- [Katie] The Wyze Cam Pan V3 can rotate, tilt, and zoom in
on whatever you're watching.
It has 1080p vision, color night vision,
and even works outside.
But this isn't the Wyze Cam Pan V3.
This is the Wyze Cam Pan V3.
I unboxed it last week to set it up in my living room
and dig into this brand new camera a little deeper.
This new version of the Cam Pan looks so different
from its predecessor.
But just like the older camera,
it has such a wide movement range,
it doesn't really need much of a field of view.
Here you can see our entire living room
with sharp color and clarity.
Unlike earlier models, the V3 also works outside.
The IP65 weatherproofing on this camera
makes it durable enough to withstand
a wide temperature range wherever you put it.
So we set it up in a friend's backyard
to watch over their dogs.
Onboard the camera,
you'll also find a spot to add a micro SD card
for local storage.
This opens up new features
like event snapshots and continuous recording.
And if having a live camera running 24/7 isn't your thing,
you can set the V3 to Privacy Mode.
The camera politely folds itself down
and cuts off the live stream.
One of the Cam Pan V3's coolest features
is Smart Detection.
You can tell the camera to look for specific things
like people, familiar faces, pets, vehicles, and packages.
AI alerts like these aren't really new,
but they are new for Wyze.
And a long list like this makes it easy to switch up things
based on your need.
It also works for common sounds.
The audio detection lets you listen
for crying, meowing, barking, and talking.
The flexible design of this camera makes it really easy
to swivel from one end of the room
to the other really quickly.
In the settings, you can even speed up the motor
to make it move faster.
You can also mount it to the wall or ceiling
to watch over any tight spaces
or adjust it to see near corners.
A new feature in this camera is called Pan Scan.
It lets you bookmark spots
within the camera's view to check regularly.
Whether that's the front door, the garage,
the driveway, the hallway.
Having these quick reference points makes it easier
to drop in and make sure everything's okay.
I will say I ran into some confusion
at first with this feature though.
The Wyze app doesn't make it super clear
that the last spot you bookmark
becomes the camera's home position.
It was frustrating before I realized this
because I check one area only to see the camera move back
to its previous spot.
It'd be nice if Wyze would let you mark one of these spots
as your chosen home position.
I used a 32 gig micro SD card in this camera
and that gave me plenty of space for continuous recording.
Adding that card also allowed the camera to save screenshots
of events it detected throughout the night too.
Like almost all camera brands out there,
Wyze charges for its cloud storage and bonus features,
but that paywall is super short.
Cam Plus is only $20 per year or $2 a month.
Way cheaper than a lot of the competitors out there.
Speaking of, this new version is cheaper than the original.
At only $34, it's a really accessible price point
for a really solid camera.
I've run into this issue with cameras
that have color night vision before,
and the Cam Pan V3 was no exception.
Thankfully, I found the answer from a very wise Wyze user
who shared this tidbit.
To get color night vision,
you need to turn the infrared lights off.
This might sound weird,
but those IR lights are what kicks
the black and white night vision on that we're all used to.
That color night vision kicks in
when those infrared lights are off.
You'll still need ambient light like a street light
or a lamp in the background to give the camera
just enough to create color.
I tried this for myself and...
I love that this camera can work outside.
It's a huge lea from its earlier version.
But what hasn't changed is that the Pan Cam V3
still needs to stay plugged in.
This isn't too big of a problem
if you're setting it up inside,
but if you're getting it for outside use,
you'll need an outdoor outlet or a way to feed it
through a window or a wall.
The power cord is fairly long, thankfully,
but it's still required so you're limited
to where you can place it.
This also means that if your power goes out,
so does your camera.
Wyze improved a lot in this new version of the Cam Pan.
It looks better and has newer and smarter features
to make watching your home easier, inside and out.
I wrestled with its color night vision
and found the cable a little limiting,
but this is a super solid choice
if you're looking for a cheap, multi-use camera.
What do you think?
If you have an earlier version of the Cam Pan,
are you gonna be upgrading?
Let us know.
We have more resources about Wyze and other security cameras
on safewise.com that I've linked below in the description.
Thanks for watching and stay safe.
(gentle music)