Wyze, the well-known brand in the smart home security market, has released its latest product, the Wyze Battery Cam Pro. The newest addition to the company's lineup, priced at $93.99 plus shipping, brings some compelling features, including continuous recording on battery power, 2K video resolution, radar-powered motion detection, and a removable battery. However, it's important to note that the camera's continuous recording capability comes with certain limitations.
The Wyze Battery Cam Pro marks the company's first venture into continuous recording using battery power. While this is undoubtedly an impressive achievement, users should be aware of a few factors that could impact its performance. To achieve continuous recording, a microSD card (up to 256GB) is required to save video locally. Additionally, the battery life when using continuous recording mode is limited to approximately one day. For true 24/7 coverage, it is recommended to have the camera wired to a power source.
Building upon the success of its predecessor, the Wyze Cam Outdoor V2, the Battery Cam Pro presents significant improvements. With 2K HDR video and radar-powered motion detection, it promises more accurate and precise monitoring compared to PIR (passive infrared) sensor-based cameras. Additionally, the device comes equipped with alert notifications for people, pets, vehicles, and packages, although some alerts require a subscription. A built-in 150-lumen spotlight and an 80-decibel siren should further enhance the security features.
Unlike its predecessor, the Wyze Battery Cam Pro does not require a hub for connectivity, but this improvement introduces a slight delay of one to two seconds in live streaming compared to the hub-connected version. Additional specifications include color night vision through a starlight sensor, a wide 134-degree field of view, 15fps (frames per second), dual-band Wi-Fi support, two-way communication, and an IP65 rating, signifying resistance to dust and light water sprays.
The most noteworthy feature of the Wyze Battery Cam Pro is its removable battery, a feature commonly found in competitors' offerings like Ring and Arlo. The removable battery facilitates easy maintenance and allows users to keep the camera functioning continuously by swapping in a charged battery when needed. Wyze claims that one fully charged 6,200mAh battery can power the camera for up to six months with intermittent use.
However, some early reviews raise questions about the camera's battery life when recording continuously, suggesting that the six-month estimate may be ambitious. Nonetheless, Wyze has introduced a Battery Charging Dock that can charge two additional batteries simultaneously, reducing potential downtime. Additionally, the camera can be powered continuously using the Wyze Solar Panel.
One notable aspect currently missing from the Battery Cam Pro is the continuous recording feature, which is expected to be added in the future through a software update. The feature will require a microSD card of up to 256GB, which will store the recorded video locally.
Until then, users can utilize Wyze's Cam Plus service for motion-activated video recording to the cloud, priced at $2.99 per month. It is essential to remember that the camera does not support Wyze's free tier Cam Plus Lite, limiting users to only snapshots of motion events without a subscription.
As for pricing, the Wyze Battery Cam Pro sits at $93.99, a departure from the brand's low-cost reputation. However, with the company adding advanced features like radar motion detection and 2K video quality, the higher cost is justified to some extent, compared to their previous offerings.
The Wyze Battery Cam Pro is available for purchase at Wyze.com, starting August 1st. Alongside the camera, Wyze also offers $20 Wyze Cash with each purchase, which can be used towards the acquisition of accessories like extra mounts, as the camera comes with a wall mount, but not a mount suitable for eaves or ceilings.
2023-08-06 16:21:33
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