DIY home security kits offer an affordable way to monitor your home, but none are quite as affordable as the new Wyze Home Monitoring system. It's simple to install and comes with everything you need to protect your home and its occupants, and if you pay just $59 for one year of professional monitoring upfront, the system itself ($49.99) is free. It works with the full lineup of Wyze smart home devices, as well as third-party products via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant routines. Its affordability, versatility, and ease of use earn Wyze Home Monitoring our Editors’ Choice award for affordable smart home security systems.
Affordable Components and Subscriptions
The Core Starter Kit we tested comes with a Wyze Sense Hub, a keypad, two contact sensors, a motion sensor, a quick start guide, and two window decals.
The tiny Sense Hub is matte white with gray cloth speaker grille. It measures 1.0 by 4.0 by 4.0 inches (HWD) and contains two 3-inch folding antennas, an Ethernet port, a micro USB power port, and a reset button. On the inside it houses RF, Wi-Fi (2.4GHz), and Bluetooth radios, a rechargeable backup battery rated to last up to 10 hours, and an 88dB siren. It supports up to 100 sensors and has a 500-foot range.
The matte white keypad measures 4.0 by 2.4 by 1.0 inches and has 15 backlit buttons including numbers 0-9, X (cancel), a check mark (enter), and Home, Away, and Disarm keys. There’s an Emergency Call button on the right side that will automatically trigger the alarm and notify the emergency response center, and there’s a speaker on the bottom edge of the enclosure for voice instructions while arming and disarming the system. It's powered by three AA batteries (included) and can be mounted on the wall using the included double-sided tape or mounting screws.
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The door/window entry sensor measures 2.1 by 1.7 by 0.7 inches. It’s powered by a single AAA battery (included) and can be mounted using double-sided tape (included). The motion sensor (also matte white) is powered by two AAA batteries (included) and has a 120-degree field of view (motion range). It can be installed using double-sided tape or mounting screws (both are included).
Wyze Home Monitoring uses the Noonlight professional monitoring service which costs just $4.99 per month and doesn't require a long-term contract. That's far more affordable than most systems—Vivint starts at $49.99 per month, for instance, while even a more budget-friendly option from Ring goes for $10 monthly.
As mentioned, if you pay for an entire year of service upfront ($59.88), the hardware is free. Either option (monthly or yearly) gets you get a one-year Cam Plus subscription for any single Wyze security camera that you may have installed. Cam Plus offers extra features such as unlimited video length, unlimited triggers, person and vehicle detection, and package detection.
Add-on components are also affordable. A three-pack of entry sensors goes for $19.99, motion sensors are $7.99 each, and an additional keypad will cost you $14.99. By way of comparison, SimpliSafe charges $14.99 for a single entry sensor, $29.99 for a motion sensor, and $69.99 for a wireless keypad.
The system doesn't support Apple HomeKit, but it does work with other Wyze devices including cameras, plugs, and light bulbs, and the sensors can be used in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant routines. Support for IFTTT applets isn't yet available but is on the way, along with support for Alexa Guard Plus, Amazon’s voice-activated emergency helpline.
Wyze App
Wyze Home Monitoring uses the same mobile app (for Android and iOS) as all other Wyze devices. The home screen displays panels for all installed Wyze products and their status (open, motion, cleared, online, offline). Tap a sensor panel to see details such as when an entry sensor was opened and how long it remained open. Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner to enable/disable notifications for that specific sensor and to select a camera that will be triggered by the sensor. Here you can also set up schedules and rules to have the sensor trigger other Wyze devices.
Along the bottom of the screen are Home, Events, Monitoring, Shop, and Account buttons. The Home button takes you back to the home screen and the Events button display thumbnails of triggered video recordings by date. Tap any video to play the clip, download it, or delete it. The Monitoring button opens a screen with Disarm, Home, and Away arming buttons. Below that are panels for any video cameras that are linked to the system with a clip of the last triggered event. Tap the More button to open a live stream.
Beneath the video panel is a list of recent monitoring events that displays the time and reason for the event (such as disarmed, motion detected, or window open). Tap the More button to view event history using the calendar. At the very bottom of the screen is a Home Monitoring Settings button. Use this to configure each sensor for Home and Away responses, to link security cameras to the system, to set entry and exit delays, and to create a PIN and safe word to be used to disarm the system and when dealing with the monitoring staff. The Shop button takes you to the Wyze site and the Account button is used to edit email and passwords, change your home location, subscribe to Cam Plus and monitoring services, enable notifications, and update firmware.
Wyze Home Monitoring Installation and Performance
Setting up the system is relatively easy. You have to download the mobile app, create an account, and activate the service using the code that is sent to your email when you order the system. Once my system was activated, I tapped the Monitoring button on the bottom of the home screen, then tapped Start Setup. The setup screen includes menus for the hub and sensor installations, as well as any additional hardware such as cameras, and for entering dispatch and monitoring information.
I tapped Sense Hub Installation and followed the on-screen instructions to plug in the hub and connect it to my router using the included LAN cable. I tapped Next, raised the antennas, and pressed the Reset button to enter pairing mode. When I heard the "ready to connect" voice prompt, I tapped Next and the hub was paired within seconds. Next, I selected the Wyze Sense Keypad from the list to add it to the system. I removed the mounting plate and the battery tab, tapped Next, then pressed and held the Reset button until the home button began flashing, at which the point the keypad was immediately paired. I gave it a name and moved on to the sensor installation.
I selected Wyze Entry Sensor from the list, removed the battery tab, pressed the Reset button, and it was immediately paired. I gave it a name and repeated this process for the second sensor. Pairing the Motion sensor was just as easy.
Finally, I paired a Wyze V3 camera the company sent along for this review. I selected it from the list of cameras, powered it up, and pressed the Setup button on the base. I tapped Next, selected my Wi-Fi SSID, and when the QR code appeared on my phone, held it up to the camera. After a few seconds the camera was added and I gave it a name to complete the hardware setup.
I proceeded to the Home Monitoring portion of the setup and entered my address, gave my home a name, and entered my name and phone number. I then configured the Alarm Triggers section, which tells the app which devices will trigger alarms while in Home and Away modes, and created a PIN that's entered on the keypad to disarm the system and cancel an emergency response. I also configured Entry and Exit delay times that allow you to disarm the system before an alarm is triggered, and I selected a Safe Word that's used to verify your identity to an emergency response agent. Finally, I installed the entry and motion sensors using the included double-sided tape, updated the firmware, and the installation was complete.
Wyze Home Monitoring worked well in testing. I instantly received push alerts whenever the entry sensors were opened or closed and when the motion sensor was triggered. The Wyze Cam V3 always recorded video when a sensor was triggered, and my rule to have a Wyze Bulb turn on when motion was detected worked flawlessly.
The 88dB siren is loud enough to be heard throughout our one-story test house, but a louder siren would most likely do a better job of scaring off intruders.
As Affordable As Smart Home Security Gets
With Wyze Home Monitoring, you can outfit your home with entry and motion sensors and have it professionally monitored for less than $60 per year. The system is very easy to install and additional components are extremely affordable, and you can seamlessly add any Wyze camera, plug, or light bulb to the mix. Interactions with third-party devices are limited for now, but will soon support IFTTT applets as well as Amazon’s Alexa Guard Plus emergency response service. Even as is, Wyze Home Monitoring offers more than enough value for the price to earn our Editors’ Choice award.
Wyze Home Monitoring is a DIY smart home security system that offers professional monitoring and lots of components for a very affordable price.
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