The original Wyze Cam Pan ($29.99) earned high marks for its affordability, sharp 1080p video, and mechanical pan and tilt capabilities when we reviewed it in 2018. Its successor, the Wyze Cam Pan V2 ($39.99), is also affordable and retains the mechanical pan and tilt controls, while offering a few improvements including color night vision. It delivered sharp 1080p video in testing and responded to movement and voice commands without issue. However, for a bit more, the $51.99 Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan & Tilt P24 provides equally smooth pan and tilt operations; 2K video; and support for Apple HomeKit, making it our Editors’ Choice winner for indoor security cameras.
Familiar Design, New Features
The Wyze Cam Pan V2 looks exactly like its predecessor. Its white mini-tower enclosure measures 5.0 by 2.2 by 2.2 inches (HWD) and sits atop a round motorized base that provides 360 degrees of panning maneuverability. The upper part of the tower houses a glossy black camera assembly with a motorized lens that gives you 93 degrees of tilt. A status LED and an ambient light sensor sit toward the bottom. There’s a speaker and a mini USB power port on the back. The bottom of the enclosure has a setup button, a microphone, and a microSD card slot for storing video recordings locally; you have to supply your own storage.
The 1080p camera has a 120-degree field of view and enables 8x digital zoom. It uses a Starlight CMOS sensor and any available ambient light to deliver color night vision. If there’s not enough light, it defaults to the six invisible infrared LEDS to give you black-and-white night vision. The built-in siren can scare off unwanted visitors, while two-way audio lets you use your phone to speak with whomever is in the room.
As with the original model, this version offers plenty of features including motion and sound detection; motion tracking; smoke and CO alarm detection; and time-lapse recording. The camera records a 12-second video clip when it detects sound or motion and will store those recordings for free in the cloud for 14 days; just note that there is a five-minute cooldown period after each recording. You can also choose to store video on a micro SD card. For $1.25 per month, the Cam Plus plan gets you unlimited clip length with no cooldown period and unlocks several features including person, vehicle, and pet detection, as well as the ability to fast-forward through event videos.
The Cam Pan V2 works with Alexa and Google voice commands; numerous third-party devices via IFTTT applets; and with other Wyze devices, but it doesn’t support Apple’s HomeKit platform. It uses the same mobile app (for Android and iOS) as all other Wyze devices including the Wyze Cam V3, the Wyze Bulb Color, and the Wyze Plug Outdoor. Once installed, the camera appears in a panel on the home screen along with any other Wyze devices you own. Tap the panel to launch a live stream; the interface has buttons for muting sound, capturing video recordings manually, taking a snapshot, and initiating two-way talk. The More button gives you options to turn the camera on and off; enable motion tagging and motion tracking; create time-lapse videos (a microSD card is required); and enable Pan Scan, in which the camera automatically pans the room using four preset waypoints.
Toward the bottom of the screen is a dial for panning and tilting the camera using gestures. Below those controls is a View Playback button that lets you play event videos stored on the SD card. To view event video stored in the cloud, tap the Events button at the bottom of the main screen. You can access Camera Settings by tapping the gear icon in the upper right corner of the camera screen. Here you can configure motion and sound detection settings; set event recording preferences; enable intelligent motion alerts; manage the microSD card; control pan and tilt motor speed; and change night vision settings. The Rules setting allows you to specify how the camera interacts with other Wyze devices.
Easy Operation
Installing the Wyze Cam Pan V2 was seamless. I already had the Wyze mobile app installed, so I tapped the + button in the upper-left corner of the Devices screen and then Add Device. I selected the Cam Pan V2 from the Cameras list and plugged the camera into a power outlet. When the LED began flashing red, I tapped Next. I pressed the Setup button on the bottom of the camera, verified that I heard the “ready to connect” prompt, and entered my Wi-Fi SSID and password on the following screen. I used the camera to scan the QR code that appeared on my phone, and within seconds, the camera showed up on my list of Wyze devices and my Alexa smart home device list. I gave the camera a name and updated the firmware to complete the installation.
The Wyze Cam Pan performed well in testing. Daytime video showed rich colors, while black-and-white night video appeared sharp and adequately illuminated. The camera did a good job of converting minimal light into sharp, color video, but the color quality wasn’t quite as vibrant as what you get in full daylight. As with the original Cam Pan, I noticed minor barrel distortion around the edges of the frame, but not enough to distort the picture.
Motion and sound alerts arrived instantly, and intelligent alerts worked as intended. I created a rule in the app to have a Wyze Bulb turn on when the camera detected motion and it worked perfectly, as did my Alexa routine to have an Ezviz smart plug turn on when a person was detected. The camera responded quickly to Alexa voice commands to view live video on an Amazon Echo Show device. Pan and tilt actions performed smoothly and responsively as well.
Affordable and Full of Features
The Wyze Cam Pan V2 is an affordable indoor security camera that doesn’t skimp on features. It offers color night vision, responsive mechanical pan and tilt operations, voice control, and integrations with lots of other smart home devices. The camera delivered sharp 1080 video in testing and motion alerts arrived quickly and were accurate. That said, if you want a similarly featured camera that works with Apple’s HomeKit platform, the Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan & Tilt P24 is a better choice; it delivers 2K video rather than 1080p video, too. As such, it remains our Editors’ Choice pick for affordable indoor security cameras. But if you already use other Wyze products, the Cam Pan V2 is a worthwile alternative.
