WYZE Cam v3 with Color Night Vision, Wired 1080p HD Indoor/Outdoor Video Camera, 2-Way Audio, Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT

This has been a great camera.The first Wyze Cam I got was for a in-house baby monitor, and it was extremely important to me that I have the ability to have the camera fully off-line. Most cameras require internet connection and the images are fed through their servers. This was NOT what I wanted for my in-house baby monitor. I found Wyze, and purchased it with the peace of mind that my video would remain MY video. I loved how easy it was to set up, and how perfectly it has worked for several years now.So when I wanted to purchase an outdoor camera, it was a no-brainer to get another Wyze Cam. I've had it for about a year, and recently purchased my second.InstallationI use these with the light socket adapter, which screws into your light bulb socket, and adds a USB outlet for your camera. (It does NOT take the place of the light bulb - you can still use a bulb as well.) The USB plug fits snug to maintain weather resistance, and there is a sleeve to protect any connections.ConnectingI have installed two of these, and they both took around 2 - 5 minutes to install. Download the app, power the camera and follow the voice prompts. You'll need to scan a bar code from your phone, and press a button on the back of the camera (which can be a bit hard to reach if you've already mounted the camera). You do need to have a 2.4 GHz WiFi connection where you install the camera.CameraThe night vision is great. I have two 60-watt bulbs for my entire large yard, but with the night vision I can clearly see all corners of the yard in full color. In the dead of night I can see to my mailbox, which is probably 100' from the nearest camera and light bulb. Beyond the mailbox gets pretty dark, but if a car drives by I can still see the car well enough to identify the color, make and model. I would not be able to read a license plate from that distance, though, at night or in the day. The picture quality in my yard is good. It's not movie-quality by any means, but it is good enough that I can get a clear look at people, pets, objects, vehicles and animals.Motion DetectionThe motion detection is good. Within my yard, it easily detects people and my dog moving around. It also detects when my motion-sensing lights at the far end of the yard turn on. And during major winds, it will also detect the movement of a large bush. You can set notifications in the app. The motion sensing notifications can get a bit much if you have people or pets moving about your yard regularly.For my outdoor cameras, I opted for Wyze's subscription to store motion events for a period of time (you can download them from the cloud if you want to keep them longer). With one of the subscription levels you can adjust the motion sensing so it does not trigger for known people and pets. It has worked well, though there was one event where I had hoped it would have recorded some vehicles driving by but they were too far away to trigger the recording. Recorded events are very easy to access within the app.The subscriptions have some security features including the option to call for dispatch. I have not tried these features so I can't speak to those.DurabilityI can't speak to cold or snow, but my first outdoor camera has lasted through a year of incredible heat (120º), extreme UV exposure, severe sandstorms, massive amounts of super-fine dust, and the occasional thunderstorm without any problem. It is somewhat protected as it is installed under an eave, but it is otherwise exposed. I need to occasionally wipe off spider webs and dust, but it has lasted beautifully. I've had 0 problems with it in a year. After a power outage, it reconnects without a hitch.ConclusionOverall, I highly recommend this camera for its usability, privacy, quality and durability.

I have bought 5 of the V3 cameras so far. I have had them for several months. I give them a 5 star rating. They seem to work great. I have only had one problem lately. 3 of the cameras came up no cloud. They would not shut off or update, but they seemed to still work fine. After about 12 hours 2 cameras showed online. 24 hours later I unplugged the 3rd one for about 2 minutes and it came back online. Checking my emails Amazon sent a message saying they have server trouble for the cameras. Sounds like that was the problem. I think there were server problems all over the country the last few days.For me it wasn’t clear what you received when you paid for the subscription. Without the subscription, you get MOTION alerts only and a 12 second video, stored in the cloud. With a 5 minute (non cloud stored) “cool down” between alerts. An SD card is not needed, but if you install one AND set the camera to continuous record you can scroll through the video until it is over written. Maybe a week?With the subscription, you get unlimited length cloud recording, while there is motion detected, and 23 seconds after. I have notice that if someone is doing something like walking to the front of the house and trying to hook up a garden hose, it may stop detecting motion (or recording) after a while since the person is moving very little. The BIGGEST plus with the subscription to Cam Plus, is the AI detection. It can detect and alert you to a person, auto or pet. Without the AI detection, when motion is detected the camera will send you an alert. Major nuisance. Motion detection will trigger with people, cars, pets AND leaves blowing in yard, sun shining on the ground through tree branches blowing in the wind, lightning flashes, heavy rain, headlights of cars at night glaring at the house. An SD card not needed, but if installed, AND camera set to record continuous, you can scroll through the video to see things that the camera did not detect in the distance.FYIs, Any video that the camera detects you can download to your phone to keep a permanent record. After 2 weeks the cloud will overwrite any videos not downloaded. As far as I know, to download videos on the SD card they have to be removed from the camera. Other reviews said the camera cannot mask areas that they do not want alerts from. To me I just point the camera away from that area. I have used 25 ft USB cables with no problems. Also I seem to keep getting updates about once a week. The cameras can be updated from your phone, just another pop up when you open the app. The Wyze system only works with your phone. There is a work around for your home computer, heard it is glitchy. I have not tried the 2 way yet. Cam Plus subscription right now is $2 a month per camera. If you do an annual subscription I paid $1.25 a month. ($15 a year per camera) Seems to be a great deal for a $35 camera.

Great little camera, especially with that price, Can set for different degrees of motion, alerts and record. Surprisingly sharp nighttime clarity