Offering an alternative to generic bird feeder camera adapters, Wyze admit they can't stop squirrels (yet), but they can sharpen focus...
(Image credit: Wyze)
Smart camera company Wyze has introduced a Wyze Bird Feeder housing for their cameras, and they've included a special monocle! The Wyze Bird Feeder has five mounting options the option of a solar panel to keep the camera topped up for longer and a lens adapter for sharper focus.
Wyze describes the housing as providing "birdwatching on easy mode," and it features a strong design with a hopper around the camera mount and tray for bird seed, which, they say, is designed to attract a variety of birds.
The solar panel is an optional feature but discretely designed in the roof so that if you choose to add the accessory, it won't look out of place (though you will, of course, need to find a position that allows light to the panel for it to be effective).
A solar panel is an optional extra for the Wyze Bird Feeder (Image credit: Wyze)
The design is a housing, rather than having a built-in camera, but it is compatible with the Wyze Battery Cam Pro, Cam v3/v4 and Cam Outdoor v1/v2. The full mounting options are wall, tree, pole, cord, and suction cup (though I'd argue from testing other bird feeders that 'tree' and 'pole' are probably broadly similar!)
Just as when using the cameras for security purposes, you'll be able to see birds with live view or capture recordings of the birds. The Wyze app will provide notifications as usual, and you'll be able to snapshot, download videos and share them with other birdwatchers.
One advantage of being a branded product over a generic one is that Wyze knows its cameras, so include a Macro Lens Adapter – a lens that improves the focus on close-up subjects (i.e., the birds). That's nice, as sometimes security cameras are optimized to focus on subjects a little further away.
There are other housings available that accept multiple brands of cameras, but one of the advantages for Wyze customers and enthusiasts of this option is that the company is selling it in bundles.
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The final price for the standard housing will be $49.99 but, for launch, Wyze has set an introductory price of just $39.98.
A kit including a Wyze Battery Cam Pro camera, housing and solar panel retails at $164.94 - but currently discounted to $139.98.
With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones.
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