WyzeCam "eating" micro SD cards?

We’re sorry that you had this experience. If you change your mind and want to try tech support again, please let me know. I can escalate your ticket for you if you send one in.

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I have 3 Wyzecam v2s. I installed the first, but it
ate a new Sandisk 32gb class 10 card, the type I use in my Nikon camera. Thus, I didn’t install the other two Wyzecam v2s. It’s been maybe 8 mos and I had hoped the problem was resolved, but no joy. I’d really like to get my installation finished. Can I use the ticket, linked in this thread, to get replacement Wyzecam v2s?

you might want to look into using a high endurance card. sandisk such as the one you are using are not made for this application because of the continuous read/ write cycles. they do well in your nikon camera as it is not in a continuous mode and is not writing nearly as much as our Wyze cams. if you were to read the warranty for that card you will find that they specifically mention cameras such as ours voiding the warranty because they are not made for this type of application. More than likely the card was overworked and failed.

you will find that the people that have switched to a high endurance card have not had many if any ( I can’t think of any having this issue with a high endurance card) and some report they think the performance is slightly better. I’m not sure on the second part but the endurance cards do help significantly.

if you haven’t already read the linked post in my post # 107 its kind of a review of what cards work well in our cameras.

on post #89 someone was kind enough to post the sandisk warrant info too if you were interested in reading it.

The Nikon takes 30 min. HD movies. That’s pretty intensive recording.
I’ll try to get some of those Hi Endurance Transcend SD cards.
The Sandisk cards can be used in the Nikon!:sweat_smile:

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yes they are made for that, but its not loop recording which seems to affect that card negatively but the cell format is the important part. I don’t know the fully story about the encoding/ compression methods for this, or how it effects the cards, so I wont speak to that. but for the types for cell formats, which affects lifespan and reliability I have researched a bit and I think this will explain it fairly well.

(@kwjordan_az the Trancend high endurance is one of the best cards you can get!..I use them and samgung high endurance and love them. no issues at all! )

the best explanation I have found was this.

eMLC (Enterprise Multi Level Cell)

eMLC is MLC flash, but optimized for the enterprise sector and has better performance and lastability. Read/write data life cycles are expected between 20,000 and 30,000. eMLC provides a lower cost alternative to SLC, yet maintains some of the pros of SLC.

Pros:

  • Cheaper alternative than SLC for an enterprise SSD.
  • Has better performance and endurance over standard MLC.

Cons:

  • Does not match SLC NAND flash SSDs in performance.

Recommended for:

  • Industrial use and workloads that require heavy read/write cycles such as servers.

MLC (Multi Level Cell)

MLC flash as it’s name suggests stores multi bits of data on one cell. The big advantage of this is the lower cost of manufacturing versus manufacturing SLC flash. The lower cost in flash production is generally passed onto you as the consumer, and for that reason is very popular among many brands. MLC flash is preferred for consumer SSDs for it’s lower costs but the data read/write life is less in comparison to SLC at around 10,000 per cell.

Pros:

  • Lower production costs are passed onto you the consumer.
  • Is more reliable than TLC flash.

Cons:

  • Not as durable and reliable as SLC or enterprise SSDs.

Recommended for:

  • Everyday consumer use, gamers, and enthusiasts.

TLC (Triple Level Cell)

Storing 3 bits per cell, TLC flash is the cheapest form of flash to manufacture. The biggest disadvantage to this type of flash is that it is only suitable for consumer usage, and would not be able to meet the standards for industrial use. Read/write life cycles are considerably shorter at 3,000 to 5,000 cycles per cell.

Pros:

  • Cheapest to manufacture which in turn leads to cheaper to market SSDs.

Cons:

  • Cells will survive considerably less read/write cycles compared to MLC NAND. This means that TLC flash is good for consumer use only.

Recommended for:

  • Everyday consumer use, web/email machines, netbooks, and tablets.

and of course, a nice little figure. I think I found this first when I was researching, which led to much more in depth researching

the Sandisk you are using I beleive is the TCL format.

most high endurance cards are either SCL or MCL ( SCL used to be strictly industrial applications, circa 2010-2011 ish, that tech might have made it to cards by now)

this was a head turner for me when I couldn’t figure out why I was corrupting so many sandisk cards in my dashcam. hope this clarifies a bit for you.

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I’ll try a little experiment. I ordered a SanDisk High Endurance 32GB and a Samsung Pro Endurance 32GB SD card from Amazon. We’ll see how they do. If they last more than 5 min.
then I’ll finish my install. Thanks for the good feedback.:+1:

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after you try the SanDisk high endurance, leave a review of it in the,

what SD cards are you using, have you had any problems. Topic

I would be interested in knowing how well those do

What is this “ate”? Did it physically mangle the card?
Could you no longer format the card with any of the common utilities?

For my money it is well worth accepting one of the limitations of this wonderful $20 camera is it’s requirements for FAT32 SD cards. And Wyze sells and GUARANTEES 32GB SD cards.

They may not be the BEST cards, they certainly are not the cheapest. But if you have a Wyze card in a Wyze camera Wyze must support you for both.

So I’ve a short stack of Wyze cards to swap into cameras that develop problems with other cards. So far since March 2019 I’ve only found about 3 SD cards that did not fully function in my cameras. Each time swapping in a Wyze card (which worked) proved to me it was not the camera, it was the card.

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see my post at the end

Others in this thread have reported Wyze cards being replaced. Your usage and failure within two weeks would have been covered by the Wyze warrantee,

I’ve a Pan Cam and a V2 that have been operating for going on 3 months about 800 miles away which I frequently access to review events and they are still operating fine.

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My experience, too, exactly.

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Time for my 2 cents. Couple of months ago, bought 3 v2 and Pan. All have been working fine with SanDisk 32gb C10, U1, A1 cards, and the Pan had the 64gb. Recently purchased another v2, only to have it not recognize the SD card (new as well). I tried everything, removing, re-inserting, re-formatting, etc…Thought to myself, maybe just a bad card for the cam. Pulled one out of the other cams that I knew worked, same thing, no recognition. Hmm, peculiar. So I tried another known good card out of my tablet. Sandisk 32gb. No bueno. I reported the issue through the app, received a response within a day, stating that it appears the SD slot was bad and to return the cam. I just purchased it from AMZN, so I decided to return it and get a replacement. Today I received the replacement, and lo and behold…new one won’t recognize a card either. So gonna run live til I decide if I’ll just live with no card or gonna send it back. So, aside from the occasional disconnects (which seemed to appear after the latest firmware update), the remaining cams appear to be working okay. But like I said, haven’t had them for very long.

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Throw on the RTSP firmware instead of the Standard one and bypass the SD Card entirely and save it to wherever the heck you want.

@LeeR, sorry to hear this! If you would like, you can contact our team for a replacement. You can request an open box unit that was used for QA (and not by a customer) if you would like.

Submit a request – Wyze

There was a “known” or “discovered” issue recently with some cams missing a resistor. If I remember correctly one guy wired in a new transistor and the cam worked.

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you took my answer on that :face_with_monocle:

Hello @UserCustomerGwen Thank you for your response. My new ticket number is
Wyze Ticket: 283639
Please let me know if you have any questions or need any further information.

Thank you & Be well

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You’re welcome! I just checked on your ticket and it looks like you already have a response. :slight_smile:

It’s interesting there is a QC sticker on box. Maybe there not qc’ing the sd card slot?

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Well, in this case, the squeaky wheel gets the grease! I received an email from Wyze, and they say I will be receiving a FULL REFUND for ALL of the cameras that are destroying SD cards! No returning/swapping of equipment, just a refund.
It’s not exactly the resolution I’d hoped for, but I will accept it. As much as I’ve complained, I like the cameras…I just insist that they have the functionality that is promised/advertised.

So, what this says to me is… 1. Either Wyze just wants me to shut up and go away, OR
2. Wyze IS FULLY AWARE that there IS a problem with their cameras, and wants to gloss over it without having to actually fix or replace anything. I suspect it’s both.

Either way, I appreciate what they have done, even if it did take nearly a year of complaining.

It’s up to each each individual, but… I would encourage everyone else who has the issue with Wyze Cameras and SD cards to seek restitution in whatever form they can achieve. If Wyze is willing to refund me, I would assume they would be willing to do the same for others with the issue…but I also believe those individuals will have to raise cane…as I did. to get anywhere.
Good luck, for me the matter is finally closed.