Using Smart Plug to restart my V3 camera

Power & Lighting
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@SlabSlayer
I am sure I asked some version of this question previously, but I can’t find it. Anyway, here goes:

I’ve purchased a Wyze Smart Plug for the purpose of restarting one of my Wyze V3 cameras that is plugged into my new Wyze Smart Plug if the camera goes OFFLINE. Can accomplish this by using the app to turn OFF then back ON the Smart Plug remotely - assuming Wi-Fi is available ?

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Yes

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Yes. You can use the Wyze App, Alexa, Google Home, or IFTTT to turn the plug off, cutting power to the cam, and then back on.

You can either do it manually as needed or create a Shortcut Rule, Routine, or Applet to do the Off and then Back On after a short delay when you need it.

All of these are dependant on the plug remaining online.

You can also schedule a daily off \ on power cycle using the schedule on the plug which does not require internet connectivity.

Just make sure you update the firmware on the plug so you have the updated schedules functionality.

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Thanks for your replies guys…tlhutch4

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@SlabSlayer

Slabslayer, I’m just getting around to responding to your comment in this thread.
Just wondering what is the purpose of “scheduling a daily off \ on power cycle of the plug” ? Thanks…tlhutch4

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Pre-emptively power cycle the attached camera. I do that with a few of mine that seem to be problematic.

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Many here in the forum have theories as to why cams fall offline. Some believe that there is a memory leak issue in the cams or in the router. Others suggest that there are IP routing conflicts. Still others point to firmware flaws. No definitive answer has been proven.

But, what does seem to remedy the problem is to shut the cams down once a day for at least 30s. This clears the cam’s RAM and then it gets rebooted fresh. It also allows for a fresh login to the router and to the Wyze Server so also a fresh settings download. Whatever the reason they go offline, cams have been shown to fall offline at a significantly lower rate when regularly power cycled. Most recently, a user ran a test with a PanV3 and could show immediate differences in the offline status.

Some have even suggested that doing this with the router also helps to keep all the IP assignments fresh and active and clears the RAM preventing memory leak, although I do not do this because my router tends to take forever to reboot and not every device is guaranteed to come back online. I am still learning the router and its behaviors.

I do have my core security cams power cycle via their smart plugs nightly (Alexa Routine… My old plugs don’t have on board schedules like the Wyze Plugs). This is moreso a remnant of them falling offline on older routers I had that just couldn’t support the number of devices I added. I have since upgraded twice and added more cams. I just haven’t deleted the routine for the power cycle. I haven’t seen any downside of keeping it there. Other cams I have don’t power cycle and haven’t given me any issues in the new router.

One of the benefits of creating the schedule on the plug rather than thru a rule or routine is that the schedule to turn it off then back on is not dependant on the internet or the plug being online. It will operate even when offline because it is saved on the plug hardware and not in the cloud.

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@SlabSlayer
SlabSlayer, As always thanks for taking the time to give me a very well thought out and presented answer to my post. You likely know my handle by now and recognize my style. I’ve been fairly active on this Forum for almost a year now and have found it Very helpful.

Update for anyone interested;
I was out of town for about 5 weeks and have now returned. While away I monitored my (6) V3 Cams and also smart plugs on my laptop and iPads. Actually I had one particular cam on my laptop in continuous ON mode. Others were monitored frequently.
Of the 6 cams 4 were available all the time to look at.
One cam happened to be on a circuit with GFI that tripped after about 2 weeks and remained unavailable because no one was there to reset it.
One cam was going in and out of OFFLINE status. When I returned home I relocated the ORBI Satellite to hopefully improve the WiFi signal. (So far it seems to be working).

All but one Smart Plug remained in service the whole 5 weeks. The one that dropped off went OFFLINE. While away I ordered a V2 ugrade to my V1 smart plugs in hopes of preventing future OFFLINE status on my Wyze Smart Plugs.

Comments welcome. Positive or negative !!!

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