Budget smart home device manufacturer Wyze has developed a clever way to make your dumb outdoor lights smart: a lamp socket with a cable that connects to a Wyze Cam v3 security camera. The cable sends electrical power to the camera, and the camera’s motion sensor can trigger the socket to turn on whatever bulb is screwed into it.
Announced on the first day of the company’s Wyze Week celebration (more unveilings are expected in the coming days), both the Wyze Lamp Socket and a second new product, the Wyze Solar Panel, are now available for preorder with shipments expected in December and November respectively.
Wyze Lamp Socket
The Wyze Lamp Socket comes in two configurations: a $45.99 Starter Bundle that includes a Wyze Cam v3, and an Expansion Kit with just the lamp socket for $9.99.
Equipped with an E26 base, the Lamp Socket is designed to fit into a medium outdoor lamp socket, and it comes with a 30-inch USB cable that connects to a nearby Wyze Cam v3. (The cable is designed only for the Cam v3 and not other Wyze cameras, the company says.)
Once connected, the Wyze Lamp Socket can power the Cam v3, which in turn can control the socket while giving it Wi-Fi connectivity. For example, the Cam v3 could activate the Lamp Socket if it detects motion, and it can also put the socket on a schedule.
Up to five Lamp Sockets can be wirelessly grouped together, and each group only needs a single connected Wyze Cam v3 to function, although you could also connect a Cam v3 to each socket in the group. The Lamp Sockets have an 82-foot range for grouping purposes.
The Lamp Socket comes with an IP65 rating, meaning it’s completely dust-tight and is resistant to low-pressure jets of water from any angle. Practically speaking, the Lamp Socket is designed for use in an outdoor lamp enclosure, rather than being directly exposed to the elements, Wyze says.
Wyze Solar Panel
Aside from its new Lamp Socket, Wyze is also bowing the $19.99 Wyze Solar Panel, which is intended for use only with the Wyze Cam Outdoor.
Wyze
The Wyze Solar Panel is designed to extend the battery life of the Wyze Cam Outdoor.
Capable of putting out up to 2.5 watts of electricity, the 6.8 x 4.7 x 0.7-inch (HxWxD) Solar Panel comes bundled with a 13-foot micro-USB cable that connects to a Wyze Cam Outdoor. A 360-degree mount is also included.
Like the Wyze Lamp Socket, the Solar panel comes with an IP65 rating, which means it’s dust-proof and resistant to low-pressure water jets but isn’t completely waterproof. That said, Wyze says the Solar Panel can (and should) be mounted so it’s exposed to direct sunlight.
We’ll have full reviews of the Wyze Lamp Socket and Solar Panel once we test out some sample units.