Something interesting is happening with my 2 Cam v3 Spotlights. I have one v3 Cam on each front corner of the house pointing in opposite directions. Each on of the cameras has the Spotlight accessory. So, for each one I have the setting turned on when at night there is motion the spotlight will turn on. What’s happening is, when one turns off, the other spotlight picks up the motions of the other one turning off, then turns back on. So, essentially both cameras are going back and forth, turning spotlights on and off each time one turns off.
I have tried playing with the detection sensitivity settings, but I don’t want to go too low, because then I am going to miss motion in areas that I want to be able to pick up with the cameras. So, then I decided to check into the detection zone, but seeing as the area the camera is picking up when the spotlight turns off, always varies depending on other lights, or time of time. If I cut the detection zone down to miss the spotlights turning off and triggering the other one to turn on, I’ll now miss a lot of detection and have to cut half of the field of view out.
Interested to see if anyone is having the same issue.
I never considered that would happen, that’s funny (not your frustration, just the situation causing a malfunction loop). It makes sense though. Light does trigger pixel-based-motion sensing on almost all pixel-comparison cameras (not just Wyze) because the pixels look so different before and after light hits those areas.
Honestly, I’m not sure there are many reasonable solutions this. Here are options that come to mind off-hand:
Remove one of the 2 spotlights. This shouldn’t negatively impact things too much. Light from one should be able to provide clear vision for the other since they use a starlight sensor. Since they’re both on the corners of your house you could adjust them so both cover your whole property, and just set the detection zone to cover your whole yard. Use the second spotlight somewhere else (back or side of the house in the opposite direction outside the view of the other spotlight’s cam).
Set one of them up to just always leave on the spotlight when it’s night/dark, and the other to be motion-based.
The spotlight page says we should be able to automate it using rules or control it with 3rd party integrations like IFTTT. I have not found it in the Wyze rules options yet, and I have boycotted IFTTT since they reneged, but assuming rules/automations are eventually enabled, you could buy a PIR-based motion-sensor, waterproof it, and then use that as your new motion sensor to set off the spotlights. Then they won’t be so triggered by light. Or similarly, you could then tell one of them to activate with all motion, and the other to only activate when a person is detected.
This thread is a clear indication that Wyze needs to seriously work on implementing the promised rules and integrations for the spotlight so this functionality issue can be fixed.
I just have an issue of my regular floodlights always setting off my Wyze spotlight. I am guessing car headlights do it a lot too, but this post is a good report. I totally missed considering this looping phenomenon when using 2 of them together.
You may be able to improve it with a panel that blocks the light in the direction towards the other camera. For test, something as simple as a piece of cardboard would do.
You’ve listed a couple of great solutions here sir! I really appreciate the detailed feedback. I am going to consider using one spotlight out front on 1 of the 2 cameras, and place the other one on the back side of the house.
I really do hope that Wyze considers this feedback and comes up with some more rules and integrations to help solve these type of things instead of having to use 3rd party like IFTTT.