Wyze Cam Pan Review

Wyze is one of the biggest bangs for your buck when it comes to a smart security camera. For under $50, the video quality and how well the Wyze Cam Pan v2 functioned were surprising. The Wyze Cam Pan features two-way audio, color night vision, and motion tracking—plus, it can scan an entire room in around 3 seconds.

Unlike other popular smart cameras, it’s much more affordable to buy multiple Wyze Cams to cover different rooms and living spaces. Although we wish you could get email alerts in addition to push notifications, that’s a minor complaint.

Find out what we think you’ll love about the camera and the things you may be less stoked about.

• Wyze Cam Pan v2
• Power adapter
• USB cable
• Quick start guide

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It’s hard to fault the price of the Wyze Cam Pan. The camera retails for just under $50 and you can choose what to pay for their middle subscription plan.

It's only $1.99 per month for Wyze Cam Plus. This is the most affordable cloud-storage plan we've seen on any security camera. If you have multiple cameras you'll have a subscription plan for each one, though.

Plus offer added features like continuous recording, package detection, and zero delay in-between recordings.

First things first—you’re going to love the compact size and sleek design of the Wyze Cam Pan v2. Like the original version of this home security camera, it doesn’t detract from room décor or overwhelm the space with its presence.

Even better, the 1080p HD video is crisp and clear. The v2 also sports color night vision, unlike the original. It has better night vision thanks to the new Starlight Sensor added to new Wyze Labs cameras.

Our expert, Suzi, used the original Wyze cam primarily in her daughter’s room (she’s a little escape artist!) on the dresser. Other cameras Suzi tried had limited placement options due to short power cords. But she was able to place the Wyze Cam exactly where she wanted thanks to an extra-long cord. That made it easy to find the perfect perch for the camera to keep a watchful eye. We're happy to report that the v2 also has a very long cord.

The Wyze Cam Pan stands out with its ability to pan up and down (not just side to side). Suzi could watch her wee one, whether her daughter was in her bed or playing on the floor.

Suzi also enjoyed the two-way communication, which let her peek in on her daughter as she sang herself to sleep (although the night vision video of the child is reminiscent of Poltergeist).

The v2 still has all of the same pan, tilt, and zoom features we've come to love from the Wyze Pan Cam. The movement is smooth and the live footage on the Wyze app doesn't lag.

The only real downside we found is related to video storage. When motion is detected, the camera automatically captures a 12-second clip if you choose Wyze Cam Plus Lite.

That clip is instantly stored on the Wyze cloud. But if you want to capture a longer segment for playback later, you either need to use a microSD card or pay for Wyze's largest cloud storage plan (which is affordable, but still an extra cost). You need to upgrade to Wyze Cam Plus to get cool features like package and person detection anyway.

The Wyze Cam Pan isn’t shy when it comes to letting you know what’s up. The first few mornings after taking the camera home, Suzi got an onslaught of alerts as her daughter started waking up. (No more need for an alarm clock!) Because that was not a fun way to start the day, our expert dug into the Wyze app to see if she could turn off or adjust the motion alerts.

Ultimately, she ended up turning the alerts off. You can adjust motion sensitivity in the app, but sometimes it's difficult to find a happy medium between no alerts and ALL the alerts.

The v2 is equally sensitive. Sometimes that's a good thing, but Wyze Cam’s motion detection may be too sensitive for a nursery. Although customers are split on this, our expert found the constant push notifications to be too much for a parent who needs to catch a little shut-eye.

Motion tracking is another cool Wyze Cam Pan feature that hasn't changed in the newer v2 version. If you have a kid or a pet in a room and the camera picks up movement, it will lock in and track the action so you can see exactly what’s going on. You can also use a feature called motion tagging.

With motion tagging, you tag a specific zone or area that is designated by a box. Then the camera follows motion in the tagged area. Suzi used the box to keep track of her daughter’s tossing and turning in bed.

Suzi had reason to contact customer service and was pleased with her experience. Because she recently moved, the company had the wrong shipping address. When Suzi contacted customer service online, she was happily surprised to get a response within an hour.

In addition to our own interaction with Wyze, we also checked out what other customers had to say. Wyze Cam Pan has a positive rating from customers—and we couldn’t find any complaints about service or technical help.

Wyze customer service is available via email or phone. But customer service hours are pretty limited:

• Monday through Friday from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (PT).
• Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (PT).

The Wyze support website also provides a number of articles online that are actually helpful. There’s also a Wyze community forum where customers can share their experiences and get (or give) advice.

The Wyze Cam Pan v2 offers expensive features at a budget-friendly price. Its swiveling body and eye give it a range of view wide enough to see an entire room. If you’re not sure you want a security camera—or if you need to add more than one to your home—the Wyze Cam Pan is a low-risk solution that won’t disappoint.

With its motion sensing and tracking abilities, it can follow the action from one corner to the other. So whether it's your dog having a party on the couch, your kids in the playroom, or something more sinister like an intruder, this compact camera will catch it.

Wyze's prices democratize home security to a level we've never seen before. See how the Wyze Cam Pan compares to other Wyze security cameras in our full review or check out the Wyze security system for a slick DIY security option.

To create our Wyze Cam Pan review, not only did we research the specs and technical details of the Wyze Cam Pan and Wyze Cam Pan v2. One of our security experts, Suzi, took the Wyze Cam Pan home for a month to see if it could deliver—or if all the good reviews were just a bunch of hype. And another expert, Alina, tried out the Wyze Cam Pan v2 in her home.

Our security experts used it as a de facto nanny cam, a pet camera, a security camera, and a general tool to check in on things when she was away from home. We also compared these Wyze Cams' features, price, and customer reviews to other similar security cameras from similar security cameras from Arlo and Nest Cam.

Check out our full methodology to learn more about how we rank and review products.

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