When we reviewed the Wyze Cam last year, its performance, features, and very affordable price earned it our Editors' Choice award.
With its latest iteration, the Wyze Cam V2, the folks at Wyze Labs made some improvements, including motion tracking, enhanced audio capabilities, and a more powerful CMOS sensor.
It's still the smallest home security camera we've tested and an incredible bargain at $19.99, as well as our top pick for affordable home security cameras.
Design and Features
The tiny, cube-shaped Wyze Cam V2 looks almost identical to its predecessor, only this time around the finish is matte white rather than glossy white.
It has the same measurements (2.2 by 1.9 by 1.9 inches, HWD) and uses the same flexible hinge and swivel base that gives you a little more than an inch of height adjustability, and lets you angle the camera in any direction.
You can use the magnetic base to attach the camera to any metal surface, or use the included metal disc and adhesive strip to attach it to non-metal surfaces.
The V2 uses an upgraded CMOS sensor that delivers 1080p video at 15fps rather than the 10fps rate we saw with the original camera.
A microphone and speaker provide two-way audio, which also gets a boost courtesy of an enhanced audio amplifier.
The camera has a 110-degree viewing angle and an 8x digital zoom, and it uses four infrared LEDs to provide up to 30 feet of black-and-white night vision.
Also new to this version is a feature dubbed Motion Tagging.
It uses motion tracking similar to that used by cameras such as the iSmartAlarm iCamera Keep Pro to draw a box around whatever or whoever has triggered recording.
There's a microSD card slot under the base, along with a Setup button used for pairing the camera with the app.
Around back are a power input, a status light, and a USB port that allows you to power two cameras with a single power adapter.
Under the hood is an 802.11n (2.4GHz) Wi-Fi radio used to connect the V2 to your home network.
The V2 uses motion and sound sensors to send push notifications to your phone and to initiate a 12-second video recording of each event.
It also knows to listen for the sound of a smoke or CO alarm and will send a push alert when detected.
You get free cloud storage for the last 14 days of recorded video (older clips will be overwritten), or you can supply your own microSD Card (up to 32GB) to store video locally while enjoying continuous recording (the camera will automatically overwrite older video when the card becomes full).
As with the earlier model, the V2 does not work directly with third-party smart home devices, nor does it support integrations using IFTTT applets.
It has been updated to work with Amazon Alexa, however.
Once you've linked it to your account, you can ask Alexa to show the camera feed and it will appear on your screen-equipped Echo device or Fire TV.
The Wyze Cam V2 uses the same intuitive mobile app for Android and iOS devices as the earlier camera.
It opens to a Devices screen that shows all installed Wyze cameras by name and a snapshot of their latest activity.
To view a live stream, tap any camera image.
To view it in full-screen mode, turn your phone sideways.
At the bottom of the live view screen are Sound (mute), Record (video), Speak (two-way audio), and Take Photo (snapshot) buttons.
There's also a More button that takes you to a screen where you can enable/disable Motion Tagging, create and view Time-Lapse video (a microSD card is required for this), and access an album of manually recorded video clips and snapshots, and a View Playback button for continuous video stored on the microSD card.
To access the Camera Settings screen, tap the gear icon in the upper right corner.
Here you can enable/disable motion and sound detection and smoke and CO detection, set up an Alert Schedule for when you want to receive push alerts, and create custom motion detection zones.
In the Advanced Settings screen you can enable/disable night vision, turn the camera status light on and off, rotate the image, and enable time stamps for recorded video.
Here you can also enable local recording to the microSD card and format the media.
Back at the Devices screen are buttons for Notifications, My Account, and Devices.
Use the Notifications button to view video clips stored in the cloud, share them, or delete them.
In My Account you can change your email address and password and access the web-based Help database, and the Devices button takes you back to the Devices screen.
To add a new device, tap the plus button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Installation and Performance
The Wyze Cam V2 installs in minutes.
I already had the mobile app and an account from my review of the original model, but if this is your first Wyze Labs device, you'll have to download the app and create an account.
I opened the app, tapped Add New Device, and followed the instructions to plug in the camera and press the Setup button when the yellow LED starts flashing.
A computerized voice told me that the camera was ready to connect, and I selected my Wi-Fi network and entered my password.
I was instructed to hold the camera give inches from my phone, which was displaying a QR code, and waited a few seconds for the camera to tell me that the QR code was scanned.
After 20 seconds or so the camera was connected.
I gave the camera a name and waited another 20 seconds for a firmware upgrade to complete and the installation was finished.
The Wyze Cam V2 is a solid performer.
Its daytime 1080p video shows good image detail and nicely saturated colors, and its night vision video appears sharp and well-lit out to 25 feet.
There's a touch of barrel distortion around the edges, but it's hardly noticeable.
Motion tracking worked well in testing, as did motion and sound detection.
Push notifications arrived immediately when one of the sensors was triggered, and recorded video looked just as good as the live stream.
Two-way audio was very clean, and the Time-Lapse recording feature worked like a charm.
Conclusions
Despite its diminutive size and bargain price, the Wyze Cam V2 offers a wealth of features including motion tracking, two-way audio, free cloud storage, and a microSD Card slot for storing your video locally and enabling continuous recording.
Day and night 1080p video is sharp, with minimal distortion, and two-way audio communication is clean and adequately loud.
You don't get interoperability with other smart devices or support for IFTTT, but considering the camera's $20 price, it's hard to complain.
As such, the Wyze Cam V2 is our new Editors' Choice for budget-friendly home security cameras.
Pros
Inexpensive.
Small, flexible form factor.
Sharp 1080p video.
Motion- and sound-triggered recordings.
Free cloud storage.
Local storage.
Time-lapse recording and motion tracking.
View More
The Bottom Line
The WyzeCam V2 is an inexpensive 1080p home security camera that is small in stature but big on features.
When we reviewed the Wyze Cam last year, its performance, features, and very affordable price earned it our Editors' Choice award.
With its latest iteration, the Wyze Cam V2, the folks at Wyze Labs made some improvements, including motion tracking, enhanced audio capabilities, and a more powerful CMOS sensor.
It's still the smallest home security camera we've tested and an incredible bargain at $19.99, as well as our top pick for affordable home security cameras.
Design and Features
The tiny, cube-shaped Wyze Cam V2 looks almost identical to its predecessor, only this time around the finish is matte white rather than glossy white.
It has the same measurements (2.2 by 1.9 by 1.9 inches, HWD) and uses the same flexible hinge and swivel base that gives you a little more than an inch of height adjustability, and lets you angle the camera in any direction.
You can use the magnetic base to attach the camera to any metal surface, or use the included metal disc and adhesive strip to attach it to non-metal surfaces.
The V2 uses an upgraded CMOS sensor that delivers 1080p video at 15fps rather than the 10fps rate we saw with the original camera.
A microphone and speaker provide two-way audio, which also gets a boost courtesy of an enhanced audio amplifier.
The camera has a 110-degree viewing angle and an 8x digital zoom, and it uses four infrared LEDs to provide up to 30 feet of black-and-white night vision.
Also new to this version is a feature dubbed Motion Tagging.
It uses motion tracking similar to that used by cameras such as the iSmartAlarm iCamera Keep Pro to draw a box around whatever or whoever has triggered recording.
There's a microSD card slot under the base, along with a Setup button used for pairing the camera with the app.
Around back are a power input, a status light, and a USB port that allows you to power two cameras with a single power adapter.
Under the hood is an 802.11n (2.4GHz) Wi-Fi radio used to connect the V2 to your home network.
The V2 uses motion and sound sensors to send push notifications to your phone and to initiate a 12-second video recording of each event.
It also knows to listen for the sound of a smoke or CO alarm and will send a push alert when detected.
You get free cloud storage for the last 14 days of recorded video (older clips will be overwritten), or you can supply your own microSD Card (up to 32GB) to store video locally while enjoying continuous recording (the camera will automatically overwrite older video when the card becomes full).
As with the earlier model, the V2 does not work directly with third-party smart home devices, nor does it support integrations using IFTTT applets.
It has been updated to work with Amazon Alexa, however.
Once you've linked it to your account, you can ask Alexa to show the camera feed and it will appear on your screen-equipped Echo device or Fire TV.
The Wyze Cam V2 uses the same intuitive mobile app for Android and iOS devices as the earlier camera.
It opens to a Devices screen that shows all installed Wyze cameras by name and a snapshot of their latest activity.
To view a live stream, tap any camera image.
To view it in full-screen mode, turn your phone sideways.
At the bottom of the live view screen are Sound (mute), Record (video), Speak (two-way audio), and Take Photo (snapshot) buttons.
There's also a More button that takes you to a screen where you can enable/disable Motion Tagging, create and view Time-Lapse video (a microSD card is required for this), and access an album of manually recorded video clips and snapshots, and a View Playback button for continuous video stored on the microSD card.
To access the Camera Settings screen, tap the gear icon in the upper right corner.
Here you can enable/disable motion and sound detection and smoke and CO detection, set up an Alert Schedule for when you want to receive push alerts, and create custom motion detection zones.
In the Advanced Settings screen you can enable/disable night vision, turn the camera status light on and off, rotate the image, and enable time stamps for recorded video.
Here you can also enable local recording to the microSD card and format the media.
Back at the Devices screen are buttons for Notifications, My Account, and Devices.
Use the Notifications button to view video clips stored in the cloud, share them, or delete them.
In My Account you can change your email address and password and access the web-based Help database, and the Devices button takes you back to the Devices screen.
To add a new device, tap the plus button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Installation and Performance
The Wyze Cam V2 installs in minutes.
I already had the mobile app and an account from my review of the original model, but if this is your first Wyze Labs device, you'll have to download the app and create an account.
I opened the app, tapped Add New Device, and followed the instructions to plug in the camera and press the Setup button when the yellow LED starts flashing.
A computerized voice told me that the camera was ready to connect, and I selected my Wi-Fi network and entered my password.
I was instructed to hold the camera give inches from my phone, which was displaying a QR code, and waited a few seconds for the camera to tell me that the QR code was scanned.
After 20 seconds or so the camera was connected.
I gave the camera a name and waited another 20 seconds for a firmware upgrade to complete and the installation was finished.
The Wyze Cam V2 is a solid performer.
Its daytime 1080p video shows good image detail and nicely saturated colors, and its night vision video appears sharp and well-lit out to 25 feet.
There's a touch of barrel distortion around the edges, but it's hardly noticeable.
Motion tracking worked well in testing, as did motion and sound detection.
Push notifications arrived immediately when one of the sensors was triggered, and recorded video looked just as good as the live stream.
Two-way audio was very clean, and the Time-Lapse recording feature worked like a charm.
Conclusions
Despite its diminutive size and bargain price, the Wyze Cam V2 offers a wealth of features including motion tracking, two-way audio, free cloud storage, and a microSD Card slot for storing your video locally and enabling continuous recording.
Day and night 1080p video is sharp, with minimal distortion, and two-way audio communication is clean and adequately loud.
You don't get interoperability with other smart devices or support for IFTTT, but considering the camera's $20 price, it's hard to complain.
As such, the Wyze Cam V2 is our new Editors' Choice for budget-friendly home security cameras.
Pros
Inexpensive.
Small, flexible form factor.
Sharp 1080p video.
Motion- and sound-triggered recordings.
Free cloud storage.
Local storage.
Time-lapse recording and motion tracking.
View More
The Bottom Line
The WyzeCam V2 is an inexpensive 1080p home security camera that is small in stature but big on features.
