TP-Link Tapo Pan/Tilt Smart Security Camera, Indoor CCTV
TP-Link Tapo Pan/Tilt Smart Security Camera, Indoor CCTV, 360° Rotational Views, Works with Alexa&Google Home, No Hub Required, 1080p, 2-Way Audio, Night Vision, SD Storage, Device Sharing (TC70)
From the brand
| Weight: | 200 g |
| Dimensions: | 8.54 x 8.68 x 11.77 cm; 200 Grams |
| Brand: | TP-Link |
| Model: | TC70 |
| Manufacture: | TP-Link |
| Dimensions: | 8.54 x 8.68 x 11.77 cm; 200 Grams |
It’s great bought it just for security reason and about a month after I bought it came in very hand, when some random person walked into my property.
Sends alerts when I’m out if anything moves.
Can watch it live.
Has a siren like an alarm that you can set when your out.
Records with an sd card that you buy separate.
Can set to track movement
Records sound as well
Really good bit of kit easy to use and set up, video quality is very good and you can set the sensitivity on i
Very good product. Good quick purchase, easy to set up and delivered quickly. Only negative is that the talking through it lags a lot and the person will likely come and go before they hear you. Although this negative is lessened as the product is cheap
For 30 you get a camera with night vision, microphone and speaker. The best part about this is the app which is packed with features. It allows you to save camera positions, set notifications for different movements and loads of other things. Set up was also really easy. Got this set up in my puppy’s crate in 5m and it works like a charm.
What you get for 20 quid is quite amazing. Bought to keep an eye on our puppy and for the money you can’t go wrong. Didn’t realise you can actually move the camera up down left and right….. night vision black and white with infrared, 2 way audio, high definition…..20 no brainer. Looking to get more outdoor cams
So impressed with this, it means we can keep an eye on our Bengal cat if we go out for longer than normal. It’s so reassuring to be able to see him and know he’s safe. Didn’t expect so much for the price and would definitely recommend. We liked it so much, we bought 2 slightly more expensive ones for the front and back of the house. Connecting up to our Tapu lighting system was very easy.
I’ve had this camera for a few years now, I have it overlooking my front garden/porch area, just for piece of mind.
It’s sat behind a double glazed window, so nightvision sadly won’t work, as the IR led reflects off the glass and essentially blinds the camera.
I have it set to record motion in my garden and the path leading to my porch/front door, to an SD card
It’s worked fine and does the job, for only around 20, I think it’s a bargain
The app can be a pain though, it often says Unstable network and I can’t view recordings, not sure why it does that, the wifi signal is excellent to the camera.
Another nice feature is you can stream the image to a desktop pc or equivalent, so I can watch the camera feed via VLC media player while I’m working from home.
This product is good, it works well, although not so easy to connect with phone as I thought. Also, the manufacturer are not being fair to their customers because they expect their customers to buy 4 of their products before getting a 5% discount which other sellers don’t do. How do you expect someone to buy 4 of this at once before just 5% discount. I am buying the 4th one now as a gift but no discount. There are better sellers with good bargains but I promised someone this same product otherwise I got a better deal. I advise people to look for a better deals elsewhere if buying more than one because the seller/manufacturer are not being fair to their customers
I liked the features like the picture and sound quality. The tracking of moving objects and people. The cry detection for baby monitoring. The App was useful when abroad I could see all detections. It has loads of useful settings. Videos played back with ease and no lag. I would recommend placing of the camera as close to your home router as possible.
I did not like the idea that if placed near a window the infra red leds show up on reflection and block out the image.
Like these cameras. Great quality with clear pictures. Movement detection superb. Easy to set up. Purchased 512gb micro sd cards but they refuse to format. System states the memory is too large. Will now have to purchase 256gb cameras and try those. Fingers crossed they’ll format. Will only get 16 day recordings on 256gb but better than nothing. Would purchase these cameras again in a heartbeat.
Trying a 2nd camera, first one stopped working after 6 months, Tapo did nothing about it under the guarantee – any way cheap as chip- needed it quick for dad who has dementia
Set-up was easy, and what surprised me was that the feed from the camera was accessible through the app without needing to share ports on the router or anything like that, so I guess it’s being routed via the manufacturer’s servers in some way. On the downside, you can only access the camera through the phone app, there is no desktop app, which is kind of a disappointment as I spend a lot of my time at my PC and don’t like having to fire up an app every time. I think if you pay for the service then you can probably see the feeds in a browser via your TP-LINK cloud account, but I don’t want to do that at this time. The only other way is a direct IP connection to the camera but that’s not possible with a lot of ISPs these days (mine included).
It’s almost like magic being able to pan this remote camera around and see what’s going on at our property in real-time. On the other hand some of the other features are less useful. The motion-detection is rather trigger-happy even on the lowest setting so you will get a lot of recordings (on the SD card, unless you pay for the cloud service, again) of just branches moving in the wind. The microphone and speaker are very low quality and pretty unusable, you can’t really make out what is being said in either direction. Maybe if the speaker stands right by the camera. Also, the camera quality isn’t REALLY that great. I can barely distinguish whether it’s raining or not, for example, especially at night – though otherwise the night vision is surprisingly good.
I’m just not expecting too much for under 30 quid, so actually this camera exceeded expectations, and I will probably buy other cameras from the Tapo ecosystem in the future to complement it, especially as you can easily add dozens more cameras and view them all via the single app. If I end up not doing so, the main deal-killer will probably be the lack of a desktop app.
The image quality is good and the motion detecting and human detecting features are not hidden behind a pay wall. You only pay, if you choose to, for the cloud storage which is normal and expected. Good product.
This is the best one yet it rotates to follow people different settings for what your use is these one month free trial then after that offer of 2.79 PMC for first 6 months cancel free anytime and the picture recording is 10/10.
What a great wee camera so so happy with it I had bought ones similar price previously from eBay and they weren’t the best so I wasn’t expecting much with this but I was so wrong this is absolutely brilliant! So easy to set up and works perfectly, would definitely 100% recommend
I’ve set up a couple of these cameras inside the house along with the outdoor model.
The Tapo app gives instructions as you go along.
If you inset a micro SD card, it records movement and sounds, and you can actually view these recordings online, no need for a subscription to iCloud etc.
Also, there’s actually an alarm on each of these which can be turned in or off.
One extra bonus to this is, the possibility of using it in a garage or shed, as well as cctv it now also becomes a shed/garage alarmthat’s provided you have Wi-Fi coverage in shed etc (I bought a Tapo Wi-Fi extender placed in the rear of the house which gives adequate Wi-Fi out there.
It does a great job for small outlay.
One thing worth noting is, that if WiFi goes down, they tend to reconnect automatically when Wi-Fi is restored.
As with our other Tapo pan and tilt cameras this is for monitoring our dogs when out and it is simple to set up and reliable to use. The app works well and it integrates with Alexa easily. If bought when the offers are on it is unbelievable value, that’s why I now have 2. We can watch different rooms simply.
This is a good, solid camera, especially for the price, but not without its flaws when compared with similar security cameras I’ve had. Fixing the Tapo camera to the wall mount was quite fiddly and, in my case, meant standing on a ladder trying to get two very small screws into the bracket. Some sort of clip assembly might have been better. Also, the compartment holding the SD card and containing the reset button is held in place with two screws that are even smaller than those securing the camera to the bracket. Other manufacturers tend to use easily removed push-in covers to protect the SD card from moisture and I feel that would be a better option for Tapo to use.
Once secured in place, the camera was easy to connect to wi-fi and power (9 volt DC), although obviously I had to drill a hole through the wall for the power. To begin with, the camera refused to format the SD card I had inserted, which came from a reputable company (SanDisk). Looking on the Tapo user forum this was a common occurrence and the recommendation from Tapo was to insert the card into a PC and check it using a utility called ‘h2testw’ to check for faults. I did that and no problems were detected with the card but, weirdly, when I placed it back in the camera it was formatted with no trouble.
The camera takes good images and the PTZ mechanism makes it very versatile, as does the motion tracking feature. Like other motion-detecting cameras the Tapo camera is subject to false alarms, and these increase dramatically when it rains at night. (PIR cameras are much better in this respect but PIR is not usually a feature of cheap cameras.)
Unlike most of the similar cameras on sale, the Tapo camera is manufactured by a big organisation (TP-Link) and seems to have better customer support, including the forum where advice can be sought if issues are encountered.
Clear and on point. Easily accessible and all functions through the Tapo App.
Can’t believe the amazing quality for the price.
I feel even safer with this being in our home.
Able to monitor from anywhere.
Great purchase, great deal!
A must have in every home.
Got a cracking black Friday deal for two of these and an internal one including 3 memory cards for 125 what’s not to like.
I mounted both external ones at high level on corners under roof eaves so you can set cameras through 270 degrees. This has pushed them to the limit of the WiFi connection which can occasionally get a little glitchy. The internal one is in same room as the router and is faultless. The audio is not good but can be used with a bit of eh and what plus the time delay doesn’t help.
Picture quality is amazing even at low light. Most nights the external cameras are in colour and the internal camera only switches to infrared once the room lamp is off.
Instructions simple enough but need a little bit of gumption to set everything thing up installing apps etc which all takes time so you are not going to up and running in 5 mins and there are a few menus to learn to navigate through.
Would I recommend them.. Hell yes it was great to see the dog whilst we were away over Christmas and New year.
Great value for money. The app is very handy as you can turn on/off the camera even after leaving home and get notified any time motion is detected. The camera itself works exactly as described. Great night vision as well.
For the price, this is actually amazing. I’ve had it for about 48 hours now but feel i can give a review already. I’ll be sure to update it if I feel differently after long term use. I am personally using this camera with an SD card. Setup is so easy, and this camera is packed full of features. From night vision, to continuous or motion recording, it’s great. The camera actually has a motion tracking feature, where anyone who comes in sight of the camera, the camera will pan and tilt to keep them in the view for the whole time they are there! I love the built in privacy mode, which essentially turns the camera on and off, but keeps it active so you can turn it back on instantly when needed. Honestly, I’d expect this camera to cost about 50. The fact that it’s 20 is just amazing! I would highly recommend for any indoor / outdoor (through a window) applications. The camera is fully customisable so you can really set it up how you want it. It’s great!
It recognises people or movement so you’re not alerted anytime a bird flies by! You can clearly see by the icon on the recording, what set it off -general movement or a person. They’re great for outdoor obviously but can be set up as a temporary camera indoors, sitting on any surface. Great peace of mind to be had by installing them. You can check your premises from afar, or check for prowlers if you’re indoors. It’s also possible to download and keep a recording , or to grab a screenshot and zoom in on say, a face.
They’re not tiny, so they’re visible – esp with the antennae, but seeing them in situ might deter people casually casing a premises. I totally recommend
To set up when you first recieve the camera you will need to download the Tapo App & install it on your phone or other device(s). You will then need set up an account, this is simply an email address & password which allows you to sign into the app on your devices.
Once done plug in your camera & turn on. Open the Tapo App & add device, choose camera & the model from a list displayed by the app & install it. During installation you will need to sign onto you’re Wifi network. Instructions are easy to follow & you should be up & running in no time, & you can usually find someone on youtube showing you how to do it also.
Once running you can then operate the camera as you wish via the app. If you have problems you can always find answers online. Great product would highly recommend.
Was recommended to us, great pic quality, night vision is so clear! Has voice on. All rounder great for the money. Easy to fit with drill. Bought a 2nd one for back. Can be used through phone or tablet. Uses WiFi. Or data if out.
I do really love this camera. It’s so much better than the wireless models by this brand (which I previously had and sent back). Super reliable and the pan tilt feature makes a huge difference. Would love for it to be wireless but have found wireless options to be less reliable so stick with this as it makes me feel the most secure
This camera arrived and due to price thought it would be ok. But this camera is fantastic. Amazing image quality. When n live viewing can pan camera to see more. Excellent buy. Definitely recommended. Easy to install too
This is a fantastic little pan and tilt security camera,the image quality at night is very very clear and would track a moth around the room,the build quality is very good with the apps ease of use being excellent too.
This is a great camera, was easy to setup,
High res does obviously hog band with while live monitoring.
Camera has a fascination with the tree top out side and keeps panning to it.
Had a slight problem connecting it the wi-fi almost sent it back I’m glad I didn’t just had to reset the camera and reboot the router and it was sorted it’s amazing pics are crystal clear even at night the alarm is great I’ve got it set up in the lounge it covers both doors makes it feel a lot safer knowing what’s going on, great piece of kit worth twice the price my advice is get one
All you could want in a wifi camera. I would recommend at least a 128GB memory card. This gives approximately 7 days of (almost) whole view recording. I have a 256GB card in mine & it records around 16 days events with restricted detection zones.
Bought this for when I was away to check in on my pets. Nice clear picture, great that you can swivel it to pan around the room. You can insert an SD card in for recordings and playback. I also like that there’s a privacy setting on it so you can turn off the camera when not needed (guess you could unplug it mind you) Anyho, good little gadget for the price.
Already had a camera but wanted the date on the clips. So when these one was on offer decided to get one and try it out. I’m really pleased I did and ended up buying another.
Setting up the camera was easy and the picture is clear. I’ve had no issues with the camera. The app easy to use and you can save your clips to a micro SD card.
Easy to use and can check everything is fine at home when I’m away. The pan and tilt are good and respond well.
I’m now thinking of getting an outdoor camera in the future
I use this camera very regular and the app is very easy to use. There is a paid version for the app also which allows for more features and recording etc.
The live feed on the camera is great, I have found the quality to be suffice (depending on internet connection on both your phone and camera) and very clear audio input and output. The pan/tilt function is also very responsive and you can also set markers for the camera to pan to if you keep your camera in one location.
For price and quality of the camera, I think this a simple way to keep your home safe.
bought this for a dog cam for a new puppy. i must say this surpassed my expectations. the night vision is totally clear, i can see and hear my puppy in his crate at night and know he is safe. i also use this during the day if he falls asleep in kitchen and i need to go into my office, i can see when he wakes up or moves. i was even able to zoom right in and check he was breathing by watching his tummy rise and fall. great bit of kit, unbelievable for price given what you pay for baby cam or puppy cams.
We have 4 of these cameras, they are brilliant. The picture is clear, the notifications are good and the app is so easy to use. Only reason it’s not a 5* is the sound and picture are not in sync. The sound is quite delayed (a few seconds)
Which isn’t a huge problem but it is a little annoying. The sound isn’t brilliant too but everything else is pretty close to perfect for the price!
Got the QHD/1440p/4MP version to link up to the array of Tapo gadgets/app. I prefer it to Xiaomi’s almost equivalent set as the app is more responsive and intuitive to use. I use it to monitor my solar inverter so this is the image from 1m away. The night vision is not really usable for various reasons like backlit LCD and infrared reflections but still not quite good enough IMHO. Overall very happy with it and my best indoor IPTV so far (been using many 2MP and 3MP ones).
The camera with a 128gb sd card purchased separately records anytime someone comes by or up to the camera. It works well at night, too. I was able to move it around remotely from another country via my mobile to follow the kids in my office – and listen to them too. I could speak to them but that would give away my eavesdropping! 😉
The camera goes up/down and to the sides, but not 360 degrees.
It’s only for indoor use. Be careful not to set too close to the windows as the uv will bounce off and blind the camera at night. I have this issue with another camera looking out the window.
Finally it’s worth mentioning the power cable is decent but I really wish it was USB type and more universal.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Great camera, works very well, manually. To operate full features you must have a paid subscription, pan and tilt only work manually unless you pay, maybe better off buying a static camera if you don’t want to pay 25 pa to use pan and tilt. Sort of defeats the object for security camera.
Can someone help ? bought a standard SD card to work with this but keep getting error message saying cards expansion capacity is a problem and even hinting that card may be a fake (bought on here). Is there an idea card or maximum capacity, I bought a 512…
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.
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.
where I am very happy with the camera as I knew what I was paying for and it was super cheap at 23 with discounts it really needs some better ALEXA integration as all you have is show it on your echo show, its does nothing else at all, you cant control it in anyway and this is disapointing as there are lots of areas you could control which would be extremely easy to integrate into ALEXA, its missing and should have:
cam on / off
pan / tilt / left / right / up / down
trigger marks
sound on / off
record / on / off
This is the first security camera I have bought. I was that impressed with it, I bought another the very next day. The price was ok, the ease of setting up was very clear. Although I’m still getting used to them , the features you get are very impressive. Ive no doubt I will be buying another camera. I highly recommend this product . defiantly 5 stars from me.
Once I sorted it all out where it was going to go got it hooked up to the Internet. It works lovely give me a full view I can keep an eye on the dog and if she needs to I can talk to her so she’s not worried. Thank you for this
Night vision
Silent
360
Daytime collared screen
Record
Take piks
Can add to Google devices to see live vidios elcewere if not on phone
Can attach 2 wall
Can call
Can chat thro phone while out
Can hear the sounds thro the camera to hear what’s going on
Motion detective
I’ve used mine now 4 my kittens but when they grown I will b puting this device in my kids room
Price I would of paid more to b honest I paid 25 and 9 for the memory card
I recently purchased three TP-Link Tapo Pan/Tilt Smart Security Cameras, and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. These cameras have a 360 rotational view, which means I can easily monitor every corner of my home. The setup process was very simple, and I was up and running in no time.
I use one camera in my living room, one in my bedroom, and the other in my home office. The image quality is superb, and I can easily control the cameras using the Tapo app on my phone. The app allows me to view live video footage, control the pan and tilt functions, and even set up motion detection alerts.
Overall, I highly recommend the TP-Link Tapo Pan/Tilt Smart Security Camera to anyone looking for a high-quality indoor CCTV camera. I’m so pleased with my purchase that I bought three of them!
This is an excellent camera for the price and better than my Ring Camera which cost 3 times more..
While the ring cameras build quality is better this camera far out performs the ring camera in every way..
The night vision is much better and a lot clearer than my ring camera, the daytime is crisp and clear as you’d expect and it has all the same features and more than the ring cam does with 360 motion control, auto tracking of persons detected and other great features..
Overall for the price you’re getting an amazing deal here..
C- 500 great camera until firmware update. Camera used to track motion in horizontal and vertical planes. Now only tracks in horizontal and losses subject. Exchanged camera for a new one which worked fine but it did an auto update during the night and now doesn’t track properly again. Update :Contacted support and they managed to fix the issue and release an new firmware update. Camera now working correctly again. Reviews are for all Tapo camera’s not necessarily the model your looking at which is misleading.
I wanted this to see what my cats are up to when I am not around (mostly walking on the kitchen worktops and drinking out of the sink, it seems). My only criticism is that sometimes it doesn’t seem to pick up motion because I can see one of them coming in but no trace of it leaving. I haven’t used the fixing brackets supplied, it’s easy enough to put this on top of a cabinet or piece of furniture.
I would have liked more detailed instructions, the setup is easy, but there is no information on how to use it, you’ll have to download it from the website. Overall, this is a fantastic piece of kit for the money and I will definitely buy another one to cover other areas in the house. Worth investing in a microSD if you don’t want to use the Tapo care, you get a month free trial (and it’s a genuine free trial, you don’t have to subscribe and then cancel).
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.
Sensitivity is difficult to get right. Either there’s too many false alarms or it can miss events. If there’s too many events I don’t bother looking as it’s almost continuous but realistically most cameras will have the same issue. If it’s during daylight hours and dry I find the camera excellent at picking up movement. Just be aware of branches and either site the camera so it doesn’t have them in the field of view.
Positives:-
Good quality picture
Easy to setup
Easy to pan and tilt
Person detection works well
Negatives:-
The app photos to click on to see the recorded video are small.
The mounting bracket only offers two options, either screw the bracket above or behind the camera but being able to rotate the camera means it’s easier to operate if the camera is mounted on a level, flat surface.
Prone to false alarms during rain or by insects. (all my other cameras are the same)
The design is sleek and compact, and the camera can be mounted on the wall or placed on a flat surface. It’s incredibly easy to set up and use, with a user-friendly app that allows you to access the live video stream from anywhere with an internet connection.
The video quality is excellent, with 1080p Full HD resolution and night vision up to 30 feet. The camera also has motion detection and sound detection, which sends notifications to your phone when it detects any unusual activity.
I particularly love the two-way audio feature, which allows me to communicate with my family members or pets through the camera using my phone. It’s a great convenience that adds an extra layer of security and peace of mind.
Overall, I highly recommend the TP-Link Pan/Tilt Security Camera to anyone who wants to monitor their home or office with high-quality video surveillance. It’s reliable, easy to use, and provides excellent features at an affordable price point.
Not the best but not bad.
Video quality is good. I am using those to check my todler as he got a lot of energy.
So I check on him on my phone. Is a delay between camera and the app and this is the week spot of this camera.
Somethime the connection is lost even if I’ve got strong signal and internet connection on all devices.
I have 3 of this. Are affordable but not the best in the market for this money. I bought those just because I am using more product from tp link.
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.
Having purchased a Cocoon Camera just a few years ago, I was concerned when I realised I had received no notifications recently. Long story short, they’ve disappeared, no notice, just gone. Result; one useless expensive paperweight. Thanks for nothing Cocoon.
Enter this camera. This more than replaces a post 100 Cocoon, in fact the Tapo TC70 makes the Cocoon look very sad indeed. I’d go so far to say I cannot work out how they can make and sell this camera at a profit at this price.
It can be combined with Tapo Care for a monthly cost, or you can insert an SD card for local storage, or you can connect to a NAS or NVR system via the app.
One thing that is not mentioned on the page is that it also has Motion Tracking!
One small annoyance for me is that the motion detection system built in cannot be utilised to turn on a light via the Alexa App as a Routine. In fact Live View cannot be utilised through the app either, but this is less of a problem as it works fine through the Tapo app.
Night Vision works well.
There is a built in siren, but it cannot differentiate between humans and pets. As such if you set an automatic arm state (at bedtime) and the cat or dog walks past the camera, it sounds the siren. So far as I can tell the sensitivity cannot be reduced to alleviate this.
However, I’m being pedantic. For the money, you just can’t argue and I just cannot give it less the 5 stars across the board for its brilliance. Well done TP-Link for creating a range of products that are good quality at a really amazing price.
TP Link is a brand I am familiar with and I’ve owned their routers in the past.
Overall build quality is pretty good and the included plastic ceiling mount and the ability to invert the image when ceiling mounted is a nice touch.
It’s mains powered only so you’ll need to have a nearby socket to use it.
The highest 2k setting gives perfectly adequate recordings and the pan tilt function adds to the cameras reasonably wide field of view in setting an ideal frame.
Motion detection works to a fashion although I’ve chosen not to use it as I prefer a static frame.
The variable sensitivity settings allow the user to largely filter out unwanted notifications and recordings.
The night vision works well and the addition of a mic to pick up audio is useful.
There is a chat function but the speaker is not really powerful enough to provide a useful volume for two way chat in my opinion unless you are up close to the camera.
Set-up is easy as is firmware updating and SD card formatting in-camera.
The inclusion of up to 16x play back speed when viewing clips is useful but I would like to see the ability to download clips rather than have to transfer the SD card to a PC or laptop to save them.
You can save a still to the memory in your phone, but not video.
I gather the camera can be used with third party software which may provide that ability although I have not tried it myself.
I bought four of these cameras for internal use and I am pleased with the overall coverage, quality and ease of use they offer.
I paired mine with Integral Class 10 128gb SD cards also from amazon at 11.99 each …
Time will tell how reliable the cameras are but my first impressions are good, particularly for the price point.
An IP Camera has so much potential for remote security and this particular model covers almost all the bases an average user like me would need. But it is all dependant on how good the software is. Thankfully, the Tapo software which can be installed on a tablet or smartphone, is pretty great with just a few user interface flaws. But feature-wise you can do almost anything remotely. Obviously, you can watch your footage live. But what I love is that you can also pinch and zoom, pan swipe while zoomed in, take an instant snapshot or record what you are seeing straight onto your smartphone/tablet….WHILE the the camera is ALSO doing a 24/7 continuous recording onto its local SD card (it doesnt come with one, you buy this yourself).
The camera can be set to record continuously onto SD card or only when motion is detected or on a set schedule. I only tested continuous recording.
I bought a 64GB class 10 card which i found that the camera stored almost 8 days of continous recording in 1080p before it cycled over the oldest recording. You can playback footage at any specific time and anything of particular interest, can be recorded directly to your tablet/smartphone….but the caveat to that is that you record your playback segment in real time. You can speed up playback by 2x, 4x, 8x etc but if you record that, you are recording that playback at that same speed. If you want to save several hours or several days of recording, then recording that playback to your tablet/smartphone is clearly impractical, so you have to take the SD card out of the camera and copy off the footage to your computer. But for me, recording short sequences off playback sequences was sufficient for me.
If your wifi or 4G reception is poor, the software has a low and high quality stream setting. In good wifi reception, the high quality streaming is excellent, fluid motion and good 1080p resolution. when signal drops, the motion jutters in high quality mode but set it to lower quality, the motion is fluid again but at the sacrifice of some detail. BUT be reassured that the actual recording on camera’s SD card is always at highest quality with smooth motion because of course streaming doesn’t affect local recording.
The clarity of video is exceptional. I had been using analogue security camera in the past and this just blows it out of the water. Night vision is terrific too and it switches automatically on detecting low light. However, I find that when more light arrives, the camera is very slow to switch back to “day mode”. Now, I use this camera to keep watch on my front and back yards, and street lights just keeps the area a bit lit, so I tried force “day mode” all the time. Turns out “Day mode” in low light is brilliant, as the night footage shows up as if it was daylight and this is probably because there is a large sensor in the camera, I suspect or camera is using a higher ISO. No need for night vision mode. Night vision mode is really only needed for litterally dark rooms. So my tip for using this in low light is force “Day Mode” permanently but for dark rooms with no light at all, use Night vision mode.
If you have several cameras, The Tapo software can show all simultaneously or switch to any.
Another brilliant feature is its connectivity to Amazon Firestick and Chromecast. Or Alexa and Google Home. I used my Firestick, and all I have to say is “show me Front Yard” and in just a few seconds I can view what’s going on my front yard on my TV.
But we are not limited to just using Tapo software. This is also compatible with mainstream IP security software and the Tapo (Dlink) website is very informative. You can also live stream on VLC player on your PC…however, this involves typing your camera password and username into the streaming address which somehow doesnt feel secure. But I tried it and it really works. So Tapo’s potential is even more flexible if used with othetr security software such as IP CAM etc.
Widefield view.
130 degree is a very wide coverage. It’s not aspherical so It does have spherical aberration (ie warped at the sides) but not so much as you would find on fish eye lenses. This is not a photographic lens anyway so shouldn’t be a big deal.
In fact, I forgot to mention that the camera can be set to pan left and right continuously but the wide angle is sufficient enough for me to keep it still.
Appearance:
This is NOT a conspicuous device with stark black and white contrast, so if you have white wall, the black camera will standout, and if you have a dark wall, the white external body will stand out. So this camera is obvious and serves as a “hey I am watching you, mate” warning. But I love it’s THX118 scifi aesthetic (or if you an Apple product fan, this fits right in too).
Sound and Mic:
I am sorry I have not tested this ability as it’s not a feature I am after but when I do, I will update. However, the mic can be turned off for privacy and I do actually use that. On my previous analogue camera, I had to block the mic with blu tack so this ability to remotely turn off is most welcome.
Pan and Tilt: Manually remote panning and tilting on a tablet is very useful but I think the Tapo software makes this a little awkward with its joypad overlay. Its quite cumbersome to use but it is effective nevertheless.
There isn’t much more for me to say other than this is a tremendous value, feature rich IP Camera for 25 (at time of purchase) and will be purchasing more to replace my other analogue cameras.