martin
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-Price
-Ease of use
-Overall Quality
-App / features
CONS:
-A.I. detection needs improvement.
-Sound when moving
-Video Quality when camera moves
PROS
I just want to start off by saying that for the price, these are EXCELLENT cameras. I have 3 Wyze Pan Cam V3's so far and have plans to purchase more for my mother's house in the near future.
Starting off with price, these are pretty inexpensive units, considering the amount of features packed into them. There are certainly much higher quality units out there, but the cost will increase dramatically for them as well. In my opinion, you get far more than you pay for with the Pan Cam V3 making them well worth their low cost.
It does not get much easier to get going than it is with these guys. Just plug in the included usb cable to the included wall adapter, download the app and after just a few minutes of setup, you’re up and running. The camera can be used indoors or outdoors. If using indoors, find your suitable location, plug it in and go. The camera is very quiet when panning, to anyone in the room with it. I will say though, that when watching back recorded videos, you can definitely hear the movement, which I was surprised to find. More on this in the CONS section.
The build quality of the camera is good. It does not feel cheaply made at all (especially considering the low price point). Overall video quality is good as well, but there are some slight issues I have run into when panning (see the CONS section for details). Audio quality is good as well. I can make out voices and have conversations with anyone outside when needed, so the 2 way audio works well in that regard.
The app has a TON of options. You can go basic or really dive into them for more control if you choose. I like that you have this flexibility. You can set various sensitivity options for detection events, event recording, alarm settings, notifications, etc. Some features are paid only features, but at the most basic level, as long as you have an SD Card (not included) installed you will be able to go back and watch videos of saved events.
CONS
A.I. options are available within the app for this camera and I would say that this is the biggest opportunity for improvement. The A.I. options allow you to select event triggers for things like cars, people, pets, package detection, etc. In my experience, cars have been detected as pets, pets as cars, pets as packages and so on. The A.I. in this respect has a ways to go still. I have also experienced the camera get confused and just “staring” at the wall next to where it is mounted. It detected shadow movement from sun/trees and locked in on it for hours at times. It took me a while of playing with detection settings to get past this for the most part, but it will still occasionally happen from time to time. The app does have the option for you to give feedback on what was in the detection event, such as people, animals, cars, etc. I presume this will help them improve the detection as time goes on, so this is promising.
The other big issue I have is with the “waypoints” You can select them based on where you want the camera to stop when it is in “pan and scan” mode. I have mine at the center of my house lengthwise. I have a waypoint that covers from the left end of the house to the center, then a 2nd that covers from the center to the right end of the house. You can adjust these waypoints up, down left and right as needed to get the best coverage to suit your needs. NICE! The issue I have found though, is that over time, these waypoints can wander so to speak. I can have them set and check a few weeks later and the camera’s left most point will be further to the left that where it was set for example. Or I can set at a specific height, and later the camera angle is higher or lower than where I had set it. A minor annoyance, as you have to go back in and re-set your waypoints, but it’s enough to be worth mentioning. Again though, for the price point this is definitely something I am ok dealing with.
My other issues are with video and audio when panning. When you pan, you can audibly hear (in recorded video, not in person) the camera moving on one camera it sounds like a woodpecker, lol. A minor annoyance again, as I am really more interested in the video from these, not the audio but again, I thought it’s worth mentioning. Video quality, when panning also goes blurry. Once the pan stops, the video clears within a second or so. Something I also thought worth mentioning for those considering these cameras, but I once again restate that for myself, given the price point I can deal with this minor annoyance.
Overall, despite the minor gripes listed here, I absolutely love these cameras. I have 3 so far and will definitely be adding more to the collection for sure. If you’re looking for inexpensive, good quality cameras for some additional peace of mind, these are absolutely worth every penny!
