Wyze Duo Cam Pan overview: Double the lenses, twice the safety

Finest Costs In the present day: Wyze Duo Cam Pan

Wyze Labs constructed its repute on a easy system: ship extra options for much less cash. The brand new Wyze Duo Cam Pan takes that concept actually. As a substitute of 1 lens making an attempt to maintain up with all the pieces that strikes, this digicam has twin 2K lenses—one fastened, one which pans and tilts—to cowl twice the bottom. The result’s a single machine that eliminates blind spots whether or not it’s watching your lounge or your total yard.

Design and options

The Duo Cam Pan appears like one thing between a periscope and a small robotic. Two lenses are stacked vertically, one on a rotating base that may pan a full 360 levels and tilt as much as 180 levels. The opposite digicam stays put, sustaining a hard and fast view of the general scene. The thought is to mount it on a nook and monitor either side of a yard, or put it in a big room and catch each little bit of exercise with out blind spots.

Every lens data in 2K decision and helps coloration evening imaginative and prescient. The transferring digicam can comply with an individual throughout the body or sweep via a number of zones utilizing Wyze’s Pan Scan characteristic, which helps you to outline as much as 4 waypoints for computerized patrol. Two small spotlights and a 100dB siren present a primary deterrent for unwelcome guests, whereas the two-way audio permits you to ward them off together with your voice, or talk remotely with supply folks or members of the family. It has an IP65 score, which our IP code decoder tells us means it’s impervious to mud ingress and that it’s protected in opposition to water jets coming from any path (i.e., a backyard hose with a jet nozzle, however not a stress washer in shut proximity).

Wyze

The digicam helps a user-provided microSD card in capacities as much as 512GB, permitting you to report repeatedly, no subscription required. You can too go for Wyze’s cloud storage plans if you would like off-device backup. The entry-level Cam Plus plan provides 14 days of occasion recording and smarter movement alerts (particular person, automobile, bundle, and pet) for $2.99 a month or $19.99 a yr, whereas Cam Limitless extends these options throughout your entire Wyze digicam fleet for $9.99 a month or $129.99 a yr. For heavier customers, a Cam Limitless Professional plan bumps occasion historical past as much as 60 days and contains AI video search and emergency dispatch and prices $19.99 a month or $259.99 a yr.

The digicam additionally helps Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, and Wyze’s personal automation system, so it could possibly set off lights or different cameras as a part of a broader sensible residence/residence safety setup.

Setup and efficiency

Establishing the Duo Cam Pan is achieved via the Wyze app, which walks you thru Wi-Fi connection and checks for firmware updates earlier than ending setup. Mounting is equally easy. The bottom attaches to a plastic screw mount and all the mandatory {hardware} is offered. Indoors, it’s secure sufficient to simply set on a shelf or desk. In both case, you’ll want to put in it inside about 4 toes of {an electrical} outlet to accommodate its brief energy cable.

Each cameras ship sharp, clear 2K video with correct coloration accuracy and excessive element. Daytime footage appears vivid with out being oversaturated, and the colour evening imaginative and prescient retains extra pure hues than you’d count on at this worth. The spotlights are small however surprisingly efficient at brightening a darkish entryway or yard, they usually activate shortly when movement is detected.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

The panning lens can sweep throughout a large room in seconds and may observe an individual or pet easily from one aspect to the opposite. Monitoring accuracy was strong in my testing, and the digicam’s motor was just about silent. The fastened lens offers useful context whereas the panning lens is in movement, so that you all the time have one secure view even when the opposite is transferring. Collectively they cowl a powerful quantity of area with out apparent blind spots.

The movement sensor does a terrific job of detecting close by folks and objects, and push notifications arrived inside a second or two of an occasion. The Wyze app helps exercise zones that allow you to masks out areas you don’t need the digicam to watch to assist filter out undesirable triggers (e.g., bushes and tree branches swaying within the wind).

The app operates because the digicam’s management heart, with reside feeds stacked one above the opposite and a toolbar positioned alongside the underside. The toolbar offers quick access to Pan Scan waypoints, recording controls, and an occasion historical past. A deep settings menu provides customization choices for nearly each digicam characteristic, and every lens has its personal motion-detection and highlight settings, so you may fine-tune them independently.

Must you purchase the Wyze Duo Cam Pan?

At $69.98, the Wyze Duo Cam Pan lands within the candy spot between Wyze’s single-lens Pan Cam v3 and the type of multi-camera setups you’d want for comparable protection. The Duo Cam Pan’s dual-lens setup is sensible, not gimmicky, and it delivers broad, versatile protection on a price range.

When you’re already utilizing Wyze gear—or simply need one digicam that may do the work of two—it’s a simple suggestion.

This overview is a part of techHive’s in-depth protection of the greatest residence safety cameras.