Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The new Wyze Cam v3 outclasses the Eufy Indoor Cam 2K in features and price

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Bargain indoor/outdoor tech

Wyze Cam

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$26 at Amazon (v2 cam)
$26 at Walmart (v2 cam)
$20 at Wyze (pre-order v3 cam)

Pros

  • IR or color night vision
  • Indoor or outdoor compatible
  • Free 14-day cloud + local storage
  • New Starlight CMOS sensor
  • 130-degree field of view
  • Absurdly cheap

Cons

  • 12-second clip recordings aren’t enough
  • Some AI smarts locked behind subscription
  • No HomeKit support

The new Wyze Cam v3 took an already reliable, budget-priced camera and squeezed in even better tech without raising the price. Widened field-of-view, IP65 water protection, separate indoor and outdoor IR sensors, and a new color night vision mode with an improved camera sensor are just some of the improvements.

High res, no contract

Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K

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$40 at Amazon
$40 at Walmart

Pros

  • 2K resolution
  • Free person/pet detection
  • Up to 128GB microSD storage
  • HomeKit integration enables 24 FPS
  • Lets you record motion-triggered messages

Cons

  • 2FA not available in all countries
  • Indoor only
  • Slightly pricier, no free cloud storage

The Eufy Indoor Cam 2K is designed to work straight out of the box without locking features like person or pet AI detection behind a paywall. Control it with Alexa and Google Assistant commands, or link it with Apple HomeKit for improved FPS performance. Local storage options make up for the lack of free cloud storage.

We’re weighing two of the best budget indoor security cameras today in our Eufy Indoor Cam vs Wyze Cam guide. We’re specifically covering the new Wyze Cam v3, currently available for pre-order but on sale soon with some new and impressive upgrades. While the Eufy Indoor Cam 2K sports better resolution, more storage space, and potentially better FPS, the Wyze Cam is cheaper, has a wider lens with better night vision, and even an outdoor mounting option.

Eufy Indoor Cam vs Wyze Cam: Two high-quality cams

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We’ll start with the meat of the comparison, and break down where these two rival security cams beat one another in camera quality and installation options. Both offer the basics of what you need in a wired indoor security cam at cheap prices, but they exceed those parameters in particular areas — and the Wyze Cam v3 no longer has to stay indoors. Let’s check out the specs.

Price $40 $26
Dimensions 2.17″ x 2.17″ x 4.09″ 2.05″ x 2.01″ x 2.3″
Weight 98g 98.8g
Field of View 125º 130º
Resolution 2K 1080p
FPS 15 (up to 24 with HomeKit) 20
Digital Zoom 8X 8X
Night Vision Infrared Full color
Weather resistance None (indoor only) IP65 water and dust resistance (indoor/outdoor)
Operation temperature 32 to 104 degrees F -5 to 113 degrees F

The new Wyze Cam v3 has added IP65 water resistance, which means you shouldn’t take it swimming but can certainly mount it outdoors in the elements without worry. To support outdoor monitoring, Wyze added a dual IR system with invisible infrared for motion tracking indoors and stronger, bright-red outdoor IR for longer-range tracking in darker settings.

The new Wyze Starlight CMOS takes in 40% more light, enabling color night vision.

Best of all, the Wyze Cam has a new Starlight CMOS Sensor that reportedly takes in 40% more light, enabling it to film at night in color by default. You can switch back to black-and-white if you prefer, but color night mode is a premium feature that most security shoppers seek out. We don’t have an exact number on the Wyze CMOS size, but the Wyze Cam v2 matched the Eufy Indoor Cam with a 1/2.7-inch sensor, so the v3 is most likely a clear upgrade. Eufy relies on black-and-white, but does get a solid 32 feet of range thanks to its eight LEDs.

Wyze also upgraded its frames per second (FPS) from 15 to 20, making fast-moving targets slightly more visible in recordings. Eufy’s base FPS remains 15, but interestingly, the company claims this number jumps to a max of 24 FPS when you sync it with Apple HomeKit. IOS users may have a slight edge here, but generally Wyze wins the frame battle too.

Eufy’s Indoor Cam 2K remains one of the few reasonably priced security cams to rise above 1080p resolution.

Where Eufy remains ahead is in video resolution, hitting 2560×1440 pixels while Wyze remains at an industry-standard 1920×1080 pixels. On the other hand, Wyze just barely beats out Eufy in field of view, winning 130 degrees to 125 degrees — not enough to be a decision-making factor, but still worth considering. Both security cams lack optical zoom and hit 8X digital zoom.

As an indoor/outdoor cam, Wyze Cam thankfully gets some improved mounting options with the v3 model. It comes with a magnetic mount for a quick and easy installation, or you can use screws or nails. Conversely, Eufy only appears to allow you to mount it with screws and a drill.

The Eufy Indoor Cam 2K also has a fixed height thanks to its built-in stand, while the Wyze Cam stand gives you a bit more flexibility to raise its height to clear obstacles or flatten it to make it less obtrusive.

Eufy Indoor Cam vs Wyze Cam: Comparing AI detection and smart home integrations

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Let’s move past physical specs into what these cameras can actually offer you once they spot something — and how much it’ll cost you to unlock the best features.

Eufy charges annually for cloud storage but otherwise makes all its AI features available for free. Meanwhile. Wyze makes some features free, including limited cloud storage, but also has most of its best detection perks locked behind a reasonably priced paywall. We’ve summarized the free and paid features in the table below.

Two-way audio Yes Yes (simultaneous)
Motion / Sound detection Yes Yes
Siren Yes (unknown db) Yes, 80db
Activity zones Yes Yes
Person detection Yes (Free) Yes (only with paid subscription)
Pet detection Yes “Coming Soon” (only with paid subscription)
Package detection No “Coming Soon” (only with paid subscription)
Cloud storage Yes (with $30/year subscription) Free 14-day storage of event clips; or $15/year per camera for unlimited
Local storage / 24/7 recording Yes (Up to 128GB MicroSD, not included) Yes (Up to 32GB MicroSD, not included)
Wi-Fi 2.4GHz 2.4GHz
Smart home integration Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT
Two-factor authentication Only in some countries Yes

The two indoor cams share most of the same free features: motion and sound detection, two-way audio between the cam and your phone, instant mobile motion alerts, customizable motion zones, and 24/7 recording for days using a microSD card. Both respond to Alexa or Google Assistant commands through a separate smart speaker.

Eufy offers strong AI tech at no extra cost, but Wyze is promising future tech like facial recognition and package detection with a subscription.

In terms of what Eufy offers for free that Wyze doesn’t, it firstly can differentiate between humans, pets, and objects, giving you more specialized alerts and fewer false alarms. It also has a larger microSD storage capacity, supporting up to 128GB instead of 32GB with a Wyze Cam. Plus, it has a cool feature allowing you to record voice messages to play if a human or pet enters a particular on-camera Activity Zone that you consider off-limits.

As for the Wyze Cam, it not only detects noises but also warns you specifically if it hears a fire or CO alarm. Plus, it can save 12-second motion-activated clips to the cloud for free, and keep them there for 14 days. Admittedly, 12 seconds really isn’t enough to get a full picture of what is happening, so you’ll likely feel compelled to upgrade.

With the Wyze Cam Plus plan, you get person detection — something that Wyze Cams previously offered for free — and unlimited length for event recordings. Plus, Wyze has a list of AI features “coming soon” that will make their devices even smarter: face recognition, package detection, pet detection, vehicle detection, and event insights. However, we have no indication of how soon these features will arrive.

Eufy charges $30 per year per camera for unlimited cloud storage, while Wyze charges $15 annually per cam.

Eufy Indoor Cam vs Wyze Cam: Which should you buy?

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The Eufy Indoor Cam 2K is the rare exception to the security industry’s tendency to sell you an incomplete product that relies on a monthly subscription to truly work. It has very good resolution for its price, reliable AI detection, and works with most smart systems.

The new Wyze Cam v3 should be your first choice unless you rely on HomeKit.

Despite this, the new Wyze Cam v3 appears to be the clear winner in this battle unless you regularly use Apple HomeKit. With stellar upgrades to its camera specs and night vision, option to magnetically mount it outside, and reasonably priced subscription for rare AI tricks like facial recognition, the cheap Wyze Cam makes it hard to justify spending more money on security, when it does so much for less.

One side note: consider that both of these models have upgraded versions, taking the same camera specs and adding in pan & tilt mechanics for a wider range of coverage and protection. To help decide whether you need this feature for your home security setup, check our Wyze Cam vs Wyze Cam Pan guide, or our Eufy Indoor Cam 2K vs Indoor Cam 2K Pan & Tilt guide.

Bargain indoor/outdoor tech

Wyze Cam

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Shining a bright light on intruders

$26 at Amazon (v2 cam)
$26 at Walmart (v2 cam)
$20 at Wyze (pre-order v3 cam)

The Wyze Cam v3 is one of the most versatile security cams in its price range, with multiple IR settings based on whether you need short- or long-range motion tracking. Upgrades specs make it severely underpriced for what it can do, but be prepared to pay for a Wyze Plus subscription to unlock person detection and unlimited cloud storage.

High res, no contract

Eufy Security Indoor Cam 2K

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HomeKit compatible

$40 at Amazon
$40 at Walmart

With the Eufy Indoor Cam 2K, you pay a cheap price upfront for a quality camera that doesn’t require a monthly fee to unlock its reliable AI. 2K resolution will make your security footage clear as day, and you can control your cams easily with voice assistant commands. Just make sure to check if Eufy supports 2FA in your home country before buying.

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