Most users access Google Home through their mobile or smart device, but the app is also available through a web browser. Google Home’s web interface isn’t the best way to access your smart devices, but that is gradually changing. Google adds occasional updates to the client – with the latest one adding new methods of accessing your Nest cameras.
So, what’s new?
Last weekend, Google started rolling out the update, and now, most users should get access to a better version of Google Home for the web. The main feature is access to Nest Cam history with the ability to upload clips. Before the update, you couldn’t view recorded clips through the web version, and users had to resort to the mobile version of Google Home.
Other updates include additions to the platform, like the ability to adjust clips, and access to public previews. Google states that the ability to manage videos will roll out in a few weeks and will support Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell devices.
If you can’t see the features
If you still don’t have access to the new features, you’ll have to wait a few days until your account gets the update.
If you like testing features before they are released, see Public Preview. Public Preview lets you test features before release, but you might face issues or errors. Now that the update is available for Google Home for Web, here are some features that you can get your hands on:
Event editor for Google Home automation
Garage door monitoring for Nest Aware subscribers
Added support for 1st Gen Nest Cams
Remember that you’ll need a Nest Aware subscription to access most of these features, priced at $8/mo. To check out the updated Google Home web platform, visit home.google.com
Wyze has updated its budget camera to the v4 version. Its resolution is now 2.5K. It also includes better night vision and a bigger optical sensor. Together, they create a clear image that compares to some of the best security cameras. Apart from that, the camera has a built-in siren and a projector. With this in mind, the Wyze v4 may become a successor to its previous counterpart, Wyze Cam v3, which was considered the best budget security camera.
Price compared to competitors
Wyze Cam v4 was introduced on 26th March 2024, priced at $35.98. And at the moment of writing this article, it was on sale, and it cost $29.99. However, even $35.98 is cheaper than its direct competitor, the Blink Mini 2 from Amazon, priced at $39. The Wyze Cam has more resolution and a built-in waterproof plug. So you won’t have to buy a separate power supply to power outside, unlike Blink.
#image_title
Design
The Wyze camera got quite a few updates. It’s now available in light gray or white. The rounded corners on the camera give it a more modern look. If one trusts Wyze, the camera’s body has a rating of IP65, which means it can withstand harsh and extreme weather conditions from -20°C to 50°C, along with rain.
Located on the front panel above the Wyze Cam v4 is a projector. The camera lens is at the center. A little below are the status LEDs and microphones from both sides. The back panel at the top part is where the acoustics are. The outdated Micro USB cable is at the center in the back. The user needs to plug the flat 180cm long power supply shipped with the camera. The cable might be hanging between the power supply and the camera.
The lower part of the camera is where the connect button and the microSD card slot are, along with a folding leg with a magnetic base. The Wyze camera can attach itself to the wall thanks to the leg mentioned. You can extend the leg from the bottom part for additional height or to change the camera angle relative to the wall. You can rotate or tilt the camera to create a precise viewing area. Wyze also includes adhesive 3M rings, which easily stick to the bricks or the siding and then attach the camera via the magnetic leg.
Image and sound quality
The Wyze cam has a resolution of 2560×1440 or 2.5K and high productivity in dark places, an advantage compared to its budget competitors. The optic sensor creates a bright and clear view during the day and night, thanks to the saturated colors during night vision. The camera shows a formidable view even with high-contrast lighting.
It isn’t uncommon for budget cameras with low-resolution overload at rapid lighting changes, causing them to flicker or lose their color balance. Since the Wyze camera focuses on the main view rather than background items, that issue doesn’t persist as much.
The Wyze cam, having 2.5K resolution, has more pixels than the average 1080p camera for clear video quality.
A new feature based on artificial intelligence is called Smart Focus. When enabled, the camera automatically zooms in and keeps people in its field of view. So, the built-in AI not only detects what object is visible (a person, a parcel, a vehicle, or an animal), but the AI also tracks it for a few moments.
Of course, one can disable Smart Focus to ensure a wild field of view without zooming in, but the camera detects events and focuses on details so well that I recommend keeping it on. The Wyze cam quickly detects motion and pushes a notification in less than two seconds when the object hits the camera’s point of view. If you don’t have Wyze’s subscription, you will only get a screenshot of what triggered the event, and you will have to wait five minutes to get an update. That long waiting period can be disheartening, especially if you were to miss an important notification.
But Wyze offers an alternative solution. The camera supports saving recordings locally on an SD card, which does not require a subscription.
The camera detects motion well at night since it has plausible IR vision. Also, you can use the built-in LED projector at 72 lumens to light the field of view with a bright white light, which warrants saturated-colored night vision with realistic shading. The colors on this camera are almost as saturated as professional models with HDR support.
Another advantage of this camera is the audio. Human language or even sounds like barking all sound natural, albeit slightly compressed during playback, since the camera is trying to clear background noise, such as cars or the wind. You can hear someone talking during a dual-sided conversation or understand what one said in video recordings.
Wyze Cam v4 and the mobile app
The Wyze app has a simple and comprehensive interface that displays all your cameras and recorded clips on a single screen. It also has versatile settings. The first thing to load is the main page, which shows miniature icons of all your Wyze cameras. The button for the routines tab at the top so that you can click on the “I’m away” button to control cameras with one click. Near the settings are helpful tips encouraging you to experiment with your Wyze devices. For example, you can turn on the lights if a camera detects motion or your phone connects to the home network.
Tap the camera icon to open its live feed almost instantly. From here, you can control its spotlight, microphone, siren, or record using the buttons. You can access advanced features using the settings icon. These include changing the resolution, setting up motion detection zones, or setting up sound triggers or even baby cries.
Security concerns and conclusion
Truth be told, Wyze has gotten into trouble quite a few times. For example, in 2022, hackers could get into Wyze Cam v1’s feed thanks to its vulnerabilities. Back then, the company stopped support for the camera and didn’t even warn clients about the vulnerabilities. And in February this year, Wyze said that its clients could see video from strangers’ cameras. This issue was covered by both Ukrainian and international media.
In conclusion, the security methods of this company are questionable at best, but some clients are already speaking out about it. They say that if you use the camera outside and save recordings to the SD card only, you wouldn’t find a better camera for the price. So, I assume many will appreciate the news that Wyze Cam v4 is now available for sale.
It’s still an open question whether Smart Focus or other AI-enabled features, like human motion recognition or object detection, will work if a customer has not purchased a cloud plan. I’ll keep you posted and add additional information to this review if I get more.
Powered by a battery and detects motion via radar technology, which helps the sensor to be more precise. But the appearance of the Ring Battery Doorbell pro didn’t change, since Ring decided not to bother with updated designs.
What’s new
Ring, one of the leaders in the smart home industry, introduced a new doorbell which runs on batteries. The Ring Battery Doorbell Pro, priced at $229,99 USD was based on the Ring Battery Plus, which released last year. It allows for video with 1536p resolution and the ability to see a person full height. A 3D motion sensor based on a radar instead of a passive IR sensor was also added. The motion sensor update is expected to send out more precise notifications about detecting people specifically. The device received dual-band Wi-Fi, video previews in color, night vision in color and audio with noise removal.
Alternatives
Now Ring has three wireless doorbells with a battery as the power source: the 2nd Gen Video Doorbell for $100, the Battery Plus for $150 and the Battery Pro for $230. The new Pro has almost all the features from the wired Video Doorbell Pro 2. The only features missing are the less useful Alexa Greetings. But the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro looks the same as any other Ring doorbell.
Just like all Ring Doorbells that run on battery, the new one can also be connected to a power source to charge the battery and function with already present wires. If you don’t have a Ring Protect subscription (priced at $3,99/mo), Ring will only provide messages about motion and live view from the Ring app. If you buy the subscription, you will get cloud storage for video, which is triggered on certain events, and smart notifications about people or parcels.
Of course, the Battery Doorbell Pro works with Amazon Alexa, it notifies about visitors through Echo or can translate the live view on the Echo Show display.
Wyze Cam v3 Pro is a wired video camera for outdoor or indoor installation. The surveillance camera has a resolution of 2K and can process local images for quick recognition of people.
What’s new in the Wyze Cam v3 Pro
Wyze, a company specializing in smart home devices, has just released the next generation of its popular budget security camera. The new Wyze Cam v3 Pro, priced at $49.99, has a proprietary processor with built-in Edge AI to process the video stream faster and send alerts when objects are detected.
Wyze says that the Pro version of the camera now has a faster processor, an improved speaker, a microphone, and a better Wi-Fi connection thanks to dual antennas, although Wi-Fi still works only at 2.4 GHz.
Another new feature is called Smart Focus. It is part of the new Wyze camera app interface. Smart Focus adds a thumbnail image from the freeze frame, while the main view window focuses on the person detected by the camera, giving you more information about the subject you are watching.
Meet the brand new professional version of our bestseller. 2K resolution. Built-in spotlight. Built-in siren, Edge AI, IP65, two-way audio, microSD support, color night vision.
Wyze Cam V3 Pro is a camera with an IP65 waterproof rating. Like the previous generation, it connects to a USB cable but now has a new 5V2A power adapter. Wyze claims the new product provides video at 20 frames per second during the day or 15 fps at night. It uses a high-quality proprietary 4-megapixel Starlight sensor with full-color night vision and a built-in spotlight and siren speaker.
The camera has a micro SD card slot that supports up to 256 GB for round-the-clock recording. The lens has a viewing angle of 116 degrees and 8x digital zoom. All Wyze cameras integrate with Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control, and the new product is no exception. And with the help of its own Wyze app, it is possible to set up schedules or use automation rules.
Compared to the Wyze Cam v3, the reason to spend an extra $20 on the new Wyze Cam v3 is the higher camera resolution. The second reason may be the local processing of events when a person is detected on the video because the new product uses a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor with AI, which now makes calculations not in the cloud.
The camera is not compatible with Cam Plus Lite.
Since the camera uses local video processing, the notification of detected persons will be free. However, to view the recorded footage, you need to subscribe to the Wyze Cam Plus service for $1.99 per month or $20 per year. Please note that this camera will not be compatible with the Cam Plus Lite service. Cam Plus Lite is a free service that provides up to 12 seconds of recorded video from the cloud with a 5-minute break between recordings. That is, if you do not use an SD card to record video when the camera detects motion, you will not be able to get the video, only a thumbnail of this video.
Wyze Cam Plus service will provide unlimited video recording and add the function of detecting people, pets, parcels, and vehicles. In addition, you will be able to view the video from your Wyze cameras on the web portal.
