One of the most important factors of smart home security is, of course, security. That peace of mind is important and necessary, and Wyze cams offer just that.
At times, however, you may wonder if others can see the feed from your cameras, and if you’d be able to tell. This could be whether you’re worried about hackers, or other people that may have, or gained access to your cameras. So is it possible to tell if someone else is viewing your Wyze camera feed?
Key Points
- The Wyze Cam v2 and Pan have no real indication that someone is watching the live feed.
- However most other Wyze cameras have a status light, which you can toggle on within the app.
- It’s also hard to know if someone is using live view through an Echo device.
- Removing old ‘shared users’ and changing the password of your Wyze account is the best way of stopping unwanted access.
About Wyze Cams
Wyze cameras are one of the most budget-friendly smart home camera brands on the market. Their compact, yet quality cameras have made their way into the homes of over 5 million users, mainly in the US and Canada.
Their line has become more and more varied over time, giving users new and more innovative options to help with home security. Some of their older cameras have even received upgraded models with even more to offer. For example, the Wyze Cam Pan now has a new version, the Wyze Cam Pan & Tilt, giving you a new angle to catch footage.
In addition to indoor and outdoor cameras, they also have the ever-popular Video Doorbells. They also have other smart home products such as vacuums and lights.
All of these devices work using the 2.4 GHz band of Wi-Fi. They use this to connect to the Wyze app, where you’ll configure settings such as notifications, motion settings, and Night Vision preferences. They also use Wi-Fi to connect to smart home hubs such as Alexa and Google Nest, enabling you to use Wyze with a variety of other smart home devices.
Wyze Cams are one of the few brands that also offer local storage via a microSD card.
Your cameras then have the option to store footage there, or on the Cloud with a Cam Plus subscription. Once recorded, you view your footage via the Wyze app. This is stored under Events for Cloud storage, or Playback for local storage.
But now, with your camera there in the house with you, what if you’re concerned if someone else, not in your house, can view your recordings? Maybe someone who gained access to your cameras, or perhaps you’re worried about hackers. Can you tell if someone is viewing your camera’s feed while they’re viewing it?
Can You Tell If Someone Is Watching Wyze Cam Live Feed?
Wyze users typically view camera feed from the Wyze app. If you happen to use a smart home hub such as the Amazon Echo/Alexa, once linked, you can also view your Wyze camera feed from there as well.
Figuring out if you can tell if someone is viewing your live camera feed depends on the method being used, as well as which camera.
Wyze Cameras
When considering the Wyze Cam v.2, there’s no real indication. The only indication you may get is if it’s night. If someone turned on night vision, then started viewing recordings, you’d hear a clicking sound as the camera’s night vision filter gets into place. Other than that, there’s really no other indication if someone is viewing footage.
However, other cameras make use of a status light to indicate what the camera is doing. To make sure your status light is on, go into the Wyze app, then to your camera’s Advanced Settings. Make sure the Status Light toggle is on.
The Wyze Cam v.3 and Wyze Cam OG line has a status light that changes color if someone is actively viewing camera feed. For example, the light’s color is typically blue when it’s on and functioning properly.
But if someone starts to view the camera feed live, it turns red.
The status light isn’t foolproof though, as it can also indicate that video is actively being saved to the Cloud if you have a Cam Plus subscription.
The Wyze Cam Pan line doesn’t have such indicator lights. When it comes to the Wyze Cam Outdoor, the status light typically is red when the camera is charged, or blinking red when charging. The status light will change to blue, however, if the camera detects motion, or someone is viewing the live feed.
Because of this, being able to tell if someone is watching can be difficult as any motion near the camera could very well be what’s changing the status light!
Unfortunately, aside from status lights, there’s no other way to tell if someone is viewing live feed, as no notifications can be set up for this either.
Amazon Echo
When viewing video from the Amazon Echo or the Alexa app, if you’re not using the same device, it’s near impossible to tell if someone is watching, or has watched your camera feed.
For example, if you’re viewing live feed from your Wyze camera on your Echo Show, there is no indication in the Alexa app that anyone is watching.
If you’re curious to see if anyone has tried to view your feed, you can try checking voice activity in the Alexa app to see if someone has perhaps used your Echo. To do this, open your Alexa app, then hit More in the bottom, right-hand corner of the screen.
On the next screen, hit Activity, then go to Voice Activity. Here you can see if anyone used commands specifically to watch your cameras.
Other than that, if the individual in question has access to your Alexa/Amazon account, there’s no way to tell if they’ve been watching your camera feed.
Ways To Control Who Watches Live Feed
If you’re concerned with who has access to your camera feed, there are a few steps to make your Wyze experience more secure.
Block Them From The Wyze App
One option you have is blocking access to your camera on the app itself. This is an option if you shared access with someone, but no longer want them to have access to your cameras and live feed.
First, go into your Wyze app, then to the camera you want to block access to. Then, hit the gear icon for Settings in the top, right-hand corner of the screen.
On the next screen, tap on Sharing.
The following screen will show any users who have shared access. Tap on the arrow across from their name, then you’ll come to a screen that gives you the option to Cancel Share. This button is located at the very bottom of the screen.
For further security, it’s a good idea to change your password to ensure they have no access to your cameras.
Change Password and Security Settings
Another surefire way to keep your camera secure is by changing your password. Anyone logged in will then be logged out and have to enter a new password, or they won’t have access. You can even use extra security like two-factor authentication to make sure that only you and those you want to grant access have any way to view your camera feed.
Now, there have been some issues reported with this, usually depending on the operating system you’re using. For example, Android users have reported that unless the other individual logs out of the app, access isn’t denied. In this case, you may have to delete your Wyze account and create another one. This is especially the case if you don’t have access to the barred device in question.
Apple iOS users typically don’t have problems. On rare occasions, the keychain was updated on the other device as well. This is typically the case if you share a Family on Apple, and so all devices across the board will sometimes get updated passwords.
In this case, you may have to delete that particular Wyze account and create another, especially if you have no access to the other device, such as if it was lost, stolen, or belonging to someone no longer in your home.
Don’t Set Up on Alexa Or Smart Hubs
Another option you have is not setting up your Wyze cameras on any smart hubs like Alexa. If someone has access to your Echo Show and Alexa/Amazon account, they can also watch your camera feed. If you don’t add your Wyze cameras to Alexa, however, you don’t have to worry about this.
The same goes if you have any hubs such as Google Nest, Samsung SmartThings, or Home Assistant. If you have added Wyze to your smart home hubs, you can remove them to make sure no one with access to your hub has access to your cameras.
In the Alexa app, you would simply remove the Wyze cameras and unlink the Wyze Skill.
Remove Any Shared Users on your Amazon/Alexa Account
Another option you can explore is removing any profiles you no longer want to have access to your Amazon account.
This is best done online from Amazon.com. Go to Amazon.com, then go to your name at the top, right-hand corner of the screen. Under Your Account, click on Account. On the next screen, click on Your Profiles.
From there, you can see what profiles are there. If there’s anyone you no longer want there, click on their name. On the following screen, you’ll have the option to remove their profile.
For added security, it’s also a good idea to change the password on the Amazon account. This ensures that anyone with the old password will no longer be able to use the account.
Do Other Cameras Indicate If Someone Is Watching Live Feed?
Google Nest
Nest cameras actually make it pretty simple to tell if someone is actively watching the feed. The status light on the camera will blink green at this point. If someone is talking through the microphone, it will blink blue. This makes it easy to tell if someone is watching, a good feature for those who want to keep an eye on this.
Ring
Ring is another camera where you can possibly tell if someone is watching the camera feed. This is by watching the color of the status light. However, this isn’t definite either. The light on the camera will change not only if someone is viewing, but also if something enters its Motion Zones. This means, while you may be thinking someone is watching you, it could very well be that you yourself tripped the camera!
This is especially the case with the Ring Stick-Up Cam, whose light will turn on if you just happen to step into its Motion Zones.
Eufy
With Eufy cameras, however, you cannot tell if someone is watching the camera feed. There are different indicator lights, such as blue, which means the camera is on. Or if it’s blue and blinking, the camera is on and charging. However, there is no indication as to whether someone is actively watching the feed, which could occur at any time.
Arlo
When it comes to Arlo cameras, there’s really no way to tell if their feed is being actively watched either – unless it’s nighttime. Many users have reported that if Night Vision is enabled and it’s dark, the camera’s infrared lights will turn on. The camera needs these to see in the dark, so if someone wants to view the feed, they’ll need these. Other than that, there are no indicators if someone is watching live feed during the day.
Watching Out
Security is at the top of many people’s lists, that’s why we have smart security cams to begin with! So with that in mind, we only want select individuals to have the ability to watch our feed. At the same time, we may wonder if someone is watching us and want to be able to tell just by looking at the camera. Telling if someone is watching is not foolproof, and only with limited availability on some Wyze cameras.
However, other smart home cameras may offer a bit more in terms of letting you know someone is watching your feed. Still, even these are not foolproof. So it’s important to grant access to only those you trust, and never give them access to your login credentials.
