Wyze Says ‘Screw It’ and Shoves a Camera Into Its Latest Smart Bulb

A famous meme once asked, “Why don’t we have both?” Clearly Wyze agrees. Its latest smart home gadget is the Wyze Bulb Cam, which is exactly what the name implies—a smart bulb that’s also a camera or a camera that’s also a smart bulb, whichever makes your brain happier. The first thing I noticed is that the price on this bad boy is right—it’s just $50, which is a pretty decent deal if you compare the cost of buying a smart camera and a smart bulb separately.

On the camera front, the Wyze Bulb Cam records 2K video with a 160-degree field of view and can also record in both regular color in the daylight and night vision when nightfall hits. As a nice bonus, it also records in color night vision, which is great if you’re trying to identify what kind of cat got into your garbage last night. (My bet is an orange boy; sorry, not sorry.) If you want to, everything can be recorded locally in this cam, which can be equipped with up to a 256GB microSD card. Alternatively, you can pay $3 per month for recording via the cloud, which also grants you some object recognition.

As a light bulb, the Wyze Bulb Cam puts out 800 lumens and can be adjusted via the Wyze app if you need it brighter or dimmer. I, for the record, own a few Wyze bulbs myself, which I have installed in various lamps inside my apartment. I bought them because the price was right, and while I don’t love Wyze’s app, which can sometimes be glitchy, they’ve worked mostly fine over the past few years. If you’re wondering, will this thing fit my light fixture? You’ll be happy to know that the Wyze Bulb Cam is adjustable, which increases the likelihood it’ll mesh. It will also ensure that you have a good angle for the camera element so you can get a perfect look at that porch pirate who stole your last Amazon package.

You can also purchase an Accessory Bulb for $17 if you want to expand your Wyze light/camera system. Together, the two can make a motion-activated lighting system that couples well with the two-way audio feature that allows you to speak and also listen through the bulb’s microphone. (Sorry, orange cat, you’re cooked—prepare to be remotely scolded for tearing up the brand-new flower box!) Both products are available via Wyze’s site right now, so if a camera/bulb is high on your list of priorities, go ahead and pull the trigger.