Wyze Launches $69.98 Solar Cam and $59.98 Battery Cam
Wyze Goes Wire-Free Again: Two New Outdoor Cameras
Wyze is expanding its wire-free outdoor lineup. The budget smart home brand announced two new cameras on its community forum on October 20: the Wyze Solar Cam and the Wyze Battery Cam. Both are wire-free 2K cameras with an IP65 weather rating, AI person detection, color night vision, a built-in spotlight, and two-way audio.
The pricing is classic Wyze. The Solar Cam is listed at $69.98 in the US and CA$89.98 in Canada, while the Battery Cam comes in at $59.98 in the US and CA$79.98 in Canada. But before you buy, there are caveats worth knowing — including whether those prices are launch promotions, which integrations are still unconfirmed, and how the new models compare to Wyze’s existing cameras.
What Wyze Announced
According to a detailed breakdown by SmarterHome.guru, Wyze introduced both cameras in a forum post on October 20. The shared feature list covers 2K video, AI person detection, color night vision, a built-in spotlight, two-way audio, wire-free installation, and IP65-rated weather resistance. The forum announcement included no model numbers or ship dates.
The Solar Cam’s product page adds a few extras: a siren, local recording to microSD, and the promise of “Wire-Free. No Hub.” Wyze claims the battery lasts up to 4 months with no sun at all — and, citing Wyze’s figures as reported by 9to5Google, just one hour of direct sunlight a day should be enough to keep it charged indefinitely. 9to5Google says the Solar Cam is available now.
Solar Cam Specs: What We Know
These are the Solar Cam specifications reported by 9to5Google and shown on Wyze’s own product pages:
- 2K sensor (2304 x 1296)
- 130-degree field of view
- Built-in 1.77 W solar panel
- 5,200 mAh battery
- 100-lumen spotlight
- Siren and microSD local recording
- “Up to 4 months” of battery with no sun; one hour of direct sun per day keeps it charged (Wyze’s claim)
Battery Cam: More Questions Than Answers
Details on the Battery Cam are thinner. Beyond the shared feature list, Wyze has not confirmed its battery capacity, rated battery life, or whether the battery is removable. It is also unclear whether the new camera works with Wyze’s existing add-on solar panel.
For comparison, the current Battery Cam Pro lists 2.5K HDR video, removable 6,200 mAh battery packs, and dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi — none of which is confirmed for the new model. Tom’s Guide called the Pro a reliable, inexpensive battery camera but wished its video were clearer. Wyze has not said whether the new Battery Cam replaces the Pro or sits below it.
How They Stack Up Against Wyze’s Existing Cameras
The new Solar Cam looks like a fixed-view, lower-priced alternative to Wyze’s panning solar camera, while the Battery Cam’s place in the lineup is less clear:
| Solar Cam (new) | Solar Cam Pan 2K | Battery Cam Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price seen | $69.98 (during Wyze Week) | From $79.98 (deal) | $99.98 (Home Depot) |
| Video | 2K (2304 x 1296) | 2K, 360-degree pan / 70-degree tilt | 2.5K HDR |
| Field of view | 130 degrees | 130 degrees diagonal | Not listed |
| Battery | 5,200 mAh | 6,400 mAh, non-removable | Removable 6,200 mAh packs |
| Solar | Built-in 1.77 W | Built-in 1.8 W | Optional add-on panel |
Sources for the comparison figures: Wyze’s Solar Cam Pan 2K page and support tech specs, Wyze’s Battery Cam Pro page, and a Home Depot listing, as compiled by SmarterHome.guru. None of the figures were independently verified.
Smart Home Integrations: The Gaps
These are Wi-Fi cameras that connect without a hub, according to Wyze’s product pages. What they do not claim is equally notable. SmarterHome.guru found no mention of Matter, Thread, Zigbee, or Z-Wave support on the pages it checked, and no stated support for Apple Home, SmartThings, or Home Assistant. It also could not confirm whether the cameras support 5 GHz Wi-Fi or only 2.4 GHz.
Alexa and Google Assistant support is unconfirmed for the new models. That may simply be a launch-timing detail — Wyze’s Battery Cam Pro page does list Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT integrations, so there is precedent for voice assistant support arriving with or shortly after launch.
On storage: microSD recording is listed, but it is not confirmed whether live view or alerts work without Wyze’s cloud. The Solar Cam page promotes Cam Plus, which Wyze describes as “full-length cloud recordings plus advanced AI” — and it is unconfirmed whether person detection works free or requires a subscription. Separately, Wyze’s cloud-based Stories feature is now a $4.99-per-camera monthly add-on. Budget buyers should factor in ongoing costs if they want full cloud clips.
Pricing: List Price or Launch Promotion?
The US prices come from product-page metadata seen during Wyze’s site-wide Wyze Week sale, and SmarterHome.guru could not confirm whether $69.98 and $59.98 are permanent list prices or promotions. Wyze’s own site menu tags the Solar Cam as “New” and “DEAL … From $69.98” while the “Save up to 40%” sale runs — which suggests the price could rise after the sale ends. There is no UK listing for either camera, even though Wyze’s site has a UK region.
The Bigger Questions Around Wyze
The timing of this launch is awkward. Just days earlier, Wirecutter published a piece on October 16 titled “Why We’re Pausing Our Recommendation of Wyze Smart Home Devices” — a notable hesitation from one of the most influential review outlets in the space. It is not the first time: Wirecutter previously dropped Wyze cameras in September 2023 after a web-portal glitch exposed other users’ feeds, and in February 2024 about 13,000 users were briefly able to see thumbnails from other people’s cameras after an outage.
Two practical caveats for buyers: Wyze’s Solar Cam Pan support page notes that solar charging pauses below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius) — it is unknown whether the new Solar Cam behaves the same way, which matters for Canadian buyers paying CA$89.98. And the Pan’s page carries a recall check for early units bought on or before April 3, 2026, covering some units “where the solar panel was attached to the top of the camera”; whether the new Solar Cam shares that design is unknown. There are no hands-on reviews of either new camera yet — performance and battery life claims come from Wyze.
Why This Launch Matters
Wyze is betting that the wire-free outdoor camera remains the entry point for mainstream smart home buyers — and the sub-$70 bracket is getting crowded. Ring’s new 4K cameras start at $69.99, and Blink just debuted its first 4K cameras alongside an expanded outdoor lineup. Wyze’s edge has always been price, and at $59.98 and $69.98 these two cameras undercut most of the field. If those prices are launch promotions that rise later, the edge narrows.
What will decide this launch is not the spec sheet but three open questions: real-world battery life, whether person detection works without a subscription, and whether Alexa and Google Assistant support arrives quickly. Until hands-on reviews land, this is a “read the fine print” launch — cheap and interesting, but with enough unknowns that it is worth waiting for independent testing before mounting one above your front door.