V3 cams bricked by firmware update

Cameras
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My first thoughts would be to try a different microSD card.
Start with the basics and then rule out each possibility.

2nd, would be to remove power from the cam for at least 10 seconds to dissipate any energy, and then plug in and try again.

3rd — download the firmware again, and load it, just to make sure prior downloaded firmware is OK.

Is the firmware the latest one? or an older version?
Also what version firmware was/is on it PRIOR to the most recent attempt?

------------------------- To step back a bit -----------
Did the cam work fine, PRIOR to the attempt to flash it?

Just some initial thoughts

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All devices will, some day, reach EOL.

I am only aware of two Wyze devices that have reached EOL support… the V1 Cam and the V1 Sensors and Bridge. To my knowledge, the remainder of the products are still supported even though some are not sold anymore.

How close the still supported cams are to the edge of the EOL cliff is anyone’s guess. But, if they are still being sold, like their Flagship V3, they certainly are not at the front of the pack for retirement and mothballing. These are still being sold with 1 year warranties. It would be business suicide to sell it and EOL it.

If I were worried about EOL on cams and devices I owned, I would be more concerned about the devices and cams (especially the non-cam devices) that they stopped selling first. Some of the devices not being sold but still supported have been in service for years and are still being updated: V2 since April 2018, PanV1 since May 2018, both just updated Nov 2023.

I would expect that Wyze would announce and publish when a Cam or device reaches retirement age and is placed on the EOL list. But, much of the responsibility for updating devices and being informed of the status of their devices rests on the customer. If the customer doesn’t bother to stay informed, there isn’t much Wyze can do to get the message delivered under the rock.

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Manual Firmware Flash Tips:

  • It is imperative that the Factory Reset is done with no SD Card mounted. Without a factory reset, the Flash will fail. Hold down on the setup button and don’t let go for a minimum 17 seconds (I timed a V3 reset) until you actually hear the cam click and the 4 IR LED lights on each side of the lens flash. Do not let go of that Setup button until the cam does this. When it does, it should restart to a blinking red light. Unplug the Cam.
  • You must Factory Reset the device without any SD Card before every flash attempt.
  • It must be a card formatted to FAT32. Cards 32GB and smaller come factory formatted this way by industry standards, but you can never be sure with off brand discount cards. Try a different brand.
  • The card needs to be blank with the proper .bin file copied to the root. Make absolutely sure you have downloaded the correct .zip file for your Cam Model and Firmware version and have extracted the right .bin file for your OS.
  • If you are renaming the file, or you are adding the .bin file extension manually, be absolutely positive you need to. Most situations do not require renaming. Be sure your OS isn’t just “hiding” the file extension in your File Browser. Adding the .bin file extension when it isn’t needed will cause failure.
  • Whether you are copying and pasting the .bin, dragging it to the SD Root, or using the Extract feature of your file browser, verify that the .bin file was written properly to the SD Card. Verify by dismounting the card after the copy and remounting it and comparing the file sizes of the .bin file on the card and the .bin file in the .zip archive. Programs and apps have bugs. I experienced this with an app I used previously wherein the extract feature was failing and it was writing a null file.
  • If a card fails to flash, try a new card. Preferably a reputable brand.
  • If a firmware version fails to flash, try a different version. While they may have been removed from the download site, that doesn’t mean other users don’t have them archived for posterity.
  • It isn’t a bad idea to completely reformat the card with a new FAT32 format. Not a Quick Format or a Format in the cam. These just erase the data and leave the old File Allocation Table in tact. A full hard reformat with a new FAT.
  • Use a scanning utility program to scan the card for errors and issues to make sure it is 100% healthy.
  • Be sure you are following the Flash procedure step by step:
  1. Factory Reset
  2. Unplugged Cam
  3. Insert the Card with the .bin file
  4. Press and hold the setup while plugging it in. This takes skill and determination if you don’t have two people.
  5. Continue holding Setup in only until both lights activate simultaneously to show purple.
  6. All cams that are Factory Reset must go thru a new Setup procedure to install them as though they are a new cam. You don’t need to delete it from your app, just install it as a new cam.
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45

“”“” All devices will, some day, reach EOL.“”“”
Yes, but the problem is most end users are not tech die hards, they just plug it in, set it up, and don’t keep the devices up to date, unless it is pushed out to the devices.
So after the support ends by companies ( which is generally about 5 years) all these devices ( still online/working) become targets by hackers.
As new security holes are discovered, after the support life span ends.

There are some sites on the Internet the log this information, not coming to mind the site I visited years back, but they showed a slew of devices globally that are not secure.

“”“” I would expect that Wyze would announce and publish when a Cam or device reaches retirement age and is placed on the EOL list. But, much of the responsibility for updating devices and being informed of the status of their devices rests on the customer. If the customer doesn’t bother to stay informed, there isn’t much Wyze can do to get the message delivered under the rock.“”“”"

Totally agree, but overall, most end users dont stay on top of this, as most end users are not what I would call die hard techies, so they just install the device to get it running, and that’s it, until something happens.
Which is basically about 80%-90% of device end users, whereas the other 10-20% are techies, and keep their devices up to date, and will also know about EOL, when a vendor announces it.

Not much one can do overall, unless devices shut down, when they are no longer receiving updates or support.

So these devices end up being security risks ( islands for hackers).

Oh they joy of computing !
:joy:

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I never had to do a manual firmware flash, but it is good to know the microsd card has to be removed before resetting/manual flashing.

:+1:

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Hi. Thanks.

FACTORY RESET IS NOT POSSIBLE - does not work:

  • SDcard in or removed
  • no matter how long the setup button is pressed

CARD IS FORMATTED FAT32 with only bin file present. Tried both firmware releases as available on the Wyze website.

Latest working firmware was 4.36.9.139 and functioned properly prior to update attempt.

I have bought a new class 10 SD card. I have no intention of buying multiple. The card is detected and cam enters the update (purple light). But it does not complete. And, in any case, FACTORY RESET is not possible prior to that, so regardless of which card I use, it would not work.

1 Like
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2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Wyze Cam v3 Pro firmware - Released 11/1/2023

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Just a thought, before resetting did you turn off the 5ghz band on router? Obviously if you named them differently it’s a moot point.

FWIW, I just happened to move into new house with new router and forgot about both ssid named same and phone defaults to 5ghz, but devices only connect to 2.4 - so went a few rounds resetting/retrying before it dawned on me. Shut off the 5ghz and bingo, all connected and reinstalled. Now to rename 5ghz so I can avoid issue on next batch of things to reinstall.

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The cameras are becoming crap in my opinion