TP-Link Tapo 2K QHD Pan/Tilt Security Camera, AI Detection
TP-Link Tapo 2K QHD Pan/Tilt Security Camera, AI Detection, Privacy Protection, Starlight Sensor, 2-way Audio, 4MP, Night Vision, Cloud&SD Card Storage, Works with Alexa & Google Home (Tapo C225)
2K QHD Clear View
With a F1.6 large aperture, Tapo C225 captures more light to create crisper images.
Starlight Sensor
The highly sensitive starlight sensor captures higher-quality images even in low-light conditions.
Smart Motion Tracking
Precisely tracks and follows a subject, keeping it within the camera’s field of view with up to 120°/s rotating speed.
Customizable Night Vision
Switch to the 940nm IR invisible LED to watch over your baby without interrupting their sleep.
Panoramic View
Generate a panoramic view by photographing the surrounding environment.
| Weight: | 590 g |
| Dimensions: | 8 x 8 x 11.2 cm; 590 Grams |
| Brand: | TP-Link |
| Model: | Tapo C225 |
| Colour: | White |
| Manufacture: | TP-Link |
| Dimensions: | 8 x 8 x 11.2 cm; 590 Grams |
This camera will surprise you
Easy to set up I can see my lounge in my villa easily! Great on night mode ! Set the alarm on but make sure you turn it off or tell any visitors!! I forgot and some friends set it off ! Makes a lot of noise
Easy to set up
With the aid of Youtube, it was easy enough to set up. It is part of my Apple Home and I set it to Privacy Mode when at home so it does not keep detecting motion. The iOS app is great and easy to follow.
A good purchase.
For the really security conscious out there, you will find a video on youtube detailing how to connect Tapo IP Cameras to Hikvision DVR’s, it is for an older version of the software but only needs a slight tweak to get it working and if you have configured these systems before you will find it really easy to understand. Good quality output, motion tracking for cars or persons can also be useful.
Great product!
Very happy with this camera. The tracking feature is amazing, this can be seen on my video. I didn’t bother paying for cloud storage, I used a spare 8GB Micro SD card and it stores plenty. It can be set to only record when it detects movement and all recordings can be accessed from anywhere using the app. Ideal for keeping an eye on pets. The night vision is also very good and you can see clearly without and lights on.
Camera detection is grea
Camera detection is great , can choose from detecting people or movements in a designated area and loads more setting , i have 2 of there for front and rear of house and can’t fault thm save data with cloud , sim card or both reliable for the price
Great little camera!
Arrived on time and well packaged. Easy to set up, need to read instructions before you start to get the App and charge it. Simple to mount on the bracket supplied. It’s a great little camera. I can see who has entered onto my property and keep an eye on the dogs. It sends you notifications if it detects movement and you can save any screenshots or videos. Probably going to get another one for the back garden.
Great until you lose your monthly subscriptio
This product is great. It’s easy to set up, easy to use and will patrol your room or windows when set up to do so.
My only issue is that I lost all the alerts and cloud when the free trial ran out which I guess most cameras are the same.
So now it’s sat in my room and not really monitored as it doesn’t appear on my phone notifications when someone walks past. Other than that I would 1000% recommend.
This is such a great little camera, I use it for the back of my property as I have a crazy neighbour who I don’t trust and this is brilliant, very pleased with the functions and picture clarity
I bought this camera so I could record my car outside the house as it has been repeatedly broken into. I was recommended this camera by a friend and its great. The night vision is amazing. Its easily setup and is connected to an app on the phone. I can fully control the camera from anywhere with my phone so that’s really cool. So far I’m very impressed with this camera and its been two months and have no issues with it and don’t expect any issues will arise at all. I don’t know how much security camera’s are in general but this was GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY.
Excellent camera. Great images and sound. Software is easy to set up and navigate.
The main plus point of this camera is it doesn’t force you into a monthly cloud subscription in order to download the videos stored on its internal SD card to your phone or get notifications. That’s a huge plus in a market awash with rip-off cameras that can’t even do the basics without requiring the cash grab of a monthly “cloud” service.
Indoor 2K Camera with Alarm
Setting up instructions were oversimplified but were more complicated than I thought.
Mainly connecting it to my Network (whereby I can use the Camera Remotely)
Pan/Tilt, Patrol and Record Facility are excellent. Only surpassed by Picture Quality (with both Day & Night Modes).
The only thing I’m unable to do is to set the Camera to follow an Intruder as they move.
AND I don’t know if this IS possible.
I will keep you posted as I discover what else it can do
Great little camera for the price.
This camera was better than expected. I have had other cheap cameras before and lets just say you get what you pay for but this little camera has surprised me. The picture day and night is good. The recording and storage of videos is also good. If your looking for a cheap camera set up you won’t go far wrong with this.
I originally purchase the 1080p camera but returned it as the image quality was not good enough. When I received this 2K camera, the difference was night and day – really good image quality – stills and video.
The moth=ion detection is great and its really convenient to turn it off – into privacy mode – from the app whenever you arrive home
This is my first security camera and I am glad that I chose Tapo – I also have Tapo bulbs so its great to see all in just the one app – I may well buy an camera for outside based on the experience with the bulbs and indoor camera – but need to wait a while as they are a little more expensive – but I am sure worth the price
Thank you Tapo for a great product that will give me peace of mind
Please note
Although I love this cameras capabilities , it is not explained on amazon that if you also use an amazon echo to view your camera your limited to 10 minutes only then it shuts off, beware
Good video quality and interface
In overall happy with the camera, but sound is could be better (i.e. more sensitive), it can’t hear further than few meters, so if sound is very important for you then this might be not good for you. Video quality is very good. Night light is excellent.
I have been using this camera for just over a year now and I am so grateful for this device. I am keeping an eye on my cocker spaniel whilst I’m at work and if she feels anxious or lonely sometimes she hawls, so the option for the voice call is brilliant! I just talk to my dog and she is calm within minutes. If there is a light left in the distance it’s perfect night vision and very pleased the quality of the colours! It is also durable as I accidentally dropped the camera once and it turned purple colours for a short time and once I re-start it worked perfectly. I strongly recommend this camera and it is a good value for money.
This is a great way of getting some security for your home on a budget. Easy to use. We have tested most of the features of this camera and find they work well. The picture quality can be changed from 360p, 720p & 1080p which will change quality of video and space used on storage option used (sd card or subscription cloud). You don’t need to subscribe to the cloud but if not, you will need to keep an eye on the space of the sd card and clean it up regularly. The video and audio quality are both perfectly adequate so I would recommend these.
What’s not to love about Tapo. I’m a technophobe. So easy to set up everything from these guys. Used products for a couple of years. Products never failed and app never failed. Great prices too. This camera is no different. Does what it says on the tin. You can set to look in certain areas in the room, but remember not yo move the canera as it will go elsewhere. Features all work. Use it for my pet when I’m out at work. Great for this. Works as indoor security camera as I have one pointing and recording at doors and windows. Phone part works great. I actually can’t rate this product enough and I always find something wrong with products. Worse thing they have is bulbs. Minor glitch and have yo keep resetting if you accidently use the actual light switches. Don’t fo that and use app and these too are spot on. Got everyone on them now!
Good picture
Bought this to spy on my dogs when I’m out, though sometimes I spy whilst I’m with them, so I can keep an eye on myself being kind to my dogs. It spins around. Goes up and down. Though it doesn’t go down enough for my liking. I’ve already got the Tapo app for my Tapo smart lights and plugs and stuff. I couldn’t handle another app for some internetty thing, so I kept with Tapo. It’s a solid bit of kit. Easy to setup and connect to when I’m away. Haven’t tried talking to my dogs through it yet as I don’t want them thinking I can shrink down and fit inside it.
Great cam for the price. Don’t expect super high quality but it will do the trick.
Easy to setup , better close to a WiFi spot.
Works day and night. I have a lamppost outside the house so I don’t change to night view at night and it still shows what’s going on. Night view is good.
Good picture quality for what I need it for and some zoom in feature.
Needs SD to store recordings but I record direct to phone. I stick it on and press the record button on the phone app and leave the phone running and store it on my phone memory. You can also purchase cloud storage through app.
You can also set motion on or off and have set markers so when you press the markers it will go straight into the position you want to view. This saves you manually rotating the camera. Also I like the call feature and you can talk to anyone close to cam. I stuck mine near a window and it’s not super fab but i can still view what’s going on.
Great purchase. Have a look online to see viewing quality before purchase. This is just a simple cam.
This camera is very easy to set up and we had it running within minuites out of the box. The instructions are clear and easy to follow.
The camera is lightweight and was larger than I expected but still compact.
The app is easy to navigate and allows good control of the camera and functions. The ability to rotate the view 360 degrees is a nice feature, the picture quality is very good and I was particularly impressed buy the night vision quality.
We purchased the camera to monitor our infant while visiting family as we had been using a google camera but found it next to impossible to connect that one to thier network. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the picture quality for night is so much better with this camera.
Sound quality is also good, although quieter than our previous camera.
There is a very small delay in the feed of video to the app. The app will also tell you when there is motion.
Overall a very good product which is very user friendly and packs a good punch for the price.
Very happy with this Tapo 2K 3MP Pan Tilt Security Camera.
Great indoor day and night picture quality.
Smooth rotation movement, and can barely hear any noise from motor when it moves.
Very good quality recordings even outdoors through a window during day time. Unfortunately at night time the infered light reflects on the window/ glass so you can’t see anything. However, not an issue for me as it’s used for indoor recording and occasional daytime pointing to outside garden through window (with very good picture quality).
Good quality zoom, when viewing through a smart phone.
Handy that you can set several position markers so camera can move to each of them quickly.
Very good clear mic/sound 2way conversation.
There is also a optional loud siren alarm feature if it detects motion/intrusion that you can activate (which I rarely use but handy to have).
I like that you don’t need a cloud subscription, and can use a separately purchased micro sd card to record movement or continuously.
There’s also scanning movement feature when camera auto rotates and tilts, like a sort of security check of the room/area.
Good security when setting up to share camera views/alert with another (family) member/person.
I’m very happy and impressed with the this camera and Tapo brand that’ll I’ll be looking to replace my existing yihome ones (which I’m constantly getting lots of problems with, since they were taken over by kami).
I bought it for the back garden for two reasons. 1: The neighbour broke down the fence between us, and we now have one big garden. His tenants change frequently, so I felt I needed a sense of security. 2: In the spring, the resident fox in his garden had a few cubs, and they would come over to my side to play in the sunshine (yes, there was some in the spring!), so I thought it would be nice to see how they fool around.
Setting up the camera was easy, including adding it to the app. Installing the storage card was straightforward once I researched how it’s done on the internet because the instructions weren’t that amazing.
Since using it for the last month or so, I learnt that the changing tenants don’t even go into the disaster zone that is the garden on their side, so the only person the camera caught was me hanging out my laundry. I also learnt that the fox cubs have grown up and either don’t play anymore or are very smart foxes because they never seem to come into the garden anymore. Go figure.
The motion detection is great. Every time the wind blows, I get a notification that my tall grass moves, but fortunately, you can adjust in settings whether you want to see this. Person detection is good enough. On installation, I set the alarm to test it and got the fright of my life. Imagine a large ship horn right next to your ear. When you view the recordings, it’s possible to zoom in and out. I also like that you can remotely pan and tilt the view. Very handy. If you place the camera in a fixed position, it is possible to create shortcuts to set views to change the view quickly.
The night detection mode is worth a mention. It is very sensitive. I never knew so many bugs visited my windows at night. It’s all primarily dark and bright, but they certainly have a better nightlife than I do.
Overall, I found this little camera a fun addition to my home, even though the most exciting thing I catch is my own movement.
Brillia
Bought to keep an eye on my dogs whilst I’m out of the house. Arrived on time and we’ll packaged. Super easy to set up, done in 10 minutes with easy guide and I am no techy whatsoever! Can be placed or screen toe surface (attachment and screws included if required). Great picture quality and area coverage. App is simple to use and enables you to move the camera picture and speak into the room. Motion detection and privacy controls on or off. I don’t use an SD card, there is an option to pay for cloud storage 2.49 to 2.99 a month for one device if you want. Highly recommend, am looking to buy more.
Does the job
Bought this for a friend who has trouble sleep walking. It was very easy to set up and get working. App is simple to use and using local storage was a must due to it being in the bedroom. Easy to set the recording times and remove the motion detection (she has 4 cats so would if been a nightmare) Overall a good little camera. Night vision is really good also.
I have other Tapo cameras which I have rated (especially for the price). Unfortunately, the motion detection wasn’t accurate, and I ended up getting notifications when nothing was there, and none when I know people were there. I gave it the benefit of the doubt, and considered that it may be a problem with that camera, a problem the manufacturers needed to work on, or it was something to do with where I had placed it.
Fastforward to the present – I bought a different Tapo, the C210. The good and the bad, in short:
THE TAPO C210:
+ The camera is ‘built’ on a ball/rotating system, which you can adjust up and down, left and right, remotely, from your phone/the app. It’s really convenient if you want to look around the room and see what’s going on. It’s perfect for pets/children/general security. (See image 1)
+ You can save ‘fixed’ camera positions – i.e. if you find a really good angle, you can ‘save it’ and toggle between them easily rather than adjusting the camera manually on the app. (See image 2)
+ There’s a mode that enables the camera to ‘follow’ movement, so if your camera is angled at the door, for example, then somebody walks into the room, the camera will follow them. (This can be turned off – the camera can be fixed to a still position). (See Image 4)
+ There are various ‘modes’ you can select, depending on what you are using the camera for e.g. to detect a baby crying, motion, people etc. (Motion and people are different, as explained below) – simply turn those modes on and the camera will heighten its sensitivity to those issues. (Although I cannot say how responsive it is to a baby crying, but even with the ‘baby crying’ feature off, it detects dogs making noises/whimpering).
+ You can modify the sensitivity to motion (i.e. light/medium/sensitive). My camera has detected a rustling bin bag on all three sensitivities, so it is effective. I have not messed around to determine levels of sensitivity, other than this. (See Image 3)
+ You can adjust the ‘area’ within the camera screen (i.e. to only detect motion on a specific part of the frame). It’s a handy option for people whose camera coverage also overlaps public space. (See Image 3, also)
+ Motion vs People detection. – there are separate detections for people and objects (which you can adjust/turn on or off). It’s a handy option, depending on what you are using the camera for. (See Image 4 – ‘AI Detection’ and ‘Motion Detection’ are separate).
+ Notifications for movement in general, or people, are separate – the notification will also clearly identify if there’s just something moving or if there’s a person identified. (See Image 5 – I use an iPhone)
+ I haven’t tested them, so cannot comment on effectiveness, but there are sound and light ‘alarms’ on the cameras, which I assume go off on the camera, and are to deter intruders. (You may wish to check this – but it seems like a good feature). (See image 4)
+ Sound quality itself is good – I can hear everything that goes on in the home.
+ Sensitivity to sound is (a) great quality – a good feature, and good in quality itself.
+ Fantastic price for the item.
+ Good quality image, even at night.
+ No subscription necessary – although you may wish to buy a micro SD card separately to record movement. (Note: nothing over 256gb is supported)
+ Easy to use app – very simple and straight forward options, as far as apps go.
+ Quite easy to setup – although a tiny bit of messing around when connecting to wifi.
+ Easy ‘recording’ features – although I am awaiting my memory card, so will report back with any useful findings/issues.
– The instructions aren’t the best. If you aren’t ‘tech-minded’ you may struggle slightly to set it up (although it is not a complicated set up, by far, it can be a bit finicky) – I’d recommend watching a YouTube video, as I imagine they will be substantially better than the small instruction book. (Although when I had issues, I didn’t resort to this, fiddled with the wifi a bit and it worked).
– The instructions for app use/features is poor too. I have had to mess around with the item to work out how best to use it. It wasn’t until messing around with the app that I discovered the features within and things like people/motion being detected differently.
– If you plan to use this facing out of a window, I wouldn’t recommend it. Night vision is good generally, but there is a small light on the camera that reflects on windows so visibility outside becomes distorted.
– A small issue that I experience – sometimes the app isn’t the best with data connection. Not awful if your camera is recording constantly, but if you get a notification whilst you’re out and you want to check, it can take a while to load and/or a few attempts, and you may have missed the movement (especially if using this camera without recording etc – i.e. ‘live’ only).
All in all, a fantastic budget option with various settings to meet the criteria of many. Some minor issues that will need to be rectified to improve it, but as far as use, price and features go, it’s an item that will cater to a lot of needs.
great for the money
Really useful, and great quality. Not that it really bothers me, but the smart features don’t work well. It thinks every fore of movement is an intruder. So a moving bush or fly buzzing near the camera will set it off. But great for a remote camera.
Bought this to catch the person who keeps tying bags of dog mess to my tree in my garden. Put on window sill overlooking the garden works great although night vision doesn’t work through glass. However in day mode during the night low light is captured perfectly fine.
Great features such as motion detection notification and you can control the camera remotely from your phone anywhere.
Great for home security and has features of something many times the price. DVR not required as it records to a micro SD card.
Brillia
Yet again a tp link product that works.
So easy to set up and get going. App to the phone easy to follow and link with the camera
Easy to share with other family members.
So so quiet which is brilliant .
Picture quality is super very high definition.
Privacy feature on the camera which could be useful for some people
Don’t like the purchasing of cloud storage . Surely it should have a 7 day rolling storage for free.
We use this camera to monitor our elderly father and his carer’s when they visit.
The record function is useful as we found his carers were not doing every thing they were supposed to do and their visits were far shorter than they were contracted for. Recordings were vital to improving Dad’s quality of care.
The “Tapo” app made it easy to set the camera up and monitor our Dad to make sure he is alright.
My Sister who lives on the other side of the world is able to see my Dad too on her phone.
Will probably get a couple more of these cameras as you can link up to 32 if needed.
Good value for money.
Upon receiving the Tapo Security Camera, I dived right into setting it up and testing out its features. Here’s a breakdown of my experience:
1. **Packaging**: The product came impeccably packed. Clearly, the brand prioritizes the safety and presentation of their product during transit.
2. **Memory Card Installation**: This was akin to a mini-adventure. The slot for the memory card isn’t immediately evident, making it a tad challenging to locate. That said, this discreet placement can be seen as an added layer of security.
3. **Night Vision**: The night vision functionality is top-notch. The camera doesn’t miss a beat even in dim conditions, ensuring everything remains visible.
4. **Image/Video Quality**: I was quite impressed with the clarity of the video feed. Human faces pop with clarity, making it a fantastic tool for security and monitoring.
5. **Pan/Tilt Feature**: This feature delivers exactly what it promises. With easy maneuverability, I was able to get the exact viewing angles I wanted, ensuring comprehensive coverage.
6. **Cloud Recording**: The cloud storage and recording aspect of this camera worked seamlessly. It gives me peace of mind knowing I can retrieve past footages at any time.
7. **Motion Detection**: Here’s where I faced a minor hiccup. The motion detection can be a bit sensitive, especially with lighting changes. To counteract the frequent alerts, I opted to disable the app notifications. It’s a workaround, and I hope a future software update can provide a more refined solution to this.
8. **Final Thoughts**: Despite the motion detection sensitivity, the Tapo Security Camera has been a stellar addition to my security setup. Its top-tier features coupled with the overall dependable performance make it a solid 5-star product. If you’re seeking a security camera that offers clarity and reliability, the Tapo is a strong contender.
I trust this review provides valuable insights to potential buyers. Cheers to the Tapo team for producing such a commendable product!
Buyers should be aware that at the time of writing, 15th August 2023, the Tapo C225 has a firmware issue which causes the camera not to pick up any motion detection an hour after restarting the camera. The camera needs to be constantly restarted if you want motion detection. The camera can be restarted through the Tapo app, but this is a pain. This is a known issue (search online for Tapo forums), has been a known issue for a few months now, but Tapo have still to release a firmware update that resolves this. Buyers beware.
very good camera.
with sd card this camera is recording internally and you can review it as and when you like. the videos get overwritten when card is full but with a 32gb card i got few days of footage as i set it to record when movement is detected only. You don’t need subscription to get footage saved on your sd card. motion tracking works well as well, picture and sound quality is very good as well. I bought 5 of them and i really recommend them
Have pondered this item for ages. Glad I finally purchased it. I use it as a dog cam. Because I only use it in real time to check in it is perfect as it does not require me to use the manufacturer’s cloud for that. If you wish to record with it to view later you will need to pay to use their cloud or buy an sd card. There is a slight time lag when using the audio function but nothing dramatic. It does track the dog quite well, but struggles a bit if the dog runs quickly. It is motion activated but you can also pan the camera around using fingertips on the app. There is a privacy option for when you don’t want it to operate. Mine gives a good clear picture.
Great camera, clear recordings, easy set up
Absolutely love this camera. I am always nervous of setting technical items up. I downloaded the Tapo app and plugged the camera in and connected it to my Internet hub. Very easy set up. I purchased a SD card as I didn’t want to pay a subscription. Works great with my phone, which receives an alert when Motion is detected. You can set the camera to sound an alarm also. The talk quality is really good also. There is a privacy mode to set the camera to when you are at home. I highly recommend.
It could be a problem when you use it behind the windows looking out as the reflection from the glass can make it difficult to see out. Its own reflection can stop it from getting a good image when it is sunny outside during the day, or the lights within your room could confused what it is seeing as reflection.
The motion and people detection can be a bit hit and miss because of the above. I have checked the saved videos for any detected motion. Sometimes they pick up on movements, without people. Sometimes they pick up people as just movement but not because it recognised people have walked pass.
Sometimes it doesn’t record at all even when there were people walking or cars driven pass. Not sure if it is all down to the reflection in the glass.
When it picks up on motion, sometimes the the lens will follow the movement even if it had to spin round 180 degrees. However, other times looking out the window, it doesn’t really follow the motion, even though it has detected that there was motion.
Overall, I still like them. So much so, I have a pair watching the front and the back of home for activities.
Wow these cameras are just amazing for the price you pay! Being made by a company with a reputation such as that Tp-link has I was expecting these to be a reasonable quality item, however at the price I paid I was not expecting the camera to be anything more than basic and just functional enough for my needs. Starting with the picture quality which for 22 quid is simply amazing both in the sharpness and colour aspect as well as the frame rate aspect, the night vision is just superior to anything I have seen on more expensive cameras I have seen on the market and it is incredible how clear, bright and smooth the IR image is on this thing even at 30 yards it can still pick up great detail. The motors are smooth and quiet and the app is so well made and feature packed I was blown away as again the price would have you believe you was buying something way less impressive than this! Would highly recommend these to anyone and I wouldn’t suggest they opt for the pricier models or anything as I just can not find a fault with these cameras. For those looking for a feature packed simple to set up CCTV system look no further the motion detection is flawless the images are superior and smooth it has remote access right out of the box with no subscription you can have multiple cameras stacked to watch simultaneously or just flick from camera to camera they have brilliant 2 way communication on them allowing you to hear what is going on and at the push of a button talk over them. You can set markers on them to have the camera automatically focus on a desired spot at the tap of an icon instead of having to pann and tilt it yourself. Though I haven’t subscribed as I have my own nextcloud for backups Tp-link also offer probably the cheapest cloud back up option I have seen and I believe that it would be a good quality service and worth the money to those who need it. As my title says wow just wow!
Purchased these as an alternative to pet cams, as the price for those are extortionate, personally.
The image quality, day & night mode is superb for the price and does not require a fast internet connection to obtain that quality. The delay I have found for any tilt/pan operations is about 3 seconds on a mobile connection, which is absolutely fine for my intended use.
The app for Android works faultlessly and it’s extremely easy to set up, the cable length is fantastic and will suit majority of homes for the above use, I have purchased several of these for security as well as pet cam.
The storage is expandable via mini SD cards, I personally use 64GB as that is what I had laying around.
Positives:
– Brilliant video quality (day & night)
– Easy to install (if you’re familiar with tech, if not instructions are easy to follow)
– Motion sensors & alerts are quick!
Negatives:
– Cloud storage price is expensive
– Sound quality isn’t the greatest for two-way communication.
Overall I am happy with this product ,long as the S.D. card works!!! Good clear picture. Sound is only useful if subject is close (1-2 meters)
Night mode is useless though, turn it straight to day mode.
Turn off the led light in settings as this can interfere with night time recording.
This is only the only micro S.D. (Samsung 32gb) which seemed to work out of the 5 I have and attempted to format on the app in the settings so I can continuously record without subscriptions etc.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B073S49S8M?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Turn up the sensitivity to high
Take of manufacturers stamp off the screen
Turn of notifications otherwise your phone will go off every 2 seconds.
So easy to set up
Only arrived today but love it all ready. So easy to set up, 10 mins start to finish, set up, it auto formatted my SD card which was brilliant too. Motion detect and speed it sends notifications is great. Fantastic for the price
Every thing fine
I like this, because when you not at home you can whatch what your pets doing.
Free replay and downloads
Great security cameras. Can mount on walls or even upside down and revert image etc. Software is easy to set up and you can record to sd card and replay and download for free with up to 4 cameras on one account.
Well worth i
This is amazing for the price.
The picture is extremely clear, the pan and tilt buttons are very easy to use.
One of the best purchases I’ve made
Great for keeping an eye on the puppies!
We’ve added an SD card to the ones that matter. 128GB will get you approx 2 weeks on 2k definition, couldn’t ask for a better non subscription solution to looking after the house!
The best Wi-Fi camera
I originally only brought one of these however after installing it I was so impressed that I brought another one, the picture quality is superb and the app is so easy to use
Help please sd card screws
Can someone help locate spare screws for the SD card cover ? Dropped one and no chance of finding one so small
Nice!!!
is good. Only one think I don’t like: before you buy membership in one month trial, cloud working with SD card with no any problems, but when trial finish and you pay for membership, it’s gone. Yo can’t use SD card and cloud. Only one of them.
Brillia
Absolutely brilliant. Good quality and easy to set up. Also I can put it onto multiple devices, so other family members can use it as well. I brought it to keep and eye on my dogs. The sound is really good and picture quality is great.
It’s a perfect camera for what I need. The motion detect works a treat (I know there were some problems with older models) and it was easy to install and set up. I do have some minor niggles
– the power cable needs to be a bit longer. Cameras are usually mounted up high to get a good view, but power sockets are only a few inches above the floor. Finding a place with a good view but was close enough to power was a bit tricky!
– the integration with Google and Amazon speakers was easy to set up, but it turns out there isn’t much it lets you do, making it a bit pointless.
– it can take a while (minutes?) after the camera has triggered and recorded for the video for it to be accessible on the phone app. A little patience is required.
It's very good value for the money
You get what you pay for but these cameras are very good. I have 4 of these internal and 2 external cameras. Quality is clear, you can download the video from the camera via WiFi of for a subscription, you can have it all backed up to the cloud. Well worth the money.
Great value
Good camera, follows my kitten around the room so I can always see him. Can also speak from the camera and hear what is happening in the room.
Only issues is it’s a little laggy and SD card is needed or a subscription to save videos
Very good camera
At first I was struggling to view outside at night and the light from the camera was reflecting off the window, but if you just go into settings and change to daylight you get a brilliant view.. I use the camera for front house security..If not recording you still have videos of 24 hours which delete themselves off your phone.
I find it a good camera..
clear video
Easy to set up, just a few clicks to download app, enter email and password then add to wifi and app. Easy.
Picture quality is excellent. Not using any account as I am using this to check on three 3D printesr on 2nd floor whilst I am on ground floor. I can move the camera between ech of them and instantly see what is happening. A good price and perfect for my needs.
TP-Link Smart Security Camera
This is the second TP-Link camera we have purchased, we use them whilst we are away on holiday, so easy to set up, they work perfectly, product quality is very good, picture quality is amazing, and they have great security features.
We use these cameras along with the TP-Link Smart Plugs for lighting whilst away, I have been very impressed with these products and the price has been great.
The cat thinks there's a ghost in the house
Great little camera, easy to set up and install (i found a youtube video that explained it all which was helpful).
Looks like you can have upto 32 cameras although ive only the one to keep an eye on the cat.
It has sound and a talk facility and you can turn privacy mode on/off . Motion playback is good and the picture quality can be set to either 720p or 1080p
You need to buy the micro-sd card separately (only costs 10ish)
Overall Good
I have 3 types of the camera. I don’t see the picture quality being any better with the C210 camera. Also found the C210 much more of an issue to connect to the software than the other 2 versions. Also with the C210 I found an issue with playing a recorded image which I have had no issue with the other versions of this camera I have. I do not think this camera is an improvment over the other cameras.
Very surprising picture quality
I was pleasantly surprised by how good the video and picture quality is with this camera and the fact I can move the camera left right up and down remotely is a added bonus. Night vision works perfect and I can always see what my tarantula’s are doing during the night which is why I got it since they seem to do more when it’s dark lol. Another bonus is that you can link it to google although for some reason you can’t access the video via google home app as it can only be seen on a smart display but not a deal breaker and I have a google smart display so it doesn’t bother me too much 🙂
This review covers three products I purchased and tested together. The TP-Link Tapo C210, C225 and C320WS IP security cameras. The C210 and C225 are both sold on Amazon via the same page with same reviews applying to multiple cameras. The C320WS has a separate sales page and reviews, however all points raised in this review apply to all three of these cameras therefore I have submitted the same review across two sales pages for three products.
You may have a different reasons for being here looking at IP cameras. You could be doing it for home security, or perhaps for monitoring babies, children or pets. I’m writing my review from the perspective of a pet owner who likes to know what his border collie is up to, but also with a nod to home security.
I already have in place several security camera systems around my property which have different benefits and weaknesses. We have an 8-channel Swann CCTV system, which is a more traditional wired product using BNC cables and requiring a lot of wiring and thought about placement. While being accessible from an app anywhere in the world they record all of their footage to a base unit. They can be very incredibly expensive to buy, difficult to install and a challenge to set-up, but once in place they are very good quality. They’re not for everyone, though, and aren’t as long-living as their price might suggest. I also have an existing IP camera system, from a company called Victure, which I assembled over several months with purchases from Amazon some four years ago. Amazon no longer sell them, and the quality was rudimentary. They got the job done, but they were showing their weaknesses. A recent upgrade of our home internet with a new router that the Victure cameras refused to connect to was the last straw, which set me on a path looking for a new IP camera supplier.
An IP camera system is generally much simpler and cheaper to set up than the traditional system. You buy the cameras individually and they can operate independently of any other devices, or you can add to them over time to create a really large network of cameras that you can control through a single app. You record either to a memory card which is either in the camera itself or in a central hub, or you can subscribe to a cloud based service. A memory card can be typically 10-30 so you need to factor that into your budget, but that cost is quickly returned after perhaps 9-12 months of paying for a cloud subscription.
IP cameras are normally powered by either a USB (USB-C or USB-A) cable or a DC adapter, although some cameras can be powered by a solar panel. They’re typically quite a bit more expensive though.
There are hundreds of different manufacturers of IP cameras when you look around, and they all have their own app to control them. I mention this because it’s very tempting to buy whatever camera is on offer at that time and find yourself with several cameras from several different brands requiring different apps to view the footage. You’ll get frustrated hunting through the apps that control the camera you want to view so one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give is to find a single manufacturer that you’re happy with and stick to their ecosystem. And, with that in mind, you ideally want a brand that is reputably, reliable, and is going to be around for some time. TP-Link are just such a company.
If you’re not familiar with them, TP-Link manufacture some of the very best WiFi routers, smart sockets, range extenders and network switches. I have examples of all of these in my home and I’ve never been let down by them. They also make a wide selection of IP cameras for different purposes, and the range is continuing to grow. The make internal and external cameras, mains powered or solar powered, static or rotating cameras in different qualities of image resolution. They gave me confidence that if I did invest in a number of cameras I wouldn’t find myself in a dead end in a couple of years time.
My current IP system is 8 internal cameras and 2 external. My intention is to replace all of them. Although I was happy with the brand, I did have my concerns about a couple of things. Firstly, I’d noted that the power delivery to the camera was by a DC adapter and 3m long cable. All of my previous IP cameras were powered by USB cable which are easily and cheaply replaced should you need a longer cable. And, that’s the issue with security cameras. You normally mount them somewhere where they’re not necessarily close to a power socket. I was concerned that I was going to struggle to wire the cameras up in a method that was safe and visually tidy. Additionally, the app is your main interface and you’re never too sure of how good the app is going to be. I’ve tested a lot of camera apps for Amazon over the last few years and more often than not they’re clunky at best. They struggle to connect, even more so to remain connected, don’t offer much in the way of parameter customisation, and either don’t show live screens or only show one camera at a time. I didn’t know what the TP-Link Tapo app was going to be like.
I decided to buy one each of the C210, C225 and C320WS cameras to try them out before I committed to buy the full system. Each of these are the top of the TP-Link Tapo range of their particular styles. The C210 is the traditional internal dome camera, the C225 the brand new internal dome camera with motion tracking ability, and the C320WS is the external camera. There are battery-powered external cameras also available at a higher cost, but these aren’t what I was looking for, so these three cameras are the best available for my particular needs. I should also note that care must be taken in selecting the right camera. TP-Link and Amazon continue to sell older or lower specced versions of their cameras. With some cameras being on offer at different times it can lead you to believe that a more expensive camera is the better specced camera, which isn’t always the case.
Inside each camera’s box you get the camera itself, a DC adapter with fixed 3m cable (note that it’s a 9v DC adapter with the C210 and C320Ws and a 12v DC adapter with the C225), wall fixings with screw marking guide and a basic instruction manual. To set up and operate the cameras you will also need to download the Tapo app for Android or iOS.
My concern over the cameras being powered by DC adapter was realised, and the cables were too short for the locations I wished to place the camera. Fortunately you can be extension cables for DC adapters, so I purchased a twin pack of 5m cables for 8 off of Amazon. Not ideal that it was additional expense, but it was a problem that was easily solved.
The cameras are really straightforward to set up. After you plug the camera in you go into the Tapo app and select add camera. After a few moments the status light on the camera flashes green and red to signify it’s ready to connect. You go to your internet settings on your phone and connect to the TP-Link WiFi that will have appeared, and go back to the app. You’ll hear a voice coming out of the camera to say it’s connecting, and then has connected, and that’s it. The camera will be connected to the app. You can then tailor the settings to suit your requirements. You can set up scheduled recording between certain times or have it recording 24/7. You can change what resolution it’s recording in, which effects how quickly you’ll fill up your memory card. You can adjust when you get alerts to your phone, or no alerts at all. Set up privacy zones so that neighbours aren’t getting recorded, for example. You can also invert the image which allows you to mount the camera upside down should you wish to attach it to the underside of something.
And, most pleasingly of all, you can view up to four screens live all at once. That means I can see the live images from four screens constantly without having to swipe across or back out and choose another camera. That to me is worth so much. My iPad sits above my laptop and I can see the four locations that my dog is likely to be around the house with just a glance. No further interaction necessary. I genuinely can’t tell you how valuable that is. It’s pretty standard for a traditional CCTV system like my Swann, but I’ve not seen that in any other IP camera system I’ve used.
My only complaint with the app is one that irritates me about several apps. The majority of the interface in the app is in portrait mode. If you mainly use your phone for viewing the app then you might not worry about that, but tablets such as the iPad are usually used in landscape mode. Quite a lot of apps don’t take that into account so you’re forced to tilt your head if you’ve got your tablet on its stand. It is a pain, but not the end of the world. Fortunately, when you go to watch the live view of the cameras the orientation does change to landscape if you wish. And that’s where the app will spend the majority of its time, so I can live with that.
I’ve spent two weeks with the cameras and app now, and despite my concerns about a couple of details prior to buying them I have to say that on reflection the cameras have exceeded my expectations considerably. The quality of the image from the cameras are superb. All of them, not just the new C225. All have excellent low light capabilities, even when remaining in full colour. When it does go to night vision the image is crisp and clear. Reviewing footage is also very simple. You can see activity along a time line, or pick out the activity from a list showing times, type of motion detected and a freeze frame. It works very well, rivalling my Swann system and an Arlo 4 Pro I also have which was close to 200 for a single camera. The general footage throughout the day is so much better than what I used to get with my old Victure cameras, I really have been very impressed.
The C210 is highly recommended, especially when on offer. It’s not got quite the overall build quality or motion tracking features as the C225, but it’s also a lot cheaper. If you’re building a multi-camera system then I would go with those. If you’re only wanting one or two cameras then the C225 becomes the better camera.
Are the cameras perfect? No, there’s always ways to improve any system. The DC power cable was a pain for my application and I’d rather it had been USB, but it was a problem that I got around and I’m sure most people wouldn’t even notice. The app being mainly in portrait mode was irritating, but the important views are in landscape so I’m not going to complain too hard. The footage is exceptional for the price of the cameras. I can see what the dog is up to at all times, in any lighting condition.
Overall, despite my initial misgivings that had me thinking it was never going to be more than a four star product I have to say that the TP-Link Tapo cameras have turned it around and delivered three products that I would happily award a five star review to.
Great for keeping an eye on your house
I was initially impressed with this little camera. The picture is sharp and night vision is good. Unfortunately it does not really pair with the Alexa app as you cannot get notifications and live pictures through it so you have to use the Tapo app. It is a great camera to keep an eye on your pets or maybe for a baby nursery but not really as a security device. Also you will have to subscribe to get full motion Tracking though you get a free month to try out all the features. All in all I am happy as I got it on offer and it lets me keep an eye on my dog when we are out.
Good produc
Although I still think it is a good product, the motion detection is a bit laggy and takes few seconds to show on app. Apart from that, I do enjoy this product, easy to setup and use.
Great but triggers far too easily due to weathe
It’s super easy to set up and the picture is excellent for both day and night. The biggest downside is that if it’s foggy the motion detector will trigger constantly. Apart from that it’s grea
Impressive technology,good cam
The app is really easy to use,I did , however I did have to apply a firmware update due to an error message .I have only set this up indoors to test it out .great picture.
My only gripes with this camera is the power lead its only 3 metres long which sounds a lot,but unless you have a socket extremely close to your cam position you will need to extend it.the other problem is the cable from the camera which is short as well ,even if it was a bit longer so you could feed the cables thru the wall you are going to struggle as the power lead and ethernet lead requires a fairly wide chunky drill bit to drill thru your wall (but the cables too short to go thru a standard house wall anyway! best idea is to mount the camera on a whisker box and connect the cables in the box.
Would have been better if they had an option to buy this without a wired ethernet on the camera and gave you a 5 metre power extension cable.a cheap plastic screwdriver to get the cover off the SD card would also have been useful,I can see lots of customers going through the cutlery draw trying to find a suitable knife.that said it’s a great camera and these flaws can be sorted if you have some basic DIY skills.
Great tiny camera!!
Was very surprised how good it is! Use it for my office, mounted on the ceiling. You get 30day trial to check all the features (which are just great), and the plan doesn’t cost that much. Wether it is day or night, the image is crisp and clear. The office space is quite large but IR covers it all without a problem. Also, love the widget on iPhone that allows you to arm or disarm camera by one click.
Wow, BUY IT! I never usually leave reviews
I bought 1 of these for security for my flat. It is absolutely amazing, you won’t be disappointed! Works flawlessly, the only minor gripe i have is..that you can only share your camera with 2 people. My family was so impressed with this camera that i bought a further 5 of them as they wanted 1 for their homes.
A fantastic camera all round, just make sure you buy a Micro SD card to go with it! Motion detection is reliable, the swivel functionality works perfectly. Picture quality is good. The night vision is excellent, although you should keep in mind that it won’t work through windows very well.
The app itself works reasonably well, but it isn’t perfect. Sometimes activity notifications can be delayed, meaning you miss events that happen live. Sometimes the cameras take a while to load and the app doesn’t work on tablets (From what I can tell with my S8+). A positive is that, as long as you have an sd card, you don’t need to pay for a subscription to view the cameras and look at the playback, unlike other camera manufacturers. Choosing to pay for the premium service adds a few nice bonuses (which aren’t essential to using the camera) such as moving the camera automatically to track motion and a still thumbnail of the motion in the notification. As well as cloud storage for your playback and downloads too. Not essential, but quite cheap and useful.
And in case this is helpful to anyone, I have a 256Gb Micro SD card installed in my two cameras and I can view about 20-30 days back depending on the amount of activity.
And as an added bonus, here’s a cute clip of my cat being confused by the camera (compressed a little bit to reduce the file size.)
Great for the price.
Bought it to monitor baby when I’m not in the room for short bursts. Set it up in one room but really easy to just unplug and take to a different one. Would be better if it’s wireless, but it’s really not the end of the world. App picks up on any movement and the night vision is great. Not subscribed to the cloud as I don’t need it and just turn it on when I’m not in the room and off when I’m with baby.
This camera is great for the price, it has a RJ45 connection as well as WiFi and the only thing missing is POE. Wasn’t a big deal as I just used a passive POE cable set. For me I wanted this to replace the front door camera of my Hikvision NVR adding Alexa compatibly to this camera. I was able to create a Onvif profile and get this recording on the Hik recorder.
Set up was straightforward and was able to swap the Hik camera, set up the NVR and link it to Alexa within 20 mins. The tapo app is also excellent with an easy to use interface, the image also shows up in my Hikconnect app with the other 5 Hik cameras. If this was POE it would be perfect! Very impressed.
great camera
was looking for camera with a higher resolution than my samsung 1080p camera that i have in my hall way so i chose this tp link c110 the box is bit misleading saying its full hd when its not its 2k reselution and full 1080 p you can choose between reselutions in the tapo app very easy to install and setup the c110 image quaility is well better than my samsung camera that i had and that cost me 100 pound i reccomend getting the tapo c110 as its much better and a bargain at 21 pound would defo buy agai
Bought this indoor camera to point out of a window onto our driveway, however the night vision LEDs reflect off the glass and therefore obscures the picture, to solve this issue we have leave the camera in Day mode all day long. The resulting footage at night with the addition of street lighting and a motion sensor outdoor light mean we have (if needed) useable footage and it has solved our problem. I am fully aware this is an indoor camera and I am bending the rules slightly but the hassle of fitting an outdoor camera was too much of a faff. To be clear this is an excellent camera and the 2K resolution and 105 wide angle lens is above par considering the price of less than twenty five pounds. The app offers loads of options and with a fast high quality SD card you’re not going to regret buying this camera.
Good-ish
Have 2 of them, both outdoors, they work fine but they activate on any movement(wind moving trees, plants). I got the subscription because the stick when its full will stop recording and start delete the data and it takes some time. On night vision number plates on cars are too bright to be red but rest is quite ok. Also you need a good internet wifi to keep them connected. All in all they are cheap and do some of the job.
I was so impressed with these TP LINK Tapo C110 cameras, that I ordered yet another pair. I have other types, but not good quality, and yet these C110 cameras go right up to 2304x1296px, (2k), and all controllable via the TP LINK TAPO app on your phone.
One special feature, besides the quality, is direct recording onto micro SD cards, without the need to keep removing the cards to view on a pc in original quality. Other features, and these are numerous, are
1 Detection and Alerts – motion detection, Sensitivity and even activity zones to detect a specific area.
2 Recording schedule, where you can record onto the sd card all the time or just during motion detection.
3 Capture a single image or single video to memory, full screen view
and remember, the best part, is when using the app, you can view any of your C110 cameras at any time, anywhere, not just locally, and also view the contents of each sd card placed into the camera from the comfort of your own phone or tablet.
Full marks again to TP LINK for an outstanding well researched product.
Very easy to set up (even for me)
I’ve never had one of these wifi cameras before but as it was so cheap I decided to take the plunge.
It was a doddle to set up.
Even when I inserted the wifi name rather than the wifi key it was easy to go back and fix the mistake.
Also it auto enrols you in to the save your videos in the cloud system but, thankfully, not in some sort of slightly grubby way were it demands your payment details in the middle of set up.
The image quality could be a bit better but for the money I’m not complaining.
Stunning all round!
I’m blown away! Took me 5 minutes to setup just by using my current home WiFi. I put it next to the Neos Smartcam which I used to be a hardened fan of but not recently with all their glitches they PAYING them to have. Overlooking a dark alleyway, the Neos was always poor unless outside with the night vision switched on. Nope! This made the alley look like DAYLIGHT! I’m super impressed and a new fan. Transitioning now from Neos to Tapo! Two thumbs up! 😀
Good quality images and easy to set up. For the price, it’s good value. But some functions are only available if you pay for expensive cloud storage, which is completely unnecessary if you use a decent SD card. And sadly not compatible with the Kasa app (which is basically the same company), and which has way better functionality than the Tapo app. For example the Tapo one allows you to stop the camera recording on a bespoke timetable, but you still get motion alerts unless you manually change to privacy mode. This can all be automated on the Kasa app. For indoor cameras that’s important. I’ll go back to the Kasa cameras if I need any more.
I give this four stars because of the difficulty I had unscrewing the SD card cover. I used an appropriate screwdriver, but was only able to unscrew one of the screws. With difficulty. The other was in too tight and I only ended up stripping the Philips head. Luckily the plastic cover wasn’t brittle and I was able to bend it up far enough to slip the card in and screw it down again.
That was the only difficulty. Setting up the Tapo app on my iPad and installing it was straightforward. I installed my C310 outside, using the supplied paper template to drill the screw holes for the included plugs and screws. I used a 6mm masonry drill. As others have noted, the thin power cable could be accommodated by the rubber seal of my double glazed window.
I find the picture quality quite good and was pleasantly surprised that the rain hasn’t affected the lens. Yet. My camera is slightly protected by the eaves of my roof and points down, but nonetheless fairly exposed. I wondered when buying that I might need a cowl, but as none suitable were available I went ahead and set up without one.
I have a windowsill Tapo C210 camera as well, but can’t use its night vision as the window reflects back the infrared. I enjoyed the clear black and white night images of my C310 and was astonished at how many cats used my fence as a path!
Stuck screw notwithstanding, I recommend the Tapo C310. It’s easy to set up and install using common household tools. No adhesive strips were provided, but I’m sure Gorrilla Strips or similar would hold its slight weight against a flat surface.
2k is worth the upgrade
I had the old C200 pan and tilt camera which is 1080, and bought a couple of these for keeping an eye on the kids in bed. Difference in picture quality is incredible with these and they seem quicker to respond too. Night vision very good even when I zoom in close on picture. Motion detection and crying detection seem to work well too, I wish it was easier though to enable and disable these alerts with one click rather than going through settings every time. Don’t think I’ll continue with the Tapo Care after the free trial, just don’t really need the ai features
I dont give full mark easy but this camera is good I studied it for several weeks i bought 2 for testing today i ordered 4 more for my brother
Quality and built is good
The video quality is good
Application easy to use easy to install have wide range of sittings which very easy to use and helpful
Detection mode works good
Night vision is good
Theres is free cloud service for one month works v good
Price was average for the product
I would give it 3-4/5 because there is new version with 4k and more space storage other wise its good
I bought this camera a few months ago, wanted to wait a while before reviewing. Initially there were some teething issues where it failed to connect with the app a couple of times, but after a few restarts over a 2 week period it seemed to settle down, no more issues since. Overall it’s a nice camera – it looks good on the wall, the features are reasonable for this price range and the quality is also pretty good (day and night). My only gripe is with the motion detection software – if this is something that you will rely on for alerts, get ready for constant stress, it’ll alert you to every moving leaf and ant. Other than that it’s very good, recommended.
This is my 2nd ones of these and good quality. A bit tricky to set up this one as it was hoping between my Wifi router and it’s wifi signal so having made a mistake in the PW not knowing where I was, it set me back about 30 mins with messing about. The first one I bought last year was seemliness.
Only thing I don’t like it the mic being on by default. I share the camera with another abroad (it is for viewing their cat that I mind) and am acutely aware that they can enable the mic and listen in if they wish when I’d rather not have an open mic in my home. So pay attention to this.
(The audio is diabolical for a 2 way chat by the way, if you wanted to use it for that.)
Good video and responsive scanning via the app.