WyzeCam Is the Best $20 Security Cam You Never Heard Of

The folks over at Wyze Labs have been offering a surprisingly popular and cheap security camera for quite some time. And now there's a second version for the same affordable price.

Credit: Wyze Labs — (Image credit: Wyze Labs)

Wyze Labs is now selling the Wyze Cam v2, an updated version of the company's first version. The Wyze Cam v2 is a full-fledged security camera that comes with 1080p HD video recording and the ability to tag motion. But arguably its most attractive feature is its $20 price tag — a fraction of what you'd pay for competing devices like the Nest Cam or Amazon Cloud Cam.

The Wyze Cam v2, which was earlier reported on by The Verge, is available now for pre-order. In addition to the 1080p video recording, the Wyze Cam v2 has a new CMOS sensor that will allow it to capture video day and night. It also comes with a Class-K audio power amplifier to capture ambient sound. A microphone is included, so you can communicate with those by the camera.

The audio features are intelligent enough to recognize the difference between spoken word and things like an smoke alarm and CO monitor. When it identifies one of those alarms, it sends you a notification to alert you to the emergency.

MORE: Best Wireless Home Security Cameras 2018

According to Wyze Labs, the camera's motion tagging feature works with both live streams and recorded content. Speaking of that recorded content, the Wyze Cam v2 delivers 14 days of cloud storage for free. All of that content is stored in Amazon's AWS, where it's encrypted, according to Wyze Labs. You can also store some content to a microSD card you can plug into the Wyze Cam v2.

Like other security cameras, the Wyze Cam v2 will connect to your phone and send you notifications when it detects motion and sounds. There's also the option to daisy chain three Wyze Cams together via USB, so you only need to use one power adapter.

All of those features you'd expect to find in a higher-end camera. But the fact that they're available in a camera that costs just $20 is impressive. Stay tuned for our full review.

TOPICS

Don Reisinger is CEO and founder of D2 Tech Agency. A communications strategist, consultant, and copywriter, Don has also written for many leading technology and business publications including CNET, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Computerworld, Digital Trends, TechCrunch and Slashgear. He has also written for Tom's Guide for many years, contributing hundreds of articles on everything from phones to games to streaming and smart home.

2 Comments Comment from the forums

colin.warnecke

Don't believe the hype. Wyze Cams are a lackluster debut effort from ex-Amazon employees who released an unfeatured camera with glaring connectivity issues and low-end specs. $20 is expensive for this little brick. They were so off with V1 that they released a complete replacement (pulling V1 off the market) just 5 months after launch. They have no intentions of replacing the defective V1s either. Dishonest, amateur and just not worth it.
Reply
robdnet

I've been (trying) to use the V1 for months. What Colin said is true. Major notification issues, search their own forum or reddit. It does record motion and the free cloud storage works great but without notifications working, it is all pointless. For $20 it was a fun experiment but if you are looking for something reliable, you might want to spend a little more or wait until they work the bugs out.
Reply

Welcome to the Tom's Guide Club !

Hi ,

Earn Your First Badge

Complete 1 quiz to unlock your first badge.

Keep earning badges

Explore ways to get more involved as a member.

See what you’ve unlocked.

Members Exclusive