Operating Manual/Wicki

We need a MANUAL.
There are so many simple problems that occur that an online constantly updated (think wicki) manual would greatly reduce useless typing.

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There are some articles that can be found at the link below.

https://support.wyzecam.com/hc/en-us

@gemniii, before putting this in the Roadmap, can you please clarify why the support articles are not sufficient and you feel why a wiki is needed instead? We need to understand this a little better, first. :slight_smile:

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The support articles seem to be loosely organized.
There needs to be a glossary.
Each screen should be explained -
The home screen is first discussed under “Setup and Mounting”
and I’m supposed to
“Tap the camera name to enter the camera’s live stream.”
“Tap the On or Off button to toggle IOT status”
(There’s no on/off button, need to go to more)

The Home screen shows 5 icons across the bottom - They are not discussed under setup and mounting.

Home - sort of self explanatory
Events - what’s an event
Discover - ?? looks like random posted pics/vids
Shop - Wyze store
Account - Some very important settings buried here - (especially “Enable Hardware decoder”
I almost sent my camera back to Amazon before I found that on about the fourth day.)

And there is the ellipsis in the upper right - Supposedly it will let me “reorder” my cameras, (but it doesn’t).

I know manuals cost money, but they also create a more knowledgeable user base.

The only reason I mentioned wicki is that I’m sure there are a lot of smart users who would donate effort to get a good user manual.

We also need a list of figures and an index.

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Hey gemniii, looks like we may be from the same conceptual neighborhood. :wink:

Have a look-see when you get a chance:

I would support the call for a comprehensive manual. Comprehensive and up to date documentation requires a lot of resources. I would argue that it also pays dividends in that users, especially new ones, will understand the operation, strengths and limitations of the application and products, will result in less demands for support, hopefully users will be more satisfied with the products and consequently there should be far fewer critical or negative comment concerning their experiences.

There is a lot of excellent information in the Forums but it can be a tad frustrating, especially for newbies like myself, to find what is required in an efficient manner and timely manner. Sometimes that information is spread out over several posts, may be incomplete or not available and in a few instances some of the information may not be 100% correct.

There are a number of things that I would like see explained (haven’t been able to find a lot of info to date):

A more detailed write up on what is going on when the camera is recording.

I did see a brief explanation about the even odd 1 minutes buffering that was very useful. When a trigger is generated and an upload to the cloud is initiated is the 12 second buffer filled before the data is sent or is the upload sequence started at the instance of the motion trigger? What happens if there is a network problem during this activity? Does it make addition attempts What happens if the 12 seconds of data is not successfully uploaded to the cloud? etc

I understand that a WYZE installation does not require a lot of network resources other than uploading events to the cloud, setup resources and “handshaking” at certain times to ensure he system is operating. Otherwise the local WiFi and on board MicroSd Cards are doing a lot of the work (assuming the App is being run using the local WiFi). It would be nice to have more details on how this works as the area where I live and use my setup has very poor internet services. Understanding of how all of this interrelates would be very useful.

It would be nice to have more information on the files, file names and associated content that the APP uses to store the data on Apple and Android devices and the same for what is recorded on the cam’s MicroSD Card.

The manual should contain some user guidelines to help in setup. For example, I haven’t been able to find out and suggestions or recommendations on what are the recommended minimums for WiFi Signal strength, what are the recommendations or suggestions for sensitivity settings for sound and motion detection for different situations, etc

I understand that the video data can be recorded in either HD or SD to the MicroSD Card. I found an explanation of the HD vs SD but not how to configure my system to do one or the other.

I could go on but hopefully you see that I favor the creation of a manual.

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A constructive comment.

In all fairness, it looks like a manual of sorts is under rapid development here:

https://support.wyzecam.com/hc/en-us/categories/360000596591-Troubleshooting :sunny:

My suggestion is:

More graphics - which in all fairness, may be coming.

I’ve felt so graphic-deprived I was forced to bomb-out one of my own:
.
.
basicarch_1p_2x

Many thanks, I haven’t seen a lot of the info here and it will be very useful.

As a heads up, we’re working on a reorganization of our support site that may help with this. I’ll bring up the idea of a walkthrough organization as well. :slight_smile:

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Thanks, I was hoping something was in the works.

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I just received confirmation that we’re going to create a manual layout soon. Thank you for bringing it up! :slight_smile:

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Great news! Just set up 4 Cam v2 and impressed with performance and functionality.

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This is an interesting thread you might want to check out (not manual-related but current and definitely instructive):

I am a strong believer in attempting to camouflage the camera as much as possible to make it inconspicuous. There have been two instances in my area where break in culprits have “caught themselves” by looking into a cleverly hidden cam. One was installed in a book designed to hold a cam and the other behind a special one way mirror. In both cases the individuals had their faces recorded close up and in detail. When the pictures where shown on TV the individuals were identified by members of the general public and attested within hours.

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We live in an urban multi-family/single-family neighborhood - maybe 2:1 ratio. I’ve only been using the cameras for nuisance detection. They are both on the second floor, one outside under an eave, and one inside aimed through a window. They are aimed in opposite directions on the same street and the way they are positioned there is a blind spot between them. They are subtle but visible from the street.

In the three months they’ve been up, there have been no nuisances. Twice, cars were broken into - in the blind spot. :slight_smile:

One cam caught two “ninjas” approaching before, then retreating after. I say “ninjas” because both were dressed entirely in black with hoodies engaged. The footage was interesting but of no use otherwise. They both looked quite relaxed, sauntering even. (BTW, dressing like a ninja around here does NOT make you conspicuous. Quite the contrary.)

I expect for a pro crook “casing” now includes a thorough scan for cameras. In this neighborhood 2:30-4:30a would be a window of opportunity. Perusing online forums to understand “adversaries” would be continuing education. :confused:

MOD NOTE: Please try to stay on topic folks. (In this case, user manual/wiki.) If you’d like to discuss something else, please start a new topic.

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Sorry about that, not Burke’s fault. I got caught up in their enthusiasm and forked it up. You want I should lop the strays?

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I was going to move some of it off to a new topic, but it’s a bit intertwined, so we can just leave it. I’m sure we’ll keep this in mind going forward.

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It’s coming along nicely…

https://support.wyzecam.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024560052

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Thanks! :slight_smile:

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