Wyze Bulb Cam Pan Color: a $99 light-bulb camera that pans and tilts

Wyze has upgraded one of its most unusual smart-home gadgets. The new Wyze Bulb Cam Pan Color keeps the original idea, a security camera built into a light bulb, but adds a motorised camera head and a full-colour light, 9to5Google reports. It costs $99 and is listed on Wyze's store.

How it works

Like the first Bulb Cam, it screws into a standard E26 light socket, the common US bulb base, and takes its power from there. There is no extra wiring or battery to charge: you screw it in, flip the light switch and pair it in the Wyze app. That makes it an easy fit for a porch, garage or hallway light that's already in the right place. Note that E26 is the North American standard; most European fittings use E27, so check the socket before buying from abroad.

What's new

• Pan and tilt: a motorised base gives 360-degree rotation and 180-degree tilt. It can automatically track moving subjects or switch between preset positions ("waypoints").
• Better camera: a 2.5K sensor and colour night vision, according to Wyze.
• Brighter, colour bulb: maximum output rises from 800 to 1,100 lumens. The bulb is now full RGB ("16 million colours", in Wyze's words) with white light adjustable from 1,800 K to 6,500 K, and you can pair extra Wyze bulbs to it.
• Storage: local microSD recording is still supported, alongside Wyze's paid Cam Plus cloud subscription.

The original Bulb Cam stays on sale for just under $50 if you don't need the moving head or coloured light.

Things to weigh up

A camera that lives in a light socket only works while the switch is on, so it suits fittings that are left powered, or a switch you can leave on and control from the app instead. Cloud features such as smart alerts usually depend on the subscription, while microSD covers basic recording without one. If you're comparing options, our home security camera buying guide explains resolution, storage and privacy trade-offs, and our video doorbell guide covers the front-door alternative.