#Wyze’s New Home Monitoring Core Kit Just Saw a Serious Price Increase – Review Geek

Recently, Wyze announced it would raise the price of some of its devices due to component shortages. But the company didn’t say which gadgets would see the price hike beyond the v3 Cam and the Doorbell. Now we know one more—Wyze Home Monitoring. And it’s a big jump in price—with a workaround.

If you had to boil down Wyze’s business plan to a simple mission statement, it’d probably be “a fraction of the cost of everyone, but with the quality intact.” Whether it’s security cameras, smart lamps, or smart plugs, Wyze products are great—even the oddly different Wyze watches.

But sometimes low prices can’t last forever. Take the Wyze Cam v3. When Wyze first announced it, the company said that it would still sell for the same $19.99 as the first two versions despite all the improvements. That didn’t last—anyone who didn’t pre-order found themselves paying $24 unless you paid for a Wyze Cam Plus subscription. And as of today, you’ll spend $28.99—though that now includes shipping. But Cam Plus subscribers don’t get a discount anymore.

Now Wyze Home Monitoring Systems are going through a similar price increase. You can buy it one of two ways—the core system with one year of monitoring included and the core system without a 24/7 monitoring subscription. If you choose the latter, you can always add on the subscription for $5 a month. The core system includes a hub, a keypad, two v2 contact sensors, and one v2 motion sensor.

But you shouldn’t buy just the core system. Because get this: if you buy the core system with one year of 24/7 monitoring, you’ll spend $59.98, shipping included. But if you buy the core system today without 24/7 monitoring, you’ll spend $79.98. When it first launched, you could choose that option for $49.98. Getting a year of service for “just $10” made sense before. But now, getting a year of service means saving $20. It’s a no-brainer; just choose the option with 24/7 monitoring—even if you never activate it.

Any way it goes, the system is truly affordable, and the price now includes shipping.. Ring and SimpliSafe starter kits are closer to $200 and don’t include monitoring. You’ll get more options with Ring and SimpliSafe, but it’s a lot of money to spend for options you may not even buy in the long run.