Wyze Cam Pan Review

There are tons of reasons why anyone would want to keep an eye on their homes while they’re absent. You might want to keep an eye on your children, pets, housemates, elderly parents, and even employees while you’re away. With a reliable indoor camera, it can be done with ease and efficiency and you can be at peace knowing that you can always stay on top of things.

However, stationary cameras have lots of limitations. This is why the Wyze Cam Pan was brought to life. Lots of users found themselves enchanted with its predecessor and found that the only way to make it better is to make it more interactive by turning it into a PTZ camera.

With the addition of its ability to move, the Wyze Cam Pan definitely stepped up the game for indoor cameras. In combination with its very affordable price tag, it proves to be an interesting choice for those who want to be more thorough in their home security.

If you’re thinking of getting one, read our review first as it might help you make up your mind about this product.

A Close Look: Wyze Cam Pan Review

Design and Features

It may not seem like much to others but we actually find the design of the Wyze Cam Pan very interesting. Its white body and vertical rectangular shape remind you of what modern bullet cameras of the 90s look like even with their major differences. They just seem to have the same vibe, for some reason and it’s rather entertaining.

In any case,  it’s rather tall with a sizeable black detail on the upper part of its faceplate where the lens sits. The rounded part slightly juts out and the lens obviously moves as it tracks motion. It also has two smaller black dots at the bottom, one is an indicator light and the other is its sensor. On the back are grills for the speaker.

The main body of the camera sits on top of a flat round base which helps it rotate 360 degrees. It moves up to 110 degrees per second, allowing it to follow movements with precision. It’s also sturdy enough to not need an additional base.

Each purchase comes with a mounting kit, however, so if you wish to place it on a wall or your ceiling you can also do so without the need for additional purchases. The base has a hinge design so it’s very versatile and will let you position the camera whichever way you want it to face.

Setup and Usage

Setting up the Wyze Cam Pan is very simple, however. Aside from the prompts on the app, you can also turn to the Wyze website for the step-by-step instructions to get it up and running in no time. You pretty much just need to plug in the device, download the app, follow its prompts, scan the QR code on your unit, and connect it to your wireless network. It’s really very fuss-free.

What could be a bigger challenge is in finding a good place around your house to put the camera in. The unit of this model is a bit bulky, so you might need to look for a good spot for it. You will also need to drill a hole for the mount but if you’re a bit handy, you wouldn’t need a professional to do the dirty work for you.

Video Quality

Like the other Wyze cameras, you can also count on the image quality of the Wyze Cam Pan. They’re sharp and well-balanced. There’s a little motion blur when the camera is moving around but it’s bearable. Even in night vision mode, it’s bright and has good contrast and exposure so you don’t have to worry about missing out on the important details when monitoring your space.

Track, Pan, Tilt, Zoom, and Time Lapse

What really sets the Wyze Cam Pan apart from lots of its low-priced indoor camera competitors is its ability to track motion, pan, tilt, and zoom. Not a lot of affordable security cams offer the same functionality which make this device a major steal.

Aside from motion tracking, the Pan Scan feature of this device is worth noting. Not only does this camera tracks motion when it detects movements, but you can also set it up to sweep the room when you log into its live feed. This will give you a good look at your space and check whether anything is amiss in it while you’re away.

In addition, the Wyze Cam Pan also comes with a Time Lapse feature. This makes it more versatile and useful for various applications.

Audio Quality

There are mixed opinions on this device’s audio quality as some say that it’s decent enough for clear communication while others think that the volume of the built-in speaker is too low. However, its microphone, despite being located at the bottom of the base of the unit, picks up sounds quite clearly so you can be guaranteed of its reliability.

Motion and Sound Detection

As expected from the Wyze Cam Pan, its motion sensors are also very reliable. It picks up on all sorts of movements within its field of view so you can count on it to start recording when you need it to. It also has a sensitivity adjustment in the app, so in case, you don’t want to be bombarded with notifications, you can tweak its settings here.

The sound sensor of this device is a great addition as well. Not a lot of cameras in this price point have such a functionality, so it’s nice that it has it. As it’s also designed to pick up the sounds emitted by smoke and CO2 detectors, it promises to help keep your home safer.

Cloud Storage Costs

The fact that there are no monthly subscription fees required for Wyze Cam Pan users makes this item a strong contender for the best budget indoor camera pick for many. It even has two storage options so you have more choices in how to store your clips.

One option is its local storage. You can just insert an SD card in its SD card slot and record clips without having to upload it on a cloud. Lots of people like this option as it’s safer from hacking and it promises a higher level of privacy.

If you don’t like the fussiness of checking the SD card every so often, you can just use the free rolling 14-day cloud storage of the manufacturer. It promises encrypted storage and transmission, so you can be sure that your clips and feed are safe.

Smart Home Compatibility

Further making this product a lot easier to use is its compatibility with various smart home environments. You can access this camera with the help of Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT-enabled devices.

Mobile Apps and Web Portals

While the Wyze app is easy to use and navigate, you’re advised not to expect that you can access or tweak your camera’s setting through your PC. This item doesn’t have a web portal, so you will need to get used to using your smartphone to work with this security camera.

FAQs

Is the WYZE Cam Pan wireless?

If you mean by terms of network connection, then yes, the Wyze Cam Pan is a wireless camera. However, it’s a plug-in device so it still uses some wires to connect it to a power source, so it’s not completely wireless in the most literal sense of the term.

Can WYZE Cam Pan be mounted upside down?

Yes, the Wyze Cam Pan can be mounted upside down. You can then rotate its video display using the app.

Can the Wyze Cam Pan record continuously?

Yes, you can set up the Wyze Cam Pan to record continuously but only on the SD card. If you’d prefer to use the cloud service, you will only be limited to event videos which are the 12-second clips.

Conclusion

With the great number of things that it can do and its tried and tested solid performance, we believe that the Wyze Cam Pan can be an amazing budget pick for those who want to keep an eye inside their homes while they’re away. Its functionality are very useful and they’re also nicely executed. And since the device is very affordable, you don’t have lots of reasons not to give it a chance.