Basic Functionality Still Not Here?

That’s the thing, there isn’t really a point in having a Wyze camera without a microSD card, or better cloud recording. It’s obvious, even to Wyze, as shown on their video example: https://services.wyze.com/detail/cmc

My Arlo Q will record the full motion event for free, so we don’t mind that it doesn’t have a microSD card. If they charged a lot for cloud storage or wouldn’t record the full event then we would have needed to get an Arlo Q with a microSD card, like we did with Wyze.

Arlo is in a different market segment. Asking Wyze to provide what Arlo has like unlimited cloud storage and still keep their target market segment, that’s not sustainable.

Also, there are valid reasons not to have local storage. It’s their choice. Let them be.

And if you like Arlo so much, why not stay with them?

If you pay Arlo prices for Wyze cameras, maybe they will also give you “free full motion event recording”

Android: internal storage > Wyze > Camera > manual

No “3-file” bug, but unfortunately… the same file naming convention as the 12s clips @ internal storage > DCIM

I’ve seen that Wyze and Arlo are similar. What do you see that is so different about them?

The main difference I’ve seen is that the cost of Arlo is higher, and basic cloud storage was (and maybe still is) included, where the Wyze camera is at a much lower cost, with the option of paying for cloud storage coming soon. My preference is Wyze, because you can decide if you want to pay for cloud storage or not. Also, although eventually Wyze with cloud storage can cost more than my Arlo Q which has it included, it is a more sustainable business model as you mentioned.

I’m not sure of any valid reason for a Wyze camera not to have a microSD card and also not have full cloud motion event recording. It would really need one of the two for most people.

We have one Arlo Q, which is great, but I’m not interested in paying for another one, as I’m expecting Wyze to continue to improve and eventually offer more for our money than even the Arlo Q.

That’s another option, Wyze could charge more and include cloud storage, but I’d prefer their current method of having a lower cost camera and giving people the choice. They should, in my opinion, offer a one year prepayment option for cloud storage though. I’m sure some people would rather pay once per year rather than monthly.

Why would Wyze change its business philosophy to satisfy one person? They obviously did some research before they started and they didn’t follow the Arlo model. There must be a good reason they didn’t.

ok, so some of these have been mentioned here before but I’ll attempt to go into a bit more detail.

#1 is currently in Beta. upon receiving and viewing a 12 second clip, at your leisure during the clip you can jump from the clip you are viewing to that specific time on the sd card ( the full recording) with the current setup the 12 second clips are a necessity as they are utilized for the notification itself. its best to think of the clips as flags for where to look on the SD card for events.

#2 utilizing an Sd card you can download a full event directly to your device. using the playback feature (Playback views the sd card directly, not the 12 second cloud clips) you are able to view the event that was recorded. pressing record when you want to begin the “download” to your device and being able to stop it at will would typically be more useful to the masses especially if there is continued movement in the frame and the recording continues. by doing it this way as opposed to downloading one complete event you can effectively trim the video you want without the need for a third party video editor.

#3 Im a bit confused by what you mean here so please correct me if my deduction is wrong.

you stated

im guessing when you view your event clips you then find all the viewed clips in your media library? if this is the case this is actually through the fault of your phone and not the Wyze app. depending on your settings your media library finds all videos, even those in the cache of the apps ( which is needed to see the videos) this is something almost all apps do. its pretty much SOP.

cache video storage explained by a moderator here

so depending on your device you would be able to remove those from your library. maybe even an automatic cache clearing app would help you with that. I had the same issue at first so I feel that annoyance, I was able to fix them in my settings. no more clip folder for every clip I view. and again upon viewing the clip you will be able to jump to the full event and save exactly the amount of event you want from the sd card directly to your device.

and because it’s been a year since you posted. WELCOME BACK. its great to have people return and bring valid concerns. I hope some of this information helps.

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Why would you expect that exactly? There are plenty of things in the app that I’d prefer worked differently, but just because something bugs me doesn’t make it Wyze’s number one priority. They seem to be doing a great job of continuing to develop and improve the product.

As @cheaplikeafox mentioned, #1 is already in the final stages of being implemented. I use the beta app, so I’ve already been using this feature for several weeks.

#2 and #3 seem like nice ideas, but I’m not aware of whether or not Wyze is working on implementing those or not. Personally, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if they do, and I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if they never do. Just depends whether customers seem to be demanding it, and I haven’t seen a lot of people asking for that. If you’re trying to download a large range of video files, it’s not that difficult to just physically remove the SD card and copy the files that way.

Why do you think it’s slow? They’ve been adding tons of stuff. We all have our own personal prioritzed list of things we’d like to see implemented, but that doesn’t mean your number one priority is the company’s. As a parallel example, Amazon’s resources are practically unlimited, but Alexa still can’t do half the stuff with routines and logic that I’d like to see implemented. Just means my priorities aren’t the same as Amazon’s.

As for free camera-viewing software, that’s a totally different type of market, but you can download the RTSP firmware and use that kind of software with the camera already if you’d prefer to.

Yes, but you paid 10 times as much for it upfront. It’s economics. Bandwidth costs money.

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I don’t see that he assums everybody has an SD card.
More like if you have an SD card then playback/recording options could be different.

I just bought 5 V2’s for the price of 1 Q.
Think of 5 eyes watching in different places versus 1.

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I guess it might seem slow to you but I have some other budget cameras from D-Link and zmodo that I pretty much abandoned because they don’t have any development. Personally, I’ve noticed many improvements over the years for the wyze cam through either firmware or software updates. There are still many issues that have not been resolved yet either though.

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I’m not recommending they change their core business, from having a low cost camera with optional cloud storage to having a higher cost camera with cloud storage included. My preference, as mentioned above, is actually Wyze, because they give customers the option to pay for cloud storage, and some won’t want or need it due to the microSD card.

Here’s how your original post came across.

You went to a posh restaurant, you enjoyed the meal especially the complimentary glass of wine. But you would prefer a much more affordable check.

So you went to the corner diner, the meal was passable but they didn’t offer the free glass of wine. And you ask, why can’t they do the same and give me a free glass of wine?

I’m glad the alert > timeline feature is in beta. That is a huge improvement, because the biggest problem is finding the beginning of the motion in the timeline. Yes, a flag is a good way to describe it. Regarding the 12 second clips being needed for the notification, it’s kind of weird to me that Wyze decided to go that route, considering they have talked about the cost of cloud storage in the past. It’s not necessary to upload a 12 second video for someone that would just like a simple alert to take them to the timeline.

Regarding using the playback feature, that is kind of just a workaround. Let’s say a cleaning company has come to clean the house, and they worked on the house for two hours. If you have four of the Wyze cameras, that would take eight hours to manually get all of the footage. Although the full event motion capture is a huge improvement, I’d actually prefer to just download the full two hours so if there was a problem there isn’t a claim that the footage is missing something. Sure, some might say just take out the microSD card, but that is challenging for some people.

Regarding the 12 second clip automatically downloading, your assumption is correct, and everything is listed under Google Photos in my case. It’s possible other applications are doing the same thing, but it is hidden and doesn’t appear under Google Photos. I’m suspecting even Spotify is downloading stuff, because after a while it’s using a lot of storage, although I’ve selected streaming, and have not instructed it to download anything. It is frustrating though, and doesn’t seem necessary for Wyze to save everything in a format that Google Photos will pick up. I’d prefer Wyze to download in the background, not having it appear on Google Photos, and then automatically remove the clip from the device later on if the person doesn’t actually choose to download it. If they decide to download it, then Wyze can just change the format to the saved file so it’ll appear to Google Photos, saving them data from redownloading it, which appears might be their intention from the post you linked.

Thank you for the welcome back. It has been a while, so I’m going to try to catch up on a lot of stuff. I’ve seen the community is most of what I’ve expected. There are some that will continue to defend Wyze, even if they are clearly at fault, while others will try to maintain a more neutral viewpoint, and give credit to Wyze for their hard work and progress, while also mentioning some valid criticism.

Thank you for your response to my post.

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I’d like to clarify something regarding my post.

My post is regarding basic functionality, that the average person would likely expect.

So, let’s imagine an elderly couple, that although have had a smartphone for a few years, never had a security camera. After deciding they’re not in the best health to clean their house, they decide to hire a cleaning company. After telling a friend about it, they are advised to get a camera to make sure nothing is broken or stolen. They are recommended by a friend (who isn’t aware of their financial situation) to get an Arlo Q, but see the cost is out of their budget. They head to Home Depot, and see Wyze has a nice display there, and is much more affordable. They pick up the camera, and are stopped by an employee, recommending they get a microSD card for continuous recording, so they don’t miss anything. After they get back to their house, they call another friend to help them get setup. After they leave, they are confident they will have what they need if something were to happen with the cleaning service.

Then, they realize that every time there is motion, they just see 12 seconds. They can’t understand what the problem is, because their friend did put in the microSD card as recommended by the Home Depot employee. They keep choosing the motion alert, but just see the 12 second clip, and nothing else. They also notice that these clips are with pictures of their friends and family. They don’t understand what is going on. They call their friend back to see what the problem is, and are then explained that it’s actually a more complicated process (needing to remove the microSD card, transfer the data, put it back in, etc), so for their case, they really should just invest in something else that is easier to use, because otherwise they will need to stop by on a regular basis to help them out.

So, my point is, Wyze is still missing the basic functionality that most people would expect. That’s the reason, in my opinion, this should have all been taken care of before adding person detection, a smart bulb, smart plug, etc.

I’m a fan of Wyze, and am glad to see them continue to improve. I’m just surprised, that one year later, there is still not the most basic functionality available out of the box.

Right, they are so much more affordable. I’m looking forward to recommending Wyze to friends and family, and have some in mind for the upcoming outdoor camera. It’s just I’m not able to recommend Wyze to anyone with basic functionality missing. After their latest cloud recording feature is available, I’ll be able to recommend it to some, and explain that even with the monthly cost it’s still cheaper than most other options out there.

Right, I’ve avoided some other brands altogether, not due to lack of development, but more due to security concerns. Wyze has a community here, some of which analyze every little thing, and if they find a security concern, report back. Rather than Wyze delete the post or try to avoid the topic, they respond clearly addressing those concerns. Because of that, I’m much more trusting of Wyze.

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Sorry, that was not my intention. For some reason, I’ve had trouble in-person, and now online, expressing myself. I’ve seen that people think I’m complaining about them or their business, even if I’m actually giving them a compliment. This is something I’m going to need to work on. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

I’ve posted this above, but will respond to your post with the same thing:

I’d like to clarify something regarding my post.

My post is regarding basic functionality, that the average person would likely expect.

So, let’s imagine an elderly couple, that although have had a smartphone for a few years, never had a security camera. After deciding they’re not in the best health to clean their house, they decide to hire a cleaning company. After telling a friend about it, they are advised to get a camera to make sure nothing is broken or stolen. They are recommended by a friend (who isn’t aware of their financial situation) to get an Arlo Q, but see the cost is out of their budget. They head to Home Depot, and see Wyze has a nice display there, and is much more affordable. They pick up the camera, and are stopped by an employee, recommending they get a microSD card for continuous recording, so they don’t miss anything. After they get back to their house, they call another friend to help them get setup. After they leave, they are confident they will have what they need if something were to happen with the cleaning service.

Then, they realize that every time there is motion, they just see 12 seconds. They can’t understand what the problem is, because their friend did put in the microSD card as recommended by the Home Depot employee. They keep choosing the motion alert, but just see the 12 second clip, and nothing else. They also notice that these clips are with pictures of their friends and family. They don’t understand what is going on. They call their friend back to see what the problem is, and are then explained that it’s actually a more complicated process (needing to remove the microSD card, transfer the data, put it back in, etc), so for their case, they really should just invest in something else that is easier to use, because otherwise they will need to stop by on a regular basis to help them out.

So, my point is, Wyze is still missing the basic functionality that most people would expect. That’s the reason, in my opinion, this should have all been taken care of before adding person detection, a smart bulb, smart plug, etc.

I’m a fan of Wyze, and am glad to see them continue to improve. I’m just surprised, that one year later, there is still not the most basic functionality available out of the box.

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You keep harping about “basic functionality”

Why do you think you alone gets to define what a company needs to provide as “basic functionality”? They are free to define it for their own products! And the market will decide whether they are right or wrong. And if you think they are wrong, you’re also free not to buy their products. That’s what free enterprise is.

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It’s not just me that should decide what is considered basic functionality. It’s people in general. I’m expressing what, in my opinion, the average consumer would expect to see included in a camera purchased from a large retailer, such as Home Depot.

I’m assuming a lot of people on here are those who like to experiment with new technology, and not the average person walking in Home Depot for a camera to monitor their cleaning person.

I’d think the majority of people would find it disappointing seeing they can’t just choose a motion alert and see the whole motion event, that they can’t choose a time range to save, and that every 12 second clip they watch is saved with their pictures of their friends and family.

From Google Photos, you can go to Settings / Backup & sync and disable the folder where Wyze videos are downloaded.

You can also delete all of the downloaded cache videos from the Wyze app using the Account tab at the bottom then App Settings / Clear Cache.

Hope this helps.

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