The Wyze Cam OG Standard and Wyze Cam OG Telephoto are the latest additions to the Wyze security camera lineup. The Wyze OG and OG Telephoto land between the Wyze Cam v3 and the Wyze Cam v2; in fact, they’re more like a replacement for the v2, considering the upgrades and the pricing.
Wyze is no stranger to SPY reviews. The Wyze Cam v3 was featured in SPY’s review of the best cheap security cameras lineup, as well as the best home security cameras. The Wyze Video Doorbell Pro, and Wyze Cam Pan v3 have also been recently reviewed. With this, we were curious to see where the Wyze OG and OG Telephoto compared to the other offerings.
In this Wyze Cam OG review, I’ll explain the hierarchy, how to use them, what to expect, and how the new picture-in-picture (PIP) feature works.
Wyze Cam OG Standard & Wyze Cam OG Telephoto
Pros
- Works both inside and outside
- PIP allows you to switch between camera views seamlessly
- Affordable
Cons
- Telephoto Cam by itself is less dynamic than other security cameras
- App crashed when zooming in and out on live stream
- Neither camera is wireless
| Dimensions | 1.89 in x 1.89 in x 1.89 in |
| Weight | 4.1 oz |
| Power Cable Length | 6 ft |
| Integrations | Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT |
| Weather Resistance | Indoor and Outdoor (IP65) |
| Video Resolution | 1080p |
| Digital Zoom | 8x (Telephoto Lens starts 3x closer) |
Wyze Cam OG Standard & Telephoto Design
Although you don’t get the same advantages of panning and tilting in the app as you do with the Wyze Cam Pan v3, you can get these cameras to angle with the locking finger-tightening screw design at the base of each unit.
Both cameras look almost identical other than two nondescript features. The Telephoto camera has a purple border around the outer edge of the black circle and the OG Standard features an integrated spotlight. They are both rated for indoor and outdoor use with an IP65 weatherproof rating, but with the need for power (the cameras need to be plugged in) some flexibility is lost with the need to place them close to an outlet.
Wyze Cam OG Standard & Telephoto Features
The Wyze Cam OG Standard and Telephoto cameras have a handful of useful security features. The Wyze Cam OG Standard comes with a 40-lumen integrated spotlight to highlight the area it’s watching. The Wyze Cam OG Telephoto’s lens has a 3x, 27-degree field of view, helping to fixate on specific areas. Both have a built-in 90-decibel alarm to scare would-be intruders away.
But the slickest feature is the PIP view which allows you to switch between both camera views quickly. You can see both camera views at once, and by clicking on the smaller one, you can quickly switch that to the main camera view and the previous main view now becomes the secondary smaller window. You can also click a small arrow to the left of the window to remove the PIP view.
The concept being the Wyze Cam OG provides a broad, wide-angled view of an area, then you can use the Telephoto 3x to really stare down a specific area. This combo can be particularly helpful if, let’s say, you wanted a broad view of your garage but used the telephoto cam on a specific window or door (see image above).
Wyze Cam OG Standard & Telephoto Zoom
The Wyze Cam OG Standard gives a more conventional wide-angled view of the area you’re surveilling, making it better for indoor spaces than the Telephoto. You can’t zoom out from the 3x Telephoto lens starting point. In my case, my house simply isn’t big enough to have any sort of indoor application for the camera. It kind of feels like the extreme closeup in “Wayne’s World.” But outside, take my garage, for example, the Wyze Cam OG Telephoto certainly has a better application.
It’s worth noting that when I was testing the digital zoom, using it too much at once would cause the app tp freeze and would eventually crash. I found no other issues when switching between the PIP views, which was fantastically smooth.
The Verdict: Should You Buy The Wyze Cam OG Standard & Telephoto?
Together, yes. Wyze Cam OG Standard by itself, yes. Wyze Cam OG Telephoto on its own — that depends.
If you’re really concerned about a target area, say, you think there’s a rabbit sneaking into your yard from a spot in your fence but you can’t get a good enough view with a wide-angled camera, then go for it. But with the OG Telephoto by itself, the view is too limited with the 3x zoom. Unless you have a specific problem area you want to watch, the best strategy here is to buy both in tandem.
