WYZE Cam v3 with Color Night Vision

The Wyze Cam v3 is the camera that made Wyze's name. It is small, it costs very little, and its starlight sensor with an f/1.6 lens holds colour in light levels where most cameras give up and switch to infrared grey. Infrared is still there for complete darkness.

• What the starlight sensor changes after dark
• Indoors or outdoors, and the adapter catch
• Recording without paying a monthly fee
• Siren and two-way audio
• Where the Wyze Cam v3 still makes sense

It records 1080p across a 121° view, and it is rated IP65, so the same camera works on a shelf indoors or under an eave outside. Two-way audio and a siren are built in.

Recordings go to a microSD card in the camera, and card recording, including around the clock, works with no subscription at all. That is the point of it.

One thing to know. The power adapter in the box is rated for indoor use, so an outdoor mounting needs an outdoor-rated adapter.

What the starlight sensor changes after dark

Most cheap cameras hit a light level, give up, and flip to infrared. The picture goes grey and useful detail like the colour of a shirt or a car disappears. The f/1.6 lens and starlight sensor on this one hold colour much further down, so a lit veranda or a street lamp is enough to keep a colour image.

In genuine darkness it still switches to infrared, which is the right behaviour. There is no built-in spotlight on this model, though Wyze sell one as an accessory.

Indoors or outdoors, and the adapter catch

The body is IP65, so rain and dust are not a problem and the same camera works on a shelf in the sitting room or under an eave over the gate.

One detail catches people out. The power adapter in the box is rated for indoor use. The cable is fine outside, the plug end is not, so an outdoor install needs the adapter kept inside or swapped for an outdoor-rated one. Worth planning before you drill.

Recording without paying a monthly fee

Put a microSD card in the camera and it records to the card, including around the clock, with no subscription of any kind. Up to 256GB in exFAT, or 32GB if the card is formatted FAT32. The card is not in the box.

Cam Plus is optional and only buys you the AI layer: person, vehicle, pet and package labels on the alerts. The footage itself is yours either way.

Siren and two-way audio

There is a siren in the camera body, which the cheaper Wyze models do not have. You trigger it from the app, and it is loud enough to make somebody in a yard think twice.

Two-way audio works the same way. Tap in the app and you can speak through the camera, which is as useful for telling a delivery man where to leave a box as it is for anything else.

Where the Wyze Cam v3 still makes sense

It is the value pick. 1080p across a 121 degree view is enough for a gate, a shop counter, a corridor or a store room, and colour night vision at this price is the reason the camera built its reputation.

If the footage will be used to identify faces or number plates rather than just to see that something happened, spend the extra on the Wyze Cam v4, which shoots 2.5K and adds spotlights. Manufacturer specs are on the Wyze Cam v3 page.