Wyze Cam Pan Review

Promised Features

Wyze Cam Pan Features Breakdown

I must say that the Wyze Cam Pan seems like a really unique camera. It features:

• 1080p HD video
• Integrations with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT
• 360-degree rotation
• 120-degree field of view
• Eight times digital zoom
• Infrared night vision
• Two-way audio

For under $40, this seems incredible! I’m excited to take the camera out of the box and see what’s in store.

Necessary Features

Now it’s time for my favorite part of any camera review— our Necessary Features Test. Let’s see if the Wyze Cam Pan can pass!

Video

I’m impressed that the Wyze Pan has 1080p HD, the ability to zoom in eight times, and a field of view of 120-degrees. Of course, you have to keep in mind that the camera can turn all the way around, so it’s more like a 360-degree field of view when you really think about it.

Now, while you can make the camera pan remotely using the app, you can also set it to pan on its own periodically. This feature is called Pan Scan, where you set up to four waypoints (basically stopping points) for the camera. When Pan Scan is activated, it pans around, stopping at the set way points for a few seconds to give you a general overview of the camera’s surroundings.

Night Vision

The camera comes equipped with six infrared LED sensors that make for a really clear picture, even in the dead of night. I prefer infrared light over color night vision because it’s a lot less conspicuous than a bright white light. If I’m recording someone, I don’t want them to know about it, less they try to unplug my camera. Infrared night vision gives me the stealth I need to stay safe at night.

The Wyze Cam Pan v2 features color night vision in addition to infrared night vision. Instead of using light to illuminate its surroundings like most color night vision cameras, the Wyze Cam Pan v2 relies on its CMOS Starlight sensor. This method, however, means that it can’t see in color in complete darkness; just when there’s low light.

Audio Quality

Wyze gives you free local storage through a microSD card and cloud storage for up to 14 days through the Wyze Cam Lite plan, which is a name-your-price type plan starting at $0. It’s basically free. However, it only records 12-second alert videos and there’s a five-minute cooldown before it can record again. Still, considering some cameras have no local storage or free cloud storage, this is a really generous deal. Expanded cloud plans are available starting at $1.99 per month.

Storage

Wyze gives you free local and cloud storage for up to 14 days. Considering some cameras have no local storage or free cloud storage, this is a really generous deal.

Smart Platform Integration

The camera integrates with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. This is great if you’re already in the Amazon or Google ecosystems, but if you’re an Apple HomeKit user, you might want to check out something else.

Artificial Intelligence

When I say artificial intelligence in reference to home security cameras, I’m typically talking about person detection, which differentiates between people and other moving objects to give you notifications that actually matter. After a recent update, the Wyze Cam Pan now has person detection, which is awesome! However, it’s only available with their Wyze Cam Plus subscription service, along with unlimited clip lengths.

The camera also offers smart sound recognition for smoke and CO alarms, so you can turn your old devices into smart ones and receive mobile notifications.

Convenience

The Wyze Cam Pan was easy to set up. The entire process took only about three minutes. First I plugged in the camera then connected it to Wi-Fi in my Wyze app. After scanning the QR code on the back of the camera, it synced up with my app, and voíla! The Wyze Cam Pan is ready to rock.

Value

Now, a lot of the times that a camera pans it can feel a little flimsy, but that was not the case with the Wyze Cam Pan. On the contrary, it was light but very sturdy, and for a little over $30, this camera is definitely worth it overall.

Video Review

The Wyze App

To access your Wyze Pan remotely, you’ll use the Wyze app, available on both the Apple and Google Play stores. The camera has ratings of 3.5 and 3.4, respectively- pretty middle of the road. As Wyze is a relatively new company, it seems like the app is pretty buggy and has issues livestreaming. Hopefully, that’ll be fixed in the future. Still, it’s not the worst app rating I’ve seen from a camera company.

On the Wyze app, you’ll be able to livestream footage, review video history, use two-way audio, receive push notifications, and create time-lapse videos. In other words, it’s your portal to the Wyze Pan, completely on-the-go.

Comparisons

Now I want to compare the Wyze Cam Pan to three other indoor cameras, the iCamera Keep Pro, the original Wyze Cam, and the Nest Cam Indoor. Let’s take a closer look.

iCamera Keep Pro

The Wyze Cam Pan is very similar to the iCamera Keep Pro, although it’s less than a third of the price. Both have 1080p HD video and the ability to zoom in eight times, but the iCamera Keep Pro has a slightly wider field of view at 140 degrees compared to the Pan’s 120. Of course, the Pan can rotate all the way around, so I’d say it wins for video. Both offer excellent infrared night vision, two-way audio, and cloud and local storage through micro-SD cards. As well, both cameras integrate with Amazon Alexa and IFTTT, although the Wyze Cam also works with Google Assistant. One area that the Wyze Cam Pan and the iCamera Keep Pro don’t excel in is artificial intelligence. Only the Wyze Cam Pan has person detection available, but they both have sound recognition for smoke and C.O alarms. As both cameras were equally easy to set up, I would recommend that you buy the Wyze Cam Pan over the iCamera Keep Pro. It has the same or better qualities in every category of the Necessary Features Test, plus, it’s only $30 compared to $100 for the iCamera Keep Pro. This one’s a no-brainer!

Wyze Cam

You know I wasn’t going to review the Wyze Cam Pan without comparing it to its predecessor, the original Wyze Cam! Now, the main difference between the two is— you guessed it, the Wyze Cam Pan’s ability to turn all the way around and pan 90 degrees. It also has a larger field of view by 10 degrees, and two more infrared LED sensors making for clearer night vision. But aside from that, the cameras are exactly the same; the Wyze Cam Pan just costs $10 extra. Since this is such a small difference, I would buy the Wyze Cam Pan over the Wyze Cam so you get that superior video and night vision. But make no mistake, these are both great cameras.

Want more information? Read our review of the Wyze Cam.

Nest Cam Indoor

Finally, I want to compare the Wyze Cam Pan to one of my favorite cameras ever, the Nest Cam Indoor, which has been discontinued. Now, the first thing you should know is that the Nest Cam Indoor is $199, about six times more expensive than the Wyze Cam Pan. Is it worth the hefty price tag? Both cameras have 1080p HD video and the ability to zoom in three times, but the Nest Cam Indoor has a field of view 10 degrees wider than the Wyze Cam Pan at 130 degrees.

Of course, it can’t spin all the way around, so I’m going to say that the Wyze Cam Pan wins for video. Both have two-way audio and infrared night vision, although the Nest Cam Indoor has a whopping eight infrared LED sensors, two more than the Wyze Cam Pan. However, the Wyze Cam Pan wins for audio, offering free local and cloud storage for 14 days. Nest is notoriously stingy with their storage, offering no local storage and only three hours of free cloud storage. Beyond that, you’re going to have pay steep prices for five, 10, or 30 days of cloud storage. Beyond that, you’re going to have to pay at least $6 per month for cloud storage.

Now, both cameras got full marks for smart platform integrations, but the Nest Cam Indoor has a bit more, with Philips Hue lightbulbs. Both cameras work with Alexa and Google Assistant, but only the Wyze Cam Pan works with IFTTT. And with both cameras, person detection requires a paid subscription, but for one-sixth of the cost, I’d recommend the Wyze Cam Pan over the Nest Cam Indoor.

To learn more, read our review of the Nest Cam Indoor.

Recap of the Wyze Cam Pan

If it wasn’t clear, I think the Wyze Cam Pan is a fantastic security camera for your home. Not only is it $30, but it has almost all of the Necessary Features that I want in a camera, not skimping on quality just because it’s affordable.