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In this guide
The Wyze Cam v4 is a wired 2.5K camera for indoor or outdoor use that Wyze lists at $44.98 in a single pack, $87.98 for two and $129.98 for three, in white, grey or black. It keeps the shape of the earlier v3: a small polycarbonate cube on a folding stand with a magnetic base, fed by a 6-foot flat cable from a 5 V, 1 A wall adapter. There is no battery and no 5 GHz radio.
The pitch is a lot of hardware for under $50, and the catch is that the smart features live in a subscription called Cam Plus at $2.99 a month per camera. What sets the v4 apart from most cameras at this price is that continuous recording to a microSD card is free, so a buyer who never subscribes still ends up with a working recorder. Below is what the base price covers and what it does not.
Our verdict
For $44.98 the hardware is unusually complete, and free 24/7 local recording makes it usable with no subscription; the limits are a 2.4 GHz-only radio, a micro-USB connector, and AI alerts that live behind Cam Plus.
- A good fit for
- Someone putting a few plug-in cameras around a house or apartment, will put a microSD card in each, and is fine with a phone app and cloud dependence for live view.
- We would skip it if
- You want a camera that works with no internet, your network is 5 GHz only, you need battery power, or you expect person detection without paying monthly.
Reasons to consider it
- 2560x1440 video with a starlight sensor, WDR and color night vision at a sub-$50 price
- Continuous local recording to a microSD card up to 256 GB with no subscription
- IP65 body, a 72-lumen spotlight, a 99 dB siren and two-way talk in a 2-inch cube
The compromises
- 2.4 GHz only, and live view requires an internet connection even on the local network
- Micro-USB power over a 6-foot cable; an outdoor adapter is a separate item
- Cloud clips and person, pet, vehicle and package detection need Cam Plus at $2.99 a month per camera
What we have not verified: The camera was not installed here. Night image quality, motion detection reliability without Cam Plus, latency of the live stream, and how the spotlight and siren behave in practice were not assessed. The free tier's event clip length is not stated on the maker's pages.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
Wyze Cam v4 (1 Pack, White)
2560x1440 video, a starlight sensor with color night vision, WDR, a 72-lumen spotlight, a siren, IP65 weather resistance and free 24/7 recording to a microSD card, at $44.98.
Before you buy: It needs 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and an internet connection, is powered over micro-USB, and its AI alerts and cloud storage are a $2.99-a-month add-on.
Price checked September 11, 2026. Retailer prices can change.2.5K from a starlight sensor, at 20 frames a second by day
The sensor is a CMOS part Wyze calls a starlight sensor, recording 2560 by 1440 in H.264 at 20 frames per second in daylight and 15 at night. Wide dynamic range is on, digital zoom goes to 8x, and the field of view is 115.8 degrees diagonal, 98.5 horizontal and 53.1 vertical. Night vision comes two ways: four 850 nm infrared LEDs for black and white, and two white spotlight LEDs rated at 72 lumens that let the camera keep recording in color. The lens is a glass and plastic assembly; the ring on the maker's product photo reads F1.6 and 2.8 mm, though neither figure appears in the written specs.
Two numbers deserve a pause. Twenty frames per second is fine for identifying a person and short of the 30 many buyers assume; fast motion will look choppier than on a phone. And 72 lumens is a porch nightlight, not a floodlight: enough to give the sensor color at a few feet, not enough to light a driveway. Wyze does not publish the sensor size or a low-light lux figure, so the color night vision claim rests on Wyze's comparison images.
Wired only, 2.4 GHz only, and 802.11ax on top of that
There is no battery. The camera runs from the included 5 V, 1 A indoor adapter over a 6-foot flat cable that ends in micro-USB at the camera, which in 2026 is a dated choice and means the supplied lead is the one you will use. An outdoor power adapter is a separate Wyze accessory. The radio is 2.4 GHz only with 802.11ax support, and the FAQ is direct that 5 GHz networks are not supported. Bluetooth 5.2 is present for setup. The camera also requires an internet connection to show a live stream in the app, so it is not a LAN-only device.
The cube is 2 by 2 by 2 3/8 inches and weighs 0.49 pounds, and it ships with a wall mount plate, adhesive tape for it, and a screw kit; the base is magnetic, so it also sticks to a metal mount or surface. The IP65 rating covers dust and water jets, and the operating range is -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Integrations are Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT, plus Wyze Web View in a browser. One gap: the v4 is not compatible with Wyze Home Monitoring, which the FAQ acknowledges as a wish-list item.
Local recording is free; the alerts that matter are $2.99 a month
Put a microSD card in and the v4 records continuously, around the clock, with no plan. The published specs cap the card at 256 GB while the FAQ answer allows 512 GB, so treat 256 as the safe figure. No card is included; Wyze sells 32 GB for $18.98, 128 GB for $29.98 and 256 GB for $38.98, and a bundle of the camera with a 32 GB card is $59.98. Cloud storage, 14-day clip retention, full-length event clips and person, pet, vehicle and package detection all belong to Cam Plus at $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year per camera, with a 30-day free trial. Cam Unlimited covers every camera on an account for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
What the pages do not say is how long a motion event clip is, or how long it is kept, when you decline Cam Plus. That figure settles whether the free tier is only a recorder or a recorder plus a usable alert feed, and it should be confirmed with Wyze support. For three cameras, Cam Plus on each is $8.97 a month, which makes Cam Unlimited the cheaper option from the fourth camera on and roughly a wash at three.
Returns, a warranty term that reads two ways, and where it sits in the range
Direct purchases from wyze.com can be returned in the month after purchase, in original condition with all cords, adapters and packaging; shipping charges are not refunded, and purchases from other retailers are handled by that retailer. On coverage, the camera's own page prints a single line, 1-Year, while the policy document dated June 12, 2026 sets 18 months for items purchased at wyze.com on or after January 1, 2026 and one year for purchases from authorized retailers. The policy is the governing text, but the two pages disagree and a buyer should hold onto the order number either way. Wyze may replace with new or refurbished units, and claims go through a support ticket with the order number or receipt.
In Wyze's own range the v4 slots in above the $25.98 Cam v3 and below the $49.98 Cam v3 Pro, with the pan-and-tilt Cam Pan v4 at $59.98 and the wire-free Battery Cam Pro at $89.98. A refurbished v4 is $25.98 with a one-year term of its own. The three-pack at $129.98 works out to $43.33 per camera, and oddly the black three-pack is $131.98. A clear-shell version exists only in two and three packs.
Skip it when you need no cloud in the loop, or 5 GHz
Pass on the v4 if the requirement is a camera that keeps working with the internet down or streams only inside your own network: live view needs a connection to Wyze's service, and Wyze's pages are silent on RTSP or any local stream. Walk away as well if your router runs 5 GHz only or you had planned to hide the camera somewhere a 2.4 GHz signal will not reach, and if micro-USB power in a damp spot bothers you, since the outdoor adapter is an extra purchase.
If the job needs a battery, Wyze's Battery Cam Pro at $89.98 is the wire-free option; if it needs to follow motion across a room, the Cam Pan v4 at $59.98 does that. And if the plan involves Wyze Home Monitoring, the v4 does not work with it. For a plug-in camera with a card in it and no monthly bill, though, $44.98 buys more sensor and more weatherproofing than the price suggests, and that is the case for it.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- Wyze: Wyze Cam v4 product page (opens in a new tab)
- Wyze: Cam Plus (opens in a new tab)
- Wyze: Return Policy and Limited Warranty Terms (opens in a new tab)
- Wyze: store catalog feed (opens in a new tab)
