Company:Wyze Labs

From HandWiki
Short description: American company
Wyze Labs, Inc.
Type of businessPrivate
FoundedJuly 19, 2017; 9 years ago (2017-07-19)
Area servedUnited States
Founder(s)
  • Yun Zhang
  • Dongsheng Song
  • Dave Crosby
  • Elana Fishman
CEOYun Zhang
Products
Employees350
Websitewww.wyze.com

Wyze Labs, Inc. (formerly Wyzecam), also known as Wyze, is an American technology company based in Kirkland, Washington, that specializes in smart home products and wireless cameras. Wyze was founded by former Amazon employees.[1][2]

History

Wyze was incorporated on July 19, 2017 in Seattle,[3] by four co-founders: CEO Yun Zhang, CPO Dongsheng Song, CMO Dave Crosby, and Elana Fishman.[4][5] Wyze released their first product, the WyzeCam v1, priced at $19.99 on October 24, 2017.[6] Shortly after, the Wyze Cam V2 was released.[7] By October 24, 2018, Wyze had sold 1 million units of the Wyze Cam. In May 2018, Wyze expanded its camera lineup with the Wyze Cam Pan, a $30 motorized camera capable of 360-degree rotation, tilting, and automatic motion tracking.[8]

By 2019, the company introduced several non-camera devices, including the Wyze Bulb, Wyze Plug, and Wyze Sense contact and motion sensors, integrated into the company's mobile application.[9] In 2019, Wyze partnered with Seattle-based artificial intelligence company Xnor.ai to add person-detection capabilities to its Wyze Cam v2 and Wyze Cam Pan models through a firmware update. The feature processed image data locally on the devices rather than through cloud-based services.[10][11] Following the acquisition of Xnor.ai by Apple later that year, the partnership ended and Wyze removed the feature in early 2020. The company subsequently developed its own artificial intelligence features, which were later incorporated into its Cam Plus subscription service.[12][13]

Version 3 of its security camera, Wyze Cam v3,  was launched in 2020 with outdoor-rated protection, and additional imaging features, such as color night vision, a wider field of view, and motion-triggered features such as a built-in siren.[14]

Wyze broadened its product range beyond cameras in 2020. In September 2020, it released the Wyze Video Doorbell, a wired 1080p doorbell camera priced at $29.99.[15] In December 2020, it launched Wyze Home Monitoring, a home security service offering self-monitoring and professional monitoring through a partnership with Noonlight.[16]

In 2022, Wyze was included in Time's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2022.[17]

At the end of 2022, Wyze announced 2023, as the "year of the camera", and released three new cameras as of March 2, 2023.[18] These included the Wyze Cam OG and Cam OG Telephoto, released on January 17, 2023, at a starting price of $19.99, and the Wyze Cam Pan v3, the company's first IP65 weather-resistant pan-and-tilt camera.[19][20] In March 2024, Wyze released the Wyze Cam v4, a flagship model featuring 2.5K QHD resolution and improved color night vision.[21]

Funding

Shortly after being founded in July 2017, Wyze Labs raised $20 million in seed funding in November 2019, with participation from iSeed Ventures.[22][23]

In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, Wyze was on the verge of shutting down, but the company managed to survive the pandemic by reducing the amount of money it originally wanted to raise from 50 million to 10 million, and by adding the Cam Plus subscription plan, among other things.[24]

In 2021, Wyze Labs closed a $110 million Series B funding round led by Marcy Venture Partners, with participation from Eastern Bell Venture Capital, American Family Ventures, and Kensington Capital Partners.[25][26]

Disputes and security concerns

In 2019 Sensormatic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson Controls, sued Wyze, alleging seven patent violations.[27] Wyze prevailed in the lawsuit, as of September 2020.[28][29]

In December 2019, the company acknowledged that a server leak had exposed the details of roughly 2.4 million customers.[30] The company's response included logging all users out of their accounts, requiring all users to reauthenticate.[31]

In 2021, Xiaomi submitted a report to Amazon alleging that Wyze had infringed upon its 2019 "Autonomous Cleaning Device and Wind Path Structure of Same" robot vacuum patent.[32] On July 15, 2021, Wyze filed a lawsuit against Xiaomi in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, arguing that prior art exists and asking the court for a declaratory judgment that Xiaomi's 2019 robot vacuum patent is invalid.[33]

In 2022, security firm Bitdefender announced that Wyze had discontinued WyzeCam v1 because of a security vulnerability that Bitdefender had reported to Wyze three years before. Wyze did not make any public announcement about the vulnerability.[34]

On September 8, 2023, some users reported on Reddit that the web viewer was showing camera feeds that were not their own. A Wyze spokesperson said this was due to a web caching issue.[35]

In February 2024, about 13,000 Wyze home security customers were shown someone else's home.[36] Following the 2024 incident, Wyze expanded its security engineering efforts, introduced additional security testing and verification measures, and revised aspects of its security and compliance practices.[37] In 2025, the company introduced VerifiedView, a feature that writes a hashed version of the account's user ID into camera firmware and embeds it in the metadata of every image, video and stream; content is served only if the requesting account's ID matches the embedded identifier, and mismatched livestream requests are refused.[38]

Activities

Wyze develops and markets consumer smart home products that operate through mobile application. Its products include connected security cameras, video doorbells, smart lighting devices, smart plugs, sensors, and home access and climate control products. The company also develops home monitoring and automation devices, including smart locks, thermostats, and environmental sensors, as well as household appliances such as robot vacuums.[39][40][41][42] The company's ecosystem is structured around interoperability between devices, enabling users to manage security, lighting, and home automation functions through its platform. It also provides software-based services that support device connectivity, cloud features, and subscription-based functionality for monitoring and analytics.[43]

References

  1. ↑ "WyzeCam v2 Smart Home Security Camera Review". 24 July 2018. https://gearpatrol.com/2018/07/24/wyzecam-v2-security-camera-review/. 
  2. ↑ Farhad Manjoo (6 December 2017). "The Hidden Player Spurring a Wave of Cheap Consumer Devices". NYT. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/technology/cheap-consumer-devices-amazon.html. Retrieved 20 July 2019. 
  3. ↑ Statt, Nick (2019-07-09). "Wyze adds AI-powered people detection to its $20 Wyze Cam line" (in en-US). https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/9/20687708/wyze-cam-people-detection-xnor-ai-firmware-update-announcement. 
  4. ↑ Swearingen, Jake (2019-02-12). "How Four Ex-Amazoners Made a Crazy-Good Wireless Cam for $20" (in en-us). https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/how-four-ex-amazoners-made-a-crazy-good-wireless-cam-for-usd20.html. 
  5. ↑ "Bloomberg – Wyze Labs, Inc. – Company Profile". https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1689685D:US. 
  6. ↑ Velazco, Chris (2017-11-22). "Surprise: This $20 home monitoring camera actually doesn't suck" (in en-US). https://www.engadget.com/2017-11-22-wyzecam.html. 
  7. ↑ Miller, Paul (2018-02-19). "The WyzeCam is a $20 security camera, and it just got better" (in en-US). https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/2/19/17029516/wyzecam-v2-security-camera-price. 
  8. ↑ Campanale, Patrick (2018-05-30). "Wyze Cam launches the Pan, a $30 full-motion security camera with tons of features" (in en-US). 9to5Toys. https://9to5toys.com/2018/05/30/wyze-cam-pan-announcement/. 
  9. ↑ Statt, Nick (2019-07-09). "Wyze adds AI-powered people detection to its $20 Wyze Cam line" (in en-US). https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/9/20687708/wyze-cam-people-detection-xnor-ai-firmware-update-announcement. 
  10. ↑ Statt, Nick (2019-07-09). "Wyze adds AI-powered people detection to its $20 Wyze Cam line" (in en-US). https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/9/20687708/wyze-cam-people-detection-xnor-ai-firmware-update-announcement. 
  11. ↑ Coulter, Martin. "Apple's reported $200 million acquisition of Xnor.ai is part of the bigger red-hot trend of edge computing" (in en-US). https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-xnor-ai-acquisition-what-is-the-future-of-edge-computing-2020. 
  12. ↑ Faulkner, Cameron (2020-01-15). "Apple's latest AI acquisition leaves some Wyze cameras without people detection" (in en-US). https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/15/21067594/apple-acquires-xnor-ai-wyze-camera-people-detection-feature. 
  13. ↑ Daws, Ryan (2020-01-16). "Apple buys edge AI experts Xnor.ai for a reported $200 million" (in en-GB). https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/apple-edge-ai-experts-xnor-reported-200-million/. 
  14. ↑ Lardinois, Frederic (2020-10-27). "Wyze launches version 3 of its $20 security camera" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/27/wyze-launches-version-3-of-its-20-security-camera/. 
  15. ↑ Oswald, Ed (2020-05-19). "Wyze says more than 30 devices are in the works, including 24/7 monitoring" (in en-us). https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/wyze-new-products/. 
  16. ↑ Campanale, Patrick (2020-05-08). "Wyze steps up its budget-focused home security game with Noonlight partnership" (in en-US). 9to5Toys. https://9to5toys.com/2020/05/07/wyze-noonlight-security-partnership/. 
  17. ↑ "TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2022: Wyze" (in en). 2022-03-30. https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2022/6159459/wyze/. 
  18. ↑ Lardinois, Frederic (2023-01-10). "Wyze launches its new $34 pan and tilt security camera" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/10/wyze-launches-its-new-34-pan-and-tilt-security-camera/. 
  19. ↑ Lardinois, Frederic (2023-01-17). "Wyze goes back to its roots with the Wyze Cam OG and OG Telephoto" (in en-US). TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/17/wyze-goes-back-to-its-roots-with-the-wyze-cam-og-and-og-telephoto/. 
  20. ↑ Lardinois, Frederic (2023-01-10). "Wyze launches its new $34 pan and tilt security camera" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/10/wyze-launches-its-new-34-pan-and-tilt-security-camera/. 
  21. ↑ Fenollol, Hunter (2024-03-26). "Wyze Cam v4 review: The new king of budget security cameras" (in en). https://www.tomsguide.com/home/smart-home/wyze-cam-v4-review-the-new-king-of-budget-security-cameras. 
  22. ↑ Schlosser, Kurt (2019-01-04). "Smart home camera maker Wyze Labs raises $20M after startup finds success with low-cost WyzeCam" (in en-US). https://www.geekwire.com/2019/smart-home-camera-maker-wyze-labs-raises-20m-startup-finds-success-low-cost-wyzecam/. 
  23. ↑ Baker, Annie (2019-02-06). "Seattle-Based Smart Home Technology Company Wyze Raises $20 Million" (in en). https://pulse2.com/wyze-raises-20-million/. 
  24. ↑ "When did camera come out?" (in en). 2019-02-20. https://forums.wyze.com/t/when-did-camera-come-out/19252. 
  25. ↑ Schlosser, Kurt (2021-07-31). "Smart-home device maker Wyze raises $110M as it plans to inject AI heavily into camera products" (in en-US). https://www.geekwire.com/2021/smart-home-device-maker-wyze-raises-110m-plans-inject-ai-heavily-camera-products/. 
  26. ↑ "AmFam joins Jay-Z in investment in smart home device maker" (in en-US). 2020-08-03. https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2020/08/03/amfam-jones-jay-z-in-investment-in.html. 
  27. ↑ Honovich, John (2019-08-21). "JCI Sues Wyze". IPVM. https://ipvm.com/reports/jci-wyze. 
  28. ↑ "Wyze Secures Complete Victory in Patent Infringement Lawsuit" (in en). https://www.cooley.com:443/news/coverage/2020/2020-09-11-wyze-secures-complete-victory-in-patent-infringement-lawsuit. 
  29. ↑ Klingensmith, Rob (2021-01-28). "How Wyze Labs Withstood a Competitor's Patent Infringement Lawsuit - IP.com" (in en-US). https://ip.com/blog/how-wyze-labs-withstood-a-competitors-patent-infringement-lawsuit/. 
  30. ↑ Cimpanu, Catalin. "IoT vendor Wyze confirms server leak" (in en). https://www.zdnet.com/article/iot-vendor-wyze-confirms-server-leak/. 
  31. ↑ Wang, Jules (2019-12-27). "Privacy scare leads Wyze to unpair all devices from Google Assistant and Alexa, you'll need to add them back" (in en-US). https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/12/27/privacy-scare-leads-wyze-to-unpair-all-devices-from-google-assistant-and-alexa-youll-need-to-add-them-back/. 
  32. ↑ Cheng, Isabella (2021-07-20). "Wyze Sues Xiaomi". IPVM. https://ipvm.com/reports/wyze-xaomi-patent. 
  33. ↑ "Wyze sues Xiaomi and Roborock to invalidate robotic vacuum patent and save its Amazon listing" (in en-US). 2021-07-20. https://www.geekwire.com/2021/wyze-sues-xiaomi-roborock-invalidate-robotic-vacuum-patent-save-amazon-listing/. 
  34. ↑ Hollister, Sean (2022-03-30). "I'm done with Wyze". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/23003418/wyze-cam-v1-vulnerability-no-patch-bitdefender-responsible-disclosure. 
  35. ↑ Peters, Jay (2023-09-09). "Your Wyze webcam might have let other owners peek into your house" (in en-US). https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/8/23865255/wyze-security-camera-feeds-web-view-issue. 
  36. ↑ Valinsky, Jordan (20 February 2024). "Wyze breach: About 13,000 home security customers were shown someone else's home | CNN Business" (in en). https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/20/tech/wyze-breach-camera/index.html. 
  37. ↑ bio, See full (2026-01-21). "CNET Is Starting to Recommend Wyze Security Cams Again. Here's What's Changed - CNET" (in en-US). https://www.cnet.com/home/security/cnet-is-starting-to-recommend-wyze-security-cams-again/. 
  38. ↑ Schoon, Ben (2025-06-19). "Wyze's 'VerifiedView' promises no one else can view your camera feed... anymore" (in en-US). 9to5Google. https://9to5google.com/2025/06/19/wyzes-verified-view-security/. 
  39. ↑ "Wyze robot vacuum review: Top-shelf features at a budget price" (in en). https://www.techhive.com/article/579281/wyze-robot-vacuum-review.html. 
  40. ↑ Lardinois, Frederic (2020-10-27). "Wyze launches version 3 of its $20 security camera" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/27/wyze-launches-version-3-of-its-20-security-camera/. 
  41. ↑ Atalla, Steve Kovach, Jen. "How a tiny camera startup is taking on Amazon and Google" (in en-US). https://www.businessinsider.com/wyze-labs-camera-google-nest-cam-2018-4. 
  42. ↑ Manjoo, Farhad (2017-12-11). "Gracias, Amazon, por abaratar los dispositivos electrónicos" (in es-LA). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/es/2017/12/11/espanol/amazon-dispositivos-precios-abaratar.html. 
  43. ↑ Delaney, John R. (2024-02-26). "Wyze Home Monitoring Review" (in en). https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/wyze-home-monitoring. 
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