We’re still checking out features on our new WyzeCam. The WyzeCam time lapse function is one we have seen some other higher priced home security cameras. The WyzeCam time lapse provides the ability to piece together a series of photos taken by the camera over a period of time.
A time lapse video is useful for seeing the events leading up to something. That “something” could be the blooming of a flower, the end of the work day, even the building of a house. As long as the WyzeCam never moves from the spot it’s originally placed in, the end result will be the event chronology seen from beginning to end.
We’ll look at how to setup a WyzeCam time lapse and show you how to view it. The setup is quick and easy.
The WyzeCam time lapse only works using a micro SD card. This feature will not use the cloud storage. We covered how to insert a micro SD card into a WyzeCam in a prior article. Use a 32 GB card to ensure sufficient storage. Don’t want to run out of storage in the middle of the time lapse.
If you need a micro SD card, consider the SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSDHC UHS-I Card with Adapter. We like this particular card because it comes with an SD card adapter which makes it easy to use if needing to port it over to a PC. It’s rated at 10 MB per second. Another trusty brand in micro SD cards is Transcend so you can also consider the Transcend 32GB MicroSDHC Class10 UHS-1 Memory Card with Adapter. This one is rated even faster than the standard 10 MB per second. Like the SanDisk card, this comes with an SD card adapter to make it easier to insert into a PC.
The photo that accompanies this article is the initial setup screen for the WyzeCam time lapse function. You get there by tapping on the Time Lapse button at the lower right of the camera view. The Start designation is the time of date and time for the time lapse to begin. The End designation is when you want the time lapse to stop. The Interval tells the WyzeCam how often to take a photo and save to the SD card. You will need to confirm each setting then tap on Set to schedule the time lapse.
How long should you set the interval for? It partially depends upon how much space the SD card has, but also depends upon the circumstance. If making a time lapse of a long term event, opt for a longer time interval, perhaps 15 minutes. If doing a few hours worth of time lapse, consider every 5 – 10 seconds.
To view your newly created time lapse video, either click on Album from the Live Stream tab or click on the Time Lapse tab. Now click on View Time Lapse. You will then be taken to the videos list to download the time lapse video to your device. You must be on the same WiFi network as your camera to do this and it will download it the video to your phone. You also need to ensure that you are connected to the same 2.4 GHz network. You cannot be connected to the 5 GHz network.
The WyzeCam time lapse function is a nice feature found on many higher end cameras and it’s appreciated on the lower priced WyzeCam. While it would be even better with the integrated cloud storage and could be viewed outside your home network, it’s definitely a useful feature, even on local storage.
All of these articles are written by someone (me) that figured out how to do this stuff the hard way. I have owned and tested dozens of cameras. Manufacturer support varies. There are a few good companies that provide timely answers when you have questions. There are several that sell you the camera and seem to have little interest in post sales support (which leads me to finding out stuff the hard way).
