Wyze cameras are honestly great cameras. They help you keep an eye on the goings-on inside of your home, and with their ever-expanding line, the outside of your home as well. These affordable cameras are simple, yet do what they need to.
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At times, however, some users have been experiencing a rather rare issue. Some Wyze users hear noise coming from their cameras. Now some noises, especially those that happen during setup, are normal. Unfortunately, some of the noises that users are experiencing are abnormal. So what are these noises? What’s causing them, and most importantly, how do you stop them?
Key Points
- Some noises are expected during the initial setup process.
- Small clicking noises are also expected during night vision operation.
- Static noises are not expected, however, and can be caused by interference.
- Buzzing noises can also be a cause for concern, especially ones caused by power/electrical issues.
An Overview of Wyze
Wyze cameras are just one of the many smart home cameras that we've come to know and love. Their budget-friendly prices, as well as great functionality, and availability of local storage, make them a popular option for home security.
To keep up with the competition, Wyze is always expanding their line and giving their users new and enhanced options for home security. Starting out with the more basic Wyze Cam, they eventually added the upgraded v.2, then the v.3. Soon there were even more advanced models such as the Wyze Cam Pan, which turns to view the entire room.
They even have outdoor cameras such as the Floodlight Cam, and the Outdoor Cam, which now comes in a 2nd version.
To further enhance the use of their cameras, many have opted for one of Wyze’s Cam Plus Cloud subscriptions. Among other features, Cam Plus Lite (which lets you name your own price!) offers 12-second event recording, while Cam Plus offers unlimited time for the recording of motion-triggered events.
Now, most of the time, things go swimmingly when using your Wyze cams. But, occasionally, Wyze users have complaints. One, is has to do with noise. An errant noise comes from their Wyze camera leaving users wondering – is it supposed to do that?
Common Sounds With Wyze Cams
By and large, Wyze cams are normally quiet. This is especially true with static cameras such as the Wyze Cam v.2, v.3, Video Doorbells, and the Floodlight Cam. No moving – just watching.
- If you use a Wyze Cam Pan, you may notice a slight whirring when the camera turns as it uses the motion tracking feature. This is a typical noise and shouldn’t be very noticeable.
- During initial setup is another time you will hear your Wyze camera. This is because there’s a voice and tones played to let you know at which stage of the setup process your cameras are in. This is usually the only time Wyze users hear the most noise from their devices. After your camera is set up, however, unless you’re speaking through the two-way speakers, you won’t hear a voice coming from your camera.
- Since Wyze cameras have night vision, there’s a filter that is placed over the lens.
This happens internally in order to give you better-quality vision and video at night, or in low-lighting conditions. Because of this, you may hear a clicking sound as it moves in and out of place. You’ll notice this particularly when lighting conditions change and become dark enough to require night vision.
Most cameras are set to automatically activate night vision when low light is detected. At this point, you’ll notice the clicking sound. However, this shouldn’t last long, nor happen frequently – unless you’re flicking the lights on and off.
So now that you know what’s normal, what are some noises that aren’t normal?
Not-So-Common Sounds With Wyze Cams
Some Wyze users have experienced beeps or chirping coming from their Wyze cameras. In general, this shouldn’t happen. Under normal operating conditions, your cameras should be silent. So why is this happening?
Static
One sound some Wyze users experience is a static-like sound. The reason your Wyze cameras might make abnormal noises could be interference from other mechanical devices in the home. Conflicting radio waves from another device that may be too close could cause some interference, leading to a static-y sound coming from your Wyze cameras.
Start with checking what’s around your cameras:
- Are there any radios, or devices that might emit radio waves?
- Is another camera in close proximity?
- Check also for magnets, and baby monitors that might be sitting close by.
All of these could cause interference with the signals going to and from your cameras. Remove any and all devices that could cause interference and this should eliminate the noise.
Beeping and Buzzing
Though another rare problem, some users have had problems with their Wyze cameras beeping or emitting a buzzing sound. One reason this may occur, is that sometimes the actual block that connects the camera to the wall is faulty:
Some users have found that when plugged into certain charging bricks/blocks, their cameras will emit a weird noise, and it’s usually coming from the outlet. Thus far, this issue has been reported mainly with Wyze’s v.3 indoor cameras and the charging bricks that they come with. Wyze v.2 indoor cameras have also been reported to have this issue, though it's far less common. The solution?
Unfortunately, you may need to purchase another block. One that’s a USB-A to wall adapter. Many have had success with those from Apple – as crazy as it sounds. You can also reach out to Wyze and explain the problem to them. They’ve been known to offer replacement charging blocks that often solve the buzzing or beeping problem.
This beeping has also been known to occur with the Wyze Cam Pan when it turns. Thus far, the only solution has been to reach out to Wyze for them to troubleshoot it, as this isn't supposed to happen.
Constant Clicking
So the camera lens will of course produce a clicking sound when night vision is activated, or even deactivated. But what if it just keeps clicking, non-stop? There could be a problem with the night vision lens getting into place – or staying in place. What now?
First try going into settings, and see if manually switching Night Vision on and off may help. Go into your Wyze app, then to the camera you’re having issues with. From there, go to its Settings, and scroll down to Advanced Settings.
On the next screen, go down to Night Vision mode.
Switch it to Off, then On again to see if the clicking continues. If it stops, great! However, if the constant clicking continues, you can try power cycling the camera. This can help fix any glitches.
From the camera’s settings, go to the bottom where it says Restart Camera.
Hit that to restart your camera and clear any minor glitches. If you’re using a plug-in camera, sometimes unplugging, waiting a few minutes, then plugging the camera in again can also help.
Other Reasons For Odd Wyze Cam Noises
Updates
This seems to be the go-to in a lot of scenarios when it comes to device malfunctions. Many issues that occur with just about any device, smart or otherwise, can be due to firmware updates that need to be performed.
Software updates to the Wyze app may have a bearing, but when it comes to the noises the Wyze cameras are experiencing, if any update is needed, it’s likely firmware.
To check whether your camera needs a firmware update, go to the Wyze app, then to the settings of the camera in question. From there, hit Device Info.
On the next screen, scroll down to Firmware Version. Tap on that to see whether an update is needed.
Unknown Malfunction
What if you’ve tried practically everything to stop the odd noises your Wyze camera is making, but to no avail? Well, this could mean your device probably needs some expert attention. There’s probably some sort of internal malfunction that no amount of power cycling, software updating, or praying can fix.
At this point, you’ll have to reach out to Wyze’s customer support to see if they can troubleshoot the issue.
Other Smart Cameras That Aren’t So ‘Noisy’
While Wyze cameras aren’t noisy in general, perhaps your experience is different and you no longer want to deal with them. No problem! Here are a few other tried and true brands you might wanna try.
Ring is probably Wyze’s most prevalent competitor.
Their line is a tad more pricey than Wyze cameras, but many users say they’re worth it! They’re not known to be noisy and come in a wider variety of options than Wyze cameras. For example, they have doorbells and cameras that are either battery-powered, hardwired, or use PoE (power over Ethernet).
Eufy cameras are another great option to consider. Their variety of cameras is quite extensive as well, even including a wide range of baby monitors to keep an eye on your precious little ones.
Their line, like Wyze, offers local storage as well as Cloud storage, along with 24/7 recording capability:
Google Nest cams have been steadily rising in popularity.
They also work well with their smart home hub, Google Home. Their price range is comparable to Ring, and their Video Doorbells especially have been gaining traction in the smart home sector.
Arlo is another great contender in this field.
These popular cameras are said to have amazing audio and video quality. They’re also known to have some of the best quality night vision videos.
Noise No More
Noisy Wyze cameras are fortunately rare. They’re normally quiet, except for a few slight sounds that most of the time go unnoticed. However, there are times when malfunctions may cause sounds that are less than appealing. With those sounds come some pretty simple solutions to fix them.
But if it turns out that Wyze just isn’t for you, there are a host of other smart camera brands that just might tickle your fancy.
