Wyze Spotlight with Video from Wyze V3, Eufy Indoor Cam & Pixel 5 for comparisons

Tips & Tricks
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The following shows the functionality (and lighting comparisons) for the Wyze Cam V3 Spotlight.

Videos were taken using:

  1. Google Pixel 5
  2. Wyze Cam V3
  3. Eufy Indoor Cam

Video Segments:

  1. Part 1 shows that sometimes the spotlight is buggy and doesn’t activate on motion every time even though the V3 is recognizing there is motion (this has happened multiple times…in some cases I can get the V3 to recognize and announce [on my Alexa] full on person detection on the cam without it ever activating the spotlight).
  2. Shows just the Wyze Spotlight on each device synced.
  3. Shows just the 2 Floodlights (motion-activated and 1 on each corner of the house) without the Wyze Spotlight On.
  4. Shows both the Wyze Spotlight AND the 2 Floodlights on.
  5. Shows the Wyze Spotlight activating when the back door is opened, and then starts a video from the Pixel 5 to show how dark it is back there despite the “Spotlight” pointing right at the door from roughly 15’-20’ away. One of the Floodlights activates during this recording (and I say “Dang it”)

This allows one to compare how much the Wyze spotlight provides lumination in comparison to the floodlights.

Here is what the back of this old house looks like in the daytime (well while it is snowing):

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Here are my two “Floodlights,” located on the top corners of the back of the house, but I can’t remember the specs on them anymore (got the bulbs at Lowe’s).

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All SPOTLIGHT VIDEO SEGMENT COMPARISONS COMBINED:

I do have to say, that it really seemed darker in person to my eyes for most of the tests than these cameras/videos seem to indicate (especially the V3 making everything look way brighter than it really was).

The NEXT post in this thread will include the 3 main segments all separated (Spotlight only; Floodlights only; both together) so you can pause and compare the 3 lighting conditions simultaneously.

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For those who want to be able to compare the different lighting conditions to one another at the same time (instead of sequentially), here are the 3 main conditions separated (Spotlight only; Floodlights only; both together), so you can pause them and look at the lighting differences between each more easily.

Wyze Spotlight only, no Floodlights:

Wyze Spotlight off, Floodlights only:

Wyze Spotlight on, AND Floodlights on:

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Way to overdeliver, carver, thanks so much! Nicely done.

And you really did say “dang it”; I had assumed that was a euphemism. :wink:

The light from your phone as you emerge was nearly as bright as the spotlight (thanks to starlight sensor of course).

So based on my original question I’m gathering that the answer is “yeah like a small flashlight”.

Thanks again for the work.

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The spotlight is definitely way, way better than the light from my phone, even way stronger than the light from my phone flashlight (that would’ve been a great test, comparison actually). But I do agree that it is nowhere near the level of floodlights.

For the most part, I’d say that it’s job is best used for the V3 to see anything in color. Also, I intend to get some for my indoor v3 cams to work as automated night lights as we move around the house at night in a couple of areas where dim night lights are not quite good enough. But I would agree that they aren’t a replacement for a normal room light or a floodlight.

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Yup and your observation about the unreliability is noted. My current floodlights over oversensitive but it sounds as if your spotlight is on the other end.

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Yeah, the activation of the spotlight is usually okay, but I felt it was definitely worth adding the obvious glitches I caught into the video to demonstrate that it still has some bugs and isn’t 100% reliable, and to show that sometimes the camera recognizes motion without activating it (and it is obvious it is detecting the motion, because the green motion tags are turned on to prove it).

Also, you can see from the last segment of the first all-in-one video where I come out the door, that it appears to be based on a schedule where it doesn’t stay on as long as there is motion, but that it will turn on for X amount of time when it senses motion, then turn off after a set interval of time, even if there is still motion going on. I did not test the “cool down” interval either. It’s possible that once it triggers, it only turns on for X-seconds, then shuts off with a cooldown period for X-seconds after that, but I didn’t test any of this. Perhaps I will check it out later.

It would be kind of annoying to use as a night light inside if it shuts off while you’re still walking around and then requires you to wait a while before turning back on. I might have to test that out now before I buy more for that purpose. Those should all be easily resolved with some firmware upgrades, but for some of those purposes, I’d definitely want the firmware upgrades/fixes to happen BEFORE I purchased them for that purpose. Still, they work great for anyone who just wants them to stay on constantly at night and have enough light for the V3 to see everything in decent color. The only downside of using them for this purpose is that they will have the same issue as the IR sensors…it will attract bugs and constantly force motion detection alerts . If you don’t have Cam Plus, then the bugs will make it almost useless to use for motion alerts at night and you might miss some things.

So based on their current functionality and firmware, I am starting to think that these are primarily useful for people who have Cam Plus (so they aren’t affected by the bugs constantly triggering motion and the cooldown making it useless), and will use them for outdoor purposes (since the spotlight appears to shut off after a certain interval, so you can’t really use it as a reliable indoor nightlight that only stays on while there is motion, and won’t turn off until after the motion is gone). Future firmware updates will make them more useful for other purposes, but I think for now with the current tests, they are best when left on constantly for V3 color vision, or when activated by motion, knowing the light might cut out in the middle of someone still being in view sometimes.

They should allow us to set our own interval (like “when triggered, keep the light on for X minutes X seconds after motion stops.”) I do this for my pantry light with a motion sensor. I tell the motion sensor to turn on my pantry light when it detects motion, and then a second trigger says when motion has been clear for X minutes, X seconds, to turn off the pantry light…so if there is any constant motion or new motion on the sensor within that time period, it won’t shut off the light yet. That kind of rule permission would be good for these Spotlights. Then they could be used much more effectively.

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