Most product recalls trace back to a manufacturing defect a bad batch of components, a supplier problem, something wrong with the unit as it left the factory. This one is different.

The Wyze Solar Cam Pan itself is not defective in the conventional sense. The hazard comes entirely from how the camera is assembled. Specifically, it comes from using the wrong screws in the wrong place while following instructions that, according to both Wyze and the CPSC, made that mistake easy to make, per Wyze's recall page.

That distinction matters for two reasons. First, it means a correctly installed unit is not dangerous. Wyze states that cameras assembled with the right screws can continue to be used safely, per its recall page. Second, the hazard is not uniform across the recalled population. Whether your specific camera poses a risk depends entirely on what happened during installation, not on when or where it was purchased. The model number check gets you to the right population; the screw inspection tells you where you actually stand.

For the units where the wrong screws were used, the failure mode is severe. The long screws penetrate the brass inserts and pierce the battery casing, causing rapid thermal runaway the same chain reaction behind lithium-ion battery fires in phones and laptops, but happening inside a device mounted outdoors on a wall or fence, per Fox29. Six cameras have already gone through that sequence.

The recall covers one model only: the Wyze Solar Cam Pan, with model number WYZESCPWH printed on the back of the unit, per the CPSC notice. If that model number isn't there, nothing else in this guide applies to you.

On purchase date: the CPSC notice describes the sale window loosely as "through April 2026," but Wyze's own recall page sets a specific cutoff of April 3, 2026, per Wyze. That's the operative date for eligibility. Cameras purchased after April 3 fall outside the recall scope.

If you don't have a receipt, that's fine. The model number check is the first and most important screen. If the model matches and you installed the camera yourself or aren't certain who installed it or how proceed to the screw inspection below before doing anything else.

Canadian owners with the same model number are covered under a parallel recall and should follow the same process, per the CPSC.

The Solar Cam Pan ships with two different screw types, and they are not interchangeable. The long flat-head wood screws are designed to mount the camera body to a wall or exterior surface. The short pan-head machine screws serve a different purpose: attaching the solar panel bracket to the top of the camera body, per Wyze's recall page.

The assembly instructions included with recalled units could lead consumers to use the long wood screws in the top bracket position. That single mistake is what creates the fire risk. When the long screws are driven into the top of the camera, they can push through the closed-bottom brass inserts and puncture the lithium-ion battery casing inside. A breached casing causes rapid thermal runaway, which the CPSC characterizes as posing a risk of serious injury or property damage from fire and burn hazards, per the agency's notice.

To inspect: locate where the solar panel bracket connects to the top of the camera body. Long, flat-headed screws at that connection point are the wrong screws. Short, rounded-head machine screws mean the installation was correct.

Stop using the camera immediately if you find the long flat-head screws at the top bracket, if you cannot safely access that part of the installation, or if you genuinely can't remember which screws went where. The CPSC is direct: all consumers who used the long flat-head screws to attach the solar panel to the top of the camera should participate in the recall, per the agency. When there's any doubt, stop first and inspect from a safe position afterward.

Wyze's recall page includes a step-by-step visual guide to help with this identification, available at wyze.com/SCPrecall.

Wyze offers three remedies: a free replacement camera with solar panel accessory, a full refund, or a gift card for the original purchase price to use on Wyze's website, per Wyze. Plan for two to three weeks of processing time for any of them.

Getting there requires a specific sequence, and the order is not optional. Before any remedy is issued, consumers must attest that they have already disposed of the recalled device, per Fox29. Disposal comes first, not after.

Disposal is also more involved than most people expect. The camera cannot go in household trash, curbside recycling bins, or the battery drop boxes found at hardware and electronics retailers. Recalled lithium-ion batteries present an elevated fire risk and require separate handling, per Wyze's recall page. A municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection facility is the right channel. Contact your municipality or check your city's waste management website to locate the nearest facility before starting the claim.

The full sequence: stop using the camera, confirm which screws are at the top bracket, find your nearest HHW facility and drop off the device according to their instructions, then visit wyze.com/SCPrecall to attest to disposal and select your remedy. Getting the order wrong means either the device stays in service longer than it should, or the claim process stalls waiting on the disposal attestation.

If you own a Wyze Solar Cam Pan with model number WYZESCPWH and purchased it on or before April 3, 2026, the first step is the same regardless of how confident you feel about your installation: stop using it. Inspect the screws at the top bracket, then decide whether to re-enable the camera or enter the recall.

Wyze's position is that a correctly installed camera is safe to continue using, per its recall FAQ. The CPSC's stop-use guidance targets affected owners, meaning those who used the long flat-head screws at the top of the camera. These positions aren't in conflict. Both start from the same place: check your screws before drawing any conclusions about your specific device.

With six documented fire incidents on record and a disposal process that requires more steps than a standard return, the practical risk is that owners either skip the inspection and keep using a potentially dangerous camera, or go through part of the recall process in the wrong order and stall. Neither outcome is hard to avoid. The recall portal at wyze.com/SCPrecall walks through the screw check visually and moves directly into the remedy process the right place to start, right after the camera goes out of service.