How to Keep Your Cloud Video Recordings Free with Cam Plus Lite

Well if you’ve read my posts on the other threads you’d know that there are some who have Wyze backend glitches that are beyond our control. I think we have a right to complain - Wyze would not know they have code problems if not for us. The whiners are not the majority, and not all complaints are based on failure to understand the free option is available, just buried in a convoluted system, and thankfully neither are the intolerant in the majority. Most in these forums are generally helpful. Imho, the juvenile comments should be directed to social media, they’ll get more likes.

It looks like Wyze has been hoist by their own petard a little.

The petard being the programmatic attempt to steer customers away from choosing $0 for ‘free’ Cam Plus Lite.

From the far outside (I’ve had no problems, migrated automatically from free Legacy Person Detection, haven’t updated v2 firmware or app) it looks like it added to the confusion caused by any backend glitches.

1 Like

Dude that’s not the agreement the company made with their customers when the cameras were purchased. If I knew they were going to charge me a perpetual fee to use their cameras I would not have purchased 10 of them. What the company has done is called “Bait and Switch” which is illegal.

1 Like

That is false, at least as of the moment. You can get CamPlus Lite at $0 cost per month and get 12 second videos back plus person detection. You can also still record to an SD card in MOST cameras without any monthly subscription.

5 Likes

Yes. Because it is what came with the cameras when I bought them.

1 Like

 

Fwiw, I initially did find the legacy PD migration to CPlus lite to be automatic without any changes or errors. It’s only upon the full rollout on the 14th that I saw my event video went awol for a while, no still images just nothing, meanwhile notifications increased due to general motion which I had turned off. The videos started again without intervention, so I only went in settings to check the notifications and it removed the person detections toggle, only the motion and sound which I don’t use. I tested turning off motion notifications but it also stopped the PD notifications. I tried everything including signing up again on the web - that’s when I saw it says I already have the service and shows my free trialPD invoice from 2020, good until 2069! Nothing I can do will allow me to delete it or signup afresh. I’m stuck in limbo until wyze can figure out how to release the cams or otherwise fix their coding. It seems there are others with similar issues but according to the PM I got from wyze, it’s not affecting a majority. The majority are just troubled by the obfuscation of the signup and settings. In my case, it’s only 2 cams and it’s not a security usage, just a convenience so I can wait for the fix. PD and video work, I just have to listen to the ding of all the random motion notifications. I’d try the reset, but I’d prefer to hear from others that works without any hiccups, since I’d hate to find the situation end up being even more fubar.

2 Likes

You’re a good guy to ‘follow’ on this, ie, your case is representative and your presentation of it is clear and concise.

The forum software doesn’t allow us to ‘follow’ individual users per se, but

can be useful toward that end.

1 Like

Here’s another good tool to spotlight a User within a Topic:

And this to imperfectly ‘tame’ a big ol’ thread:

Click the   image   to preview each linked post.   image

Thanks! I think you’re the first to call me concise… well, at least since I’ve retired. I tend to get long winded with too many details at times. But, it’s hard to troubleshoot something with only half the details.

1 Like

I tried to find out any wording on the original service but came across some random bits of moderate interest…

https://www.reddit.com/r/wyzecam/comments/cboovn/how_can_wyzecam_offer_14_day_free_cloud_storage/

What won’t change?

This one’s super important to us.

Our main goal at Wyze is to enhance your experience with our products, not provide you with ultimatums. That’s why the standard 12-second motion recording and 14-day free cloud storage already included with Wyze Cam will remain free for users that choose not to use Complete Motion Capture.

We are committed to continuously increasing the value you receive from our products. We want to be very clear that we will not be adding paywalls to the existing features that set our products apart from everyone else and we will continue to develop more free features in the future. Rather, we are simply providing more options to our users so they can expand their use with our cameras if they choose to do so.

From the current Wyze Terms of Service:

F. Service and Other Fees

Some Services may be provided for a fee, either now or in the future. When you select or use Services subject to a fee, you will pay the applicable fees in connection with such Service(s) in accordance with the amounts and payment terms (including due dates) specified in the applicable Supplemental Terms or on the Site and/or the Wyze App. If no timing or due date for a given Service fee is specified, such fee will be due upon selection or sign up for the applicable Service. Some paid Services may be offered on a subscription basis with fees charged to you upon periodic renewals of such Service absent your termination of such Service prior to the renewal fee becoming due. Unless otherwise noted, all fee payment obligations for Services are non-cancelable and all Service fees paid are non-refundable and non-creditable. Wyze may change any or all of its Service fees (or impose new fees) upon notification to you of such changed or new fees (except to the extent the applicable Supplemental Terms expressly state that fee rates are locked in for some period of time).

When you purchase certain Products, you may also have the option to purchase a subscription to the paid Services associated with the Product for a monthly or a yearly period. When you have purchased access to paid Services with a Product in this manner, you will receive an activation code either with the Product or via email. That activation code can be used to redeem a period of subscription service when enrolling in a recurring subscription for the paid Service associated with your Product. Activation codes are not redeemable for cash, and may not be assigned, transferred, copied or sold and are not valid with any other discount or offer. Activation codes expire 12 months after the Product they were provided with was purchased.

1 Like

Forgot about the “complete motion capture” era. Think it came out when I was diverted with beta testing the original doorbell and which is when I got the trial of the free PD. I guess in the future they will avoid statements like being “super important” which is obviously very subjective.

1 Like

2. Reduce the problem to the essentials.
1. Show your work.

Working toward concision transparently.

  :grin:

Another obscure forum tool:

And another:

<strike>example</strike>
example

Sounds like a class action suite is in the making! There was another company “WINK” that tried this same crap. The made a hub for smart homes. The decided to start charging monthly to use their hub. The company no longer exists.

2 Likes

Hi @stjudeametrustees , welcome to the community! Check out @WildBill 's post about ten comments above. He’s got it right.

Wait?!! What’s going on now? Don’t tell Me I am going to have to look for another camera system because Wyze is screwing around again?

If you were paying me by the minute would you ask a better question?   :slight_smile:

Done for today. Good luck all!

Well, only if you want to keep getting free 12sec video recordings of events on their cloud and do not want to bother to sign up or only if you do signup but then find that it says you are already signed up, but your cams do not show up or cams do not have the new options available and you do not want to wait for wyze to fix what they broke. Other than that you’re fine!

1 Like

TOTALLY! I’d be more than happy to send my stored video’s to my NAS. Heck, even if they could be sent to a computer (for those who do not have a NAS).

I agree that it would likely be easier to access and manage those videos if they were saved directly onto a NAS or hard drive somewhere.

I too am really frustrated with the whole Cam Plus Lite thing. I’m crossing my fingers that they aren’t gong to just drop Cam Plus Lite in the future and make all my cameras (and my churches cameras) totally useless!

Geez, how about letting us record the videos just to the Micro SD cards and retrieving them through the app?

I’m just frustrated.

We’ll see where they land!

This speaks directly to why I try so hard to never go with anything that charges a monthly service. It’s why I liked Wyze in the first place. I was really hoping they wouldn’t do this to us.

UGH!!!

Too frustrated to keep commenting and keep my language nice.

Cheers!
DT

2 Likes

That’s exactly what happens by default now if you don’t sign up for Lite.

1 Like