I am currently using Wyze Window Cam with has great night vision and terrible at everything else. Like motion tagging and not recording. Every time there is an internet outage or a modem auto reset, the camera went down completely until someone does a full factory reset.
When asked Copilot to search the internet for known issues with Wyze Cams, this is what it came up with and it doesn’t seem like I am the only one with these issue.
I understand that your paycheck is heavily rely on the subscription model and that is fine. However, at least give the option for when internet is down the recording will go to Micro SD. I mean it sounds like I can never leave my house because I do not know if there will be an internet outage or a power outage when I leave and my house is defenseless
Your Wyze Window Cam issues are normal for Wyze — they are known for:
Copilot and other AI searches will lean heavily towards confirming what you ask and is influenced by the way you phrase the question. I would not rely on that for reliable information.
I have multiple models of cam and none experience any of those issues. There is no reason an internet outage or router reboot would require a full factory reset of the cam, shouldn’t even need a reboot. When I reboot my wireless AP, router, or fiber ONT, the cams all come back on automatically and quickly.
Recording to SD card does not rely on having an internet connection. The only catch is if the cam reboots when there is no internet available, it can’t set the current date and time (it uses the internet to do that) so it will record under an incorrect date/time on the SD card. It is there, you can pull the card and view in a PC, or look up the date your firmware was built and that’s where the recordings will be. Note that some cams (not sure if the window cam is one of them) will reboot every 30 minutes when there is no internet in order to try and reconnect. So if it does this while the internet is down, it will lose the current date and time. There is a workaround for this but you need to use specific routers that support a local NTP (time) server.
I guess the first question is why does your internet go down so often? Is it a power problem or a bad ISP? If power related, I’d look at a UPS for your internet gear, and you can even get USB battery banks for the cameras to act as a UPS for those (there are threads on here of people who have done just that, you just need to look for ones that support pass through charging and ideally don’t “blip” when the power goes out).
As far as logging events (or not) would need more info on your settings etc. If you have no subscription, it should record to SD every time it tags motion. However logging an “event” and notifying you is limited to once every 5 mins without a subscription, so maybe that’s what you’re seeing?
Copilot and other AI searches will lean heavily towards confirming what you ask and is influenced by the way you phrase the question. [That is only to search for other forum. There are issues within this forum that have the similar situation like mine or the reviews on Amazon which I purchased both of my cameras from] I would not rely on that for reliable information.
I have multiple models of cam and none experience any of those issues [That is great that it is your experiences. My would not reconnect to the internet after 30 mins of internet back on. Here is the direct article from Wyze’s supporthttps://support.wyze.com/hc/en-us/articles/50780920538779-My-camera-is-offline-and-I-m-away-from-home\ Here is a post from the Wyze forum describing the same issue I am currently experiencing https://forum.aqara.com/t/wyze-camera-reconnection-issues-after-wifi-outage/59388\] . There is no reason an internet outage or router reboot would require a full factory reset of the cam, shouldn’t even need a reboot [Full factory reset was done since after 30mins no auto reconnection]. When I reboot my wireless AP, router, or fiber ONT, the cams all come back on automatically and quickly.
Recording to SD card does not rely on having an internet connection. The only catch is if the cam reboots when there is no internet available, it can’t set the current date and time (it uses the internet to do that) so it will record under an incorrect date/time on the SD card. It is there, you can pull the card and view in a PC, or look up the date your firmware was built and that’s where the recordings will be. Note that some cams (not sure if the window cam is one of them) will reboot every 30 minutes when there is no internet in order to try and reconnect [Good to know. I have company trips and very often not home] So if it does this while the internet is down, it will lose the current date and time. There is a workaround for this but you need to use specific routers that support a local NTP (time) server.
I guess the first question is why does your internet go down so often? [I live in the dessert area. When the power is out the the internet is out since no power = no internet] Is it a power problem or a bad ISP? If power related, I’d look at a UPS for your internet gear, and you can even get USB battery banks for the cameras to act as a UPS for those (there are threads on here of people who have done just that, you just need to look for ones that support pass through charging and ideally don’t “blip” when the power goes out).
As far as logging events (or not) would need more info on your settings etc. If you have no subscription, it should record to SD every time it tags motion. However logging an “event” and notifying you is limited to once every 5 mins without a subscription, so maybe that’s what you’re seeing? [I bought 2 cams. After back and forth with custmer support. I figured out there is a bug. If I set a motion detection field the camera would motion tagged and never record. I have submitted multiple logs which defeated the purpose of me trying to catch the port pirate or package thief. I remembered when I first started in the field of CNC engineer as an entry level, the company I work for your put me in customer service/ tech support answering phone calls, it doesn’t seem like it is the case anymore. On top of that, when you tell people you have tried troubleshooting through the 1-page manual, troubleshooting guides, and basic steps a couple of times; yet, they still insist on doing it again. So you did it again. That is the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over again to expecting a different result. ]
And to try out your method. I just hard reset my modem/router by literally unlug the power. Both brand new cams did not auto reconnect back to the network.
I can’t follow your replies as they are jumbled inline with mine. If rebooting your router causes the cams to never reconnect without a full factory reset of the cams, I would suspect you’ve got some other issue going on with your network, maybe an old router still advertising the same network name that they’re connecting to, or you router is losing some settings when it reboots, etc.
I can’t follow your replies as they are jumbled inline with mine. [Someone once accused me of not reading all their FULL response so I make it a point to response to every single sentence worth making a point to by interjecting my point in between. That is why I chose Italic and put my response in brackets.] If rebooting your router causes the cams to never reconnect without a full factory reset of the cams, I would suspect you’ve got some other issue going on with your network, [Actually the product I got is the Window Cam which is the known issue apparently. And this is on me, when I make a purchase on Amazon, I only see the positive reviews and I did not check out the negative until I have it fully install. And to think 17% of the reviews are 1 star and isn’t not “the product is bad” but people went into details if they’re problems. 17% is only 1 Star. If I remember correctly, 8% is 2 stars and 6% is 3 stars and 0% at 4 stars and 67% at 5 stars. The math doesn’t add up but the stand out to me is 17% of 1 star and how similar their issues are to mine. There was one review that is very similar to what you said. The person has many of Wyze cams and they want to try the Window Cam and the connectivity was extremely spotty. One guy just gave up and return his cam. Which might be me SOON. So turned out it is not me after all. The reason I went to Copilot to sort all the negative review to back up my belief is (1) the customer service kept insisted on getting a replacement without digging into the issue, (2) you might not have these problem but 17% of people who purchase Window Cam has these issues now including me.) maybe an old router still advertising the same network name that they’re connecting to, or you router is losing some settings when it reboots, etc
Yeah still really hard to read, you can quote a sentence and type your reply after it instead of just injecting it in the middle.
Amazon may have 17% bad reviews. That doesn’t mean those people are having the same issue as you. Nor does a review that mentions “spotty” connectivity mean anything other than that person had the cam in a location that didn’t have a good wifi signal. Are you seeing multiple reports that the cam has to be factory reset and set up from scratch every time your wifi router reboots? I’ve never seen anyone here report that.
Don’t waste time on copilot. It will just lead you even more off course. All AI is bad as far as accuracy goes, but Copilot is pretty much the worst.
-Make sure your router is set to WPA2 only. Not WPA3 or WPA2/3 mixed
-Make sure your 2.4ghz channel width is set to 20mhz, not 40 or 20/40
-If your router has a “band steering” feature where it tries to force clients onto 5ghz, try disabling that. Most clients no longer need that, and it can cause issue with 2.4ghz only devices like this one. Some routers also call this “smart connect” or something similar. Heck for testing, you can just disable the 5ghz band completely and see if it makes any difference, which would hint that the band steering is in fact the problem.
Yeah still really hard to read, you can quote a sentence and type your reply after it instead of just injecting it in the middle.
Amazon may have 17% bad reviews. That doesn’t mean those people are having the same issue as you. [Like I said, they went into details of their issue and not just “the product is bad”] Nor does a review that mentions “spotty” connectivity mean anything other than that person had the cam in a location that didn’t have a good wifi signal. Are you seeing multiple reports that the cam has to be factory reset and set up from scratch every time your wifi router reboots? [Yes] I’ve never seen anyone here report that. [The first response I injected 2 links. One is direct troubleshooting steps from Wyze and one is a post on May 2025 on Wyze Forum.]
Don’t waste time on copilot. It will just lead you even more off course. All AI is bad as far as accuracy goes, [Agree to disagree. I took part on building AI for a good 2 years. As well as working as a part of the translation project and feeding business excel data sheets to it] but Copilot is pretty much the worst.
As far as things I’d try first [I have tried everything that suggested in both official troubleshooting. There is one issue unrelated to this internet reconnection. When the customer service asked me to submit logs as proof that the cam would capture the motion but not recording that motion and I deactivate both motion detection field. Only one cam would work, the other did not. So maybe one really have a hardware issue. But definitely both have software issue. Can’t tell unless someone debugs. The one did not work properly only capture vehicle moving when it wants to and not person or dog or moving object like trash bag flying. That one I restart every single day when I wake up and a couple of times through out the day. It would capture everything for like 1 hr or so and then it went back not only capture vehicles sometimes. I mean if I have to stay in front of the monitor all day to capture the proof that the camera did not record then I wouldn’t need the cameras.]
-Make sure your router is set to WPA2 only. Not WPA3 or WPA2/3 mixed -Make sure your 2.4ghz channel width is set to 20mhz, not 40 or 20/40 -If your router has a “band steering” feature where it tries to force clients onto 5ghz, try disabling that. Most clients no longer need that, and it can cause issue with 2.4ghz only devices like this one. Some routers also call this “smart connect” or something similar. Heck for testing, you can just disable the 5ghz band completely and see if it makes any difference, which would hint that the band steering is in fact the problem.
Did you try the things I suggested? I’m also not sure why you’re saying motion detection has anything to do with it, my suggestions are related to the cams not coming back online after a router reboot or internet outage.
You’re here because “official troubleshooting” and wyze support did not work for you, so ignore that stuff and try what is suggested. You can also try using hotspot on your phone and connect the cam to that wifi to see if it is some issue with your router. Narrow it down and then can focus on fixing it for good.
Did you try the things I suggested? [My response implied that I have already tried that. But since your question suggest you want a straight answer. Here it is. I tried that already as it is part of my research.] I’m also not sure why you’re saying motion detection [That is why I said it has nothing to do with the internet reconnection issue but a separate issue which round back to the list of issues that I have in the initial post and not just your responses. Since you only do straight and blunt. Let me state it straight out. You might not have issues with yours but clearly both mine are riddles of issues. Since these detail reviews and the links I provided are from years of the past. And here I am got these 2 last Thursday and installed on Saturday still running into the same issues m. I think the title of my post warrant a second look from people who design a software and putting the hardware together. That is on me for setting up such high expectation for a $30-cam.] has anything to do with it, my suggestions are related to the cams not coming back online after a router reboot or internet outage.
You’re here because “official troubleshooting” and wyze support did not work for you, so ignore that stuff and try what is suggested. You can also try using hotspot on your phone and connect the cam to that wifi to see if it is some issue with your router. Narrow it down and then can focus on fixing it for good.
I like the fact that it is a Window mount cam so it is not overly expose to the environment especially living in the dessert with extreme heat and extreme cold. With that being said, I found another brand and way more expensive than this one. I placed an order this morning to be arrived this Saturday. We will see right away if it is my internet or it is the functionality of the cameras.m from Wyze.
Any wyze cam can be mounted inside a window, just need to make sure you turn off the IR and status lights. In fact some of the other options are better and cheaper. But if you’re at the point you want to return it and try another brand, that’s certainly your call. Of course if that other brand has different specs, like running on 5ghz or using different wifi versions, it may not rule out an issue with your router handling 2.4ghz devices properly. But if it works, that’s all that matters. Of course, as you say, much more expensive for probably no reason. I paid under $20 for each of my stationary wyze cams and under $30 for the Pan/Tilt ones. Most of them have been out in the direct elements for over 2 years and none have had any problems. That was pretty much as much as I wanted to spend on cams that were mostly for convenience and basic monitoring.
Given your apparent internet and power issues, you may want to consider a hardwired closed circuit system that connects to a central NVR, and get a battery backup for that NVR. No reliance on internet or wifi (other than remote monitoring when needed, which you’d want to do over a VPN for security).
Unfortunately, the lenses flares due to extreme sun doesn’t not work with other came unless the lenses almost touch the glasses since the glasses are extremely thick to keep the heat/cool inside.
Secondly, night vision on this Window Cam is amazing. I cannot say enough good thing about the night vision even with outdoor motion detection light offs it can still capture clear images at night. But that is about it with this cam. Everything else is crap.
I mean if the packages ever get delivered around 10pm ish and I am already in bed. It would definitely capture the package thief if the cam decides to work that day.
The night vision on all the current cams is great, same as the window cam. The window cam is basically just a v4 cam mounted in a different housing (different electronics inside but essentially the same thing). Putting a v4 up against the window glass would be no different. They even had a window mount kit for the v3, but most people just place the regular cams up against the window, parallel to the glass to minimize and reflections/distortion. Some have made brackets to mount to the window frame, others use double sided tape to mount to the glass, others just set it on the windowsill. The window cam is just a bit of added convenience for people who don’t want to fiddle with finding a way to mount a regular cam.
The window cam eliminates the IR night vision (black and white) since that won’t work through glass, but you can disable that on all the other cams and have the same color night vision as the window cam.
All that being said, all my cams are mounted outside of windows with the flat power cord running through the bottom of the closed and locked window. No issues with the elements, they are hit with rain, snow, full afternoon sun, and single digit (sometimes negative) temperatures. That way there is no concern with the glass or screens interfering at all and will give the best quality.
Unfortunately, I have a very specific sets of my own requirements. If the advertisement claimed it can perform all the things I wanted and failed to do so, it is fault advertisement. AI detection: failed. Autoreconnection: failed. Auto recording: failed.
So you can say all the amazing things about other cams but those did not meet my requirements. Or to put it in blunt: I want what I want and what I want I will get.
I did also look at the option there will be video recording 24/7 with night vision if the new ones (from different brand did not work out since there are 8% of 1 star reviews about not capturing pets).
Like I said, obviously your call. But don’t expect any cam in this price range (or even double) to be flawless. Heck even a $1000 closed circuit system will have some bugs.
The issues you’re having with this cam are not common or normal so hopefully you won’t end up with a much more expensive cam that also has the same problems, only to find out that it was in fact an issue with your router settings etc.
Stuff you mention about detections/detection zone etc is likely just settings that need to be fixed or tweaked, or again could be related to your internet since using “smart” detections relies heavily on the quality of your wireless and internet connections.
Like I said, obviously your call. But don’t expect any cam in this price range (or even double) to be flawless. Heck even a $1000 closed circuit system will have some bugs.The issues you’re having with this cam are not common or normal so hopefully you won’t end up with a much more expensive cam that also has the same problems, only to find out that it was in fact an issue with your router settings etc. [When a product being advertised for a certain function and it fail to deliver, then it should be fault advertisement not an opportunity to pivot for cross selling. It is like saying during a job interview I can speak Vietnamese and then show up on the first day and could not speak Vietnamese (Window Cams) but I would tell them “you know what I am taking classes (Replacement product with is the hardware when the issue is clearly with the software). And I almost can have a basic conversation. Would you like me to speak Mandarine (You advertised the other products on behalf of Wyze)? I can do it right now.” The answer should be “No, thank you for your time. We are done here. We will compensate you for the the hour you are in today.” That is an off topic but a pretty spot on analogy I would say. Like I said there are other people who has the same problems including the internet connection. For your information, I have 3 internet set up at home. One personal. 2 supplied by works : 1 main (same provider as personal) and 1 back up (different provider) If you insisting on pointing to internet provider or either my personal or the internet company equipment as the issue, then that it cherry picking your data. The very same thing you said Copilot was doing and discrediting the 17% of people who left 1 star reviews on Amazon. With that being said, I am off topic. Either way, I will update you on the new cameras.] Stuffs you mention about detections/detection zone etc is likely just settings that need to be fixed or tweaked, [That is actually incorrect. Unless you mean the manufacturer need to debug their software then yes, you are correct. Since turning on detection field should not stop recording action. Someone forgot their “if” command somewhere.] or again could be related to your internet since using “smart” detections relies heavily on the quality of your wireless and internet connections.
[With that being said, I am exactly back where I started with the initial post. This conversation is looping back in circle with no new information being presented. Someone famous or a movie/TV show character said, “Doing something over and over again to expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.” To avoid wasting your time and mine, I will pause here. Regardless, I will be back soon since the new cams coming on Saturday, hopefully no delate in shipping. I will conduct the experiment as experiment are to proof the theories is wrong. So by doing the experiment I am trying to prove you right and me wrong. And we will see.]