Yea I’ve seen too many of our cameras fail - 20%. I’m beginning to think low cost = low quality. 
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I would buy another Wyze camera. Checking Amazon, the cheapest Reolink outdoor camera is double the price of a Wyze.
Granted it has 5G but this is confusing
“choose 24/7 continuous recording with Reolink NVR (optional)” means the camera cannot do continuous recording without a NVR.
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After Wyze refunded me for my bricked V3 cameras, I replaced them with Wyze OG cams, which at half the price of the V3s are a great deal and better overall. I set the cameras up while sitting at my computer, then mount them where they go. One of the brand new cams set up correctly, then I installed it where it went and it would not come on. Took it back to my computer, plugged it in and it was deader than a doornail. Wyze replaced it under warranty.
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Going cheaper to get better quality. Very interesting.
Recently I posted this and others agreed the OG’s have better features (better resolution, night vision that works with no light, BT setup vs QR code on the V3) with one exception, people like the base mount on the V3 cams which were also magnetic. Personally it didn’t matter to me. I see the V3 cams are now $26 and the OGs, which were selling for $18, are now $25. Still a way better deal than when all Wyze cams were $35.
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If you have to replace a V3 every 2-3 years because the LENS is NOT WATERPROOF, the cost keeps going up.
Meanwhile the more expensive Reolink just keeps working and the lens doesn’t suck in water. And I have experienced zero outages or security issues Wyze is plagued with on a monthly basis lately.
The saying is TRUE, You Get What You Pay For…
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I thought the V3 lens was waterproof. My friend placed his outside. All of mine are inside behind a window.
Search this forum for “fog lens”
https://forums.wyze.com/search?context=category&context_id=20&skip_context=true
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Don’t they sell the V3 as outdoor cams? I have mounted both indoor and outdoor Wyze cams outdoors, but always place them under the eaves and have never had a problem with water.
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Had a Pan Cam V1 for a couple of years that worked brilliantly. Upgraded to a Pan Cam V2 and gave the V1 away to a friend. The V2 worked fine for about 18 month. Since then, random reboots, frequently dropped network connections, and a progressively noisier panning motor.
Out of the box the V2 was clearly superior to the V1. Noticeably improved night vision and faster to respond to remote access. But the V2 has been less reliable than the V1 over time.
In the last month, the V2 has become problematic to the point of being unusable. Random reboots several times a day and would often lose network connectivity to our router. None of the usual fixes - Factory resets, firmware upgrades, and swapping power supplies and power cables - resolved the issues and restore the camera’s reliablity. So I was ready to replace it.
Then I got to thinking about the camera’s panning motor. It was getting progressively noisier. The cameras horizontal panning motion would stutter a lot when being rotated or during a reboot. Perhaps the motor is failing? Or possibly some other failure is having an impact of the power supplied to the main board?
I disassembled the camera and disconnected the horizontal panning motor from the main board. Reassembled the camera, did a factory reset and new camera setup. Reconnected the camera to our WiFi network. Several days on, the camera is reliable and stable again. Of course, the camera cannot be panned horizontally anymore. But we use it on a window ledge in a fixed position looking at our front porch and driveway.
Another piece of tech saved from landfill.
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Impressive! I just had another user describing the same problems you did here, so I’m going to refer him to read your post!
My Pan V2 hasn’t had problems yet, but if it does, I’m going to remember what you said and maybe give it a try.
I wonder how hard it would be to substitute in a new motor.
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Replacing the horizontal drive motor wouldn’t be difficult. Sourcing the right part might be the main issue. It is a small cylindrical 5v DC motor. There are a few videos on youtube showing Pan Cam disasemblies which show the motor and its surrounds quite clearly.
Initially I thought the stuttering might be due to poorly lubricated gears. But the gears in my camera were clean and free moving. So it is either the motor itself or the electronics driving the motor that is the problem. I don’t think it is the firmware because the issue has only appeared recentlyseveral months after I last upgraded the camera firmware. I tried reflashing an older version of firmware and still had the same issue with the motor. So my guess is that its more likely to be a hardware problem than a software one.
Also, the vertical motor is working fine so the tilt function is still operational.
So my Pan Cam V2 has become a tall Wyze Cam 2 model with a tilt function.
Will I get a Pan Cam V3 to replace it? Probably not as we don’t really need the horizontal panning feature for our use case. I think I will probably go for Wyze OG next. Everything we need at nearly half the price of a Pan Cam.
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- And half the size of a stationary Pan V2 cam
- And half the electricity (1A instead of 2A)
- With the bonus of a spotlight
- Outdoor Rated
I have not seen a Pan v2 TearDown video, but this Pan v3 video might be similar.
Only for the warranty period, then afterwards the lens fogs up because the seal fails and water gets in…
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I have 6 v3 cameras outdoors. 4 of them are on the deck railing, exposed to rain, snow, sun, wind and ice. They are all working great with no fogging.
Having taken several v3 cameras apart to change the lens, the seal at the lens seems robust. Perhaps a garden hose on full directed right at the front of the camera may allow water inside.
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I’ve seen this happen to several people, but like TomG, I’ve had several and I have them in weather that breaks well into the 100’s, and I’ve had them buried in snow and freezing temps, blizzards, heavy rain, etc. I even have some right by a swimming pool, so constant humidity. I have never had any of my V3’s or any other Wyze model fog. I know it happens to some people and I don’t know what the difference is, but none of my seals have failed, even on the one V3 I actually took apart (power cord popped out of the circuit board when I dropped it 7ft onto the cement). Though, since it does happen to some people, I’d mostly recommend keeping seal out of direct exposure to the elements (sun, rain, snow), add a drip loop, don’t mount it upsidedown, etc. Not sure why none of the problems ever happen to me though. 
I’m well over 40 cams now, maybe even 50, and still don’t have the problems others report even though I’ve had all the cams basically since the day they launched.
The V3 is quite a bit different to the V1 and V2. There are a few videos around on youtube showing a V1 disassembly process. And its not hard to figure out how to disassemble a V2 from them.
Like the V1, the V2 has two screws on the rear panel of the case. One near the top under a rubber plug. The other near the bottom behind the information label. With the right tools it’s very easy to remove the rubber plug and remove the top screw. Peel back the label sticker half way and remove the bottom screw.
Use a thin plastic shim tool (eg. thin guitar pick) to prise / slide the back cover downwards a few mm in order to release it from the rest of the case. Take care, The cover is attached with clips. The speaker is mounted to the back cover so there are speaker cables connected to the main board. To much force will likely break clips and / or damage the speaker cables.
Once the back cover is off, the internals of the camera can be removed by gently pulling the main case apart to make space.
The V3 video you linked to is useful because you can see what the two motors look like. They appear to be pretty common and in expensive. They look the same as the V2 motors so they would probably work in a V2. If they are easy to source replacing a faulty one would be a simple task.
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I got one Wyze Cam V3 which died completely after 1 year. I leaned they would do nothing. That’s why I never sent a report.
Best way is not to buy any Wyze’s product which made in China.
Flash what?. Wyze Cam V3 is never ON, how can you flash firmware???