Do Wyze cameras in Google Home need a hub?

On a recent Internet of Things Podcast episode, we took a question from our Voicemail hotline about Wyze cameras and Google Wi-Fi. Our caller has the second-generation Google Nest Wi-Fi routers and is buying a new house. He plans to add a Wyze door lock and some Wyze cameras to his new home and wants to know if he needs to add a hub for those.

Based on our experience and this Google support article, a hub isn’t required to link Wyze devices to Google Home. In other words, you can use Wyze devices without a dedicated hub. You can easily control a Wyze lock by voice or through either the Google Nest or Wyze mobile apps. However, without a hub, you’ll need to use the Wyze mobile app to view any footage from the Wyze cameras. That’s because even though you can voice control certain Wyze devices using Google Assistant on a phone or tablet, camera views aren’t available for Wyze devices in the Google Home app.

Adding a Google Nest Hub might be the preferred option here because you can view video from Wyze cameras on Google’s smart displays. I’ve done this for several years and, to be honest, the experience hasn’t been great for me.

Regardless of any network tweaks I make to address this, trying to see live Wyze camera footage on my smart displays is painful. It often takes five to seven seconds before the live stream starts, for example. And even when it does, the stream is choppy, freezes, and/or restarts often.

I’ve had a far better experience with Google’s own Nest cameras. Of course, those are much more expensive than the Wyze product line. The indoor, wired Nest Cam, for example, retails for $99.99. You can currently purchase a three-pack of the Wyze Cam v.3 for just under $90. So there’s a huge cost difference involved.

Personally, I’d lean towards the Nest Cam option if I wanted to view my cameras with a smart display. If you’re OK with viewing the cameras on a phone or tablet, using the Wyze app and cameras works well and will save you some money.

To hear this question in full, as well as our discussion on the topic, tune in to the Internet of Things Podcast below: