Now, in late 2020, Wyze released its most popular camera, the Wyze Cam Version 3, which boasted numerous powerful features and transitioned the platform from indoor to outdoor with the addition of IP65 weatherproofing. Over the past 3 years, Wyze has introduced several new cameras, but just today, they launched the brand new Wyze Cam Version 4, the successor to the Version 3. So, does this camera significantly outperform the Version 3? Is it still the most affordable security option for your home? Well, stay tuned as we take a first look at the brand new Wyze Cam Version 4.

Hey there, neighbors. Ryan here from This Smart House. And if it’s your first time with us, then welcome! Today’s a big day. Wyze has just unveiled their brand new flagship product, the Wyze Cam V4, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pair of these not more than 48 hours ago. And so, I’m excited to share my first impressions with you. We’re about to dive into what the V4 brings to the table and size it up against its Wyze siblings, the V3 and the V3 Pro, which I’ve done videos on both of those here on the channel.

We’re going to zero in on the key features of the Version 4 and see how it measures up to the previous models, and address some of the top concerns that you all have voiced about the V3 and V3 Pro. So, as Wyze listened to the feedback, stay tuned to find out. And if you’re a spec enthusiast, I’ve put together a detailed comparison chart for the V4, the V3, and the V3 Pro. You can find that on a dedicated post over at my website. So just go to the link down below or find the link down in the description.

So let’s get into it and find out if the V4 can compete in today’s camera market.

Now, turning our gaze to the design, the Wyze Cam V4 makes a bright entrance with its built-in 73 Len dual LED spotlight. Now, this was an optional add-on for the Version 3, but it duplicates the Pro’s integrated spotlight. While the Version 4 still supports the signature Wyze look—a glossy black bezel framing the lens and a clean white body—it’s the new gray variant that catches your eye, offering a sleek gray shell with a contrasting black stand. Now, this is super nice if you happen to have a darker exterior on your house and you want the camera to blend in a little bit better.

Now, under the hood, it retains the same pigtail connector from the V3 and V3 Pro. Now, some of you might be surprised, but Wyze has decided to stick with micro USB over the more modern USB-C. This is likely for easy swapping of an existing camera setup. Now, as expected with most Wyze cameras, a 6-t micro USB to USB-A cable is included in the box, complete with a 1 amp power brick. Yes, they still give you a power brick, unlike your expensive smartphone. Now, one cool thing is the gray version actually comes with a gray cable and a gray power adapter. That’s a nice touch.

Now, for mounting, the trusty metal plate returns with 3M adhesive for quick and easy setup, or you can opt for a more permanent fixture using the provided screws and drilling in your metal plate to a wall or ceiling. The Version 4 continues with the versatile mount and magnetic base we’ve come to love on all the Wyze cams. Now, the Wyze Cam OGs took a little departure from this, but I’m glad to see this base back. This allows you to set multiple angles, turn the camera, and even stick this on a metallic surface without having to do any other installation.

And just like its predecessors, the V4 is rated IP65 against the elements and boasts a comparable operational temperature range. Just make sure to use the included boot when connecting the power adapter to maintain that IP rating.

So, if you’re a fan of the existing Wyze cameras, then of course, everything here you’re going to love. It’s a very similar look and feel to all the other Wyze cameras but distinct in its own ways.

So, stepping into the spotlight is the Version 4’s crown jewel: its new 2.5k QHD Starlight sensor. Wyze cams have always been known for great low-light performance, and the V4 is no exception, with an f1.6 aperture that complements the stellar sensor. While the V3 Pro faced some initial bumps with its nighttime performance, a firmware update did come out and swiftly corrected these issues. Now, the Version 3’s 1080p HD recording

was very clear, but the V4 claims to have a resolution of 2.5 Quad HD. Now, in reality, what I’m finding out is it’s the same resolution as what they claimed was 2K on the Version 3 Pro: 2560 by 1440. I have a question into Wyze for clarification on why this one’s considered 2.5k and the Version 3 Pro is considered 2K, but either way, this increased resolution means crisper, cleaner recordings with nuances that matter in your security footage.

Now, the lens has just about the same diagonal depth of field as the Version 3 and Version 3 Pro, at about 115°. This isn’t as wide as some cameras, but it keeps the image distortion to a minimum.

Now, let’s talk about contrast. The Version 4 boasts an upgraded WDR, or Wide Dynamic Range, which should help in challenging lighting situations, like facing the glare of the Sun in an outdoor install. Now, as dusk turns into night, the V4 offers you a choice. There’s a standard starlight night vision boosted by the infrared emitters, but the true prowess of the Starlight sensor lies in its ability to illuminate the darkness well beyond the infrared reach. The V4’s black and white night vision is impressive, allowing you to see 30 ft or more in the right lighting conditions. Now, if you want color in your night vision images, the camera can use the embedded spotlight to light the scene. This is, of course, more limited than the black and white vision, but it does have some certain use cases.

So, diving deeper into its functionality, like its predecessors, the Wyze Cam V4 comes with a Micro SD card slot. But here’s a kicker: this time around, it supports up to a whopping 512 GB micro SD card. That’s half a terab, as long as it’s formatted in exFAT. This is a huge win for local storage enthusiasts, and here’s why I’m excited about it. I’ve always been a big fan of pairing your Wyze camera with an SD card. It unlocks the potential for 24×7 recording right here in the camera, no need for cloud dependency or any other hardware. The Version 4 does inherit the slick interface from the Pro model, offering one-tap access to the SD card recordings. Plus, it cleverly integrates any motion events from the cloud timeline onto the local SD footage, making it easier to find an event.

So, when it comes to recording quality, the V4 offers a smooth 20 frames per second during the daylight hours and FPS after dark. This ensures you have clear playback, and all this can be recorded up to that 2560 X 1440 resolution.

Now, one of the chief complaints I heard from the V3 cameras was the audio quality, both on recording and when using it as two-way audio. Now, Wyze has upgraded the speaker on the V4 to one capable of outputting 99 DB of sound. This can be used both to talk to someone in front of the camera or, with one touch, activate the siren. Now, here’s a quick test of the audio recording features of the V4 versus the V3. The microphone— So, as you can see, there’s a significant difference in the quality between the two cameras. Now, I really don’t use this feature all that much, but it’s nice to know that you can hold a conversation with someone or listen in on your neighbors fighting in the middle of the intersection next to your house.

Now, onto the subject of communication. The Version 4 still uses only 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, which, as one viewer points out, does penetrate walls much better than 5 GHz. But, in my neighborhood, the 2.4 GHz spectrum is way more congested, so it’s hard to find a channel with some clear space. However, the Version 4 camera does come equipped with Wi-Fi 6 to enhance communication and throughput, even on the 2.4 GHz radio.

Now, the camera does have a few of the features, some of which have come over from the Version 3 and the Version 3 Pro. Now, the first one we’ll talk about is Smart Focus. This feature, first introduced in the Version 3 Pro, where the camera will detect motion and zoom in automatically when viewing the live view. This can be a bit disorienting, as it is enabled by default, but this would be nice on an outdoor camera to be able to find motion quickly in a frame.

Next up, let’s talk about one of the more divisive features on the Wyze cameras: the cloud recording options. Like other Wyze cameras, if you do not have a cloud subscription, you can only get traditional motion and sound-based event recording. Now, on the free plan, this is limited to just a snapshot. So, when there is an

event, it will actually only display a still image in the App instead of an actual clip. And even if you’re in settings and you try to select smart recording options, it’ll take you right to enroll in cloud services. And unlike the V3 Pro, there’s no onboard person detection. Another restriction is you only get one image every 5 minutes. Of course, if you scroll in the timeline, you’re reminded that you can upgrade to get more features. But, if you do have an SD card installed, you can swap over to the SD card mode and view either the motion events or 24×7 recording, whichever one you have set up. But, I would recommend leaving in 24×7 recording because this allows you to see everything going on outside of the camera and doesn’t really consume that much space.

Now, you will still get push notifications for each time there’s an event, like motion or sound. This push notification does come with a snapshot of the event, which is quite handy. And another less well-known feature on Wyze cameras is the ability for the cameras to detect a standard smoke detector alarm going off. This means if you have this enabled, if a smoke detector goes off in your home and you’re not there, you can get a notification in the app.

Now, before we wrap up, let’s talk about what really makes these cameras so popular: their price point. The standard retail cost for a Wyze V4 camera is listed at $35.98 US, but they’re running a launch sale for $29.99 for a limited time. So, check out the links down below if you want to pick one of these up. Now, even the regular price is quite a bit less expensive than most of the cameras on the market today. Adding the fact that you can use these cameras both indoors and outdoors adds a lot of flexibility. Of course, if you’re going to install these outdoors, you’re going to need to run power directly to where the camera lives. There are third-party cables available on Amazon that will extend the length to around 30 ft if you need to go further than that. Check out my previous video that I did on running a camera off of power over Ethernet. I actually show you how to pick up an adapter that you can use with something like a Wyze Cam to run it off of a PoE switch. Or, if you’re looking for a solar-powered Wyze camera, they do offer the Outdoor Version 2 and the new Outdoor Pro cameras that both run off of battery and solar.

So, overall, I think these are obviously going to be a great replacement for the Version 3. They have that new increased resolution, and they bring forward a lot of the same features off of the V3 and the V3 Pro. Obviously, it doesn’t have the same horsepower onboard as the Pro does, so it can’t do onboard person detection. But, for the most part, it carries a lot of the same features. Obviously, there have been people who have been critical about Wyze due to some security concerns, which I completely understand. Hopefully, those will become a thing of the past, but it’s always a good idea to be cognizant about where you place cameras around your home.

Now, just like I commented on the Version 3 Pro, the spotlight is a great feature if this is going to be an outdoor camera. But, obviously, if you’re can use this camera indoors, it’s kind of pointless unless it’s going to be in a hallway. Plus, it really freaks people out when they walk into a room and all of a sudden they’re blinded.

But, I think overall, these cameras are a great choice, especially if you’re just getting started with your smart home and want something that you can easily put inside or outside and add an extra layer of security. I still use my Wyze Version 3 camera as my baby monitor for my twins, even though they’re getting older. But it’s nice to be able to check on them and find out who’s kicking who in the middle of the night.

So, I know that was just a quick overview of these two cameras. Like I said, I just got them a couple of days ago, so if you have any specific questions, please leave them down in the comments below. I really try to answer every question that’s left on these videos, and I think I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on my previous Wyze videos. So, hopefully, I can give you some additional insight if there’s things that you’re looking for.

So again, I want to thank Wyze for sending these over to me so quickly. And also, thank you for making it this far in the video. If you are interested in picking up either one of these cameras or the other ones I talked about, I have links to everything down below, and those links, of course, go to help the channel. Now, if you are shopping for cameras, I have an entire dedicated playlist right over here for all of my Wyze product videos, and then over here are all of my dedicated camera videos. Thanks again for watching, and I’ll see you on the next video.