Unlocking the Full Potential of Your Wyze Camera: A Guide to Missing Features
Wyze cameras are renowned for offering a rich set of features at an affordable price. However, you might find that a specific function you have read about, like person detection or cloud video recording, seems to be missing from your app. This is a common point of confusion for new users.
This guide will explain the most common reasons why features might not be available and show you how to enable them.
The Role of Wyze Subscriptions
The most frequent reason for "missing" features is that they are part of a paid subscription plan, most notably Cam Plus. Wyze's business model is to sell affordable hardware and offer optional software enhancements through subscriptions.
Here is a breakdown of what the free plan typically includes versus what Cam Plus unlocks:
Free Basic Plan:
- Live streaming
- Motion and sound alerts (notifications with a thumbnail image)
- MicroSD card slot for continuous local recording
- A 12-second cloud-saved video clip every 5 minutes (with a "cooldown" period in between)
Cam Plus Subscription (Paid):
- Full-Length Video Recording: The camera records the entire motion event to the cloud, not just 12 seconds.
- No Cooldown Period: The camera can record new events back-to-back immediately.
- Advanced AI Detection: This is the big one. It unlocks specific notifications for:
- Person Detection
- Package Detection
- Vehicle Detection
- Pet Detection
- Other Perks: Depending on the plan, you might also get features like Web View (viewing cameras in a browser) and more.
If you are trying to find settings for these AI detections or are wondering why your cloud recordings are so short, it is almost certainly because you are on the free plan.
How to Check and Enable Features
Follow these steps to ensure you have access to everything your camera can do.
1. Check for Firmware Updates
Wyze regularly adds new features and bug fixes through firmware updates. An outdated firmware version is a common reason for features not appearing.
- How to Update:
- Open the Wyze app and select the camera you want to check.
- Tap the Settings icon (the gear) in the top right.
- Go to Device Info > Firmware Version.
- The app will tell you if an update is available. If so, tap Update and wait for the process to complete.
2. Review Your Subscription Plan
Confirm whether you have a Cam Plus subscription applied to your camera.
- How to Check:
- In the Wyze app, tap on the Account tab.
- Go to Services.
- Here you can see your active subscriptions (like Cam Plus) and manage which cameras they are assigned to.
- You can subscribe directly through this section of the app if you wish to upgrade.
3. Ensure Features are Enabled in Settings
Even with a subscription, you need to turn the features on.
- How to Enable:
- Go to your camera's Settings.
- Tap on Event Recording. Ensure the 'Detects Motion' toggle is on.
- Tap on Smart Detection. Here, you will see toggles for Person, Package, Vehicle, etc. Make sure the ones you want to use are enabled.
- Next, go to Notifications in the settings menu. Ensure you have enabled notifications for 'Wyze AI Events'.
4. Check Your Camera Model
Finally, remember that some features are hardware-dependent. For example, features specific to the Wyze Cam Pan (like Pan Scan and Motion Tracking) will not be available on a non-panning Wyze Cam v3. Always check the official Wyze website to see which features are supported by your specific camera model.