner to manufacture them, so people are currently looking into alternate methods to access the stream. I see they’ve made some progress. They used to not even be able to detect them, but they’ve got to the point of detecting them now, but are getting an error that the cameras do not support WebRTC that the other cameras do. I’m not sure if that’s accurate that they don’t support WebRTC, but that is the error they’ve hit and are trying to overcome.
First, thank you for taking the time to interchange with me - one of my pandemic life mottos is that I am a slave to gratitude, and there’s a long story about my trademark and a 17th century doorway to a church in Madrid - but another day.
I do believe I’m going to hold on to the OG’s. I have a NVR and IP cameras I did not finish implementing, thinking I’d do something with Wyze.
I’m going to offer to help over on GitHub, and my oldest son, a very high level international software architect, mostly in Java, might be able to contribute to the effort as well. Most of my programing was assembly language for a Z80 system I designed, programed, and implemented to remote flight strips from the Miami enroute control center to the San Juan control center, and again, assembly language for the ARTS III computers used at the 64 busiest airports - in the 1970’s, 1980’s. Java and C are beyond me.
At least I am not a computer dinosaur in the sense my father was - a college professor that never once opened an email!
I just had another thought - what kind of business success could Wyze achieve in selling OG cameras, if only to release full technical details of the communication formats and protocols? Can they really believe that they will make more money from keeping everything secret so people have to sign up for their web camera service, versus selling orders of magnitude more cameras, and becoming heroes to people like you and me at the same time, She made clear they do not want to devote the resources to updating the firmware WITH the communication capability - FINE - give the public the needed technical details, and the PUBLIC will do it for you, and YOU will benefit more than anyone. No? Is that not so?
Wyze has talked about this many times over the years and they are definitely not totally opposed to the idea. The primary concerns are related to the resources they have that it would take to able to offer an API in a way that would be both secure as well not restrictive to their ongoing evolution. They have not entirely ruled out the possibility of doing this, but there are other things that take priority. They first devote resources to the things that will affect and improve things for the greatest number of users. Their reports have indicated that we API lovers are extremely vocal, very active, high usage portion, and IMPORTANT part of their overall market, but we are still a small minority overall. They acknowledge us, but their primary updates are being devoted to things that will affect everyone first, then things that will affect the greatest number of users, then other things like this. For example, one thing they will focus on long before they devote any resources or further research into an API is working toward making things work with Matter as much as reasonably possible. In fact, it is believed that Matter MAY even end up meeting the needs most of us API requesters are asking for. We’ll have to see, it’s still new and Matter hasn’t even finalized their protocols for cameras yet, so nobody knows enough about how that will go, but it makes sense for Wyze to make Matter their priority and THEN see where to go from there with other integration considerations. From a business perspective, that is the right move. It doesn’t make sense to do separate integrations right now, only to learn they are conflicting or need to be changed, or are inferior to Matter which they will then spend time on, and find they wasted all that time on separate integrations or need to change their API in a way that all that work was wasted. So in a lot of ways I can’t blame them for saying they want to Make Matter their priority first, then will consider other options afterward. It is the smart move with the best cost efficacy, which helps them to continue to keep costs down on the things they sell us…so I support the rationales there.
For now, they’ve more or less agreed not to interfere with 3rd party workarounds using an unofficial API integration, but I believe that they don’t want to officially help since it could subject them to potential liability/responsibility when there is no way for them to guarantee anything through 3rd parties. I am grateful that they at least acknowledge there is value in these integrations and have basically agreed not to interfere as long as there aren’t blatant security problems coming from them. Technically they could easily block them all out, and they choose not to, so I am grateful for that at least. It makes them much better than others. It’s a reasonable compromise to give us some usability while we hopefully wait for other things in the future.
Matter is a new universal connectivity standard with the intent to make interoperability of smart devices simpler to use between various platforms/businesses so that everyone’s devices can all connect together and work together more easily, so your devices from different companies will all work with each other instead of only with that one business you bought it from. Basically, it is what you are asking for here…being able to use Wyze with other platforms instead of only on Wyze. So it is a Smart connectivity standard. It used to be CHIP, or project Connected Home over IP. It is being backed by Apple, Google, Amazon and lots of other big names to try to get everyone to work together so everyone’s devices can all be used together easier. It will also make it possible for open-source projects to gain access to things.
Though like I said, they haven’t agreed on a standard for cameras yet, though they have started working on it.
Hello,
I have v2 and v3 cameras set up in blue iris with the rtsp firmware but they seem to be going offline quite frequently, seems like every few minutes. Make it impossible to record motion or do playback. Does anyone have any ideas how to resolve this. Ive this entire thread and just heard about wyze docker bridge, would this be a option you guys would recommend? Im not that tech savvy so if this is a option you recommend, would there be a step by step video tutorial on how to does? And does this docker bridge work with windows 10? I really wouldnt prefer to do wyze bridge docker as it seems pretty complicated and would be lost if I ran into issues.Thank you for your time and feedback.