Wyze Camera Moving on Its Own: How to Fix [2023]

written by

Doug Stevenson

updated February 24, 2023

Issues with monitoring cameras are nothing new. But cameras becoming sentient proves otherwise, especially with an exceptional product like the Wyze Cam Pan.

Wyze Cams has made a name for themselves by providing quality-rich products that you can buy without leaving a hole in your wallet.

The Wyze Cam Pan enjoys a special place in Wyze's repertoire of Smart monitoring cameras thanks to its unique ability to motion track events.

But, a few nights back, one of my Wyze Cam Pan V2s started moving on its own, and I didn't necessarily know the reason for the same.

If your Wyze camera is moving on its own, check for loose or broken power cables, and reboot Wyze. Check the settings associated with motion tracking and pan controls. You could also try updating the Wyze Cam and the app. If the issue persists, factory reset the Wyze cam.

Here is a more comprehensive guide on how to fix a Wyze camera moving on its own.

Check the Power Solution and Reboot Wyze

The power being supplied to the device plays a crucial role in this whole fiasco of self-operating error of Wyze cams.

And as a privileged owner of a Wyze Cam Pan, you should know that every time the camera reboots, it goes through a comprehensive exercise of recalibrating itself.

In other words, once you voluntarily or otherwise reboot the Wyze cam Pan, it starts repositioning itself by rotating on its own.

The only other time the Wyze Cam Pan does this procedure is when it experiences a resurgence of power after a brief power failure.

And the only other way for the power supply to your Wyze Cam to get janky other than an area-wide power failure is when the cable or any other component of the power supply itself is not perfect.

And so, first, make sure that optimal power is being supplied to your Cam by carefully examining the cables and the power port.

Loose/dangling power cables, broken power ports, worn-out cables, etc., all indicate an improper power supply.

Replace the cable or any other component involved, and refresh the Cam as a fix.

Also, refreshing the Wyze Cam will eradicate any nascent bugs and errors residing in your device.

Temporal bugs and errors can also cause the said issue, even when power isn't the issue.

A power cycle test should do just fine under these circumstances.

Unplug the power cable and leave the device idle for a few seconds, maybe a minute.

In the meantime, carry out a thorough check for issues with the power cable or the supply port.

Plug back in the cable and turn ON the Cam. Check for the issue now.

You can also restart the Cam through the Wyze app. Follow these steps to do so:

Open the Livestream tab of your Wyze Cam Pan.
Towards the bottom of the screen, you can find the Restart option.

Perform the restart and check for the issue now.

Update Wyze Cam and App

Outdated firmware versions can also cause your system to harbor errors and bugs capable of troubling the device.

Timely updates appropriately equip your device to stave off the ever-growing trove of bugs and errors.

And so, better check and update your device to its most current version when met with issues such as the one at hand.

Wyze does come out with frequent updates addressing most of the pressing issues troubling their prized products.

Follow these steps to update your Wyze Cam via the Wyze App:

1. Tap open the Account icon.

2. Scroll down to the Firmware Upgrade option.

3. Click on Update next to your Wyze Cam tile to initialize the process. (If you find Up to Date instead of the update option, your device is running on the most current firmware version)

Restart the app and the device. Check for the issue now.

The Wyze app is just as vulnerable as the Wyze Cam to bugs. Hence, you better update the app too while you're at it.

Open the App Store (PlayStore in the case of Android) and search for the Wyze App to check if any updates are available for the app.

Check the Wyze Cam Settings

The Wyze Cam Pan is different from most other Monitoring Cameras Wyze has to offer solely due to its ability to motion track events and adjust its field of view.

No other Wyze Cam has a similar ability, and that's precisely why Wyze Cam Pans are the sole hosts of this issue.

But with such exclusive features comes a set of propriety settings that you can get all wrong and cause a mishap.

Let's check them out, shall we?

Reset Motor Controls on Wyze Cam

As you may know, all the panning and tracking functions of the Wyze Cam Pan are carried out by the motors housed within the head of the device.

Since most of (if not all) the functions on a Wyze Cam are carried out through the Wyze app, errors and bugs are bound to mess up things in due time.

Bugs and errors resulting from wireless communication may very well be the reason for clunky motor controls, and as a result, the cam moves on its own.

Fortunately, Wyze has implemented a reset option to recalibrate the motors controls and negate any issues with bugs and errors.

Follow these steps to reset the motor controls on the Wyze app:

1. Open the Livestream tab of your Wyze Cam Pan and open the Settings menu.

2. Navigate to and open the Advanced Settings Menu.

3. Tap on the Motor Controls tile.

4. Select the Reset option from the bottom of the tab.

Wait for the process to complete. Refresh the device and check for the issue now.

Turn OFF Pan Scan and Motion Tracking

Pan Scan and Motion Tracking are the two settings you should look at when dealing with issues such as the one at hand.

Pan Scan allows you to direct the Cam's FOV to your desired angle, and Motion Tracking tracks the objects within your frame.

If and when you notice an explicit issue with the Wyze Cam Pan turning voluntarily, better turn to these settings and then check for the issue.

To enable or disable these two features, follow these steps on the Wyze app:

1. Open the Livestream tab of your Wyze Cam Pan.

2. Tap on the More (three horizontal lines) icon.

3. You can now find the Pan Scan and Motion Tracking options. Disable them.

Restart the device and check for the issue now.

Turn OFF Detection Zones

If you want to use Pan Scan and make use of the panning feature of your Wyze Cam Pan, you may have to satisfy one prerequisite - disable Detection Zone.

The problem is, if you decide to focus the Cam on a certain degree of choice, with Detection Zone enabled, the Cam will rotate back to its designated detection zone after a particular period of inactivity.

And so, you will have to disable Detection Zone if you want to make use of the Pan Scan feature of your Cam.

This inhibition can also render the device to move on its own to an unaware eye.

Follow these instructions on the Wyze App to disable Detection Zones:

1. Open the Settings menu from the Livestream tab of your device.

2. Navigate to the Detection Settings tile.

3. Tap open the Detection Zone option.

4. Toggle OFF the option.

Restart the device and check for the issue now.

To access the Pan Scan settings menu and control the positioning of your Wyze Cam, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings tab of your device from the Livestream tab.

2. Tap open the Advanced Settings tile.

3. Select Motion Controls.

4. Open the Pan Scan settings option.

You can now position the Cam to your liking by pressing the appropriate Dots corresponding to various angles of view.

Factory Reset Wyze Cam

Last, but certainly not least, try factory resetting your Wyze Cam.

A factory, in all its certainty, does carry a lot of firepower to not only quash all the residing bugs and errors on your device but also refresh the system to function more efficiently.

With a factory reset, the device cleanses the system of any bugs and errors by defaulting the system preferences to its factory originals and deleting any and all unwanted files.

Also, all your personal preferences, schedules, and custom AI detection features, too, will get reset.

The process may take a little bit of patience too.

Follow these steps to Factory Reset your Wyze Cam:

1. First, remove any installed SD cards from your device.

2. Then, press and hold the Setup button for about 15-20 seconds.

3. In about 20-40 seconds, a voice message will indicate the start of the process.

4. Once the status LEDs on the device turn Blue, the process is complete.

Proceed to reconfigure your Wyze Cam to your liking. Check for the issue now.

Reformatting the SD card has also proven to be a potent fix for the Wyze Cam turning on its own issue.

You can execute the reformat right from the Wyze app. Follow these steps to do so:

Tap open the Livestream tab of the Wyze Cam.
Click on the Settings icon and select Advanced Settings.
Tap on the Manage Micro SD card option.
Select the Format option.

Final Thoughts

If you find the Wyze Cam moving on its own to be an isolated incident, you may have to consider the chances of a hack attack on your Wyze Cam.

And if that's the case, you needn't worry since you can rectify any such issues by changing the passwords of your Wyze account and your WiFi network.

Hardware issues can also trigger the device to move on its own. Check for chaffs or any other aberrations on the Cam body.

If you did find signs of physical distress on the device, better contact a professional and have your device checked for issues with motors and the Cam.

Also, you can contact the customer care services of Wyze anytime, all time, for any further assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do Wyze cameras move?

Among all the currently available Wyze Cams, only the Wyze Cam Pan has the ability to move and change its field of view. With this device, you can choose where to direct its frame and detection zone.

Is Wyze Cam Pan waterproof?

Aside from being one of the most innovative products to come out of the Wyze workbench, the Wyze Cam Pan isn't in any way weather-sealed or waterproof. Think of it as an indoor product.

Does the WYZE Cam v3 move?

No, the Wyze Cam V3 cannot physically move or change its field of view unless manually changed. Although, you can control and configure the motion detection sensitivity to focus on moving objects and persons.

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Doug Stevenson

Hey! I'm Doug, My passion for tech started by fixing phones and computers for my friends and family.

I started Blinqblinq to give reliable tech advice to anyone who needs it, for free! If you have questions on anything tech-related, feel free to contact me.

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