Reviews You Can Rely On

Wyze Cam Pan v3 Review

A great camera that offers incredible performance, enhanced by the ability to pan and tilt — you won't be disappointed
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Wyze Cam Pan v3 Review
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $40 List
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Manufacturer:   Wyze
By Matt Spencer and Benjamin Hickok  ⋅  Nov 13, 2023
85
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#1 of 12
  • Recorded Video Quality - 35% 8.9
  • Monitoring Performance - 35% 7.8
  • Ease of Use - 30% 8.7

Our Verdict

We highly recommend the Wyze Cam Pan v3 because of its rich features, easy-to-use application, excellent performance, and surprisingly budget-friendly price tag. This camera does exhibit the same minor latency issues when watching live video, something all Wyze cameras seem to have, but it's our only gripe and hardly detracts from how great the camera did across every other test and evaluation we put it through. This is by far one of our favorite home security cams and is very economical. This unit is also great for those looking for a camera that doesn't need a subscription service to function. Our article on the best security cameras will show you how it fares versus competing products.
REASONS TO BUY
Color night vision
360 pan and tilt
No subscription required
Supports 256GB SD card
Budget-friendly
Indoor or outdoor use
REASONS TO AVOID
IR lights are very visible
Background noise on live feed
Minor audio delay on live feed

Compare to Similar Products

 
wyze cam pan v3
This Product
Wyze Cam Pan v3
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Camera
Best Buy Award
Best Camera On a Budget
   
Price $40 List
$39.98 at Amazon
$30 List
$28.51 at Amazon
$36 List
$31.99 at Amazon
$30 List$30 List
$29.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line An exceptional and affordable camera that builds on the success of the previous modelThis very affordable security camera offers exceptional performanceA top-performing camera at a below-average price that doesn't require a subscription to unlock most of its featuresA reasonable, do-it-all camera at an affordable priceThis camera performed poorly in all of our assessments making it a bad choice regardless of the price
Rating Categories Wyze Cam Pan v3 Wyze Cam OG Wyze Cam v3 YI 1080p Home Blink Mini
Recorded Video Quality (35%)
8.9
8.4
7.5
6.5
5.1
Monitoring Performance (35%)
7.8
7.8
7.8
7.8
4.2
Ease of Use (30%)
8.7
8.7
8.7
8.4
4.7
Specs Wyze Cam Pan v3 Wyze Cam OG Wyze Cam v3 YI 1080p Home Blink Mini
Camera Type (Indoor or Outdoor) Indoor and Outdoor Indoor and Outdoor Indoor Only Indoor and Outdoor Indoor Only
WiFi Type 2.4 GHz
802.11b/g/n
2.4 GHz
802.11b/g/n
2.4 GHz
802.11b/g/n
2.4 GHz
802.11b/g/n
2.4 GHz
802.11g/n
Encryption Types H.263 256-bit encryption
and SSL
AES 128-bit AES 128-bit AES 128-bit
Resolutions Available 1080p 1080p 1080p 1080p 1080p
Video FPS 20 FPS Day
15 FPS Night
N/A 20 FPS Day
15 FPS Night
20 FPS Day
15 FPS Night
Up to 30 FPS
Wired or Battery Wired Battery Wired Wired Wired
Smart Device Compatability Amazon Alexa
Google Assistant
IFTTT
Not Supported Amazon Alexa
Google Assistant
IFTTT
Amazon Alexa
Google Assistant
IFTTT
Amazon Alexa
Siren Volume (dB) 67.6 dB 70.2 dB 67.8 dB 66.0 dB N/A

Our Analysis and Test Results

We've evaluated a lot of security cameras over the years, running all of them through a gauntlet of measurements and tests designed to rate their respective performances across three major metrics, recorded video quality, monitoring performance, and ease of use. Our metrics help to determine which models provide crisp, clear images and which provide barely usable footage.

Overall, we found the Wyze Cam Pan v3 performed very well, and is one of the more impressive home security cameras our team has tested.

Performance Comparison


This cam can pan and tilt covering a wide range at a fast 120 degrees per second.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Recorded Video Quality


Our recorded video quality tests are responsible for 35% of each camera's overall score, and are broken down into video quality, night vision, and field of view (FOV), and motion sub-metrics. The Wyze Cam Pan V3 outperformed the competition in these tests and generally outpaced the bulk of the competition by more than 10 basis points.


Video quality can make the difference between simply seeing somebody at your front door or actually recognizing a person at your front door. Higher resolution and frame rates of at least 20 FPS are the standard today. However, the sensor quality, lens, and processing technology of security cameras are not equal across the gamut of options available on the market today.

For our night vision sub-metric, the second set of recorded video quality test measurements, the Wyze Cam Pan V3 blew away the competition. In the world of security cameras, it offers the best color night vision performance with a built-in spotlight and incredible infrared vision.

Infrared lights on the v3 can overexpose glossy white objects, but most details remain sharp and usable.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Compared to the camera on a mobile phone, which recorded nothing but pitch black, the V3 recorded full-color night vision. The infrared vision also produced crisp video quality, with a single minor caveat that glossy white surfaces can be too bright when illuminated by the built-in infrared LEDs. For example, a license plate can be a little overexposed due to its glossy and reflective nature. However, while license plates were very bright, they were still easily readable in the recorded videos. As are the details of a human face and smaller details, such as the graphics on clothing.

wyze cam pan v3 - the v3 provides incredible performance, indoors or outdoors, day or...
The v3 provides incredible performance, indoors or outdoors, day or night, and has a very economical price tag.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

The Wyze Cam Pan V3 also did well in our third recorded video quality sub-metric — field of view and motion. The camera lens offers a fairly normal 120 degree field of view, but the camera can pan and tilt, with a 360 degree horizontal range, and a 180 degree vertical range of motion. It's also capable of making those movements at a rate of 110 degrees per second, allowing you to attain the maximum amount of coverage of your property, indoors or outdoors.

Additionally, the v3 has a performance-enhancing security feature that can automatically follow movement, so you'll never miss a thing.

wyze cam pan v3 - the wyze cam pan v3 can be used indoors or outdoors and covers 360...
The Wyze Cam Pan v3 can be used indoors or outdoors and covers 360 degrees with panning and tilting features.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Monitoring Performance


The Wyze Cam Pan v3 did a great job in our monitoring performance tests, with only a couple of minor caveats. When watching a live video feed, there is a tiny delay in video (although it's hardly noticeable), but the sound has a noticeable delay of more than a second, which is much more noticeable.


Also, like many of the security cameras we've tested, video quality can get a little bit blurry on fast moving objects near the camera. While the video occasionally blurred, it wasn't bad enough to affect its usability, but it did keep this camera from scoring higher overall for monitoring performance.

The v3 does an excellent job of monitoring and detecting motion in its field of view.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Very few cameras that we tested performed better than the Wyze when it came to live video quality, speaker sound, or sound picked up by the microphone, and it earned commensurate high marks for that performance.

Another excellent job monitoring motion within its field of view.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use


Our test team found the Wyze camera app to be easy and intuitive to navigate and use. An 'Events' tab on the home screen lets you navigate to and view all of your recorded events. A 'Monitoring' tab provides controls for your home security if you are subscribed to those additional services. An 'Account' tab lets you check all of your account and service details. The home screen also lets you access and manage different features, enabling you to do things like toggle any connected camera on or off. You can also easily watch live feeds, manually record, or access any connected camera with a tap from the home screen, taking you to a screen of options specific to the camera selected.


The camera app provides options for a wide array of events for notifications and will alert for general motion, people, packages, vehicles, and animals. You can even receive notifications when sounds are detected.

Its easy to adjust advanced settings on the Wyze cameras.
Credit: Matt Spencer

Wyze incorporated both smoke and carbon monoxide alarm detection and notifications for when the camera is used indoors. It does this by listening for the specific alarm sound generated by smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms and then generates alerts — further increasing the safety and security of you, your loved ones, pets, and property while you are away from home.

wyze cam pan v3 - local sd card storage supports up to 256gb.
Local SD card storage supports up to 256GB.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Should You Buy the Wyze Cam Pan v3?


The Wyze Cam Pan v3 builds on the already great Wyze V3 and adds both tilt and pan to its features. Incredible night vision performance and quality, multiple wireless encryption methods, great FOV, 1080p resolution, Alexa, Google, and IFTTT compatibility, and a very affordable price tag with no real gotchas in terms of subscription services, all make the Wyze Cam Pan v3 one of the best security cameras for inside or outside your home. This is one of our all-time favorite security cameras that we've tested. So should you buy the Wyze Cam Pan v3? Yes. Yes, you should. There may be nuances that make you lean toward another camera, but overall the v3 will meet and probably exceed most expectations.

What Other Security Cameras Should You Consider?


The Wyze Cam Pan v3 records a relatively standard 1080p video at a rate of 20 frames per second with a 120 degree lens, so if you need faster frame rates or a higher video resolution, then you may need to look at models like the Arlo Pro 4 with a 2k resolution at 25 FPS, or the Arlo Ultra 2 Wireless with 4k resolution at 25 FPS. While they may not be our all-around favorites, they may meet your specific needs. A wider field of view is also available on other cameras, but with the ability to pan and tilt, the Pan v3 allows you to see virtually anything versus being limited to a static 140 degree field of view.

wyze cam pan v3 - in our experience, wyze produces cameras you can count on.
In our experience, Wyze produces cameras you can count on.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Matt Spencer and Benjamin Hickok