Who Owns Wyze, The Controversial Smart Home Device Manufacturer?

Wyze, a rising star in the smart home device market, has seen its fair share of controversies, some of which may have tarnished its reputation for good with some consumers. You see, back in 2024, about 13,000 Wyze camera owners saw a feed from other owners. The media picked up the incident, and even Wirecutter (of The New York Times fame) openly stopped recommending the manufacturer. 

Fortunately, Wyze learned from its mistakes and has earned back the trust of major outlets like CNET in the two years following the massive incident. This is good news for those looking to purchase solid smart home devices on a budget. Wyze cameras are super cheap, with the Wyze Cam OG being one of the best security cameras without a subscription. Yet, it's only natural to wonder what the deal is with a $59 4K smart security camera that has night vision. Is Wyze Cam Chinese, and if so, who is the parent company of Wyze?

In short, Wyze is an independent company started by former Amazon employees. Leveraging their experience working for a conglomerate of such size, the founders, as the company website states, want to become the "most customer-centric" manufacturer in the smart home industry. Based out of Kirkland, Washington, Wyze isn't shy about manufacturing its products in China, but has assured consumers in the past that it fully controls the customer experience and its API features.

Wyze is its own company, so to speak, but for some users, any connections to China are an instant red flag. If Wyze using Tianjin Hualai Technology for its manufacturing is problematic for you, then you should give up on most tech companies. For instance, Ring doorbell cameras are made in China, and so are Eufy products. In fact, Wyze isn't the only company working with Tianjin Hualai Technology. Others include Xiaomi and, again, Amazon. The particular Chinese manufacturer is actually a part of the Amazon Kinesis Video Streams Partners.

Though the "Made in China" badge may not be such a big deal, you may still question whether Wyze sells your data. According to the company, it doesn't sell your personal data directly. However, it does collect data points with the goal of showing interest-based advertisements. That's fairly standard and similar to what Amazon does with your personal information.

In the end, you'll see many websites discouraging you from purchasing Wyze stuff. For example, Consumer Reports says you should avoid Wyze at all costs. Still, the company worked hard to resolve security concerns, from implementing penetration testing to overhauling its approach to metadata. It seems to be working, considering that 2024 was the last time it had a major, public cybersecurity incident. What's more, Wyze wasn't the only company that saw its fair share of controversy. Eufy had its moment too, when it was revealed that its cameras had no end-to-end protection. Heck, Ring even surveilled customers. The difference is that those incidents simply slipped under the radar, whereas Wyze had no such luck.