Wyze announces Cam OG and Cam OG Telephoto in return to its $20 roots

Wyze is a household name around here when it comes to budget-focused home security smart home gear. Well, today, the company is going back to its roots with the Wyze Cam OG and Wyze Cam OG Telephoto. Both models feature color night vision, IP65-rated weather resistance, 24/7 recording to a local microSD card, and Assistant/Alexa integrations. With pricing starting at $20 plus shipping, these new cameras from Wyze also pack a new feature that we’ve never seen from the company before. Sound intriguing? Keep reading to learn more.

Wyze Cam OG and Telephoto pair together like never before

The Wyze Cam OG and Telephoto are essentially the same camera in most regards, outside of the spotlight and alarm on the OG and the 3X zoom lens on the Telephoto. We’ll get to all of the nitty-gritty features in a minute, but first, let’s talk about the unique function that these two cameras can deliver.

For the first time, Wyze is launching a picture-in-picture view when you have two Wyze Cam OG cameras. This can be two Telephotos, two standard OG, or even a mixture of the two. Essentially, this new view will let you see both cameras at the same time, which is particularly nice when viewing multiple corners of your home or both a wide and zoomed shot. You can swap between the large view and smaller view with one tap, as well as move, enlarge, or collapse the view. This helps make Wyze an even better choice for home security as this marks the first time you’ll be able to check out two camera angles at one time.

While we would have liked to see Wyze offer this function earlier, it makes sense to launch it now with the introduction of a Telephoto camera. The PIP view will really shine when you have a normal Wyze Cam OG mounted in a window or outside, and then an OG Telephoto aimed at a place within that frame so you can see a higher-resolution image of that area without having to worry about zooming.

Now, onto the other features. Both cameras, as aforementioned, are IP65 weather-resistant and ready to be mounted both indoors or outside. There’s no battery, so both will have to be plugged into some sort of power source in order to run. You’ll find Wi-Fi connectivity here for cloud recording or remote monitoring as well as local recording with up to a 256GB microSD card, capable of holding up to 30 days of continuous 24/7 footage. Also, both the Wyze Cam OG and OG Telephoto feature color night vision which helps you keep an eye on areas of your home whether it’s light or dark. Plus, both models work with Alexa and Assistant to deliver alerts, voice commands, and more.

However, these two cameras do differ slightly in that the OG offers an integrated 40-lumen spotlight and a 90dB alarm, whereas the OG Telephoto doesn’t have either of those functions, so do keep that in mind when choosing a camera to place around your hose.

For pricing, the Wyze Cam OG comes in at $19.99 plus shipping, and the Cam OG Telephoto will cost $29.99 plus shipping. Both models are available to order starting today.

9to5Toys’ Take

It’s nice that Wyze is actually taking on a new form-factor here and going back to their roots. The newer cameras that the company has launched are nice and all, but there’s just something about the simplicity that Wyze offers which makes them a compelling option for home security. Now that Wyze Cam OG and OG Telephoto are on the scene, it’ll be nice to have a camera option in the around $20 range which has color night vision, is water resistant, and also has the new function of PIP mode if you want. All-in-all, the Wyze Cam OG/Telephoto will likely become one of our fan-favorite cameras here at 9to5Toys as time marches on.

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