@K6CCC is correct. There are a host of network issues that could cause a cam to truly go offline and be unreachable. If the network issue causing this ceases (intereference) or the router makes changes internally (QOS), there is a good chance that the device will connect to the server without a restart. But, there is an equally good chance it won’t. And, most users don’t want to wait for a 50\50 shot at maybe they will come back online.
The problem is identifying where in the daisy chain of data transfer the problem is being caused: Cam? Router? Modem? ISP? AWS? Wyze?
The power cycle by smart plug is useful because it restarts the entire connection between the cam and Wyze. New router login handshake, refreshed IP assignment, new Wyze server login. The reason I recommend non-wyze plugs for this is so that they are being serviced by a different server in case the issue is w\ AWS or Wyze. An offline cam can’t be reached in the app. You are at the mercy of your network, ISP, AWS, & Wyze with the hopes that it will come back on its own. With the smart plug, you can break the faulty connection and make it start a new session. Sort of like ctrl-alt-del on the old Windows OS. Rather than wait and see… Punt.
As Jim mentioned, the “offline, but not really” issue is still out there and Wyze is still trying to get enough SD Card logs to pinpoint the cause. It has been difficult to reproduce on demand in captivity and has to be caught in the wild to be studied.
Review this thread on a recent conversation about that: