Review Wyze Cam Pan V3 : A Budget-Friendly, Weatherproof Security Camera
In our assessment of the Wyze Cam Pan v2, we appreciated its reasonable price, robust support for third-party devices, and fluid mechanical pan and tilt controls. The most recent model in this series, the Cam Pan v3 ($33.99), delivers the same functionality in a waterproof design for a few dollars less.
Thus, this outdoor security camera offers an exceptional value and earns our Editors’ Choice distinction. Consider the Editors’ Choice-winning Wyze Cam v3 Pro ($49.99), which offers clearer 2K footage and a built-in spotlight if you don’t require pan and tilt capabilities.
The Wyze Cam Pan v3 is only available in white and consists of three separate components: a boxy, 2.2-inch camera housing, a motorized, side-mounted arm, and a 2.2-inch cube base. The base allows for 360 degrees of rotation while the mounting arm allows for 180 degrees of tilt. This design is a radical departure from its tower-like predecessor, which was more traditional.
It is waterproof to IP65 standards and supports any orientation required: You can mount it upright on a horizontal surface or inverted on a ceiling or outdoor soffit. The primary unit contains the lens assembly, microphone, infrared LEDs, and status LED. This status indicator flashes red when the camera is ready to be configured, blinks red and blue during configuration, glows solid blue when the camera is functioning properly, illuminates solid red when the camera is recording, and rapidly pulses red when the siren is engaged.
1. Experience
The Cam Pan v3 utilizes the same companion app (for Android and iOS) as all other Wyze smart devices. A panel on the primary screen displays the camera’s name and its most recent image capture. In this section you may also toggle the Privacy mode. In this setting, the camera tilts down 180 degrees and goes off, reducing its field of view.
To see a live video stream, tap the panel. Here you can access the SD card, take a picture, manually record a video, toggle the Private mode, activate the siren, create time-lapse video clips, enable motion tracking, and see your photo album. In addition, there is a Pan Scan mode that allows the camera to continuously pan and scan its surrounds.
Right behind these buttons is a joystick for manually adjusting the camera’s pan and tilt mechanisms. If you subscribe to a cloud subscription or insert an SD card, you can also view, download, share, or delete thumbnails of recent motion events.
Touch the gear icon in the top right corner of the display to customize motion and sound detection settings, enable smart detection features, set up notification alerts, establish integrations with other Wyze devices, and provide other users access to the camera.
Advanced options enable you to create continuous recording (needs an SD card), manage your SD card, speed up or slow down pan and tilt movements, define night vision preferences, and rotate the image 180 degrees.
2. Performance
In testing, installing Cam Pan v3 was quick and simple. I began by tapping the + icon in the app’s upper left corner. Finally, I activated the Wyze Cam Pan v3 after selecting it from the Add Device option.
As the red LED began blinking, I tapped Next, entered my Wi-Fi credentials, then pressed the Setup button on the camera in response to a notification from the app. I waited for a confirmation tone and message, and then I scanned the QR code from the app using the camera.
After a successful scan, the camera appeared in the app and on my Alexa device list after a few seconds. To conclude the operation, I updated the firmware. If necessary, a mounting guide is provided at this time.
The Cam Pan v3 provides 1080p footage that is sharp and colorful. Contrast is strong in black-and-white night footage, but color night video is not as sharp as daylight footage. Aside from that, motion and sound warnings arrive immediately and conversations are audible.
The pan and tilt movements of the camera are fluid and responsive, and the motion tracking features function as intended. Streaming video to an Amazon Echo Show display via Alexa voice commands is straightforward, and a rule I set up for the camera to activate a Wyze Bulb functions wonderfully.
All View
With features such as mechanical pan and tilt controls, color night vision, intelligent alerts, and motion tracking, the Wyze Cam Pan v3 provides an effortless and dependable method for monitoring both indoor and outdoor areas.
Support for IFTTT, voice control options, and a reasonable pricing more than make up for the absence of HomeKit support and the few subscription-locked additions. It’s a clear Editors’ Choice winner, but if you don’t need mechanical controls, you should consider paying slightly extra for the higher-resolution and spotlight-equipped Wyze Cam v3 Pro.
And if you want pan-and-tilt movements as well as 2K recordings, the Reolink E1 Outdoor ($119.99) is worth considering, despite being considerably more expensive.
