Wyze's first attempt at a floodlight was admirable: the Wyze Cam Floodlight was simply two spotlights with a platform for the Wyze Cam V3 However, it did not fully deliver on its promise of a modern floodlight with a built-in security camera [But the $150 Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro is a big improvement over the original, with three light panels, a 25K camera with color night vision, and improved motion detection

I have been testing the Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro for over a week and am very impressed, as I often am after using Wyze products To find out why, what I like and dislike about the Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro, and how it compares to the best home security cameras, you'll just have to keep reading

The Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro can be purchased directly from Wyze for $14998

The design of the Floodlight Pro is similar to Eufy's Floodlight Cam S330, with three independently adjustable light panels above the camera However, instead of rectangular panels like Eufy's floodlights, the Floodlight Pro's panels are square

Below the light panels is the camera housing, with a speaker grille on the front and a setup button and microSD card slot on the back of the housing the Floodlight Pro has a standard Wyze Cam Floodlight does not have the two USB ports found on the Wyze Cam Floodlight

In total, the Floodlight Pro measures 102 x 91 x 78 inches and weighs nearly 3 pounds Because of its large size, it would not be a bad idea to install it under an eave or soffit to provide adequate space The Floodlight Pro is available in white or black

When it comes to installation, the Floodlight Pro is a hardwired camera, meaning that it will replace any outdoor lighting or floodlights currently installed through the house electrical wiring This is standard for most outdoor security cameras with floodlights, but the battery-powered Arlo Pro 3 floodlight is a rare exception

Wyze's Floodlight Pro can be mounted vertically or horizontally thanks to its adjustable light panel and camera

Everything needed for installation is included in the box, and Wyze promises easy installation (I agree)

The Floodlight Pro records video at 25K (2560x1440 resolution) and has a 180-degree field of view; Wyze's standard Cam Floodlight records 1080p video with a 130-degree field of view

The difference in these fields of view is stark, and the 180-degree field of view is enough to see most of my backyard and my neighbor's backyard (and Wyze does not offer a privacy zone setting to block off areas within the field of view (Sorry, Jeff) For reference, Ring's Floodlight Cam Pro has a 140-degree field of view

During the day, Floodlight Pro captures video at 20 fps and drops to 15 fps at night This is the standard frame rate for most Wyze cameras, including the Wyze Cam V3 used in the original Cam Floodlight

Cam Floodlight Pro's video quality looks good, but does not offer much improvement in clarity compared to 1080p video graphic, but I was unable to read my own license plate in the recorded clip Probably because the floodlights are too bright and the reflection from the plate makes it unreadable

By no means is the video quality poor It is more than clear enough to see who or what triggered the motion event If anything, there is less pixelation around moving objects than one would expect from a 1080p camera like the Wyze Cam V3, which records at the same frame rate

Instead of relying on PIR sensor motion detection and triggering a 3,000 lumen equivalent floodlight, the Floodlight Pro uses AI to detect motion and turn on the lights For the most part, the algorithms that detect people are accurate and do what they are supposed to do

However, since installing the Floodlight Pro, I have been fooled at least once a night by the blinking status light on the EcoFlow Blade robotic lawnmower pictured As a result, I receive push notifications on my cell phone that someone is in my backyard, sometimes at 11 pm and sometimes at 4 am

I have been getting these notifications for years

I have tested many floodlights over the years, but I cannot remember one that illuminates the entire backyard like the Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro

The Ring Floodlight Pro (2,000 lumens total) is installed much closer to the house than the Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro, but when the Ring's lights come on, I don't notice them unless I am in the general area where the lights are broadcast However, the 3,000 lumens offered by Wyze reach the back of the house, over 100 feet away

The floodlights and their brightness help Wyze's color night vision technology capture video in color at night When the camera is idle and there is no motion, Floodlight Pro records video in standard night vision However, when the floodlights are turned on, it switches to color night vision

As we experienced when testing the Wyze Cam OG, the spotlight did not provide enough ambient light for recording to benefit from the color night vision feature, but with Floodlight Pro that is not a problem If there is movement, no matter what time it is, everything can be viewed in color

As with all Wyze cameras, there are two options when it comes to video storage: local or cloud storage

The Floodlight Pro has a microSD card slot that allows continuous recording to a card with up to 256 GB of storage When the card fills up, old footage is erased to make room Continuous recording is fast becoming one of my favorite features of the Wyze camera; while testing the Wyze Cam OG, I used this feature to find footage of a massive hailstorm that caused a lot of property damage

And now, while testing Floodlight Pro, I was able to go back through the footage and find the exact moment when one of the circulation hoses for the filter in our in-ground pool came off the pool, spilling hundreds of gallons of water in the process

Thankfully, the kids were in the pool at the time, and although we didn't notice for about five minutes, we avoided having our yard flooded and our pool empty

As for cloud storage, you can sign up for Wyze Cam Plus The plan for a single camera costs $20 per year, and you can add an unlimited number of cameras for $99 per year This is the least expensive storage plan for security cameras But the real advantage of Wyze Cam Plus is not just the cloud storage of video clips, but all the additional features that come with it

With an active subscription, you get 14 days of cloud recording history, no cooldown time between events, and smart alerts for people, pets, vehicles, and luggage You can also fast-forward through clips and view camera feeds using the Wyze website

Without a subscription, you will only receive a snapshot every 5 minutes whenever a motion triggered event occurs

The Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro is a serious competitor to other high-end floodlights like Ring and Arlo Spotlight brightness, clear and sharp video quality, timely and (nearly) accurate motion alerts And while it is Wyze's most expensive security camera, it is $50 less than the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus

If you want to add a security camera to a traditional floodlight, the Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro is an affordable option worth considering