The durable Ezviz C3W Pro 4MP ($129.99) makes it easy to monitor the outside of your home with sharp 2K video and strong support for third-party smart devices. It offers color night vision, local and cloud video storage, a human detection feature, and a built-in spotlight and siren combo that can ward off intruders. The camera works with Alexa and Google voice commands, too, though we had issues trying to stream a live feed to an Echo Show in testing. The C3W Pro is a good choice if you already use other Ezviz products, though for everyone else we prefer the more affordable Wyze Cam V3 Pro ($49.99), which records 2K video and integrates with just as many third-party devices.
The bullet-shaped C3W Pro looks similar to the Ezviz C3X we reviewed back in 2020. It measures 2.8 inches wide by 5.9 inches long, has a white metal build, and features an IP67 weatherproof rating. Two adjustable Wi-Fi antennas stick out from the side and a hardwired 15-inch power cord extends from the back. The cord has both a power port and an Ethernet port that lets you hook into your network directly rather than rely on the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio. The camera attaches to a mounting apparatus that lets you swivel and tilt the enclosure for optimal viewing.
The front of the unit contains the camera. It has a 2,560-by-1,440-pixel resolution, captures video at 30fps, and has a 121-degree diagonal field of view. Two infrared LEDs for black-and-white night vision and two white LED spotlights for color night vision join the lens on the front. You can configure the white LEDs (and the built-in siren) to turn on when the camera detects motion or have them automatically turn on at night, but there’s no way to toggle them manually.
A status LED glows solid red during startup, slowly flashes red when there's no Wi-Fi connection, quickly flashes red if there’s an SD card error, and shows solid blue when you play back recordings within the companion app. A speaker and a microphone reside at the bottom of the camera, along with a rubber cover that conceals a microSD card slot and a reset button.
In addition to sending a push alert and recording video when it detects motion, the C3W Pro can identify when a person causes that disturbance. It can record video locally, but if you don't want to supply an SD card, prepare to pay for a cloud storage plan.
You get a free 30-day trial period that includes seven days of recording history. After the trial expires, the Standard plan starts at $3.99 per month ($39.99 per year); it gives you seven days of video history for a single camera, though you can pay $6.99 per month ($69.99 per year) to extend the recording history to 30 days. If you have multiple Ezviz cameras, the $5.99-per-month ($59.99 per year) Premium plan gets you seven days of video history for up to four cameras. You can pay a bit more, $10.99 per month ($109.99 per year), to save 30 days of history for the same number of cameras. All plans offer unlimited storage for recordings that fall within those specified ranges.
This camera supports Alexa and Google voice commands and can stream video to Echo Show and Nest Hub displays. It doesn't work with Apple HomeKit, but IFTTT support opens up integrations with lots of other third-party devices.
The C3W Pro uses the same mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as every other Ezviz device. After you set up the camera, all you have to do is tap the panel on the Devices screen to launch a live stream of its feed.
On the bottom edge of the video panel are buttons for pausing video, muting sound, taking a snapshot, recording a video clip, initiating two-way talk, selecting a video quality setting (Quad HD, Full HD, or Standard), and activating the siren. Further down is a timeline of recordings with thumbnails for each clip; tap on any to play it or press the Fast Forward button to view all the clips in sequence.
Tap the Settings icon in the upper right corner of the app to configure the motion sensitivity, create detection zones, enable alarm notifications, configure night vision settings, change Wi-Fi preferences, and check the SD card and cloud storage capacities.
Installing the C3W Pro is fairly easy, but you have to find a way to route the power cable into your home if you don't have a protected GFCI outlet at your disposal (the adapter is not weatherproof).
I started the installation process by downloading the Ezviz app, creating an account, and tapping the Add Device option. I selected Cameras and then used my phone to scan the QR code on the base of the unit. Next, I turned the camera on and tapped Start in the app to set up the Wi-Fi connection. Once the LED began to flash blue, I tapped Next, input my Wi-Fi credentials, and confirmed the connection. The camera immediately found the network and an overly loud voice prompt informed me of the successful setup. To complete the process, I gave the camera a name, specified an install location, attached it to a deck post in my backyard using the included screws, and plugged it into a GFCI outlet.
Daytime video from the C3W Pro shows excellent color saturation and sharp detail, whereas black-and-white night video looks sufficiently bright. The spotlights also provide enough light for the camera to deliver reasonably good color video at night, though the daytime recordings still look much better.
Motion alerts arrived quickly, and two-way audio sounded clean and adequately loud. I had no trouble streaming live video to a Google Nest Hub display, but when I tried the same with an Amazon Echo Show, I ran into the same issues I experienced with the Ezviz C6 2K+ camera. I had to fiddle with the camera’s security settings and wait a few days before I could finally view video on the Echo Show.
The Ezviz C3W Pro 4MP camera is a good choice for homeowners who want to keep an eye on their property from afar. It delivered sharp 2K video in testing and offers a boatload of features including color night vision, bright spotlights, a warning siren, and both cloud and local video storage options. The camera also supports voice controls and works with plenty of third-party smart devices via IFTTT. Our main complaint is that we had to jump through a few hoops before we were able to stream video to an Echo Show. If you aren't already an Ezviz user, the Wyze Cam V3 Pro is a superior choice because it offers many of the same features for a lower price. And if you want even sharper video than 2K, the $229.99 Lorex 4K Spotlight Indoor/Outdoor Camera W881AAD-E provides stunning 4K recordings and has a dual-band Wi-Fi radio.
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