If you want to escape the firmware debacle, there is another way that some of you might not know about. You will need a fairly recent computer, (mine is a Dell Optiplex 9020), that you can carve out at least a 30 GB partition on and format it Fat32. I dual booted Mint and Windows 11 Pro on the same 120GB HDD. Download Linux Mint 22.3 and install it to that partition and have the installer put Grub on sda of that HD. Then, getting the all knowing machines at chatgpt and copilot to guide you through it, install Waydroid, which is a version of Android 11 - 13, adapted to run on Linux. It is not an emulator like Bluestacks and others. It is real Android running on your PC inside Mint. There is a lot of work with the help of the AI doing a lot of terminal commands to install Wayland, Weston and other files. But it pays off when you install TinyCam Monitor Pro from Google Play Store which you install in Waydroid too. It will be the newest version of TinyCam Monitor Pro 18.03 or newer running on the newest version of Linux Mint in an environment they like, and Wyze cams v3 and v4 run perfectly on this system not caring at all what Wyze does with their firmware updates. I had rolled back my two v4s after firmware update crashed them as far as TinyCam was concerned. And my four v3s are in a state of having updated firmware do the same to them. Now TinyCam Monitor Pro couldn’t care less about the Wyze firmware. All of my cameras just run carefree and rock steady with no P2P handshake dropouts. I’ve been chastised on here for being too stupid to not accept the firmware updates but now I don’t have to care about them.
Oh, when you think you are done, you are not. Have one of the AI walk you through eliminating every piece of timeouts and sleeping that computers like to do. A camera wall isn’t any good if it goes to sleep after 5 or 10 minutes.
There are still ways to get ahold of and install WSA (windows subsystem for android) which was probably the best emulator available because as you say it was essentially native android. But it is a pain and it will likely stop working soon.
WSL (same thing but for Linux) is still fully supported so I wonder if installing Mint (or another flavor in that) would be easier? It is basically just a Hyper-V guest.
The simplest and possibly most elegant solution is running stuff on a NAS or mini PC running linux. Much more energy efficient than keeping a full blown PC up all the time. My Linux “server” is an old laptop that draws only 10-15 watts even under a relatively heavy load, it is processing constantly at around 25% CPU load. Since it runs 24x7 the cost adds up if you run something with a higher draw. Actually about 5W of that is RF receivers that are connected via USB so in reality the laptop is under 10W.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you use TIny Cam’s Wyze API interface, you will have to keep an eye on firmware still, as over time they will phase out older authentication mechanisms. However with RTSP support having been added to some cams and being added to others, that can eliminate reliance on firmware updates, assuming you don’t also want to use the App or web view.
I guess for me if I wanted to go that way and wanted more than just the convenience and “hobbyist” security of these cams, I’d probably look at a Lorex system or similar.
With a average usage of 10.2 watts Dell Optiplex 9020 is ranked 125 out of 280 registered Computer so it is not a road hog. And my 27 inch Samsung monitor most likely uses more current than the 9020 does. The Dell is a SFF not full blown PC up all the time. It also doesn’t use $20 batteries no matter how long they last. I also shut down all my electronics at night. Nobody out here in the living room looking at camera pictures all night.
My v4s are RTSP, just switch it on. The v3s need a firmware change for that but with the way it is now I will wait and see if that makes any sense. As far as it catching up with me, what stays perfect forever? If I’m alive at that time I’ll change to the best solution at that time. It doesn’t exist right now, and Wyze isn’t doing anything to help. Rolling back failed firmware is too big a pain to keep doing it. Also, unless you intend to run ancient firmware forever, what is your formula for determining which Wyze firmware uupdate won’t crash your Wyze cameras. My grand total cost for my system so far is $2.99 for TinyCam Pro years ago. I don’t count my labor, this isn’t a job to me. It is a way to spend my time at 84 years old, and help to keep those electric circuits in my head somewhat active and healthy.
The price of a Big Mac will run all my electronics for a month and the electronics aren’t nearly as bad for my health. I wonder what a Lorex system costs.
“The simplest and possibly most elegant solution is running stuff on a NAS or mini PC running linux.” How? Linux doesn’t support Wyze or TinyCam so you still need Android if you want it for your camera wall.
Another Way for me was to switch to Reolink for my actual security camera ecosystem.
No workarounds or hack to have to do period.
No subscription
Apps and Client software for most all operating systems
Ability to use network disk, NVR, DVR, and now a new AI Hub capable of video searching for example, “check all video for a person in a green shirt”
Solid ecosystem with few updates as everything works as one would expect for a security camera system, and the few updates I have had do not create new issues like breaking my “hacks” that had to be done to get an emulation working…..
If you enjoy constantly chasing issues and troubleshooting issues then Wyze is you best bet….
But if you want trouble free security cameras Wyze is not a good choice​
I also dual boot Linux Mint and Windows 11. I had an issue where the Grub boot menu seemed to disappear and boot directly to Windows. This free open source program Grub2Win fixed my boot problem.
I think you’re interpreting my reply as a disagreement, when it was just discussion and additional options/perspective.
Your v4s aren’t RTSP, unless you run them through a 3rd party software first. But that’s where my “simplest solution” comes in, once they support RTSP, many other options (and cleaner/simpler setups) become viable. In the meantime, you can run the same Android emulator on just about anything that runs Linux, so same idea. Wyze bridge is another solution to convert to RTSP and feed into just about anything after that.
I’m confused though, you seem to be advocating to move away from Wyze proprietary but then say you need to run Android and their app. If you want to run their app then you’re much more reliant on their firmware and software. Just as upgrading firmware can cause issues, falling too far behind can cause the same issues. Getting away from that involves using RTSP for the most part (even Wyze Bridge or Tiny Cam will be impacted by app and firmware, along with API security changes).
Guys, Gentlemen, really good conversation here. Very civil and even more informative. Nicely done, everyone.
I have a couple of Wyze still up. One allows me to peek down the street when I get the chime that the postman is here. Another allows a quick look at my garage door no matter where I am. But for my daily driver stuff, and watching what’s cooking around the yard, I moved to Tapo C120’s (size of a V3/V4) and hides well, and a H500 hub. This allows me to store locally yet display on a 32” screen a rotation of what those 120’s see. Its elegantly simple. The more I use Tapo, the more I like them. I am poised to swap out their 2K C120’s with 4K as soon as they make them available.
I realize there are far better security cameras than Wyze, but not for $35 or so. My goal is just to have these cheap little cameras work in a nice looking Camera Wall without having to spend money on subscriptions.
The Linux/Android/TinyCam setup works great without spending hundreds of dollars on boutique cameras. And if a hurricane rips a couple off the house, I can replace them and keep going for a few dollars.
It is also because I love outfoxing the firmware coders instead of paying them to use the cameras I bought from them.
Camera wall? Not sure how you mean that. I have three rotating a view 1 minute on scene at a time. Handled through the app using their H500 hub. The Hub holds a 2.5" drive any capacity. and stores locally. The hub allows output via HDMI. I have mine plugged into a 32" HP monitor. I see three streets via the $30 cameras. Still can access everything via the app too. They have some P&T 4K’s for $45 on sale days. I like’em. Never could get Tinycam working all the time. So, used Echo shows with Wyze. Now, much better than Echo show.
They won’t answer questions, I have raised. But since they have been releasing P&T 4K, I suspect soon there will be stationary 4K. (I’d pay twice to get 4K in a small stationary. ) I like Wyze, but you know the story. My priorities have shifted, Wyze has not. I want local storage and no subscriptions. And I want big view without any effort. Tapo gave me that. I visit here to see what’s going on, and talk about WiFi. Don’t hate Wyze, just want different. What I want is not better, just different.
And I don’t have to use a PC or Chrome book to pull views up on a screen to see what’s happening. Hub to HDMI/Monitor. That simple.
For me it is just having all your cameras displayed on a computer monitor in a grid pattern. Similar to the closed circuit monitors you see hanging over the isles in convenience stores. TinyCam does that for you if you can get it on a stable base. Windows does not properly host TinyCam because it is an Android app. And emulators like Bluestacks host TinyCam but it is very unreliable now that Wyze has issued firmware updates that don’t work with their own cameras. There are a few ways to get Wyze cameras displayed on a wall (computer screen). But it has to be Android or Android on Linux, not on Windows. I don’t know about what other methods people use. But on Linux Mint with Waydroid, which is a native Android, mine runs with no dropouts other than those caused by the Wyze cams shutting themselves down and having to be restarted.
If you use Mint, you have to be sure to use a Desktop that supports Wayland which is a required part of the Waydroid installation. I am using Gnome Desktop and it all runs perfectly on Mint.
I have a few of the C260’s A 4K pan and tilt. Useful and very good. Track and id even people. But I also want a couple of stationary 4K. - 4K vice the C120 2K, that still connect to the H500 and I can local store the video and put the image up on large screen. I took one of the C260’s and tore it apart. I cut half the back side off of it, to make it shorter. I pulled the bottom off that did the rotating, so the gear turned, but didn’t pan. I superguled the module in the middle so could not tilt. But it didn’t like low light in the plastic covered box it was hiding in. So, went back to the C120. For a 2K cam costing $30 most of the time, the C120 is a jewel. I also have some Eufy like the C260 that cost me, 2X+ times more than the C260 and don’t offer anything better than the C260. I have the Eufy Homebase 3 and it too stores video, and can bring up the cams on an 8" tablet like screen they have. But I don’t use it much
While I am this close to talking about cam images on screens. Let me add something. I have changed my system from how it all started. I used to have 6-8 Wyze V3 & V4’s. And I had some really long Alexa routines rotating camera view to my 1st Gen Echo Show 8". The first gen is the only version that would not "close the screen after 10 minutes. I was doing pretty good. But these screens would time out and I would have to run the routine again to refresh the screen. Got tired and tried Eufy and Tapo.
But I still have a newspaper bin/box with two cams in it. one Tapo C110 and a Wyze V4. Starting at 05:00 for two hours the routine for each refreshes its request to display each cam on two Echo Shows. The idea is, whenever I wanted to spin around and look, I could check to see if Shows reveal the newspaper has arrived. Just something to do. Too lazy to walk outside. Often both/each/either of these screens would just go blank and display just the clock. AND THEN, AND THEN, I touched one accidentally. Purely by accident, I double tapped one of the screen. AND the screen displayed “Connecting to Camera” Then hours after the routine had stopped, it shows me the image of inside the newspaper/box Either of them do the same thing. Both the Tapo C110 and the Wyze V4 will display the image (almost the same image) just by double-tapping the screen. This works as much as 10 hours after the routine had stopped refreshing to the Show.
With my Tapo cameras there’s one thing that does not happen to the Tapo, either the C110, C120’s or C260’s that has always happened (need to be done) to my Wyze, V2’s, V3, V3+ and V4. I do not have to restart the Tapo cameras. Years ago, I discovered, that if I take power away, and restore power (using a WiFi smart power adpater) on my Wyze cameras they behave better during use. I even got to the point I used WiFi adapters that allowed me to schedule when to down them, and bring power back. So, I did it daily at 3 a.m. Almost never had a Wyze cam offline when I did this daily. Still doing it for the couple of Wyze I have. BUT never need to do this on the Tapo cameras. They just work.
I may have to try Tapo to replace the V3’s I still use in the less critical locations
Then be done 100% with Wyze…
All my cams are able to be powered on/off via hubitat, thanks to the need with the Wyze cams. And now that I think about it I never use them with Reolink’s
Don’t hate Wyze, just want different. What I want is not better, just different.