Founded in 2017 by Yun Zhang, Dongsheng Song, Dave Crosby, and Elana Fishman, Wyze Labs Inc. is a Seattle based technology company, specializing in smart home technology and security devices.
Zhang, Song, Crosby, and Fishman, all former Amazon employees, started the company as a small start-up, quickly rising to a company of over 100 employees, with a yearly turnover exceeding £15 million dollars, as of 2020.
Releasing a wide range of acclaimed products, including the Wyze Car (remote-controlled car), Wyze Watch (smart watch), and the Wyze Vacuum, their most popular sellers continue to be home security devices, most notably their range of Wyze Cams.
Wyze Cam
First released in 2017 when the company emerged onto the consumer electronics market, the Wyze Cam has remained a popular choice for affordable, good quality home security cameras, offering quick, easy installation, indoor and outdoor suitability, and 24 hour continuous recording.
With excellent waterproofing, the Wyze Cam is just as suited for the wind, rain, and snow, as it is for monitoring pets indoors, or keeping an eye on small children as a baby monitor.
Despite being a wired security camera, it boasts versatility in function, has 1080p recording quality, the ability to handle a maximum of 32gb of data on micro SD cards, and offers compatibility with modern Android and IOS smartphones.
With exceptional night vision, the Starlight Sensor has the ability to see full color in environments 25x darker than a traditional video camera, making them the perfect, affordable source of protection 24 hours a day.
This is helped by the Wyze Cam’s expertly crafted motion and sound detection, with adjustable settings that can heighten or lessen the sensitivity, depending on your specific needs or wants.
Setting Up The Wyze Cam
The Basics
The first thing you need to do before setting up your Wyze security camera, is to download the Wyze app on either your smartphone or tablet, ensuring that it is connected to a wifi network (capable of 2.4 GHz) and ready for operation.
Next you can unwrap the packaging, and plug the camera into the power outlet, using the USB cable and power adaptor provided.
The light on the camera should change to a solid yellow hue, which will begin to blink when it is ready for starting up.
The Setup
Using the Wyze app, the first step is to select “Home”, then the “+” sign, which can be found at the top left of the display.
Next, select the “Add device” option on the next page, then select “Cameras”, and “Wyze Cam” to choose the device you wish to install.
This may also include “Wyze Cam Pan” if you are installing that as well.
The Cam Pan is the company’s third model of camera they produce, allowing 1080p video, 15fps (frames per second), 8x digital zoom, and an impressive 120 degree field of view.
Once the camera has been selected, and the device is plugged into the power outlet, the next step is to select “Next” on the app, before pulling the base from the camera, and pressing the button located on the bottom, which will announce “Ready to connect” when pressed.
Once back in the app, check the box beside “I heard ‘Ready to connect’”, then select your wifi network, enter your wifi password, and select “Next”.
The next step is to scan the QR code on the Wyze app. Once this has been scanned correctly, a confirmation message will be heard, stating “QR code scanned”, followed by “Setup completed”.
Return to the app once more, and like before, check the box that says “I heard ‘QR code scanned’”, which will progress you to the next step.
Finishing Touches
The next stage is just a case of some general finishing touches.
Once selecting “Next”, you are officially set up and ready to go. All that is left is to add a name to your device, so as to make it more recognizable.
This can be something original, but suggestions can be provided by the app itself.
Then it is just a case of selecting “Finish” once you are satisfied. There will then be the option to “Share your device”, which can be done by selecting that box on the screen.
This is purely optional, and whatever you decide, you can always amend it at a later time should you change your mind.
Important Information & Tips
There are some key pieces of information that are important to remember during the installation process.
Firstly, Wyze cameras can only operate on wifi networks that are 2.4GHz. Any higher capacity networks won’t be compatible, so choose the correct one before progressing.
If you experience any problems during the connectivity process, or when scanning the QR code, it is important to remember that the optimum distance for scanning is around 6-10 inches from the screen.
It is also important to not use well lit rooms, so as to avoid light glare, and to gently move the phone camera close and further away from the QR code until the camera finds focus and accepts the code.
If you should encounter any persistent issues that were not covered in this guide, the next step might be contacting the Wyze team.
This can be done through the “Submit a request” tab on the main Wyze support page, and someone will be more than happy to assist you wherever they can.
Final Thoughts
And there we have it, our quick and simple guide to setting up the Wyze home security camera.
It’s true when we say that a major selling point for these products is the ease with which they can be installed ready for use, regardless of skill level or understanding.
When combined with the modest price tag, and the high level of quality, it is easy to see why Wyze continues to corner the market on affordable home security.
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