Summary
Both Wyze Cam v3 and Nooie Cam 360 allow for free continuous recording on a microSD card. Wyze Cam records 12 second clips for free, and has a premium subscription for less than $2/month. Nooie has no free cloud storage, but has a number of paid subscription options depending on your needs. These subscriptions start as low as $1/month.
Wyze is our overall winner due to higher reliability and a more functional app. But Nooie is still a good product, with clear video and audio, along with a lens that can rotate to cover almost 360 degrees of viewing area.
~~~ Wyze Cam v3: Check Price ~~~
~~~ Nooie Cam 360: Check Price ~~~
Subscription & Free Plan Options
Wyze’s subscription plan has a retail price of $24/year, but if you wait you will usually be able to find it on sale. This subscription plan is full-service, with unlimited cloud recordings. We love that Wyze offers a free cloud storage plan, but there is a 5 minute “cooldown period” between recordings, and each recording is capped at 12 seconds. So, this free version is not very useful.
Nooie has no free plan, but offers a lot of choices for paid subscriptions. On the low end of the price range, there is a $1/month plan that stores video for 7 days, and only for “events.” So, you won’t have a full archive of camera footage, but you will be able to replay the events that triggered the camera to activate. On the high end of the price range, there is a 30 day continuous plan that archives all footage, and saves the footage for a full month. This plan costs $19/month, though.
Wyze supports microSD cards up to 32 GB, while Nooie Cam 360 supports microSD cards up to 128 GB. Neither product comes with a microSD card, but they are inexpensive to purchase separately.
Software & Support
Both Nooie and Wyze have motion and sound-activated alerts, and camera activation when motion or sound is detected. Neither device is perfect, and there will be times when motion or sound occurs yet fails to trigger an alert. For budget security cameras, we were impressed with the accuracy overall. But if you need a camera to function flawlessly, you may be better served by a premium product rather than a budget camera.
Wyze Cam v3 is a stationary camera with a wide-view lens. Nooie Cam 360, on the other hand, has a moving lens that revolves to track motion. Although it is called “360,” the camera isn’t actually capable of spinning circles. Rather, it can rotate over 350 degrees, but it will need to move in both directions in order to do so.
The motion tracking feature on the Nooie works well overall. However, the camera doesn’t rehome after every movement. So, it is possible for a movement to position your camera lens in a direction that will miss future movements. This means that if you want your camera to always be pointed at the door, you may want to turn the motion tracking feature off.
Another downside of the Nooie is that movement detection zones cannot be programmed. Again, this is a budget camera, so it is missing some of the “smart” features that premium models have. But this is an issue when combined with motion tracking. (With stationary cameras, having no programmable zones just leads to false alarms. Whereas with a motion tracking camera, having no programmable zones will cause your camera lens to follow around unnecessary movements, like cars passing outside).
Both Wyze and Nooie use proprietary apps. In testing, the Wyze app feels better designed and more functional. But, Nooie is redesigning their app, and the new version is expected to be released in November 2021. One common complaint is expected to be addressed on the new app — video playback. Scrolling through past video on the app is very challenging currently, but the company claims the new app will solve this problem.
The moveable lens of Nooie poses some added challenges to the app. Although you can move the direction of the lens via the app, this movement is very slow. The motion is choppy, and the app has a lag. The process was challenging enough that we gave up on moving the camera with the app.
We experienced occasional crashes with the Nooie app, but not with Wyze. And one final complaint with Nooie — only one user can be logged on at a time. So if a second person tries to access the app, it will log out the first person. I understand that only one user can be an administrator, and only one person can control the camera, but it should be possible to have a second user on the app as view-only.
Wyze has a better app and more reputable customer service. Additionally, Wyze v3 is backed by a 2 year warranty, while Nooie Cam 360 has a 1 year warranty.
Wyze works with Google Assistant, Alexa, IFTTT, and Chromecast. Nooie Cam 360 works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Neither device works with Apple HomeKit.
Wyze v3 and Nooie Cam 360 both only work on 2.4 GHz WiFi, and aren’t compatible with 5 GHz WiFi.
Hardware
Both Wyze and Nooie plug into outlets, and have no battery backup.
Both devices are well built for the price. Wyze has a more squared design, and Nooie is rounded, but each looks pretty stylish. It really just comes down to personal preferences for squared versus rounded devices.
Although Nooie Cam 360 covers a wider area with its moveable lens, for most setups it will be easier to get the Wyze Cam v3 installed and pointed in the correct direction. The adjustable stand makes Wyze easy to position, while the base of Nooie limits the possible positioning of the device.
Wyze is rated IP65, meaning it can withstand dust and water. Nooie is not considered waterproof in any way. It is common for indoor cameras not to be waterproof, so this isn’t a knock on Nooie. But if you have any concern about moisture exposure, choose Wyze.
Video & Audio Quality
Wyze Cam v3 has a wide 130 degree field of view, and records in 1080p resolution. Nooie Cam 360 also records in 1080p. Nooie can cover nearly 360 degrees, but the actual field of view of the lens is only 101 degrees. For many applications, it may be easier to use a fixed camera with a wider view (like Wyze) rather than a movable camera with a narrower field of view (like Nooie).
Both Nooie and Wyze have great video quality for the price. To my eyes, the Nooie looks a little better, but it is close enough that you won’t notice unless they are side-by-side. The 2-way audio, likewise, was a little better on Nooie. Night vision was comparable on both devices.
The Verdict
Both Wyze Cam v3 and Nooie Cam 360 are solid budget indoor cameras. The reliability of Wyze, along with the better app, makes it the winner overall. But if you need a device capable of viewing a field of more than 130 degrees, the revolving lens of Nooie can expand the function of your camera.
