Enlarge (credit: Getty Images)

Wyze cameras have been unreliable for many users for more than nine hours today, with cameras disappearing from the Wyze app or simply reporting errors when owners try to view them.

Users started reporting issues on Down Detector just before 4 am Eastern time, and the company issued a service advisory at 9:30 am. As of 1 pm, the company stated that its "metrics show that devices are starting to recover," and later that there was "continued improvement," but it was still investigating history viewing issues. At 1:15 pm, an Ars writer was able to view his Wyze v3 camera feed and update its firmware.

Wyze attributed the issue to an "AWS partner" in an earlier update. Amazon Web Services' dashboard showed no issues or outages as of 1:30 pm Eastern. Ars reached out to Wyze for comment and will update this post with new information.

(credit: Eufy)

Eufy's home security products are on sale, with several discounts across a wide array of smart home accessories, including door locks, cameras, and doorbells. One of my favorite items from the company is a smart door lock that combines three products in one, and it's now discounted by 15 percent.

The Eufy Security S330 integrates a fingerprint keyless entry door lock, a smart lock that can be accessed via your phone or keypad, and an integrated smart doorbell with a chime and camera to detect visitors at your front door. The S330 isn't at the lowest price we've ever seen, but it still knocks $53 off the cost of this all-in-one front door smart home accessory. If you don't need a three-in-one lock, Eufy also sells standalone smart deadbolts, doorbells, and cameras at various prices.

Eufy Security products for your front door

• Eufy Security S330 Smart Video Lock for $297 (was $350) at Amazon : Eufy's S330 is more than just a smart deadbolt for your home. This Wi-Fi-connected lock integrates a fingerprint reader for easy access, a smart doorbell with a 2K camera to monitor your front entryway, and a keypad with chime. A traditional key can also be used to access your home. One of the nicest things about Eufy compared to some competitors is that no subscription is required to access these smart features, including video recording and live feeds. You can store your video footage locally on a memory card in the included doorbell chime.
• Eufy Security C210 Smart Lock for $100 after coupon (was $140) at Amazon : If you don't need all the bells and whistles of the Eufy Security S33 and would prefer a simpler smart lock, the C210 is a deadbolt with a keypad on the front, a key slot for traditional access, and Wi-Fi connectivity that eliminates the need for a hub or bridge. Eufy promises access to your home in five different ways, including through the Eufy Security app, the keypad or a physical key, your Apple Watch, or Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
• Eufy Security Dual Camera Video Doorbell for $150 after coupon (was $200) at Amazon : Eufy's Dual Camera Video Doorbell sets itself apart from the competition with its dual-camera setup designed to deter porch pirates. This model comes with a traditional forward-facing 2K camera to check for visitors and alert you when someone is at the door, but it also includes a bottom-mounted camera that's ideally placed to monitor packages and notify you if you have a delivery. It's perfect for online shoppers.
• Eufy Security Video Doorbell (Battery) for $80 after coupon (was $100) at Amazon : For those who prefer simplicity, this video doorbell is battery operated, meaning you won't have to mess with wiring inside your home, and it comes with an FHD 1080p resolution camera. While affordable, the Eufy Security Video Doorbell comes with AI-driven features that will detect if there's a human presence at your door. Eufy also includes a wireless chime in the package.

Eufy Security cameras and other smart accessories

Eufy's camera footage is stored locally, but with the right URL, you can also watch it from anywhere, unencrypted. It's complicated.

If you already have a working front door security system, you may want to consider Eufy's other smart home security products, which are also on sale.

Enlarge / Anker's Eufy division has said its web portal was not designed for end-to-end encryption and could allow outside access with the right URL. (credit: Eufy)

After two months of arguing back and forth with critics about how so many aspects of its "No clouds" security cameras could be accessed online by security researchers, Anker smart home division Eufy has provided a lengthy explanation and promises to do better.

In multiple responses to The Verge , which has repeatedly called out Eufy for failing to address key aspects of its security model, Eufy has plainly stated that video streams produced by its cameras could be accessed, unencrypted, through the Eufy web portal, despite messaging and marketing that suggested otherwise. Eufy also stated it would bring in penetration testers, commission an independent security researcher's report, create a bug bounty program, and better detail its security protocols.

Prior to late November 2022, Eufy had enjoyed a distinguished place among smart home security providers. For those willing to trust any company with video feeds and other home data, Eufy marketed itself as offering "No Clouds or Costs," with encrypted feeds streamed only to local storage.

Enlarge / Eufy's camera footage is stored locally, but with the right URL, you can also watch it from anywhere, unencrypted. It's complicated.

When security researchers found that Eufy's supposedly cloud-free cameras were uploading thumbnails with facial data to cloud servers , Eufy's response was that it was a misunderstanding, a failure to disclose an aspect of its mobile notification system to customers.

It seems there's more understanding now, and it's not good.

Eufy didn't respond to other claims from security researcher Paul Moore and others, including that one could stream the feed from a Eufy camera in VLC Media Player , if you had the right URL. Last night, The Verge, working with the security researcher "Wasabi" who first tweeted the problem , confirmed it could access Eufy camera streams, encryption-free , through a Eufy server URL.

Roku's cameras can (like Wyze) alert you to certain specific things, like people and pets, when they appear on your camera. The alerts appear on a new phone app, but also Roku TVs and streaming devices. (credit: Roku)

Today, Connected TV-maker Roku unveiled eight new low-cost lights, cameras, doorbells, and plugs, all centered on being easy to install and operate from the company's "Roku TV Operating System." It marks the entrance of a new player in the smart home field, one with no particularly novel gadgets yet, but already a sizable gateway into many homes.

The products, available exclusively through Roku and Walmart, can be controlled with a new Roku Smart Home phone app, but Roku is positioning the devices as tightly integrated with their TVs and streaming boxes and sticks. The Roku video doorbell can trigger a picture-in-picture view on a Roku-powered TV and alert you to dedicated events like packages or pets. Using the voice function on a Roku remote can bring up live camera streams, activate switches, or turn on lights.

Roku's Doorbell Pro can pop up on a Roku TV to show who's at the door—in this case, the takeout delivery. (credit: Roku)

The products will be familiar to anyone who has browsed the Wyze lineup, and that's intentional. Roku partnered with Wyze to build its first non-streaming-focused products, and some of them are dead-ringers for existing Wyze gear, especially the cameras. Wyze is a well-known brand, but also one with some security breaches and heavily delayed vulnerability responses in its past. Roku states that its products will offer two-factor authentication, user data encryption, and secure boot and will be certified by the ioXt Alliance .