The original giant killer in the smart home camera space, the WyzeCam (v1), is saying goodbye just before its fifth birthday. The company has officially emailed its customers this week to say it will no longer sell or support its original product, as the camera can’t support a necessary security update.
While the WyzeCam will continue to work, Wyze warns in the email that it will no longer actively monitor or patch new security vulnerabilities for the device and that “your continued use of the WyzeCam after February 1, 2022, carries increased risk, is discouraged by Wyze, and is entirely at your own risk.”
Wyze included a link to a $3 coupon toward the purchase of a new Wyze Cam in the email. It currently offers five different models on its online store, with the flagship model, the Wyze Cam v3, costing $36.
While five years is a relatively short lifespan for a security camera — considering the rock-bottom price of the original WyzeCam (it started out at $20), coupled with high-end features like HD video and sound and motion detection, it’s not a bad run. Even if you purchased one two years ago, $10 or so for each year of coverage is still a good deal, especially as Wyze’s connected cameras don’t require a subscription to review the recorded footage.
The WyzeCam also arguably helped encourage other companies to produce lower-priced cameras. But February 1st is less than one week away, so Wyze is leaving many of its users out of luck when it comes to securely monitoring their homes.
The move highlights a need for smart home companies to sell their products with support expiration dates attached, or at least a promise for how long they will provide security and feature updates.
