Wyze Cam v4 Review

The Wyze Cam v4 is our budget pick for a fixed indoor view. It is 2.5K, it plugs in, and it takes a microSD card, so the low price is not a trap door into a plan. It does not pan, it does not have a physical shutter, and the color night mode lights the scene. Those three limits tell you the rooms: a hallway, a door, a small utility space, a desk. Not a crib. Not a whole open living room.

We recommend it as the second camera in a house that already has an S350 or a C225 in the main room. Two fixed v4s do not become a pan camera. One v4 in the right rectangle does more than a motor pointed at a wall.

Wyze's weather claims mean you could move it to a covered outdoor spot later. That is a bonus, not the reason to buy it for a bedroom. Indoors, judge it on the picture, the card, and whether you can tolerate the app. On those terms it beats the Blink Mini 2 for anyone who is not already paying Blink.

Give the v4 one job and write that job on a piece of tape under the shelf if you have to. Door, crate, desk, or short hall. When a second job appears, add a camera or step up to a pan model. Do not twist this one into a corner it cannot cover and then decide Wyze is the problem. The card should be in the slot before the first night, and the spotlight should be a decision you made for an entry, not a surprise beside a bed.

v4 at a glance

Cam Plus is optional. Recording to the card is the reason we recommend the camera.

Use it where it is strong

Aim the v4 at a door, a crate, a desk, or a short hallway and leave it. 2.5K is more detail than the Blink Mini 2's 1080p, which is why the versus page prefers Wyze for new buyers. A card in the slot is the other half of that win. You can subscribe to Cam Plus. You do not have to in order to have a recording.

Do not buy it to cover a living room from a corner and then feel cheated when someone walks out of frame. That is a pan camera's job. The C225 is the next step up.

Spotlight, weather, and the app

Color night vision on the v4 means the spotlight. Use that at an entry. Do not use it as the default in a nursery. Wyze has also described the v4 as usable outdoors. Indoors you can ignore the weather rating. It does not add a shutter. If you need the lens to close, this is the wrong camera.

The Wyze app is the ecosystem. If you already dislike it, a Tapo C120 is the other fixed camera, compared here.

Where to check the current price

Street prices move with sales. These links search a major retailer for the model named in this review. Confirm the exact model number on the listing before you pay.

• See the Wyze Cam v4

Questions people ask before they buy

Does the v4 pan?

No. The Pan v3 is the older Wyze that moves, and we usually prefer a C225 or a Reolink to it now.

Is a subscription required for person detection?

Wyze has included some detection without Cam Plus and has changed the mix before. Confirm in the app. The recording itself can live on the card.

What if the v4 is out of stock?

A Tapo C120 or a C225 on sale, not a no-name bundle. Read the stock page and the card slot before you substitute.