My Wyze Cam v2 started displaying these green and purple tints (in daylight mode). The night vision images are noticeably grainer too. The problem goes away sometimes if I power cycle the camera or give it a firm rap, but inevitably returns. Someone said it was a CMOS sensor gone bad. Anybody else have any insights? The problem is not with the IR filter solenoid; that works fine. The camera is a 7 years old. Maybe it’s at the end of its life?
Definitely looks to me like an image sensor/processor issue. Possibly a solder joint that has cracked and intermittently loses contact (often heat expansion causes them to open up), and tapping or restarting it temporarily makes contact again.
I’d say it doesn’t owe you anything after 7 years, the v4 is a nice little cam and frequently goes on sale for $20 to $25 (and can almost always be found for $30). Or if you have cam lite and want one that works with that, the v3 is still readily available and is a nice upgrade too.
1 Like
A couple of things to try.
- Turn Night Vision On and Off a couple of times.
- Try gently tapping on the side of the camera.
OP did say sometimes they can tap it and it gets better for a while, but that does not look like a stuck IR filter to me, that would be much more even. They also said the IR filter is moving in and out correctly, though not sure how that was verified.
1 Like
I’m on board with this being an image sensor issue, but I dig the groovy colors. Maybe throw on a tie-dye and kick back with some Hendrix while tuning out of your video feed. 
I think you left out one important step. Although that might actually cancel out the colors and make it look normal again.
If @ajeans2 has any experience with electronics, you could attempt to remove the board and reflow it, but I can tell you that is going to be VERY hard to do without permanently damaging the image sensor, and given the cost of a replacement, not really worth the time.
1 Like
Hugs, not drugs, man, and I’m with you on replacing it with something newer. Even a Cam OG might be a good choice, but I agree with your suggestions, too.
Yeah I like my OGs, but the night clarity on the v4 is better, and I figure someone coming from a v2 might be more familiar with the interface on the v4 (though I know they are still different, they’re a bit closer).
I believe the v4 mounting is the same too so might be easier to swap out. Can’t really go wrong either way.
Good points, especially about the mount.
I was able to move the IR filter with an external magnet, and the effect is different than what I’m seeing. Yes, I also have a v4 and it’s a nice camera.
Reflowing the whole board is a bit beyond my abilities, but the engineer in me wants to try and fix this camera if it’s just a cracked solder joint somewhere. Found a video on YouTube detailing the disassembly process.
I don’t have a v2 so not sure, I’m sure there is a youtube video out there.
The biggest challenge is going to be protecting the image sensor or finding the right temp that will melt the solder but not damage the sensor. Hard to do with a toaster oven or heat gun, unless you happen to have an IR reflow machine and can find the proper pattern.
Yeah typically a stuck IR filter will be a solid purple or green hue.
My only thought is maybe it isn’t retracting all the way, causing the cam to stay in “amplified image” mode thus over driving the sensor, and possibly one little corner of the IR filter still blocking part of it causing distortion as well. But your image really looks electrical/signal related to me. Plus, to my knowledge, it does not amplify the image until the filter is fully in place and makes contact, so even if it wasn’t fully retracting, I’d think it would turn off the amplification. But again I haven’t used a v2 so maybe it is different.
I guess if you open it up, you can see if the IR filter isn’t fully retracting and rule that in or out as a possibility.
V3 was a big improvement over v2. I really don’t need the features of a v4. Although, if a v4 is cheaper, I can adjust.
Definitely like the v stands over O stands.
My personal recommendation would be, if you need cam lite, get the v3, otherwise get the v4. v4 is typically cheaper and from what I’ve seen the compression artifacts are much less on the v4 especially at night. Built in spotlight is a nice touch too. The increased resolution really isn’t a big difference considering the v4 compresses it more. Maybe a bit sharper on still images. It does have the clearest “color night vision” I’ve seen, though I find the colors a bit muted (possibly just because the ones on the OG were very amplified/overstated in low light so to me it looks very different). Somewhere between the two would probably be perfect. It may also just be the LED street lights in my area, they seem to mess with image sensors a bit, even my phone’s camera sometimes has trouble focusing or adjusting the brightness.
1 Like
Holding out for the v5. It may come out when Windows 12 is released.
I wonder which cam WBC uses?
Must be a new image sensor board, I don’t think they have any others at that resolution. Weird that they dropped down to “upper 2K” from 2.5K.
I mean it is good to see a new style of this type of cam, but personally I’m not a fan. Although using it in a recessed fixture as discussed in another thread actually might be a perfect use case for it as it hides most of it.
I mean I see why they designed it the way they did, the existing style from all the no-name brands you lose the light function, and this has both light and cam. But it really stands out, not in a good way in my opinion. If they had molded the cam into the curved bottom of the bulb (or even a square bottom bulb) it would have been much more attractive I think.
1 Like
True. I only bought one for the backyard.
It always reminds me when I wear short shorts. That hasn’t happened in a while.
Otherwise, I like the 160° vision. Night vision is also good and gives me a perspective I was missing from window mounts.
Yeah I suppose I’m thinking it would commonly be used at a front door. While my current cameras aren’t exactly stealth, they also don’t have a built in light shining right on them advertising their presence.
Suppose there are plenty of places they can be used where the looks won’t really matter. I’m actually thinking they may end up being a great seller for small businesses that have recessed lights and want to easily add cameras without losing light in that corner (though it will probably be reduced a bit). More stealth than something screwed to the ceiling with wires running to it and much easier to be up and running.
Of course the down side is you have to leave the lights in that section on all the time if you want video when you’re closed, which most will. Or put smart bulbs in all the other sockets (maybe that was Wyze’s master plan).
I have two candlelabras out front. Garage exit door could use a WBC, but I was worried about theft and intrusion on my neighbor.
Backyard is a great test environment.