Security cameras are everywhere. There are entire television shows based on people commenting on what was seen on someone’s security camera. I never felt like I needed one until recently. After looking around we decided to get the Wyze Outdoor/Indoor Camera. After almost a year with this Camera I’m ready to share a review.
Why we decided to get a security camera
First let me say I don’t feel like I live in a particularly dangerous neighborhood. Not any more dangerous than anywhere else. A little less dangerous than other areas.
But a few incidents over the past few years made me finally decide that it was time for us to invest in a security camera. The last straw was a man who boldly walked around my home as if searching for something. Of course I was home alone at the time.
Nothing happened but it was still creepy enough that I want a little extra layer of protection. I wanted to know if he came back or if anyone else was creeping around my house.
Wyze Has No Monthly Fees
One of the biggest selling points for me was that there are no monthly fees after the initial camera purchase. They do have what’s called Wyze Plus which we did end up paying for. It’s $1.25 a month per camera when billed annually. This is less than a lot of apps I pay for these days.
The Plus allows us to have unlimited event monitoring instead of a 12 second snippet. If someone is is creeping around my house for an extended period of time I want to see everything they’re doing. Plus has other features but the extended event recording is what sold me.
You can also pay for monitoring. It’s $5 per month, which really doesn’t seem all that expensive to me. We don’t pay the additional because with all the animals, kids and false movements from trees blowing in the wind, we would probably have a ton of false alarms. For sure they would be calling us constantly. We can do without it for now. It’s nice to know it’s there if we do change out minds and that it won’t break the bank.
The Wyze Outdoor Camera App
The Wyze Cam App is easy to use. When you open the app all the cameras or other Wyze smart home devices are listed there for you to see.
As you can see we have two cameras. The one for the front door is inside behind a screen for now so the image is not as clear, but as you can see it’s clear enough to see the green box around my new puppy (I’m behind the pillar). You can click into any of your cameras to see a live feed, which broadcasts over your home Wifi.
Yes the cameras are fair game for hackers but not any more than any other smart technology, like smart plugs and smart light bulbs, if your Wifi isn’t secure. So make sure your password has been changed from the one the router came with and don’t make it something painfully common. God1234 isn’t as secure as you might think.
If you want to see something that was recorded before the live feed you just have to click the events button on the bottom.
As I said we don’t pay for monitoring but they do have it. I can’t speak to that. And they also offer a shopping tab if you want to add to you Wyze Smart Home collection.
Once you click into the Events tab in the Wyze Cam App you’ll see everything that’s been happening at your house for the past week. For the free version you would see a weeks worth of 12 second snippets. Because we have the plus our events are longer.
Anything that triggers the camera by motion will be shown as an event. Sometimes in our area it’s a white tail deer, or some other critter that wanders through the camera’s eye. Most of the time the camera is good at identifying people. I read that they are making animal and vehicle identification a near future enhancement.
For now it’s any movement. Yep, that’s a lot of me and Margot my new puppy Margot playing in the front yard. We rescued Margot a black lab Shepard mix from our local shelter. She’s still not friendly with the cats but it’s only been a few days.
If you want to record live video you will need an SD card which we purchased separate from our cameras. I did see that Amazon now include the SD card for a few dollars extra in a bundle they offer. That price is less than what we paid for our SD cards so I would take advantage of that discount. You’re going to want the SD card.
Wyze Camera Image Quality
People ask all the time about the image quality. It’s very good in my opinion.
The image above is a mid day shot from the shop camera that isn’t behind a screen. It’s an excellent quality for a camera that is about 2 inches square. You can even se the motion that triggered this camera. That’s my husband walking the puppy in the back yard. (Yes, out life is all about walking that dog outside these days).
At night the image is a little grainy but still better than some cameras I’ve seen.
The big white blob is me bringing my spray booth inside to be folded for the night but you can clearly see the truck, bike, bench and outline of the basketball hoop. I can say for certain that when I see my husband pass the camera at night I recognize his face without any trouble.
Not too bad.
Both camera have the ability hear what’s going on and respond in real time. We don’t really use it for anything.
Well my husband doesn’t.
I enjoy checking in on my family when I’m not home and screaming like a crazy person to startle whoever is near the camera. But you know, that part is optional.
Would I recommend Wyze Indoor/Outdoor Camera?
I would recommend these cameras if you’re looking for an inexpensive security camera that doesn’t require a monthly fee and doesn’t skimp on quality. As you can see from the images above this isn’t a grainy convenience store camera. It’s a 1080p HD camera.
I feel like if there was a crime at my home the police could get a lot of information from the images on these cameras. Let’s home to never test that theory though.
We are planning to install a few extra Wyze Outdoor cameras to monitor additional areas of our property in the next few months. Having the cameras has been a nice peace of mind for me. When I’m home alone I can see what’s happening outside my door and around the house without leaving the couch.
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