EZVIZ vs Wyze: Which Budget Security Camera Is Better?

In truth, it’s not exactly easy to choose a security camera today. We have hundreds of brands flooding the market, where some are great and others not so good. In this review, we’re going to have a side-by-side comparison of the EZVIZ vs Wyze camera to see which will fit you best.

Wyze camera isn’t exactly new to many of us. It has been on the US market for nearly a decade now and even held the #1 bestseller rank for several times, thanks to its affordability and amazing features.

But again, does the Wyze camera stills stand out against EZVIZ? Well, let’s break down the advertised features and real-world performance of the two to see which should be part of your security/ surveillance solution.

The 5 Reasons Wyze Cam is the Best Budget Camera

• You can add a spotlight to your Wyze camera
• The Wyze Camera record in full color at night
• The Wyze Cam videos have a better color balance
• The Wyze camera has IP65 rated dust/ water protection
• You can set the Wyze camera to detect audio/ person/ package

EZVIZ vs Wyze: Features & Specs of the Best Security Cameras From the Brands

While both brands have plenty of options to consider, we’re going to focus on EZVIZ and Wyze Cam. They’re both wireless security cameras and also the pricing isn’t far apart.

Feature	EZVIZ C1C 1080p	WYZE Cam v4
Video resolution	1920 × 1080	2560 × 1440 (2.5K QHD)
Maximum frame rate	20 fps	20 fps daytime; 15 fps nighttime
Field of view	130° diagonal	115.8° diagonal
Camera type	Fixed indoor camera	Fixed indoor/outdoor camera
Dimensions	2.52 × 2.52 × 4.06 inches	2.64 × 2.28 × 3.98 inches
Night vision	Black-and-white IR up to 40 ft	IR and enhanced color night vision
Spotlight	No	Built-in 72-lumen spotlight
Audio	Two-way talk	Simultaneous two-way audio and 99dB siren
Motion detection	Basic motion detection	Motion and sound detection; advanced AI features may require a paid plan
Local storage	MicroSD card up to 256GB	MicroSD card up to 256GB
Cloud storage	Optional EZVIZ CloudPlay	Optional paid Wyze plan
Power source	Continuous plug-in power	Continuous plug-in power
Wi-Fi	2.4GHz	2.4GHz with Wi-Fi 6 support
Smart-home support	Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant	Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT
Weather resistance	Indoor use only	IP65-rated for indoor or outdoor use
Subscription required	No for live viewing and local storage	No for live viewing and local storage
Best for	Basic indoor monitoring	Higher-resolution indoor or outdoor monitoring

Should I Get the EZVIZ Camera

The EZVIZ C8PF is a corded outdoor security camera designed for monitoring larger areas such as a yard, driveway, or building entrance. Its motorized head provides 340-degree horizontal rotation and 80-degree vertical movement. The dual-lens system combines a 2.8 mm wide-angle lens with a 12 mm telephoto lens, enabling picture-in-picture viewing and up to 8× mixed zoom.

The camera records in 1920 × 1080 resolution at up to 15 frames per second. Its infrared LEDs provide black-and-white night vision up to approximately 98 feet. Built-in human-shape detection can distinguish people from pets and general movement, while customizable detection areas and schedules help reduce unnecessary alerts.

A built-in microphone and speaker support two-way communication through the EZVIZ app. Recordings can be saved locally on a separately purchased microSD card with a capacity of up to 512GB, so cloud storage is optional. The camera connects through 2.4GHz Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable and works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The C8PF is a stronger EZVIZ choice for wide outdoor coverage, smart human detection, and optical flexibility. However, its 1080p resolution and 15fps maximum frame rate are lower than the Wyze Cam v4’s 2.5K resolution and 20fps recording. It is also larger and more complex than the discontinued EZVIZ C1C.

Should I Get the Wyze Camera?

Are you looking for a budget Security camera that you can mount outdoors? The Wyze Cam V4 is the latest update of the original and second-generation models. While it’s still as cheap as the others, this model has an IP65 rated dust/ water protection.

So, you can mount it outside without having to worry about dust or light jets of water from any direction.

Furthermore, the Wyze security camera is utilizing an advanced starlight image sensor for the first time. So, you can not only record crisp, colored images during the day but at night as well.

As we did mention in the Eufy vs Wyze review, you can also get the V4 camera with an integrated spotlight. Thus, serving as a good backup where you don’t have the security lights to provide the ambient lighting needed to give colored night vision.

Even so, the Wyze security camera can only record at up to 20fps, which, of course, is good, but still relatively low considering we now have 4K 30fps cameras.

EZVIZ vs Wyze: The 7 Similarities & Differences between the Security Cameras

Pricing

In general, both Wyze and EZVIZ usually make budget security cameras. They have various selections that you can choose at varying price tags based on the features and capabilities.

For instance, when we compare EZVIZ C1C vs Wyze Cam V4 camera, they both fall under forty bucks. However, the EZVIZ model sells at $24.95 nowadays since dropping from $39.99. So, it’s relatively cheaper than the Wyze Cam V4 that you can get at $35.97.

But again, is the ten extra dollars on the Wyze really worth it. Let’s see…

Video Quality

On video clarity, both Wyze and EZVIZ usually record up to 1080p Full HD. That means the footage from both cameras will be similar, right? Wroong!

When you have the Wyze Cam V4 video side by side with that of EZVIZ C1C, the former appears to have a better contrast/ color tone. Then, at night you can choose between the 940nm-infrared, 850nm-infrared, or colored recording if your area has ambient lighting.

Even so, the EZVIZ company has the C3TN OutPro WiFi camera with a 1/ 2.7” 3MP image sensor, plus a built-in spotlight. Thus, you could get clearer pictures both during the day and night.

Video Frame Rate

While discussing GW Security and Reolink cameras the other day, we said the recording frame rate (fps) is very crucial. It usually determines the smoothness of the video footage, and the higher the fps, the more details of the subject you’ll capture.

As for our case, both the EZVIZ C1C and Wyze Cam V4 can record in 1080p@20fps. That means the videos will not be choppy (happens at <10fps), but also won’t be as smooth as for cameras recording at 30/ 60fps.

Speaking of that, the EZVIZ C3TN WiFi camera we mentioned above can record in 2K Full HD at up to 30fps. So, the videos are not only clearer but also smoother in detail.

Audio Functions

When you compare Wyze vs EZVIZ cameras on audio functionality, they both come with a built-in microphone and speaker. So, you’ll get footage that you can listen to, thereby giving you more credible evidence against the potential intruder.

More on that, you can use the two-way talk feature to welcome your kids home from school or ward off the potential burglar. Alternatively, you can remotely activate the siren feature to scare away the intruders as well.

Even so, the Wyze camera is a little bit clearer and louder at 87dB than the EZVIZ make, which peaks at 80dB.

Furthermore, the Wyze camera supports sound detection. Thus, you can receive smart alerts when the camera detects noise from either people or smoke/ Carbon alarm.

Smart AI Detection

Basically, initial Wyze cameras started pretty well as at some point they even came to have a free personal detection feature. However, the company “somehow” had licensing issues and pulled down the feature. But then brought it back again, albeit now you’d need to pay for it.

So, yes, Wyze Cam V4 does have various smart AI detection features, including the old person detection, plus also package, vehicle, and pet detection. However, you’ll need to have an active Wyze Cam Plus cloud plan to have access to these features. If not, you can rely on the free customizable motion capture zone, plus sound and motion detection.

The Motion detection is pixel-based, but you can adjust the sensitivity level from the lowest through the highest.

On its end, the EZVIZ C1C has only pixel-based motion detection and customizable activity zones. However, our friend EZVIZ C3TN does include human shape detection, which you can enable without any subscription required.

Free Storage

Fortunately, both Wyze and EZVIZ cameras have a built-in slot to locally record into a MicroSD card. Thus, beating our local Ring or Nest or Arlo security cameras that only requires one to sign for the cloud subscription.

Even better, the two budget cameras support 24/7 continuous video recording into the Micro SD card. Then, you can easily access the footage through the mobile app. So, you necessarily don’t need to remove the card so you can view it on the PC, as some brands demand.

On top of local recording, our Wyze Cam V4 has a “free” 14-day cloud, where it records short 12-second video clips. However, there’s a 5-minute cooldown between event recordings, thereby you might find it unreliable if you don’t have the SD card.

Sadly, EZVIZ doesn’t have the free cloud option, but you can get a 30-day trial period before committing yourself. The paid cloud subscription is available as a standard plan from about $6/ month per camera or the premium plan from about $9/month per four cameras.

In that case, Wyze Cam Plus will be far cheaper at $2/ month per camera or $15 when paid yearly.

Smart Home Integration

Last but not least, both EZVIZ and Wyze camera wins here since you can sync either with your Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant devices. Thus, allowing easier, hands-free control from one control station.

Even so, neither of the two cameras supports compatibility with HomeKit devices if interested to get alerts on your Apple watch or stream on Apple TV.

Commonly Asked Questions:

Can I use EZVIZ without a subscription?

Although not very famous, the EZVIZ camera is a good brand for general monitoring. It’s not only affordable but also has most of the crucial features, including Full HD videos, audio functions, and a decent 20fps. Also, you can use EZVIZ without a subscription by inserting a MicroSD card.

Does EZVIZ record all the time?

Similar to most wireless cameras, EZVIZ C1C records by events to your dedicated cloud account. However, the EZVIZ camera can also record all the time into a MicroSD card, which you can access through the mobile app.

How far can Wyze Cam detect motion?

Sadly, the Wyze team doesn’t provide the maximum range for motion detection as they do with night vision. However, the feature usually relies on the changes of the pixels in the field of vision. So, you can expect the Wyze Cam to detect objects within 30-50 feet in most cases.

Our Top Pick

If our comparison between EZVIZ vs Wyze camera was a conventional one on the brand itself, the former would have been our pick. For one, the company has solely focused on smart security systems, not juggling between fields as with Wyze.

Secondly, EZVIZ currently has up to 2K HD security cameras, with some featuring a decent design that you can use indoors without being too invasive. Also, the smart AI detection here is free, unlike its counterpart you need to pay.

Even so, between the EZVIZ vs Wyze Cam, the latter is the clear winner. It captures videos with a better color tone, plus clearer nighttime images from the Starlight sensor.

Also, the Wyze Cam V4 can detect sound and also has an IP65 rating. So, you can mount outdoors without worrying about water damage.

However, we’d appreciate it more if Wyze would give us back the person/ package smart detection for free. Then, update the HomeKit smart home integration for those of us with Apple devices.