Wyze Rolls Out Facial Recognition, Professional Monitoring with New Service
The Cam Plus Pro subscription will bring new features to select Wyze security cameras.
The Wyze subscription works with cameras such as the Wyze Cam Pan.
Disclaimer: We aren't recommending that consumers purchase Wyze products at this time. Over the past several years, Wyze has suffered from repeated data leaks and security breaches, including a 2019 user data leak, exposed databases in 2022, and exposed video files that same year. More recently, Wyze has seen both 2023 and 2024 security flaws that let at least 13,000 people see through other Wyze security cams owned by unrelated users.
Currently, Wyze's forum report on the latest breach includes an update from February 19, 2024: "Our engineering team has added a new layer of verification between users and event videos to prevent this from happening again. We've also removed the client library and will not be using caching until we can find a new client library and stress test it for extreme scenarios like we saw on Friday."
This response is a start, but Wyze has repeatedly struggled to reliably update its approach to security and meaningfully communicate with its users. While we have seen security companies bounce back from security problems in the past, we haven't seen this kind of improvement from Wyze at this time. So we aren't suggesting their products or any services where you need to create a Wyze account with your personal info.
We'll keep you updated on Wyze's security and privacy if our recommendations change. If you're looking for security brands that have made notable security improvements or have good privacy track records, we can recommend products from Ring, Google's Nest, Blink, and Arlo.
Wyze made its $4 monthly Cam Plus Pro subscription service widely available this week. The service introduces facial recognition and 24/7 professional monitoring to existing Wyze cameras, including the Wyze Cam v2, v3 and Pan v1.
Cam Plus Pro's professional monitoring feature relies on third-party service Noonlight. Essentially, you'll be able to arm your camera and if the device detects a person, it will alert you and the monitoring service. If you enter a PIN, the alarm will be canceled. If not, the monitoring service will attempt to contact you and, failing that, alert the authorities.
Wyze already offers professional monitoring for its DIY home security system, but the Cam Plus Pro service is distinct -- focusing on camera monitoring rather than tripped sensors. In the case of an emergency, Noonlight agents will be able to forward video captured by the device in the specific event to 911 dispatchers -- but they will not be able to access live video feeds or stored video history.
The cost-conscious smart home security developer has been ramping up development of new devices and services in 2022, launching a $155 gun safe, a $70 fingerprint deadbolt lock and a $40 garage door controller and camera bundle in March and April alone. This accelerated expansion comes after a slow year for Wyze in 2021, in which supply chain challenges led to price hikes for the otherwise wallet-friendly company.