The super-affordable Wyze Cam goes higher-res than ever with new $50 Pro model
Scrappy smart home startup Wyze is out with a big update to 2020’sWyze Cam v3, a $20 camera with pretty decent imaging, cloud-powered subject detection, great audio pickup, a siren and spotlight, and did we mention it was $20? It’s been one of thebest security camerasout there. So, what does the Wyze Cam v3 Pro do for $50? Quite a bit more and faster.
The Wyze Cam v3 Pro costs $50 gives users 1440p continuous capture via a microSD card or the cloud through a Wyze Cam Plus subscription. On-board Edge AI processing speeds up subject detection, infrared-powered night vision is improved from the Cam v3, and there’s two-way audio here, too. It’s a versatile, affordable camera whether you’re looking to mount it inside or outside.
The Pro ups video resolution from 1080p to 1440p with daytime framerates of up to 20fps, snappier Edge AI subject detection thanks to a beefier on-board processor (bypassing the cloud traffic), and night vision at 15fps with the infrared lights and a spotlight if you really need that dash of color.
A new camera happens to bring about a refreshed Wyze app which introduces a new crop-in UI called Smart Focus. It should also make turning on the spotlight easier. There’s also two-way audio on this camera for the friendlier encounters and a siren for the unwelcome ones. Users can also look at detailed event timelines when playing back past footage. Owners will need to keep the camera tethered to power with a micro-USB cable (unfortunately). There’s also a lack of 5GHz support, so you may need to finagle your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network to make some room.
It also sounds like some of the same limitations that affected the Wyze Cam v3 are also here, including the lack of full-length clip recording and cooldown periods between events. Owners will need to pony up $2 per month for a Wyze Cam Plus subscription to get better recording as well as finer notification settings and the ability to differentiate detected subjects whether they’re animals, vehicles, packages, or people. A reminder for those witha Cam Plus Lite subscription: you won’t be able to use that subscription on the Cam v3 Pro.
Wyzeis taking orders for the Cam v3 Pro right now. As mentioned above, a single unit is $50 while two-packs cost $95. Shipping, which begins November 4, may cost extra. Buyers get three months of Wyze Cam Plus for free.
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