Local storage for outdoor camera

How can I store locally 12sec events on an outdoor Wyze camera?
I have a microSD card inserted, but there is no option to record locally.

Welcome to the user-to-user forum, @ggscarlat !

Move the SD card to the Base Station, then turn on Event Recording > Back up to Base Station on the individual cams.

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What’s the max size uSD card the base station will support?

I think the 32 GB is the best sized card for the base because most of the 12 second event videos are 1 megabyte or less in size, many in the 800-900KB range. My Base currently has 3.36GB on it since my last format of the card. The files on the base SD will have a thumbnail photo of each event along with the videos of each 12 second event. The thumbnail photos are a very small file size. Since the 32GB card capacity is 29.79GB, that is about 2700 12 second video files, how many do you need :upside_down_face:

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I was thinking more along the line of 1-2 hour videos. My outdoor V2 is powered, but also not easily removed. If for what ever reason I have to re-sync it I’m screwed. So I don’t need to worry about battery life, but long term use and internal heat may be problematic. I also learned that video clips are xfered to the base station at a turtle’s pace. So that may be frustrating as well.

Even though the naked camera is waterproof, I installed it in a plastic [housing], and Dremeled a small slot in the nubbie on the back to allow the uUSB cable to pass through. The camera is also mounted under an eve of my deck out of direct sunlight. I put the max uSD card (32GB) into the camera before mounting it.

Whether all of this works as expected, and long term remains to be seen, but it’s worth a shot. I’ve got extra cams, mounting hardware, and long USB cables, so I should be able to configure them whenever and wherever I decide to mount them.

You have your Battery Powered WCO version 2 Powered like plugged into a power source?

If you want to do 1-2 hour videos use scheduled continuous recording to the SD card in the camera if it is powered. The downside is that you will have to download the entire video to your phone/device from the camera Album. If you record continuous with battery power the cam will be dead in 6-8 hours if you start at 100%

https://support.wyze.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037595072-Scheduled-Recording-on-Wyze-Cam-Outdoor

It’s plugged into the base station(inside house). Isn’t that the way it should be charged? It shouldn’t matter where the camera is to be charged, right? If not, are you telling me the WCO v2 must be brought inside and then plugged into the base station for charging? My approach may be unconventional, but it should work, unless Wyze is using some kind of charging circuit that doesn’t like live power while it’s being used. If that’s the case, I’ll just have to swap out the WCO V2 with the Indoor/Outdoor V3 cams.

Perhaps I need to do some more research on the WVO V2. :slight_smile:

You can leave the WCO Version 2 plugged in as long as you want, just make sure the 5V 2Amp power adapter is not outside. The reason WYZE says not to leave it plugged in with a camera outside is the connection to the cam is no longer weather proof with the rubber flap cover removed or up. Maybe you approach will work and the cam won’t get any moisture or water in the cam, but if it does don’t ask WYZE for help :rofl: If you have power available you should use a V3, less cost and continuous recording for a long period. I have a V3 with a 128GB card and it records about 11 days 24/7 in HD. If you want to make continuous recordings with the WCO powered I would use a 64GB card formatted in FAT32.

https://support.wyze.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042570292-Will-the-camera-still-work-if-I-leave-it-plugged-into-power-

I have used this to format larger SD cards to FAT32 before the V3 cams would use ExFat format.

I’ve taken some precautions when I housed the V2 in the plastic case. Actually, the way that particular housing is designed, it holds the camera a few mm away from all sides. After plugging in my microUSB where the silicone flap is, I knew that it could be subject to some moisture getting inside. So, once the cable was fed through the back and the little nubby where I made a little slot, I filled the opening around the cable with silicone adhesive. I hope it holds up to the weather, but it is serviceable should water get in the housing over time. Condensation moisture between extreme temps may pose some issues. I hope not. As I mentioned, I mounted it so it would not be in direct sunlight year round. I also drilled a little hole in the bottom of the housing so any water that gets in can drain out.

Hopefully, all of this work as expected, but If all goes sideways for some reason, I’ll just switch them out for WCIO V3 that are designed to be used outdoors with a cable. That would be a fairly easy task, since everything is in place. I just wouldn’t need to use the base station.

Thanks for all your suggestions and insight with using these little cams.