Heads up! - security risk on shared wyze cameras

I think this comes down to a generational issue. Those of us that are a tad bit older didn’t have a lot of different roommates or girlfriends that lived with us etc… i’m not judging I’m just stating the facts. So if we had someone live with us or a girlfriend move in with us it was only someone that we truly truly trusted. So we would grant them access and not worry about it.

I have younger nieces and nephews that change roommates and significant others every other week and they move in and out of their homes and apartments with them. I even had one niece who got a car loan with the boyfriend that she only had for a few months. And then when they broke up it was a big cluster as to who is going to make the payments, who is going to take the vehicle because neither one of them could afford it on their own.

The younger generation seems to just trust easier or live life a little more freely than we used to. That’s my opinion on the subject. I’m not saying one is better or worse than the other that’s just the way that I view the world.

1 Like

Ok… I give up. Everything is fine… Just fine.

Daily To Do List For Rest of WYZE Camera Life:

  1. Check if WYZE Cameras still On or Off by Accident or On Purpose.
  2. Verify Notifications are still On or Off by Accident or On Purpose.
  3. Verify if WYZE Camera Resolutions are still set correctly for Internet bandwidth.
  4. Verify if WYZE Cameras still set for Auto on Night Vision.
  5. Verify WYZE Pan Camera still facing desired direction.
  6. Verify WYZE Shared Camera User Relationships are still good.
  7. Be Content with the WYZE App.
  8. Go Back To List Item 1 and Repeat…Every Day.

LOL. Everything is Fine. Working As Designed.

3 Likes

Lol! Much easier to cancel your shares. Then you don’t have to worry at all.

10 Likes

In my opinion if you’re having that many concerns you are sharing with the wrong people. That’s just my opinion

8 Likes

@rbruceporter you mention…
“I just don’t see anything wrong. I share my cameras with my wife. I certainly want her to be able to turn cameras on and off. In fact I wish I could share more control.”

Why not use the same Primary/Owner WYZE Camera Account Login Credentials on both your phones in WYZE App? Then both parties would have same full complete camera owner access…

4 Likes

It’s a flaw in humans. Not the cameras.

It’s called ‘sharing’ for a reason.

5 Likes

Really? Nice.

1 Like

I have given her my login info. When she needs more rights than sharing offers she uses my account. We do the same thing for the same reason for our Ring account and others. A few, like Yale, actually do allow full control from more than 1 account if you choose. It’s all a matter of preference.

And by the way your preference is every bit as valid as mine or anyone else’s don’t think otherwise. I disagree that it is a flaw or something requiring a response from Wyze. It is a feature that works as designed, and as documented. If you are uncomfortable with it then don’t use it. That is a choice only you can make for yourself.

2 Likes

Did you buy these for protection and surveillance and security reasons or for fun? If you bought them for protection, surveillance and security reasons then you should definitely vet who you share your cameras with. If you bought them for fun so that you can watch your dog or watch the neighbors or see the squirrels playing in the backyard then share them with everybody that you know. But there’s a big difference between buying them for security and surveillance type purposes and for fun and you should determine that before you share them.

I do see Jeff’s point.
To me there doesn’t seem to be a logical reason for a shared user to have the ability to turn cameras off/on.
Wyze says “This feature can be helpful to share with a family member, house sitter, or loved one.”. Why would you want a house sitter to have to ability to turm cameras off?

Does anyone know, when a camera is turned off by the app is it just not transmitting a signal, does it still record to the SD?

1 Like

They basically do now that’s kind of your complaining isn’t it? A shared account has too much access.

The camera does not record to the SD card when Off. Essentially, off disables all functionality except the heartbeat listening for the “on” signal.

3 Likes

One of the reasons I have seen for shared users to be able to turn cameras off is to be able to turn inside cameras off when people arrive home. It my wife arrives first she turns the inside cameras off. If I arrive first I do.

Another reason for a shared user to be able to turn them on would be because a repair person, or exterminator, or whatever showed up. If shared users could not turn cameras on and off then someone would have to call me or I would have to share my credentials.

But those are my reasons. The point is you and I cannot predict what reasons someone may have. Just because we think a certain way does not mean everyone else does. It’s bound to really provide some users peace of mind and scare the crap out of others.

3 Likes

I guess, for me, the only person I would want to have that much camera control would be my wife. In that case I would set her phone up with the full account rather than sharing.
Different levels of sharing would be the best solution. A checklist of items for each user.
I assume thats what the wishlist is about, I haven’t read it.

3 Likes

I believe you are correct, the Wishlist seeks more granular permissions among other things.

1 Like

I beg to differ. My mother is 92 years old, and a shared camera feed allows us to keep an eye on her. She has her own account, and she shared it with all of her children. It is a comfort to be able to see how she is doing. Being able to control the settings remotely is important, as she really doesn’t understand the controls.
We know when:

  • Someone comes to her door, and can tell unwanted salesmen to go away
  • We know when she goes outside. Someone is always close by, so we can monitor her as she works on her flower beds
  • We can tell if she gets up in the morning, and can check on her if she doesn’t get up at the regular time
  • We have Wyze sensors around the house. If we don’t get a signal for a while we can give her a call to check on her
    The Wyze cams allow us to support Mom while still giving her as much freedom and privacy as possible. So we see the “share” function as being very valuable, although I agree that it should be used very carefully.
3 Likes

I’m not disagreeing with you but in your situation you could have achieved full control by adding her cameras to your own account.
I guess the only time having a shared user with the ability to turn off the cameras would be a problem is if the shared user planned to rob you before you removed the share. That does seem very unlikely. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I’m so happy to hear how you’ve used your Wyze devices. I’m disabled and we’ve have 3 cams in the house. Motion sensors for some rooms and Lutron switches for lights that also have remote control. They aren’t WiFi so if WiFi goes out they still work. Wyze has done a tremendous job of making simple to use and affordable home automation devices for people that actually need them and not just for people that use them for luxury.

1 Like

FINALLY. Some one gets it. Thank You!

@angus.black Thank You. :wink: