The lens in Wyze’s new $40 indoor camera retracts for privacy

Wyze announced a new pan-and-tilt security camera today designed for indoor use. The entire Indoor Cam Pan can rotate 360 degrees, while the camera and lens on its front can tilt up and down 103 degrees. When you want privacy, the lens can tilt down until it completely disappears inside the Indoor Cam Pan’s body so it’s unable to see anything happening in your home.

The Indoor Cam Pan is available starting today through Wyze’s online store for $39.98. That’s cheaper than Wyze’s $44.98 Cam Pan v3 that’s still available through the company’s website. That older camera can tilt up and down up to 180 degrees and has an IP65 water resistance rating so it can be used outdoors, but it can only record video at 1080p. The new Indoor Cam Pan captures video at a higher 2K resolution, but that’s a slight step down from the more expensive $59.98 Wyze Cam Pan v4 that does 4K.

The camera can be attached to a wall using an optional mount or used standalone and needs access to a power source like a wall outlet. Image: Wyze

Other features include stealthy operation with what Wyze describes as its “quietest, smoothest motor ever,” as well as AI-powered motion tracking that can ignore objects like robot vacuums while they clean or people and pets not located in customizable detection zones. The camera can keep an eye on things in the dark using night vision and infrared LEDs, but its recording capabilities drop from 20fps to 15fps in low-light conditions.

There’s a microSD slot for storing recordings locally on a card up to 512GB in size as well as a speaker and microphone for sounding a 95-decibel alarm or talking to your pets while at work. The Indoor Cam Pan is also compatible with Wyze’s Cam Plus and Cam Unlimited subscription plans that add AI-powered features like alerts that describe what’s been detected.

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