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(C200)
From the brand
| Weight: | 440 g |
| Dimensions: | 8.64 x 8.68 x 11.77 cm; 440 Grams |
| Brand: | TP-Link |
| Model: | Tapo C200 |
| Colour: | White |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | TP-Link |
| Dimensions: | 8.64 x 8.68 x 11.77 cm; 440 Grams |
This is an excellent camera. It was very easy to set up with clear uncomplicated instructions. The picture quality is very good. It’s as easy as a ring door bell to operate. This has replaced a 300 security camera and it is much better. Very pleased definitely recommend.
i bought 1 of these and have recently bought another 2 they are great lil cameras, they dont miss anything, the night time vision is spot on , the app is fantastic as it sounds whenever anyone is in view on the camera, i will have these in every room by january (except the bathrooms obviously) they are a great price to and arrive within 2 days. fab
Works great – shame cloud storage is a subscription. Yes you can use an SD card however.. I’d a thief was clever enough they would just take the SD card with them.. or destroy the camera
Wanted a camera to keep an eye on the dog when he’s home alone. We have other Tapo devices and have been very happy with them, so decided to trust this brand again. Glad we did! Amazing picture quality, easy to use. And if you get a memory card, there’s really no need for a subscription.
This indoor camera may be mounted on a wall or ceiling or left free standing. It requires a wifi and an app downloaded to a smartphone to set up the options and see the camera view remotely. Various features can be activated in the app settings for at home or away including pan, tilt, record, talk, and a siren plus sensitivity options for pets or baby crying. Very impressed with how clear the image is and ability to view live and record.
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
Needed a camera at night to film my cats eating their food as one of my cats has been poorly. She has only been eating wet food and would not go near her normal kibble. As both cat bowls started to be empty in the morning i was hoping she had been eating them again during the night, she had! Great camera and easy to set up, notifications get sent to my phone to let me know motion has been detected! Has really put my mind at rest investing in this little beauty, would recommend.
I’ve decided to standardise on Tapo products so I only need one app for the plugs, cameras and (in due course, with a hub) sensors and the Tapo app works well. Anything you do in there to edit plug names etc. forwards on immediately to the Alexa app, which is great in staying on top of things. It’s also good to know that the flexibility is there to link the Tapo infrastructure to other systems. Buying this on Amazon Prime Day was a no-brainer and it was easy after getting it running on the table, to turn this upside down and ceiling mount it at the back of my shed (which has an open front). The base for this is a little tight and I was worried it might break when took it off again in order to attach it to the ceiling, but it seems pretty solid and this keeps it firmly in place.
Recommended
I’ve had this for a few yrs noo,n it’s captured almost perfectly my nasty neighbour’s n their antics(including putting my front window in with a baseball bat ) good quality for the price.
It’s easy too setup and install…only thing is I’m not sure if it’s really 1080p quality…the images are good but you can’t make out number plates or faces. Grainy images blurred if you zoom in. It’s saves motion to an sd card or you can pay for the cloud service.
A good CCTV camera without any subscription. Just set up to your phone and wi-fi and all done. We did had to buy a microSD card but the camera will rewrite over old footage if not previously saved. We have ours in the window and at night the camera will reflect the window if set to night mode. so we set it to the day mode and it’s fine as we have a street lamp outside.
Good cam. Not for outdoor use. Used for outside pointing through a window, so can’t use the night vision as infrared reflects on the glass. But it does the job and has saved me s when 3 different people hit my car and drove off. Had their reg on camera, passed to police. Camera does its job well.
This camera is great for spying on your dog’s crate. I have it fixed looking into it so if I leave her, I can check her whilst I’m out. You can upgrade for it to capture what they are doing (the version I have just tells me she’s in motion and then i can check the live camera). The video quality is fine and night vision works well.
This is an upgrade from my Tapo internal cam, which is ok, but not very good looking out through a window at night. but perhaps it was never supposed to.
This one fitted externally, connected to Wifi no trouble, night vision very good, pan and tilt good, but finding the camera angle width, slightly narrower than i would have liked
Great bit of kit. It is wired which is the only drawback. However, you can fix it to a surface and it will pick up sounds and motion and will pan and tilt and follow anything that it sees in its view. Even a moth or spider at nighttime going past the lense. Great bit of kit. Well worth the money.
This Tapo C500 is far superior to my previous camera, a Victure. The picture quality is better and the Tapo app is a vast improvement on the Victure app. The recorded events load up instantly, unlike the victure app which sometimes didn’t want to load at all.
For the price, 39.99, this cannot be beaten, especially as it pans and tilts, with automatic movement tracking.
In addition, I bought a Tapo C510W from Tapo, and it’s even better.
Highly recommend these Tapo Pan and tilt cameras.
TP-Link are great, no matter if it’s powerline adapters, routers or security camera’s. This camera is excellent, easy to setup, very good motion detection and super quality video. We used it while away on holidays and every time someone came to the door (eg: Postman) I would get a notification. Having the extra advantage of recording locally using micro SD card is super also. Highly recommended from here.
I bought this for my elderly mother who has dementia.
The live feed can be a bit glitchy. The video summary has been useful and is easy to save.
I signed up for the Tapo Care which saves footage in the cloud which again is useful and reasonably priced for a 12 month contract.
I put this internally in my front window to look out down my path/drive. Very easy to set up using the app which seems good and glitch free. Pan and tilt hood. Picture quality is good when viewed through app. No idea what the pics are like from the sd card. Given the price and ease of set up and use, I’d call it a good buy.
Using this to watch what my cats do when I’m away. The pictures are very clear, the movement detector picks up whenever they come in (it rotates to face the movement so seldom fails to see them). Night vision is good, obviously not as clear as day but quite adequate. Can be triggered spuriously by eg moving shadows from trees outside or moths at night (yes, that sensitive) but that just gives a few unwanted shots. You can watch it remotely via the app, and by paying extra, keep a months worth of videos of every detected movement (that’s quite a lot). So overall, a very good, fair priced item, recommended.
Bought this to keep an eye on Mother who has dementia. It is reassuring to check in occasionally and see her moving about and make sure she hasn’t had a fall.
The 1st month, short videos were kept and then you either have to subscribe for a minimal fee for this to continue or install an sd card.
We have done neither yet, but just being able to see her is all we need at the moment.
Perfect as a security camera also and very good quality picture, with a zoom and pan facility, all usable via an app on your phone.
Would definitely recommend whatever your reason for needing it.
Used this almost as remote assistance and peace of mind to keep an eye on an elderly relative. The ability to pan the camera and use it for two way communication was a great feature. It obviously does have a delay between sending the command and it responding but then that is to be expected given the signal is going halfway round the world each time via the internet.
The software to control it was simple enough and enabled several people to monitor the camera (although only the ‘main’ user can do certain things and the others are more restricted).
All in all a very good buy for the money. Cannot fault it.
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.
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
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.
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.
I just got it and setting it up was super easy, for 20 you cannot moan that you expected anything more, everything works as it should, the app is very easy to use, haven’t checked the night vision yet but I believe it’ll be alright. Just need your own microsd card which is an extra 10 for a 128gb u3 samsung evo here on amazon.
I have it already 3 months and Im really happy with this purchase. Never had before any secruity camera until I was needed leave my house for one few days and then decided to buy one. This one its really great, perfect high quality views. Easy to install. I get reports on my phone when something its moving in the room. Really great secruity camera. Love i
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.
Never having bought anything like this before we thought we would try and internal camera to check on our dogs when are out. If it works great and if there were any difficulties then fair enough – we would have tried the technology.
This camera set up does not require any subscription. Easy to set up on your smart phone.
Now we can see what they are up to, and the image is clear. Camera direction of view can be adjusted using your phone.
Pleased with it and think its good value.
Great lens with good definition.. Picture quality is excellent. Getting the camera to join the network meant repeating the setup procedure three times. I initially had problems with the app which kept me going round in circles to open the camera to see the picture. Having deleted the app, and reloaded and installed it, it now works fine although I don’t think linking it to Alexa is any help. I have now bought a second one.
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.
This was the second security camera I bought after the first refused to connect to our WiFi. I bought it with just a day left until our holiday! Set up was quick and smooth. Picture quality has been really good so far, as well as connection when checking in whilst out. I did have the camera in reach of toddlers curious hands so decided to move it out of reach, again this set up was really easy too. The only downside is the recordings do miss a few seconds when motion is detected but Would definitely recommend.
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.
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.
Very happy with camera fantastic for the price I only use occasionally as I bought it to check up on the dog when I’ve no choice to leave him home alone which isn’t often. I think only question is if I change my Wi-Fi provider will it stop working? Only wondering as I used to have a video doorbell which also worked off Wi-Fi and email address the same but when I had to change Wi-Fi provider my doorbell stopped working altogether despite resetting it and setting it back up on the new provider, reason is once registered/set up it can’t be switched to another for security reasons which is good to stop someone hacking it but if you change Wi-Fi it means you have to buy a new one whether it applies to this camera not sure. Would recommend at the price I paid around 25 just in case it does only work on the Wi-Fi it was originally set up on. I did order a 2nd one for my parents as they wanted one after seeing mine and theirs was less than 23 even better!
The Zoning part of the detection is really good though as you can set certain areas of a room which will alert it. you can also set an alarm to go off when triggered and it’s very startling.
The TP-Link app is fantastic (when they’re not forcing the subscription down your throat) as you can see all devices in one place and switch between them seamlessly.
Would highly recommend these cameras. Just wish there were more features on this side of the paywall.
I think it is very good for the price. I bought altogether 3 of them. The whole family has the app and access to the cameras on the phones. So that they can turn on “privacy mode” if they do not want to be watched.
Had some minor issue of setting up additional cameras on app as my phone was asking me to scan QR code to share wifi network password with camera (obviously the camera cannot scan a QR code from the mobile phone) and there was no solution to be found in the Android community. However, I was able to det up additional cameras on my daughter’s phone where the android version did not offer the QR code sharing facility.
The other problem I had was the often described issue with making the micro sd card work.
The first a Scandisk 128GB card did not work, so I gave it back and bought a Samsung evo 64GB which worked out of the box. If you search the SD card issue there are some solutions to it what other users found by formating the card to FAT32 through your laptop/ PC before you put it in the camera.
I guess those are the limitations you get when you pay 25 for a security camera.
However on a good note:
-camera is otherwise very easy to install
-app is great and works well, no real glitches yet after 4 months
-great features and options:
-privacy mode
-motion detection
-remotely zooming or changing focus
-2-way audio (although not working well)
-NO SUBSCRIPTION FEES!
-actually quite good day and even night vision
Cons:
-the above IT issues
-audio is quite delayed and not great (you would not understand much of what is spoken nor if you use the camera to talk to somebody in the room)
I thought I’d dip my toe into the world of smart home stuff and this camera looked like a good way to start.
Good points:
– Relatively easy to set up, mostly plug and play
– Clear iOS app
– Excellent camera quality for the price, night vision particularly good
– Remote control of horizontal and vertical panning from the app, which improves the already good coverage
– Two way sound (although quality isn’t particularly good)
– A motion detection alarm (which can be disabled)
– Local video storage on a micro SD card, which is easy to manage in the app. No need for cloud storage.
– Ability to add further cameras and control them all within the app.
Bad points
– When logging into the iOS app after set up, iOS tries to use a new suggested password rather than the one already set up and saved in Keychain. Eventually managed to force it to accept and retain the second password attempt. Not sure if this is a coding issue or me being dim..
– While you can tell the camera to only record motion detection, and give it a schedule for when to record it (e.g. at night), if you don’t have motion detection switched on all of the time it won’t record motion detection at all. The only solutions seem to be to remember to switch on motion detection only when needed (which goes against having a recording schedule) or have motion detection switched on by default, which becomes very annoying if you are in the house during the day and bombarded with notifications on your phone. And being recorded.
– Bit tricky getting the micro SD card in the slot. Definitely the potential for it to ping back out and get lost if not pushed in properly.
All in all its pretty good for the price. This is a new range of TP Link smart home devices and so far there is this and a smart plug, with a smart bulb on the way soon.
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.
I have just received two of these tapo 200 cameras first impression for the price you can not go wrong …I have two Samsung smart cams that also do the same dome track trace etc although the Samsung picture is better not by much will get to that in a minute. For the price of these Tapo I could by 4 to one Samsung. So it is a no-brainer for the price the picture quality is ok however I notice some purple fringing in some lighten areas this will not be a problem if your using them capturing video within side your home however I use mine to shoot through windows to capture the garden etc so noticed it around the tree leaves etc so minus a star for that. The cameras are a doddle to set up via the app which again is smooth as hell compared to the smartcam app. Did I say how good the app was 10 minutes with it and I feel I know everything super easy and just flows.so good I think tplink are onto something good with a couple of minor improvements they could be great. The motion areas you can select could do with being able to shrink smaller … If you have them set in one position but again do not let this put you off it is my personal view.i am excited to see the what tp link come up with next with the app and camera ….I am going to buy another as you can have upto 32 cameras connected your app these connect easy …app is easy … Settings are easy …. For shooting through windows at night turn of the auto mode and set it day only this switches the night vision LEDs off but you will outdoor lighting to compensate 😉
The camera is not compatible with the Kasa app.
The SD card is basically at the base of the black camera unit which has to be panned to the top to insert it. If someone was in a rush they wouldn’t find the slot as it is concealed unless the camera is literally pointing at the roof.
I have a 64gb memory card and have it continuous recording. I am so far up to 7days and it hasn’t recorded over itself yet so potentially has a long record time.
You can watch back footage and record bits you want or take still pictures which have then saved into my camera roll on the phone which could be sent to other people if needed.
The detection settings are a bit too sensitive it picks up dust passing the camera which has then given a notification. I have turned these to the lowest settings which work well but get the odd false alarm.
You can set detection zones which can be a bit fiddly to set up but you basically need to drag the box over the area you want and then resize the other part of the box to make it fit the area you want. This will make sense when you try it.
The camera I found really easy to set up and use from the app. I used my iPhone. The camera needs to connect to wifi. This is done by turning it on and going to the Wi-fi list on the actual phone not the app and the camera appears on that list. The app then guides you through the actual set up then.
The picture quality I have found to be really good night or day if used indoors. I don’t know how good it would be if you pointed it through a window but is good over short distances.
I have used the camera several times whilst in another location and found the app works well live viewing and playing back footage.
Privacy mode stops the camera recording video and sound.
I haven’t tried using Alexa with it.
I really recommend this camera. It has fully suited my needs. I haven’t found anything negative while using it.