Wyze Home Monitoring Review 2026

Wyze Home Monitoring has the most affordable professional monitoring of any security system on the market. There's no cellular backup, but that's a worthwhile tradeoff for monitoring that costs less per month than most streaming services.

Keep reading to learn how Wyze Home Monitoring performed during our tests and what else we like about the DIY security system.

If you're comparing home monitoring systems, Wyze is the one to check out first for pure affordability. Monitoring runs $4.99 a month, and kits start at $49.95 — cheapest setup cost on the list, hands down. It connects with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so it'll fit into most existing smart home setups without any headaches.

Kangaroo takes the "cheap monthly bill" crown, at $1.99 a month, though you'll pay more upfront for the kit at $279. What you're really paying for there is sensor quality — Kangaroo's known for having some of the best sensors in the game. It also plays well with Alexa and Google Assistant.

Abode is the one I'd point smart home nerds toward. At $8.49 a month and $159.99 to start, it's not the cheapest, but it works with practically everything — Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Z-Wave, and Zigbee. If your house is a patchwork of different smart devices from different brands, Abode is built to make them all talk to each other.

Then you've got Ring and SimpliSafe, which cost more but bring more to the table depending on what you need. Ring Alarm runs $45 a month with kits starting at $199.99, and it's marketed as the budget pick — which feels a little funny given that price tag, but the equipment and reliability seem to justify it for a lot of buyers. It supports Alexa and Z-Wave. SimpliSafe sits at $22.80 a month and $250.96 for a kit, and it's the one that gets singled out for monitoring quality. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant.

Bottom line, if you want cheap and simple, go Wyze or Kangaroo. If you're already knee-deep in smart home gadgets, Abode's compatibility is hard to beat. And if monitoring quality is your top priority, SimpliSafe earns that reputation for a reason.

Wyze keeps things pretty simple with four plan tiers, and the differences mostly come down to how many cameras you're covering and whether you want an actual human on the other end during an emergency.

Wyze Cam Plus is the entry-level option at $2.99 a month. It's self-monitored, meaning you're the one keeping an eye on things, and it only covers a single camera. There's no emergency dispatch built in, so if something happens, you're the one making the call — literally.

Step up to Wyze Cam Unlimited at $9.99 a month, and you get the same self-monitoring setup, but now it covers unlimited cameras instead of just one. Still no emergency dispatch, though. This one's really for people who've got multiple cameras around the house and don't want to pay per device.

Wyze Cam Unlimited Pro bumps the price to $19.99 a month, and this is where things get more serious. You still get unlimited camera coverage, but now emergency dispatch is included. So if a sensor trips or something looks off, you can call for emergency services using your Wyze app.

Then there's Wyze Home Monitoring, priced at $9.99 a month. This one flips from self-monitoring to professional monitoring, meaning a real monitoring team is watching for you. Basically, for the same price as the self-monitored unlimited plan, you get a professional team watching your back instead.

So the real decision point here is whether you want to monitor things yourself or pay for someone else to do it. If you're comfortable checking your phone and handling things yourself, the self-monitored plans get the job done. But if you want backup — someone who'll actually call for help when it matters — Wyze Home Monitoring is where you'll want to land.

Wyze's monitoring prices are pretty affordable, but the equipment costs about the same as other top home security companies' offerings.

You can save money by going on Amazon and buying a bundle. Unfortunately, you have to take whatever comes in the bundle you choose. On Wyze's site, you can choose what goes into your system, piece by piece.

The upside to buying on the company's site is that it offers an 18-mo extended warranty. Plus, the hub is free if you purchase an annual monitoring subscription. 

Wyze used to include the Core Starter Kit with the annual plan, but the company switched it up.

Here's a look at Wyze's home security equipment.

• Wyze Sense Hub: The hub manages the sensors and sounds a siren when something triggers an alarm. It also connects to the internet to enable the Wyze mobile app. You can get it on the Wyze website for around $60.
• Wyze Sense Keypad: The keypad controls the system's arming status and allows users without mobile app access to disarm the system. On the Wyze site, the keypad costs around $40.
• Wyze Sense Motion Sensor: The motion sensor uses infrared light to spot people moving through a room. It's around $25 on the Wyze site.
• Wyze Sense Entry Sensor: The entry sensor uses magnets to tell if the door or window it's attached to is open or closed.
• Wyze Sense Climate Sensor: The climate sensor measures temperature and humidity in your home. It runs around $45 on the site.
• Wyze Sense Leak Sensor & Probe: You can put this by your toilet, washing machine, or sink, and it will tell you when it leaks, helping you avoid costly repairs. You can get it on the site for around $16.

Wyze is the best value in security cameras thanks to its cameras that match the features of more expensive (or even average-priced) brands like Arlo, Ring, and Google Nest. Chief among these is the Wyze Cam, which offers excellent night vision and a design that works inside and outside your home.

Indeed, Wyze cameras aren't nearly as advanced—some of them (not all!) lack 5GHz Wi-Fi support, don't work with large microSD cards, and don't support as many smart home platforms. But what Wyze lacks in advanced features, it makes up in reliability at a fantastic price.

Wyze has a pretty wide range of cameras, so the right pick really depends on where you're putting it and what you need it to do. And of course, what you're willing to pay.

Let's start with the standard cams. The Wyze Cam v4 runs $69.98 for a two-pack, giving you a 120-degree field of view, cloud and microSD storage, and IP65 weatherproofing, which means it's rated to handle dust and water — basically built for outdoor use. It runs on a USB adapter. The Wyze Cam v3 is the budget version at $35.98, with a slightly wider 130-degree view and the same storage and weatherproofing setup.

If you want something that can actually move, the Wyze Duo Cam Pan gets you a full 360-degree field of view for $69.98 using two cameras stacked on top of each other. Plus it's got the same cloud and microSD storage and IP65 rating as the others. It's also got the option to run on battery or USB power, which is nice if you don't have an outlet nearby.

The Wyze Cam Pan v2 is a cheaper alternative at $48.09, offering 120 degrees through the lens with a 360-degree pan, but it's indoor-only — no weatherproofing here — and it sticks to USB power.

For strictly outdoor use, there's the Wyze Cam Outdoor at $89.98. It's got a 110-degree field of view, cloud and microSD storage, IP65 weatherproofing, and runs on either battery or USB adapter, so you're not tied to an outlet if you don't want to be.

Now, onto the doorbell cameras. The Wyze Video Doorbell is the cheapest of the bunch at $19.95, with a 120-degree view, cloud-only storage — no microSD card slot on this one — and IP65 weatherproofing. It connects through your existing doorbell wiring.

Step up to the Wyze Wireless Video Doorbell Pro at $103.98, and you get a wider 150-degree view along with the flexibility of wiring it in or going fully wireless. It's still cloud-only for storage, but the weatherproofing and general build quality bump up a notch.

Then there's the Wyze Wired Doorbell Camera v2 at $59.98, which offers a 135 x 103-degree view, cloud-only storage, IP65 weatherproofing, and connects through doorbell wiring.

That's a lot of options, huh? Here's how I'd break it down. If you want flexible outdoor coverage, the Cam v4 or the Duo Cam Pan are worth the extra cash for weatherproofing and better fields of view. If you're on a budget and don't need anything fancy, the Cam v3 gets the basics done for half the price.

And if you're shopping doorbell cameras, the price gap between the base Video Doorbell and the Wireless Pro is pretty big, so it comes down to whether you want that wider field of view and wireless flexibility badly enough to pay for it.

Wyze makes many smart home devices that work directly with Wyze Home Monitoring. You can set up routines to control them together. Here are a few of Wyze's smart home products.

Wyze home security installation takes around 30 minutes, including adding it to the app. To set up your Wyze security system, you first need to activate it using a code that Wyze delivers via email. Then, install the hub and connect it to the internet using the Wyze app. After that, the app walks you through the rest of the process. Here's a quick overview of the steps from the Wyze support website:

• Pair the keypad and sensors.
• Add contact information so Noonlight monitoring can reach you during an alarm event.
• Set up alarm triggers so the system knows which sensors to use in the Home and Away modes.
• Set up a PIN code for disarming or canceling the alarm.
• Set up an entry/exit delay to reduce false alarms.
• Add Wyze security cameras to your system.
• Set up a safe word for canceling an alarm after Noonlight calls you.
• Set notification preferences.
• Enter Test Mode before activating the live monitoring service.

Installing the starter kit was a breeze. It took only about 15 minutes to set up all three sensors, the hub, and the keypad—nice and simple. The hub connects to your home network using Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable. (Wyze recommends using Ethernet if possible—wired connections are generally more reliable.)

The keypad and sensors all come with batteries installed, so you need only to remove a plastic tab to turn them on. They also have a peel-off adhesive backing that makes them easy to attach to any surface. The motion and entry sensors run on replaceable AAA batteries while the keypad trades up for AA batteries.

We like that the batteries are readily available in stores, unlike the specialty batteries that some other brands use. Both the motion and entry sensors are a bit larger than Wyze's first-generation versions but benefit from larger batteries that last longer (up to 18 months) than the older sensors' coin batteries (up to 12 months).

Because Wyze equipment installs without screws or hardwiring, it's one of the best security systems for renters.

The Wyze DIY security system offers third-party compatibility with other smart home platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant†, and IFTTT. This means you can control the system with voice commands or other apps.

Wyze Home Monitoring has extensive self-serve customer support resources on the main Wyze support website. We found it easy to look up setup instructions, FAQ articles, and troubleshooting guides whenever we had a question (making our job much simpler). You can also contact Wyze directly through the helpful live chat tool, though we didn't see a phone number if that's something you prefer.

There's no contract with either Wyze monitoring plan—you can cancel anytime without penalties. The only difference is for annual subscribers, where you must return your starter kit if canceling within 30 days of shipping. This cancellation policy is similar to that of Ring Alarm, while SimipliSafe's trial period is 60 days.

Among DIY security companies, Wyze has one of the shortest warranties—only a single year. The company won't replace defective equipment after that. Although one year is shorter than the average DIY security system warranty, Wyze's equipment is much more affordable to replace compared to the sensors, cameras, and hubs of other brands. This helps balance out the short warranty.

Wyze Home Monitoring is an easy, inexpensive option for keeping tabs on your home while you're away. It won't give you the cellular backup or equipment selection of a pricier security system, but competitors can't match its rock-bottom monitoring and equipment prices. Plus, it's an excellent companion to Wyze's security cameras. In short, it's discreet and easy to use, it functions well, and the price is hard to beat.

We tested the Wyze Home Monitoring Core Starter Kit in a small apartment for a few days. Since it was new to us, we kept to Wyze's recommendations and used the system in Test Mode, which disables the connection to the monitoring center. (No need to summon the police accidentally.) Here are some things we looked at during our tests:

To find out more about how we test and review products, read our full methodology.

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