Hey, folks!
You’ve known that we’ve had something big brewing for a while! Many of you applied to be alpha testers for this product back in February. Some of you figured it out early (you know who you are!). If you’re curious about our new product, you’ve come to the right place! This is where people that were selected for alpha testing will be leaving their unbiased reviews of the product.
If you have questions, feel free to ask them! 
Best,
WyzeCracker
Here is mine!
The Wyze Cam Pan continues the Wyze story to bring you high quality, affordable smart home products that enrich people’s lives and make great technology accessible to everyone.
I was one of the Alpha testers for the Wyze Cam Pan. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical when I first received the Wyze Cam Pan. The packaging was as expected. The Wyze Cam Pan itself is much larger than the previous Wyze offerings, the V1 and V2 cams. The set-up followed the same procedures as the previous cams from Wyze. Fast, simple and I was up and operating in a couple minutes. Now the nitty gritty……. I set the Wyze Cam Pan up in the kitchen first. Its operation was a little freaky. Let me explain. The Pan Cam “follows” your movements very closely. If you walk past it the Wyze Cam Pan tracks your movements and turns to follow you and continues to follow you until it no longer sees you. My wife got freaked out by this. She said “not in the kitchen”. “Move it”. LOL. I moved it to the living room. Again it tracked movement marvelously. I came home from work and found the Wyze Cam Pan unplugged. Yep, you guessed it, the wife again…… She said she felt as if she was being continually watched. It tracked all of her movements. The Wyze Cam Pan can be heard as the motor that turns it to track does make noise. You wouldn’t necessarily place it where noise could be a problem. The wife claimed she could hear it track her. So the Wyze Cam Pan was vanished to guard the basement. I continued my testing and found the Wyze Cam Pan to be perfect for tracking large areas that were configured in such a way that one regular cam could not cover. My basement is sort of “L” shaped. The Wyze Cam Pan excelled in picking up movement and covered the whole area. It did the work that would have taken several fixed cams to do. The night vision Is awesome and lit up the whole area. The picture quality is perfect. Very clear and detailed. The motion tagging is cool. It tags the motion in a green box. No question what triggered the motion alert. The two-way sound worked as you would expect. In several months of testing I found no significant problems. It just works!
This camera is truly impressive with all of the options that it comes with. It can rotate left to right, but not in a continuous circle. You can also pan up and down. There are several settings that are customizable so that you can fine tune the area that you want as your focus. There is Motion Tracking, Motion Tagging, Pan Scan, Take Photo, Sound on/off, Record, Speak. The Alert Settings gives you several settings and also Sensitivity which is adjustable. The Advanced Settings gives you several settings and Motor Controls which allow you to customize the Rotate Speed and/or Pan Scan Setting. As with the V1 & V2 this camera can accept a 32g SD card for continuous or event recording. You can view these recordings through the app or on your computer by using an adapter for the SD card. I absolutely love this camera and all that it can do. It has truly been an honor to be part of the Alpha Testing Team for this PanCam camera.
Well done on the review!
Because the pan has 6 infrared LEDs (vs 4 on the v2), how has that improved night vision video and pan tracking at night?
Also, hows the two way audio quality? the v2 audio wasn’t the greatest, so im curious how this one compares
Thanks!
Night vision video is much better than the v2 IMO. Pan tracking works great in night vision. The two-way audio is little better than the v2, not spectacular but not disappointing either.
Up front I want to say that I was fortunate enough to be selected as an alpha tester for the Wyze Cam Pan, but in this review I am going to give you an unbiased opinion of the camera. I am going to include pictures for some A/B comparisons with the V1 and V2 WyzeCams. Hopefully this will allow you to make up your own mind on the performance of the Pan.
For a little bit of background, I have been testing the camera for about 3 months now as a daily driver in my home. I previously had WyzeCam V1 and V2 cameras in my home, after upgrading from PTZ Foscams. I have to say that the one thing I missed about Foscam was the pan and tilt feature. It was easy to justify moving away from it with the wide field of view that the V1 and V2 Wyzecams offered for their price. When I received the WyzeCam Pan (WyzePan), I was very impressed. I’ll break down below the pros and cons of this camera.
Initial Impression:
The first thing I noticed immediately is how much lighter and smaller this camera was compared to other PTZ cams. While the WyzePan is larger and heavier than the V1 and V2 cameras, it is still light in comparison to other PTZ cameras. When the camera is first plugged in it performed an initial calibration, and I was shocked to see how much faster the pan and tilt action is on the camera than on other brands I have owned. It was also impressive to me that the camera has a full 360 rotation ability. The initial setup in the application has not changed, so the ease of use for the setup has been maintained. After setting the camera up in my app, I noticed that the quickness of the pan was actually causing me to over correct when panning side to side. Luckily, the developers had thought of this and in the settings of the camera there is a slider to adjust how fast the camera will rotate. Once I adjusted this setting to my liking, it was time to put it through some longer tests.
Black and White Levels:
The black levels on this camera are comparable to the WyzeCam V2, which are upgraded from the V1. I tested this in several real world conditions, but also tested it against a black level TV calibration test pattern. I noticed I was able to see through Black 17 on the V2 and Pan, but only to Black 15 on the V1. As far as white levels go, I did think the white on the Pan came somewhere between the V1 and V2 cameras. It has a slightly yellow tint to it, but it’s not as yellow as the V1. In general use applications, I would say that 99% of people are not going to notice the white level balance but most people would notice the improved black levels. This becomes especially important during night vision.
Night Vision:
The Pan has slightly improved upon the V2’s already improved IR setup. I found night vision on the Pan to be as good or better than on the V2. I did notice that up-close the Pan took longer to adjust clearly than the V2. This issue is not present during the day, and seems like something that could be corrected in a software update. The Pan eventually focuses just as clearly as the V2, but I would say on average it took about 1-2 seconds longer. This may be noticeable if you have your camera patrolling often, but I don’t think it’s enough to really be a problem. I was very impressed overall by how good the night vision on the Pan is, even when it is in motion. You will run into some of the same caveats that you do on all IR cameras with regards to not being able to have the IRs active if the camera is shooting through a window, and getting IR bleed if you are resting the camera on a reflective surface. Those are more indicative of the nature of IR though, and not a reflection on the Pan.
Color, Clarity, and Outdoor Testing
Now I want to start by reiterating that the Pan is NOT an outdoor camera. That being said, rules are made to be broken so let’s take this bad boy outside to see how it performs. I choose a spot in my frontyard that had a good view of some wooden chairs, stonework, grass, and plants. This gave me an opportunity to test the color and clarity of the image as well as to test how the camera performs in direct sunlight. I came away very impressed. The sensor seems to be on par or slightly better than the V2 sensor, which was a fairly significant upgrade from the original V1’s. Colors were vividly reproduced, and the clarity at a distance I found was actually better than the V2. Items like details in leafs or siding across the street were clearly visible on the WyzePan where the V2 did not show those details. I also did not have any issues with colors washing out in direct sunlight, which is an issue I had noted with other brands.
Mounting Options:
This is the portion I will say is the biggest drawback of the Pan. The camera does not come with a good mounting solution for my uses. The V1 and V2 used a magnetic base to secure to the wall. The Pan uses a threaded screw similar to the ones found on a camera tripod or on top of a lamp. With the way the camera moves, standing it up on shelves caused the camera to shift slightly and I did have it fall off a shelf on a couple of occasions when I did not have it secured to anything. This can be remedied through using some 3M tape or a screw. The other issue I found is that I wanted to mount the camera on a wall about 6 feet up so it would be at eye level. This is not possible without using 3rd party mounting solutions as the camera sits at a 90 degree angle from anything it is mounted to, making it point at the floor if mounted to a side wall. I was able to get around this by using an L angle mount, a magnet, and a V2 metal plate. That being said, I wish there was a better option for mounting included out of the box.
Final impressions:
After several months of daily use, I would highly recommend this camera. While I did notice the sound of the camera turning increased slightly from what it was on Day 1, this has been my experience with any motor-driven device after extended use. At $30, the Pan is much cheaper than competitors. It maintains all of the great aspects of the V1/V2 cameras, while adding additional functionality. The patrol options and the motion tracking options are great. I use this with my kids to keep an eye on them and it is amazing how the camera can follow the toddlers around the room so I always know exactly what they are doing (aka: what are they destroying now). I would recommend this camera to anybody who wants a PTZ home camera. In my experience, Wyze has been very responsive to their community and stands out as a company who is very consumer focused. The support is top notch, and I have really been impressed by how Wyze has adapted to their success. Do yourself a favor and pick one of these up if you are even remotely interested. You won’t regret it.
I already put my order in, but still have three questions:
The cable is connected to the base, the camera rotates the base doesn’t
We can probably get away with using the V2 outside, I have one there but this camera has moving parts that may not survive the harsh elements of heat, cold, humidity and forget rain
Ok, that makes sense. I could not tell from the pictures online. Glad it is this way. Thanks for your reply.
I’m pretty sure my video above shows it rotating and you can see the power cord.
As an Alpha tester of the Pan Cam, I’ve had it in my home for a couple of months now. Let me say, this camera doesn’t disappoint…
I’ve used it in a couple of locations. Currently it sits on a speaker high above my living room where it tracks people back and forth through the room. The Pan feature has come a long ways in the past few weeks as the Wyze team has tweaked software and firmware. It currently tracks well and doesn’t miss much (to the dismay of my wife and kids). Now we know what goes on when Daddy’s not home…
Pan is automatic and follows any motion in its view to keep the camera centered on the action, but you also have the option to use the in-app controls to “steer” the view side to side or up and down to see any areas that may not currently have motion. The video is crisp and clear. Live view in the app allows “pinching” the screen to zoom right in on an area of interest.
Even without the Pan feature, this camera is a huge step up from the V2. It has an extremely wide angle lens that covers a lot of area making its pans from side to side very small to still see the whole room from its current location. The night vision is soooo much better than the V2 that they’re not even in the same class. My 25 x 32 foot living room lights up in the Pan Cam view at night just like it’s daylight, even into the furthest corner of the room. I’ve had it alert in the middle of the night on a moth or other flying bug passing through the room.
Through the Alpha testing phase of this camera, the Wyze team has worked tirelessly to eliminate bugs and offer a great product that does what it’s supposed to do. Wyze is committed to selling great products at a price that anyone can afford. The Wyze Pan Cam is just another proof of that. I heartily give it two thumbs up!
To be fair, I tested the Pan outside when it was snowing and about 10 degrees. It held up pretty well, but I also don’t want to plug it for that type of use since it’s unintended. I agree with you though that the components may degrade faster with the moving parts.
For the night vision, here’s an A/B comparison with the V2. It’s about the same even with the extra LEDs. Two of the images were taken in pitch black and two were taken in very low light. You can see they look roughly the same.
Hi Folks, I had the opportunity to test the WYZE CAM PAN and it has earned several spots in my home! Below is my experience with the unit, enjoy!
The WYZE CAM PAN is rectangular in shape, taller than the v2 and mounted on a separate, circular base. On the bottom of the camera, a microSD slot and setup button can be found. On the rear, a full size USB port is available for charging and future accessory support. Power is supplied via a microUSB charging port that is located on the base.
From a feature and performance standpoint, the WYZE CAM PAN offers broad set which would be found in more expensive smart equipment. Similar to the v2, high definition 1080p video (i.e. LiveStream, local recording), environmental detection (CO, motion, smoke, sound), motion tagging, and two way audio is standard. Where the WYZE CAM PAN excels is the 120 degree field of view, 360 degree x 93 degree pan tilt range, improved night vision (18 step gray scale and 6 x IR LEDs), and improved microphone design. These features work in conjunction with the Wyze app to support two new functions: Motion Tracking and Pan Scan.
At a high level, Motion Tracking enables the WYZE CAM PAN to continuously monitor an object, maintaining the object within the camera field of view. Pan Scan introduces the concept of 4 way points (default or user defined) that will ensure 360 degree coverage, by having the camera move between each of the way points in 10 second intervals.
I tested the WYZE CAM PAN in 3 areas of my home: foyer, living room, patio. The camera, while larger in size, was easily mounted in each room with adhesive, magnetic disks. In using the WYZE CAM PAN, the benefits of using a pan tilt camera were immediate and significant. In the foyer, the camera was able to maintain a constant visual (Motion Tracking), on a subject from the moment they entered the home, through their activities within the same and adjoining rooms. This removed the need for additional cameras, as blind spots were addressed. In the living room,the wide angle lens enabled full capture of the entire room and two way audio was very clear to occupants, from a distance of 8-12 feet. Even with multiple objects in motion and ambient noise from the television, the camera was able to clearly capture all activity and communicate to occupants. In the patio, the camera excelled in providing 24×7 full outdoor property coverage with (Pan Scan) custom way points. The 6 IR LEDs provided excellent outdoor night vision in total darkness, producing quality which exceeded some outdoor IP cameras on the market.
In summary, my overall testing experience with the WYZE CAM PAN has been positive. From installing the unit to using it on an daily basis throughout multiple rooms of the home, the WYZE CAM PAN is easy to use and intuitive. The Motion Tracking and Pan Scan feature, combined with high quality hardware, and enhanced app controls, makes the WYZE CAM PAN a welcome +1 for all smarthomes, a must buy!!
I was also fortunate to be one of the testers as the Wyze product team was working out the issues before bringing the Pan camera to market.
I have several of their V1 camera, their V2’s and now several Pan cameras. Before getting Wyze camera’s I’ve used other brands that basically have similar functionality to the Wyze cameras including motion detection, alerting, recording and pan & tilt.
All worked well, but they cost many multiple of what the Wyze camera’s cost. I can get 4 or 5 Wyze cameras for the same price and largely the same functionality. And their app works very well and I love the alerting capability. At this point I really have just stopped using all my other camera that I spend several hundred dollars on!
The way I think about the Pan camera is that it has all of the V2 functionality, but it adds Pan & Tilt controls, motion tracking so that it can follow a moving target, and a scan mode.
Pro’s
Inexpensive and excellent value for what the camera’s cost (especially compared to the competition)
All of the V2 functionality (with the Wyze app providing: live steam video with audio, ability to talk through the camera speaker remotely, record and take picture, 12 second alert video’s sent to the cloud for 14 day storage, an alert schedule you can set, motion detection zone, motion tagging night vision, Smoke alarm and CO alarm detection; and with a Micro SD card you can record on motion or continuously, do time lapse video’s and play all that back, plus IFTTT integration (which I have not tested)
Easy set up with their app on iOS or Android
Pan and Tilt with 360 degrees of rotation
A scanning mode to you can program where it scans
Motion tracking – to follow what is moving in its field of view
Con’s
You can hear the motor as the camera turn in a quiet room
Because it moves you need a way to mount the camera (small camera tripod, mounting bracket)
If used indoors with motion following, it can be a little creepy as it follows you around!
I’d prefer a darker, less obvious camera, so I used a black sticky film to cover mine!
I’d like to be able to use a web browser to view the camera, right now it only works via the app. And there is no support for Blue Iris (and other similar s/w)
Overall
It’s incredible value for money and if you looking for good camera with excellent functionality that can cover a wide area with it’s panning ability then look no further!
A step backwards?.. Maybe, maybe not.
Before purchasing 12 WYZE CAMs, I previously had 10 PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) cameras of another brand set up around my house. These cameras had only a 60-degree field of view (FOV) and so their PTZ functionality was necessary to cover even a single room. But with WYZE CAM’s 110-degree FOV, I was pleased to find that a single camera mounted in the corner of a room would cover the whole room without the need to pan and without the attendant motor noise. I did not miss the pan/tilt at all. In fact, I was glad it was gone. Therefore, my initial reaction when invited to be an alpha tester of the WYZE CAM PAN was that it was a step backward and that the PTZ features were an unnecessary gimmick.
I was able to cover the same area as my 10 older PTZ cameras with 12 WYZE CAMs. In fact, those 12 WYZE CAMs covered the areas better and without the need to worry about panning. While the PTZ functions are initially fun to play with, after a while they become more of a burden and I find it more convenient to have fixed cameras covering a given area.
For a single room, if you can mount a single WYZE CAM V2 in the corner, the WYZE CAM PAN is not really needed. However, one of the situations where I have found the WYZE CAM PAN to be useful is when I travel. Previously, I would leave a WYZE CAM V2 in the hotel room to monitor the room while I’m gone. But without the ability to stick anything to the wall, it was often difficult to find a location in a corner that would cover the whole room. The WYZE CAM PAN solves this problem. It can be left on a table or desk and rotated to watch the whole room.
Another situation is an area in a home or office that cannot be covered by a single WYZE CAM V2. For example, an L-shaped area. Here there are some tradeoffs to consider. You can probably cover the area with a single WYZE CAM PAN, but to be sure to capture motion in both “wings” of the L, you need to enable the Pan Scan function with its attendant constant motor noise. With dual WYZE CAM V2s, each camera can monitor one “wing” and generate its own motion alerts. If cost is a factor, the WYZE CAM PAN costs about $38 shipped, while dual V2s cost about $50. So the PAN does save a few bucks in this scenario.
Here are some of the advantages I see for of each WYZE CAM model:
WYZE CAM PAN advantages:
• Can cover a larger area with a single camera
• Motion tracking can keep motion centered in the frame
• Less expensive than dual V2s if needed to cover a large area
• More easily used in temporary situations without the need to mount
• Pan/Tilt can be fun to play with (at least at first)
WYZE CAM V2 advantages:
• Can cover a whole room without the need to pan and attendant motor noise
• Can zoom in on motion without needing to pan
• Dual V2s can cover a large area without the need for Pan Scan
• Smaller profile than PAN with more flexible mounting options or the need for additional mounting hardware
• Covers a wide area without the need for any manual intervention
I will leave it to others to cover all the details of the PAN’s unique features. My recommendation: If you need to cover a large area that can’t be covered by a single V2, then I would go with dual V2s if the can be mounted appropriately and if the slightly higher cost is not a problem. On the other hand, for temporary locations and areas not easily covered by V2s, the PAN is the way to go.