I have a 10,000 mAh Anker Power Bank, I have a Wyze Cam OG, and I want to use it at a Barn with no electricity, Would it work decently?
Sure - for a while. I’ve never measured the current draw on the OG, But with a 10AH USB battery pack, a ballpark would be around a day (give or take A LOT).
I have use a USB battery pack many times for temporary power to cameras.
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Welcome to the Wyze User Community Forum @coolrock!
No electricity = No WiFi.
No WiFi = No Internet.
No Internet = No Cam Functions.
All Wyze cams require Internet on initial startup to get their operating instructions from your account on the Wyze Server. Unplug the Cam and it becomes a paper weight until it can connect to the WiFi, Internet, and Wyze Servers again.
The OG has an added shortcoming that other Wyze cams do not. If the cam does remain powered and the Internet is subsequently taken away, say from a temporary HotSpot, the OG Cam will NOT continue to record to the SD Card. It MUST have constant active Internet to record to the SD Card.
So, while your power pack may power the cam, without internet it is still just a wall decoration.
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sad
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Sorry. But yes, sad. Especially the part about it stopping SD Recording if WiFi and Internet are removed.
Which models do not do that?
Of those still being sold that have SD Card recording and aren’t Battery operated Cams, or floodlights & doorbells…
V3, V3Pro, and PanV3 will all record when internet is dropped. Although you won’t want to run the V3Pro or PanV3 off of a battery pack as they both draw up to 2 Amps while the V3 is 1 Amp.
Note that all of these cams must have internet at start up when first plugged in. After that they can loose internet but cannot be unplugged or they will stop and not restart until internet is restored.
I can’t speak to the Battery Cams though (Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 or Battery Cam Pro) as they operate on a battery conservation premise so they don’t do continuous recording like the AC powered cams do, only motion activated recording. I don’t own any of the Battery Cams. The WCOv2 does require a powered Base Station but the BCP does not. However I don’t know if the BCP has received the firmware update yet that allows it to record to the SD card. I know that was an issue upon release.
You might consider adding a solar panel to augment the battery power source.
I’ve got a 5W panel supplying charging power to a ring doorbell that’s been up and working for more than a year without any other source of power.
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Have a link?
Do you mean for a solar panel?
Something like this, but you’d have to use a battery that could be charged while in use, which your power bank probably doesn’t allow.
A separate battery may work but you’d have to diy.
It just happens to work well with the ring because I can feed the power through the doorbell power, and it handles the charging operations.
https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Security-Waterproof-Surveillance-Adjustable/dp/B09P4PKKPQ/
[Mod Edit]: Amazon affiliate referral tag removed from referenced product link.
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This is a very unhelpful post. It make huge unwarranted assumptions and then dismisses the question actually asked.
If they have WiFi in the barn (I do, even though there’s no electricity there), and they have Internet (not many folks posting on a forum don’t), then the ONLY question is will a power-bank run the camera well enough. I can state from actual experience that Wyze cameras run fine from power banks. In fact, my chicken-coup one runs from a Boosa power bank that simultaneous charges from a solar panel… the power bank easily carries the load overnight and through many cloudy days… it’s a V3, but I’ve never had downtime due to power… and with a beam-forming Ubiquiti AP, I can get 5x5 reception from 200 yards away.
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It is great to hear that you are able to power your V3 Cam from your power bank.
While the post may have been unhelpful for you, it wasn’t intended for you. If you do have WiFi where there is no power, than it doesn’t apply to you and you can move on since you have already overcome that possible insufficiency.
The intent was to highlight the need for active WiFi and Internet for continuous recording on an OG Cam, of which many users were unaware has been documented since it’s release. Since you also do not have an OG Cam, that also does not apply to you.
What it did is to open the discussion to this shortcoming of the cam which, as it appears, is a significant concern for the OP. But, thank you for your opinion nonetheless.
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A wyze battery cam pro and a 6watt $20 Amazon solar panel would be a MUCH better solution. The battery pack you have will be a PIA after a couple of “it’s dead” while you’re away and or it’s not convenient ( weather, you’re sick, it’s 10pm ) situations.
I’ve had ( 3 then 3 more later ) of the cam pros w cheap (2 for $30) solar panels in the deep woods with no direct sunlight and they got to 97% on days where it’s overcast / raining for a few days but bounce back to 100% by noon.
Make sure your solar panels have a USB-C adapter / end included.
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I agree. The BCP is designed for power saving and the battery lasts very long, especially with a solar panel.
And it’s already weatherproof and easy to mount.
I would definitely go with a Battery Cam Pro over a separate camera and battery.
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I will disagree with that last statement. In my opinion, the Wyze battery powered cameras are so crippled in order to preserve battery life that they are damn near useless. You could not give me one.
I have used a USB battery bank for short term temporary situations (for example, filming a 4th of July fireworks show looking up from the firing pits), but for anything permanent, I have come up with a way to get power to the camera - sometimes a bit creative ways…
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BCP is the only thing I have ever returned for a refund. Battery life nowhere near useful and wifi range pathetic, even worse as battery drains. Other issues as well. I have a v3Pro that is in a desk drawer because video no better than a v3 and uses way more bandwidth than a v3.
Tried a GO, disappointed in SD recording, and lack of 920nm (invisible) infrared LEDs.
Re the Boosa powerpack, I dont see any model that allows for solar panel charging, but maybe I’m overlooking it on their website. And what capacity Boosa do you use at your chicken coup?
have a link to that powerbank?
How does that setup work?
I rigged a 32000 mAh RAVpower USB power bank to power two v3 cameras to monitor wildlife outside our back yard. The power bank lasted about 2 days with the cams recording 24/7
My other project involved an AliExpress solar panel and charge controller with a 12 volt gel cell like in a UPS. The setup couldn’t keep the battery charged, and my knowledge of solar is limited to “don’t look at the sun”. That project was scrapped but not discarded.
What size solar panel were you using? You probably need at least a true 50W panel to keep up with the power draw of the two wyze cameras.
I have a ring doorbell camera running off a small 5W panel and it’s been going for years without a change, but the wyze cameras draw way more power than the ring.