Wyze Sense Security System Review

Wyze Sense is the most affordable home security system on the market. It has a starter kit price that puts even the cheap Ring Alarm system to shame.

You’ll barely put a dent in your budget to get a basic Wyze Sense system up and running. Just don’t expect all of the bells and whistles (or the range of equipment) you’d get with something like Vivint or ADT. Also, you’re gonna have to monitor it yourself.

Did we mention that the Wyze Sense system is cheap? For the most basic Wyze Sense starter kit, you’ll pay only about 20 bucks.

That said, if you don’t already own the Wyze Cam v2 or the Wyze Pan Cam, you’ll need to buy one on top of your starter kit. The Wyze Sense system uses the camera as a hub to support all your other sensors.

If you need a camera, we recommend getting the Wyze Sense Starter Kit + Camera, instead of the Wyze Sense Starter Kit by itself. This kit includes the Wyze Cam v2, and will still only run you $47.96 at the time of this writing.

Wyze Sense Starter Kit + Camera devices: 

• 2 door/window sensors
• 1 motion detector
• 1 bridge (must be plugged into Wyze Cam v2 or Wyze Cam Pan)
• 1 Wyze Cam v2

Price: $47.96

To illustrate just how cheap the Wyze Sense is, check out how much some other DIY home security starter kits cost.

Wyze keeps things pretty simple and doesn’t offer a huge range of security sensors. It offers only the essentials: window/door sensors and motion sensors. You can also get two types of indoor security cameras through Wyze and a smart door lock.

Our favorite thing about Wyze’s security sensors is their size. A lot of home security sensors tend to be an eyesore and can throw off your living room’s decor. Ring Alarm (another affordable security brand) has especially clunky-looking sensors.

But Wyze keeps things discreet. Its entry sensors are small: only 1.1 by 1.2 by 0.9 inches. Compare that to Ring Alarm’s entry sensors, which are 1.56 by 2.09 by 0.55 inches. Ring Alarm’s sensors are almost twice the size of Wyze’s.

Most home security systems use some kind of hub or control panel to connect all your sensors. Wyze doesn’t use a traditional hub. Instead, it opts for a USB-plug bridge.

Plug-in bridges often connect devices like smart door locks or smart lights to your Wi-Fi network. The Wyze bridge does the same thing, but instead of plugging into a wall, it plugs into a Wyze camera’s USB port.

You’ll need either the Wyze Cam v2 or the Wyze Pan Cam for your Wyze Sense system to work. You’ll plug the Wyze Sense bridge into the back of the camera and voilà, your sensors work together, and you can control everything from your smartphone.

Wyze offers two different indoor cameras, and we’ve already mentioned both: the Wyze Cam v2 and the Wyze Pan Cam. Both cameras have good features and low prices. Both record in 1080p HD and offer cloud and local storage. Both also have features like two-way audio and night vision.

The Wyze Cam v2 costs about 26 dollars, and the Wyze Pan Cam costs about 38 dollars. The difference is the Wyze Pan Cam pans and tilts, which gives you a 360º horizontal view of any room you put it in. Whichever camera you choose, both are remarkably cheap for what you get. That’s the Wyze way.

Wyze offers a smart door lock that’s similar to the August Smart Lock Pro. It retrofits your existing deadbolt, so you don’t have to rip the whole apparatus out of your front door. It also offers auto-lock and -unlock, remote control, and guest access. Plus, you get to keep your current keys.

You can snag an accessory keypad for the Wyze Lock if you don’t want to pull out your phone or dig for your keys every time you come home. (Or if you don’t feel comfortable using the auto-unlock feature.) With the keypad, you just punch in a code at the door and open sesame.

Wyze offers a few different options for home automation. You can get a smart light bulb called the Wyze Bulb, or a smart outlet called the Wyze Plug.

Both Wyze’s smart light bulbs and smart plugs work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. You can also control all your Wyze stuff through the mobile app.

You can adjust your lights' brightness through the Wyze app or your smart speaker. Currently, the Wyze Bulb offers only one color: white. But you can still adjust the color temperature from clean, cool, and white to soft, warm white, and everything in between. 

Wyze Sense installation is simple and takes only a few minutes to configure. Just plug in the bridge, sync the sensors, and stick ‘em where you want ‘em.

If you don’t already have a Wyze camera, then the hardest part will be setting that up first. Even then, we can pretty much guarantee you worked harder setting up your TV than you will with this thing.

Wyze Sense installation steps: 

• Download the Wyze app.
• Create an account (if you don’t have one yet).
• Add your new Wyze Cam to your account and pair it with your Wi-Fi network.
• Plug in the Wyze Sense bridge to the back of the camera.
• Go back to the Wyze app and add your sensors as new devices.
• Stick the sensors where you want them. They come ready with adhesive backing.

That’s the basic overview of getting your Wyze Sense system up and running. For more info, check out Wyze’s setup guide.

Wyze’s mobile app gets decent reviews on the Apple App Store (3.4 stars)¹ and Google Play (4 stars).²

The main thing we’ve seen customers complain about is connectivity. Some people have had issues with signal drops and long load times. Nothing’s more annoying than opening a notification only to see that your baby’s nursery camera is offline.

We recommend making sure your Wi-Fi is fast and reliable, so you know if an issue is the app’s fault or just due to an iffy internet connection.

We don't expect much from a $48 security system but Wyze Sense is pretty dang good! For the price, Wyze devices still offer some cool features for such a low price.

Plus, along with the basic security sensors, you can add on smart devices from Wyze. If you want Wyze cameras, a Wyze smart lock, or a Wyze smart bulb, then the Wyze Sense system is one more tool in your smart-home toolbox.

Pricing: We can’t complain about Wyze pricing: it’s incredibly cheap. If you want basic security sensors, this is a great budget buy.

Equipment: Wyze Sense offers basic security sensors, like door and window sensors and a motion detector. It doesn’t offer extras like flood/freeze sensors or smoke alarms. It doesn’t even have a keypad.

Home automation: Wyze offers some cool smart devices that will work with your other Wyze stuff. You can add on a Wyze smart lock, Wyze smart light bulb, or Wyze smart wall plug. And you can control everything through the Wyze mobile app, IFTTT, or your smart speaker.

Installation: The hardest part of installation is setting up your Wyze camera. And even that should take only a few minutes. All the sensors are peel-and-stick for easy installation.

Customer experience: Wyze’s mobile app gets fairly good reviews, but some customers have reported issues with connectivity. If your camera keeps dropping off your Wi-Fi, check your internet connection.

On the whole, Wyze Sense is a pretty good choice for the cheapest of cheap security systems. If you want something with more types of sensors or professional monitoring, check out our Best Home Security Systems review for other options.

Sources

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