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Background

The purpose of this project is to provide a solution for backing up 24/7 security video and images from Wyze security cameras onto a central hard drive via FTP. This solution has only been tested on the WyzeCam V3.

Alternative Solutions

WyzeHacks

HclX/WyzeHacks provided an NFS solution where video footage could be saved to a network file share instead of the SD card.

Note wz_mini_hacks makes possible a NFS solution as well which is worth exploring

The following info provided by HclX inspired a 'Wyze Http' solution. But it proved to be unreliable in comparison to this FTP solution.

RTSP

Official RTSP firmware from Wyze used to stream footage to a Network Video Recorder (NVR)

WyzeFtp Solution

About

The WyzeCam continuously saves video and alarm images to the SD card. The FtpDownloader app or any FTP Client (e.g. FileZilla) can then synchronize such media from the 32 GB SD card of each Wyze Camera onto a larger hard drive connected to the same network. By executing the FtpDownloader daily, at least 2 months worth of 24/7 video from 5 cameras can be archived onto a 5 terabyte hard drive.

Quick Setup

wz_mini_hacks provides a simple solution for enabling telnet and an FTP server on the Wyze camera instead of using DNS spoofing to apply modified firmware.

Once the wz_mini_hack has been applied, ssh into the camera and perform the following:

• cd into /opt/wz_mini/etc/configs/ and create the following script file:

telnet_script.sh

#!/bin/sh

until [ -d /media/mmc/record ]
do
	sleep 5
	echo "waiting for mmc to mount"
done
	echo "mmc mounted"

FILE=/media/mmc/busybox
if test -f "$FILE"; then
    echo "$FILE was found."
    cd /media/mmc/ && ./busybox telnetd &
    /media/mmc/busybox tcpsvd -vE 0.0.0.0 21 /media/mmc/busybox ftpd /media/mmc
else
    echo "$FILE not found."
fi

exit

• edit the CUSTOM_SCRIPT_PATH in wz_mini/wz_mini.conf as follows:

#####SCRIPTING#####
CUSTOM_SCRIPT_PATH="/opt/wz_mini/etc/configs/telnet_script.sh"

• Place the provided version of busybox in the root directory of SD card

• Reboot the camera then confirm telnet and FTP access works as expected

telnet [email protected]

## the following should apper if telnet is working
WCV3 login: root

Advanced Setup

• Instead of using wz_mini_hacks, the WyzeCam firmware can be modified to enable telnet and start an FTP server. This will allow access to the video and alarm folder content from within a private network using telnet credentials. See the following README

• DNS spoofing is still an option for applying modified camera firmware . See the following README for some helpful information.

Crontab Setup

• The following README is helpful for setting up crontab to execute FtpDownloader on a Raspberry Pi.

Usage

FtpDownloader

• Recursively downloads all the video and image content from the Wyze camera SD card via FTP
• It is not configured to run as a service. Therefore it needs to be set up as a cron job on Linux or a scheduled task on a Windows machine

FirmwareUpdater

• FirmwareUpdater is optional and useful for applying modified Wyze firmware using DNS spoofing

FileServer

• FileServer is optional and useful for serving modified Wyze firmware when DNS spoofing is being used.

  If python is prefered, the WyzeUpdater python script works well. The information in the README of the C# projects might be helpful for adjusting the python script

Project Features

• With this solution, it's possible to perform official over the air (OTA) updates using the Wyze App. For the WyzeCam V3, OTA updates stop at 4.36.9.139. Newer firmware versions have not been tested with this FTP solution

• WyzeCam plus and Wyze app features continue to work after applying the modifications

Tech Stack

• FtpDownloader targets .NET 6 and can be compiled as a self-contained file. Therefore, it can be launched on a Raspberry Pi without the need to install the .NET runtime.

• ASP.NET minimal API is used for the FileServer project. It can also be compiled on Linux as a self contained file not requiring the .NET runtime

Helpful Info

• The following guide by CedBri is helpful for unpacking the camera firmware, modifying, then repacking: https://github.com/CedBri/wyzecamv3
• Leo's notes contains lots of useful information as well: https://leo.leung.xyz/wiki/Wyze_Cam

Future Goals

• Use Secure FTP
• Make the firmware update projects more automated similar to the WyzeUpdater python script
• Add purging functionality to FtpDownloader to remove older media