Wyze Launches First 4K Security Camera: Cam Pan v4 with Advanced AI Features

Wyze unleashes its first 4K camera with Cam Pan v4

The fourth version of Wyze's pan-and-tilt camera shoots video in 4K and boasts an upgraded AI motion-tracking chip. Wyze was an early player in the budget home security camera game, but it's been slow to adopt 4K video resolution -- until now, anyway. Available starting today, the Wyze Cam Pan v4 marks the manufacturer's first 4K security cam, following in the footsteps of TP-Link's Tapo and other home security brands that have already gone the 4K route. Landing just two weeks after Wyze's dual-lens Duo Cam Pan (which packs a pair of 2K cameras), the Wyze Cam Pan v4 carries over most of the features of its predecessor, the Cam Pan v3 from 2023. Among those features are 180-degree tilt coverage and 360-degree panning, along with IP65-rated weather protection, meaning it's dust-tight and resistant to low-pressure water jets sprayed from any angle. Compatible with Alexa and Google Home (but not Apple Home), the Cam Pan v4 also offers color night vision, two-way audio (albeit with an "improved" speaker and microphone this time around), and a privacy mode that points the camera lens straight down. New for the upgraded Cam Pan is its 4K video resolution, which promises sharper image quality when zooming in on smaller areas of captured video events. Wyze's previous cameras were capped at either 2K or 1080p resolution. Bolstering the Cam Pan v4's 4K resolution is its dual-band Wi-Fi, which allows the camera to connect to the faster, less crowded, and greater-bandwidth 5GHz wireless spectrum. In contrast, the Cam Pan v3 is a single-band Wi-Fi camera that's restricted to the 2.4GHz spectrum, which is slower and more crowded than the 5GHz band and tends to perform better over longer distances. Along with the Cam Pan v4's 4K and dual-band Wi-Fi capabilities comes a new chip that offers AI-powered person, vehicle, and pet detection. That would mark a major boost compared to previous Wyze camera that relied on the cloud for AI object detection, but it's not clear whether a paid Wyze subscription plan is required to unlock AI-enabled motion alerts. We've reached out to Wyze for more details. Also new for the Cam Pan v4 is a motion-activated spotlight with a built-in siren, good for scaring off detected intruders, while a new universal mount lets you affix the camera to walls, eaves, and ceilings. As with its predecessor, the Cam Pan v4 supports MicroSDXC cards up to 512GB, which allows for local storage of motion events. For those who prefer cloud storage, Wyze offers a trio of plans. Cam Plus gives you 14-day video storage, suspicious sound alerts, and AI object detection (again, we're checking if the Cam Pan v4's new AI chip allows for AI detection without a plan) on a single camera for $2.99 a month, while Cam Unlimited adds a multi-cam timeline, smart arm/disarm modes, and friendly face detection on all your Wyze cams for $9.99/month. Cam Unlimited Pro ups the ante with AI-powered search and descriptive alerts, 60-day video storage, and 24/7 emergency dispatch for $19.99 a month. We'll have a full review of the Wyze Cam Pan v4 once we check out a sample unit.

Wyze just launched its first 4K security camera, and it's only $60

Wyze is launching its first-ever camera that supports 4K video recording in the Wyze Cam Pan V4, available startting today for just shy of $60. The Wyze Cam Pan V4 is, in many ways, very similar to its predecessor. The camera supports 360-degree rotation and 180-degree tilt to create an effective no-blind-spot experience. The only camera that has more coverage is the "Duo" model that launched recently which adds a secondary fixed camera to the same hardware. The big addition, though, is in resolution. This is the first time Wyze has built a camera with 4K, and that added resolution brings a lot more detail to every shot. In particular, Wyze says it will boost various AI-powered features, explaining: With the clarity and detail of 4K, Wyze's advanced AI features can easily track critical movements from faces, license plates, and furry friends, without getting "distracted" by mundane motions, like a waving branch. Combined with pan and tilt capabilities, color night vision, and an added motion-activated spotlight, Wyze Cam Pan v4 reduces the number of cameras needed to monitor any area of the home, indoor or out. Wyze Cam Pan V4 is available starting today from Wyze and retailers such as Amazon, and it costs just $59.98. And, like prior models, it still supports a microSD card for local footage storage. Meanwhile, leaks have just revealed Google's first Nest camera upgrades in nearly four years, and the resolution is only being bumped up to "2K," likely for a far higher price than Wyze is charging here. What do you think of the first Wyze camera with 4K video?