With the array of security cameras making their way onto the market, the decision to find the "best" one can be tough. The Wyze Cam and Cam Pan are both fantastic cameras, with enough differing features to make the choice a bit more difficult.
Wyze Cam Pan
Versatility king
Pros
- 120-degree Field of View
- View range of 360-degrees with rotating base
- 6-IR LEDs for improved Night Vision
- Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa integration
Cons
- No support for 5GHz networks
- Expandable storage limited to 32GB microSD
The Wyze Cam Pan is a fantastic security camera with the ability to pan across the entire room, and then some, while also providing improved Night Vision capabilities. There are some limitations, but none of these will make you wanting to look elsewhere for a great security camera for your home.
Wyze Cam
Still great
Pros
- Small and light enough to place anywhere
- Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa integration
- Less expensive
Cons
- No support for 5GHz networks
- Expandable storage limited to 32GB microSD
- Fewer IR LEDs for Night Vision
- Smaller aperture and focal length
While not as impressive as the Cam Pan, the Wyze Cam is still a great security camera since it's light enough to be placed anywhere in your home. This, combined with the lower price point, will make it easier to get cameras in every corner of your home.
Wyze figured out how to provide excellent "budget" security cameras for your home with the Wyze Cam Pan and Wyze Cam. The Cam Pan gets the advantage thanks to the broader field of view, along with that it can pan across 360-degrees in just 3-seconds, and can even tilt. The standard Cam is excellent due to its small size since you can put these pretty much anywhere, and Wyze includes the mounting kit needed to get these installed, but you will have to be okay with a stationary camera. So, which one should you choose?
Extremely similar, but vastly different
When looking at these two cameras, you would think that there would be a night and day difference, and that is true in some aspects. However, outside of the design and some key features, the Cam Pan and Cam are incredibly similar, which is great for those who don't want to break the bank on an in-home security system. Let's look at the specs.
| Wyze Cam Pan | Wyze Cam | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 5.02" x 2.36" x 2.36" | 2.2" x 1.97" x 1.97" |
| Weight | 249g | 100g |
| CPU | 1.0GHz | 1.0GHz |
| RAM | 128MB | 128MB |
| Resolution | 1080p | 1080p |
| Digital Zoom | 8x | 8x |
| Field of View | 120-degrees | 110-degrees |
| Night Vision | 6 IR LEDs | 4 IR LEDs |
| 2-Way Audio | Yes | Yes |
| microSD | Up to 32GB | Up to 32GB |
The design of these cameras is the first significant difference, as the Cam Pan measures in at more than 5-inches tall, while the Cam is only a bit more than 2-inches tall. The Cam Pan is also much heavier, weighing in at almost 250g (8.78oz), compared to the smaller Cam which weighs in at only 100g (3.53oz). However, the reason for the Cam Pan being so much larger brings us to the next major difference with the ability to pan across 360-degrees and tilt up to 93-degrees.
Being able to view every corner of the room is something that can come in extremely handy, as you won't have to worry about the fact that your security camera "missed" something because it was outside the field of view. Speaking of, the Cam Pan features a 120-degree lens, which is slightly wider than the 110-degrees offered by the Cam.
The ability to view 360-degrees around your placement of the camera is beneficial, and you can even use IFTTT integration to set up automatic panning schedules. There is IFTTT integration with the Wyze Cam, but you would likely need a couple of these in order to be able to view the same amount of area as what's covered by the Cam Pan.
Another difference can be found in the Night Vision capabilities. While both cameras are capable of viewing up to almost 30 feet with the included IR LEDs, the Cam Pan includes 6 of these specific lights, whereas the Cam only sports two of the same LEDs. The additional LEDs in the Cam Pan don't provide any additional range, but Wyze states that it will be able to distinguish "18 steps of gray", which will provide users with a much clearer image when Night Vision is engaged.
How similar are these cameras?
When running down the spec sheet for both the Cam Pan and Cam, you'll notice that the similarities are striking, and that's for good reason. Wyze took everything that was great about the Wyze Cam and included it in the Wyze Cam Pan. This includes features such as the CPU, amount of RAM, camera resolution, and more.
Some other similarities between these two come in the form of the extra functionalities of these cameras. Both of these camera support two-way audio, push notifications, microSD card expansion, and can be integrated with either Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, along with IFTTT for scheduling purposes.
Wyze really did the right thing here because you can use the standard Wyze Cam in individual rooms, but larger areas would be better suited by the Cam Pan. So it made sense for there to not be too much disparity in what these two cameras are capable of providing users when it comes to keeping your home secure.
When it comes to "budget" cameras, you usually expect to see the company make its money in other areas, such as a subscription. That's not the case with Wyze, as the company includes "free, rolling 14-day cloud storage". This gives you access to your video recordings for up to 14-days at a time before the footage from day one gets overwritten with the footage from day 15.
Which camera should you get?
We've mentioned a few times that the Wyze Cam Pan and Cam are both similar in the camera quality and other features. However, the Cam Pan takes the cake due because it can pan across 360-degrees for full coverage of an area. With the broader field of view and better Night Vision capabilities, it is our top choice.
That's not to say that the Wyze Cam should just be tossed to the side. It's a competent security camera, but it just does not match the versatility offered by the Cam Pan. The lighter weight and magnetic base make the standard Cam easier to put in different places so that you can have this in any room without the worry of additional mounting brackets.
Wyze Cam Pan
Versatility king
Versatility of a 360-degree view
Wyze knocked it out of the park with the Cam Pan thanks to the ability to pan up to 360-degrees, and even tilt up and down to make sure you see everything that's going on. There are some limitations, such as not being able to use this with a 5GHz network, but that won't limit the performance of this camera.
Wyze Cam
Still great
Fantastic budget security camera
The Wyze Cam is perfect for those who just want a camera to be pointed in one direction in your home. You won't be able to pan or tilt the lens, and the Night Vision is not as good, but it will do the job just fine, and then some.
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