Brian, great review & coverage of this Tapo camera. Love the fact that you don’t need a subscription to get the features your really need & want. Love the fact it works well with Amazon Alexa! I think this is the camera to beat that’s feature rich with NO subscription necessary! Thanks!
This hit all the points I have been trying to satisfy in my search for the right cameras with the right combination of features. It feels like users designed it.
Wyze now has multi-cam view where you can view 4 live streaming cameras all at once and you get 3 cameras for $100. $10 a month membership would would take 2 years before you even reach the cost of Tapo's $300 price tag
What's the difference between the Tapo TC85 & Tapo C425 (from this vid) cameras? The Amazon link calls it out as both and the tp-link website has both as separate as well.
They are the same cameras. Only difference is that the one camera that you purchase has a different model number than the ones you buy in the three pack.
@@AutomateYourLife does this have motion tracking and can we move view from application And can we screw them Because magnet mount can be stolen easily
My brother bought this and absolutely loves it. He did his research and picked this one out of them all. Now I’m going to buy it. Thank u for the great n thorough review. ❤
Great review. 1) Could these be mounted inside behind a window and still detect movement outside? 2) Without connecting to 3rd Parties like Amazon, will it send instant notification/footage to a phone app? 3) Can you deactivate some cameras when I'm at home to conserve battery life?
1) No because it's a PIR motion sensor being used to do initial detection. 2) Yep! 3) Yep! They have an automation portion of their app for that. I use Amazon though for a few additional options.
So very helpful and comprehensive thank you. As with you, nights here in the UK seem very dark suddenly and I was thinking about my first external camera(s) purchase.
@@Cylindermaster I've been looking too and it looks like the model number is different, look for TC425 not 85. You have probably found them 4 months later though :)
@@jimmcdonald6465 I've been looking too and it looks like the model number is different, look for TC425 not 85. You have probably found them 4 months later though :)
Same. Too much trust these days. Too many products rely on the perp not having a ladder or not covering their face from the cameras or running away when its anti-tamper features sound off alarms. I want to like Tapo because their home automation sensors can make for one really nice custom alarm system but they don't even sell any loud outdoor-safe alarm sirens. Can make it really loud inside your home with lots of hubs but that's it. Too many flaws.
@@E71 Not covering their face or running away? I mean... cameras can't chase perps, detain them or physically snatch off their masks. 😂There is a perpetual degree of vulnerability from living among other human beings that cameras cannot solve for. Bullet proof windows can't control for someone driving a military tank into the building they're installed in, you know?
@@cjjuszczak I have aluminum siding, so I screwed the mag plate into the siding and attached the camera high enough, that a perp would need a ladder to grab it, which would be recorded in the cloud.
Its a huge flaw IMO for the camera yo have local video storage ON the camera. It would be as simple as the perp taking the SD card out, or breaking the camera off and taking it, along with the footage...
Thank you for a great review what seems to be finally a great product. There's been a vacuum in this field for ages and this devices seem to fill the void left because there are hardly good cameras out there that could offer all of these features (as partially hitting a few of them won't cut it for many of us): 1) High quality (not just resolution) in daylight as well as night and low light conditions, 2) No forcing into cloud-only storage or subscription-based AI features, 3) Ability to store locally, mainly NAS rather than microSD (often unreliable and easy to steal), 4) Good AI feature-set also able to detect objects, animals, humans, 5) Work quickly as far as responsiveness and saving, over wifi, 6) Good set of features for automation and easy to manage settings, 7) Good range to cover small and large properties, 8) Decent price point If nitpicking, I'd want to better the mounting options. While I understand the magnetic holder (well engineered nevertheless) as it could be used inside a house perhaps, but I'd never use one even indoors since I'd want to make it as difficult as possible to physically remove the device from where it's been mounted. In fact I'd love if there was an option to place them in a more tamperproof and theft-deterring casing which could achieve maximum concealment so that they'd be even hard to spot.
With these specifically, I'd use an Echo show cause the integration would allow you to bring them up automatically when they were needed. Otherwise, it depends on what you have!
Hi Im in the Market looking for the same setup. It's so many options but haven't found 1 to suit my needs at all!! If you do happen to find any information before I do please let me know. thank you
Is there a way to monitor on my computer instead of an app on the phone only? I use my computer more than my phone and I hate dealing with apps. I know I'm weird but I would really like to monitor from my office computer.
I have the C125 and can not find the 'clip settings' in the app, how do you get to it? I am thinking this is a software feature not a hardware feature...
Have you tested the cameras recording when under attack by a 2.4ghz de-auth attack; For example using a flipper zero? I ask because both of my Eufy door bell cameras stop recording events even to local storage if I de-auth them with a flipper. This is a serious problem for any 2.4 camera that stops working while disconnected from wifi.
Great review, we have been looking high and low for a decent security camera setup and I think these may be the ones. I run Homebridge, with connects to HomeKit and there is a TP-Link TAPO plugin for it. May have to get one to test the waters.
It's tough to stop signal jammers at all. You'd have to have a stronger signal than the jammer to basically override it. But if you put an SD card in these (and most cams), they will still record. Check that with any other cameras but these do it
Since these are 2K cameras, they look pretty good. I have never been left wanting on my phone but you could definitely see some grain on the larger screens if you were zooming in
Hey Carl (thanks for earlier by the way) I'm not sure which cameras you're talking about. But in general I think these cameras look great and I find that they are very clear for me in every situation I've put them in. You can absolutely look at the feed of these cameras when you're away from the house. They work pretty well too, as I don't usually have a ton of delay. That will depend on your network but they've been great for me
This was a great video. I'm looking for doorbell/outdoor cam setup to replace my older ZMODO setup and TP Link checks all my boxes. No other cam system matches price, features, capability and no subscription like the TP Link cams. Much appreciated.
Since you got the 3 pack of cameras do you also need 3 solar panels? Do you need a memory card for each camera or will all three feeds record to one card?
Great video I have been using the Tapo c325WD and had it on my garage but in saying that where I am moving there is no place to run wires is the magnet strong enough for like a side mount or would I have to get the tripod mount
Brian, thank you very much for your video. Question: records conversations, music? If you have tested these parameters thoroughly, and at what distance? Thanks in advance for your answer.
It records audio, but I haven't really checked an exact distance. Music, I haven't tested specifically either. Sorry! I can tell you that I heard the kids out over 15 feet away.
Looks like a great camera, Confused on how it compares to the C420. The C425 (or TC85) doen not need the hub ( not sure if that is a positive or negative - the SD card would be in the hub and record all cameras - less sd cards necessary and its away from the camera so no one can just steal all the cameras (and its recording). No idea what the hub does to the range compared to a good wifi router. The magnetic mount looks much better on the C425.
The most important feature I look for is web access for the camera. Most camera companies don't offer it for low cost cameras and reviewers don't mention negative things about the item they are reviewing.
Hello Yoof! I just noticed these on Amazon and they interested me. I also knew i knew a man that would know the details and so here i am. Lol. I hope you are doing well my Yoof? Thanks for a great video as ever.
Do you know if you're using the micro sd card for storage and you lose internet for a while and get it back, will you be able to access the recorded clip during the outage?
To show your laptop with the camera? I think you could. If you're trying to show the camera ON your laptop...you could with home.google.com if you connect it there.
11 месяцев назад
Hi there. Good job. You think is it better than ezviz bc1c? I think that are similar but i dont know if the night record is better.. thank u
I like the compatibility with other systems better than EZVIZ's options. I think that's worth any differences in Night Recording, but sadly I don't have that specific camera to be able to tell you for sure that it's better. I can say that I've been very impressed with the night recordings on these cameras.
Would it make sense to use a solar panel even for indoor use? That way you don't have to take the cameras down to charge up the batteries. You just turn the light on in the room?
I think if you get it up against a window then the solar panel can be useful but inside of a house using ambient lighting isn't really going to charge much. I haven't seen it work very well even with panel lights that put out a lot of light at different frequencies
Love the info. Thank you. Will it work in Fairbanks, Alaska with cold winters? (-25 F) Will any system? I was thinking light socket camera may stay warmer? I have only just started looking and landed on this video first. If you have the time to reply, I'd appreciate it.
You can put cameras into privacy mode by pressing a button for each camera in the app. I believe there is an automation option to do that as well and if I remember correctly, Alexa has an option in their routines to turn on or off privacy for each camera. I have to do that for memory because I recently moved and haven't set everything back up yet
So loving my TP link Tapo system! Only thing missing is 4k cams . I'm also a bit upset you need a 2nd subscription after 10 cameras. I'm up to seven already, and most likely would like 15 total.
@@sx20Ramar At six, zero issues wireless. Minus learning curve on where to adjust settings. That is a bit confusing. FOR THOSE new, YOU MUST do your settings in HOME, and AWAY! Otherwise, settings are lost immediately! In Home and Away, you must press the three vertical dots and than edit from there. NOT FROM MANAGE! Whoever designed the software app STINKS! BIG TIME. NO reason for it to be so stupid and confusing. Should be only ONE WAY to set and edit cameras. Otherwise, you will be wondering why your camera keeps ignoring your settings and resetting.
Brian, yes these camera's look very promising - short of the Google Home integration you mentioned. Followed the links you put in but not seeing any CDN retailers for this model?
Brian, this camera looks really interesting, but for me it has to also work in Homekit. While it doesn't have native Homekit support there is a Homebridge plugin called "Homebridge Tapo Camera" which I think could bring in the camera feed as well as some notifications for automation purposes. The plugin appears to be being maintained as there was an update last April. I'm hoping one of your viewers will read this and comment on it. I don't know if you have a Homebridge, or Hoobs set up there or not. Anyway, thanks for the review!!!
Last I checked, they were RTSP but the setup was a little complicated. Nothing difficult, but it required a second account. Haven't tried in a while though
Good review. What isn't clear to me is the camera able to send the clip via wi-fi to a hard drive so that the home owner doesn't have to pull out the SD card.
You said in an earlier comment about leaving the TC85 plugged into a charge bud permanently, that it leaves a port open to weather. But is that not same situation with the solar panel plugged into the TC85? Also where are 3 packs in Canada?
I'm looking for a outdoor camera to monitor my driveway. The distance away it needs to be mounted is about100 ft. I need it to connect without wires to a desktop computer and not a cell phone or wifi and has a memory card. Any ideas?
In the video, you'll see it pick up cars 50ft+ away. It'll depend how you set them up and what you want to trigger based on, but that's been the performance if I wanted it.
Thanks for this video. I was wondering if a resurve battery is available? Seems to me it would be easist to have one fully charged for one trip up the ladder to replcace then 2 trips to remove and ger it charged.
Hi Brian, I have a disturbing dilemma which I hope you can provide your guidance and opinion to determine if this security camera solution would help me address a problem we are having around my home. My husband and I live in a small 300 home NJ lake community. We have a modest 1800 sqft corner home that sits on less than a 1/4 acre lot so the front and right sides of our property face the road. We are a quiet couple with no children. We keep to ourselves but get along well with most neighbors although at times, you can compare our community to high school where you have clicks and bullies of all sorts especially those who have generations of family that have lived here so entitlements out weigh individual peaceful enjoyment and many dictate how things should be done. In the last 3 years, someone in our neighborhood has taken a significant dislike to us and has been going out of there way to intentionally defile our property on an ongoing basis. They leave bags of dog poop on our property sometimes 2-3 times a week and we have been unsuccessful in catching them. We have found bags half way up our drive way with a rock on it to secure it when it’s been windy. They have thrown it over our 4 ft fence into our backyard lawn. They have left it in the middle of our front lawn and on the walkway into our home. Unfortunately, we have been unable to afford a security camera system but this may finally be the solution we need to catch the culprit. I have a few important questions before making such a significant investment and would greatly appreciate your opinions and guidance to determine if we should move forward with the purchase. Take note that my husband is not handy in the least so the ease of the installation here is definitely a plus. First question may be a bit difficult but would you have any guideline on how far away from the home can you position a camera and still connect to the WiFi? Not sure if I can get a clear line of sight to where people walk with the fence in between on the side of the backyard so I may need to resort to attaching it to a tree or possibly my neighbors tree across from me. This is why I am concerned about distance for connecting to WiFi. Since I also live in the suburbs, there is no sidewalks or street lights so there is no lighting in the backyard. Since the side of my backyard fence is approximately 20-30 ft from the home with no lighting, will the security camera be useless at night to actually see a person walking with their dog 30 feet away and will the motion sensor even detect from this distance? Also with a 512GB Micro SD card, do you have any guidance on how many video recording hours will it hold at 2k. I was having trouble finding an answer online with certain unknown variables. My husband tries to walk the property often so we typically find the poop bags within a day or two which you can tell now especially because the bag is on top of the fallen leaves vs covered by leaves. So we think we would only need a few days of storage. Will 512GB be enough? Can we actually use a smaller card size considering they are expensive and the plan would be to buy the 3 or 4 device package. So would need 3-4 SD cards. Also, what happens if someone takes the camera since it is magnetic, they could possibly pull it off the base or throw a rock to break it. If the device is stolen or broken and because the SD card stores the videos would I not be able to see who did the deed? Thank you in advance for any information and guidance you can provide.
Long story and a tough one! I think the truth is you have many options for taking care of this. There are many battery powered cameras and many that will be good options. I think if I was worried about someone stealing a camera on me, I'd mount it up high and make sure they had a heckuva time getting to it. I'd also use a mount that made it difficult to steal (so not the mag mount here, get a twist on or even a tougher mount). Then, I'd probably do a test with 1 or 2 cheap cameras and see what I see. A cheap Wyze cam sitting at your home might do the trick. Then if I see them, then I'd get the big system. As for the card, you'll never fill it at 512 GBs ;). Battery cameras just record events, never record full time so they film a minute or two then stop. Everything else you said sounds like you could use a camera like this. One of the reasons that people do sometimes go with a company like ring is because they do offer replacement of stolen cameras.
I would be curious to find out if you’ve experienced any issues with the night vision when it gets cold outside. I’ve had a couple of other brands that literally fail to detect motion at night when the temperature gets below 40F ~ 4C.
Great video. Thanks for all the detailed information regarding the features of the camera. I want the ability to have local storage with no subscription. You mentioned RTSP in the video but I’m not familiar with that and how it works with an NAS. Can you point me in the right direction of a video that explains that whole concept pretty well?thanks again
The internet being Fiber Optic won't really change anything. Your WiFi should work though. You just need a 2.4 GHz WiFi signal (which just about every WiFi deployment today has)
@@AutomateYourLife Thanks. Doing a quick google search I learned that Fiber Optic just describes the types of cables that go to your house from the street. Your router will still transmit 2.4 and/or 5GHz signals to create your WiFi network, which makes it inherently no different than “traditional” WiFi. The only concern it to make sure your router offers 2.4 GHz for this cam to work.
They don't appear to be available in the UK either 😢, interestingly the Google G3AL9 Nest Cam Has a very similar design has there been a collaboration between these two in the past?
Well I know one which is installed here in my customer.. Whenever I come inside his house it will siren and I need to call the owner to disarmed it so that I can work inside his house
A couple of questions please. Will it record brightly at night without the spotlight having to be used? And can you purchase spare bases so you can just move the one camera around various locations?
It can, you'd need just a little light to see things but it does pretty well with the IR lighting. Just if you want color at night the spotlight is normally used. As for the bases...I don't know sadly!
I purchased a three-pack of cameras, but one has a battery problem. It doesn't hold a charge for long and needs to be recharged every 40 days or so. I'm unsure whether I should return the entire package to Best Buy and risk getting another faulty camera or keep what I have and accept the loss. What do you suggest?
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Brian, great review & coverage of this Tapo camera. Love the fact that you don’t need a subscription to get the features your really need & want. Love the fact it works well with Amazon Alexa! I think this is the camera to beat that’s feature rich with NO subscription necessary! Thanks!
Thanks Dan! This is a good one! :)
@@AutomateYourLifehi
This hit all the points I have been trying to satisfy in my search for the right cameras with the right combination of features. It feels like users designed it.
They seem to have come to a great place!
Much better than anything coming from Wyze!! Better picture, sound and value for the money! :-) Excellent review.
It better be since it’s 3x the price.
Wyze now has multi-cam view where you can view 4 live streaming cameras all at once and you get 3 cameras for $100. $10 a month membership would would take 2 years before you even reach the cost of Tapo's $300 price tag
What's the difference between the Tapo TC85 & Tapo C425 (from this vid) cameras? The Amazon link calls it out as both and the tp-link website has both as separate as well.
Any answers to this?
Support told me they’re the same. Between the 2 cameras Amazon only sells the C425. Didn’t make sense TP link website sells both.
They are the same cameras. Only difference is that the one camera that you purchase has a different model number than the ones you buy in the three pack.
I bought 2 a few months ago. I love them!
Oh! Ahead of me on that one!
Ahead of you? NEVER!
@@AutomateYourLife does this have motion tracking and can we move view from application
And can we screw them
Because magnet mount can be stolen easily
@@muhammadsaeed6057 No, yes, and you put it high enough that someone would need a chair or ladder to reach.
My brother bought this and absolutely loves it. He did his research and picked this one out of them all. Now I’m going to buy it. Thank u for the great n thorough review. ❤
Enjoy!
Great review. 1) Could these be mounted inside behind a window and still detect movement outside?
2) Without connecting to 3rd Parties like Amazon, will it send instant notification/footage to a phone app?
3) Can you deactivate some cameras when I'm at home to conserve battery life?
1) No because it's a PIR motion sensor being used to do initial detection.
2) Yep!
3) Yep! They have an automation portion of their app for that. I use Amazon though for a few additional options.
So very helpful and comprehensive thank you. As with you, nights here in the UK seem very dark suddenly and I was thinking about my first external camera(s) purchase.
Wonderful! Good luck!
Can't find it the UK, have you had any luck
@@Cylindermaster unfortunately no.
@@Cylindermaster I've been looking too and it looks like the model number is different, look for TC425 not 85. You have probably found them 4 months later though :)
@@jimmcdonald6465 I've been looking too and it looks like the model number is different, look for TC425 not 85. You have probably found them 4 months later though :)
The one thing I can't wrap my head around is the magnetic base. What's to stop someone from walking up to your cam and 'Yoink, my cam now' ?
Nothing if you put it at a reachable level. But it has mounting capabilities.
Same. Too much trust these days. Too many products rely on the perp not having a ladder or not covering their face from the cameras or running away when its anti-tamper features sound off alarms. I want to like Tapo because their home automation sensors can make for one really nice custom alarm system but they don't even sell any loud outdoor-safe alarm sirens. Can make it really loud inside your home with lots of hubs but that's it. Too many flaws.
@@E71 Not covering their face or running away? I mean... cameras can't chase perps, detain them or physically snatch off their masks. 😂There is a perpetual degree of vulnerability from living among other human beings that cameras cannot solve for. Bullet proof windows can't control for someone driving a military tank into the building they're installed in, you know?
I guess maybe the magnetic plate is for non-destructive mounting indoors ?
@@cjjuszczak I have aluminum siding, so I screwed the mag plate into the siding and attached the camera high enough, that a perp would need a ladder to grab it, which would be recorded in the cloud.
Its a huge flaw IMO for the camera yo have local video storage ON the camera. It would be as simple as the perp taking the SD card out, or breaking the camera off and taking it, along with the footage...
Also, there's an NVR option. Not a flaw, just an option :)
@@AutomateYourLife Where is the NVR option for this camera?
Not even have to break it, it’s magnetic so just pick it up
Not if you buy a different mount.
In the recording settings, there's an option for NVR but it takes a second account setup
Thank you for a great review what seems to be finally a great product. There's been a vacuum in this field for ages and this devices seem to fill the void left because there are hardly good cameras out there that could offer all of these features (as partially hitting a few of them won't cut it for many of us):
1) High quality (not just resolution) in daylight as well as night and low light conditions,
2) No forcing into cloud-only storage or subscription-based AI features,
3) Ability to store locally, mainly NAS rather than microSD (often unreliable and easy to steal),
4) Good AI feature-set also able to detect objects, animals, humans,
5) Work quickly as far as responsiveness and saving, over wifi,
6) Good set of features for automation and easy to manage settings,
7) Good range to cover small and large properties,
8) Decent price point
If nitpicking, I'd want to better the mounting options. While I understand the magnetic holder (well engineered nevertheless) as it could be used inside a house perhaps, but I'd never use one even indoors since I'd want to make it as difficult as possible to physically remove the device from where it's been mounted. In fact I'd love if there was an option to place them in a more tamperproof and theft-deterring casing which could achieve maximum concealment so that they'd be even hard to spot.
Agreed on all of this! Thanks!
Thank you for this. :)
What do you recommend as a permanent display, say on your kitchen counter, for all your cameras? Old tablet?
With these specifically, I'd use an Echo show cause the integration would allow you to bring them up automatically when they were needed.
Otherwise, it depends on what you have!
@@AutomateYourLife thank you. Good point. I'm about ready to upgrade my echo show anyway!
@mssbjh watch out next unboxing video :)
I have a FireTV that I want to use as a monitor for live cameras. Can I have all 3 cameras displaying live images on the TV at the same time?
I haven't been able to do that
Hi Im in the Market looking for the same setup. It's so many options but haven't found 1 to suit my needs at all!! If you do happen to find any information before I do please let me know. thank you
@@AutomateYourLifeCan it display one location/camera feed on the TV if motion is detected?
Do they support ONVIF, RTSP streaming?
to NAS over RTSP
@@AutomateYourLife Would have opened up so much more if they could be added to Blueiris.
Can we connect this camera to and NVR and connect it to display for monitoring
Is there a way to monitor on my computer instead of an app on the phone only? I use my computer more than my phone and I hate dealing with apps. I know I'm weird but I would really like to monitor from my office computer.
You're not weird. Just not possible with this one as of yet. :)
I have the C125 and can not find the 'clip settings' in the app, how do you get to it? I am thinking this is a software feature not a hardware feature...
Comprehensive review! Well done for covering everything!
Thanks!
Have you tested the cameras recording when under attack by a 2.4ghz de-auth attack; For example using a flipper zero? I ask because both of my Eufy door bell cameras stop recording events even to local storage if I de-auth them with a flipper. This is a serious problem for any 2.4 camera that stops working while disconnected from wifi.
Another great video, might pick a 3 pack when I move house 🤔
Picked up the Tapo C425 due to your great coverage on the product on Amazon Prime Days! Thanks Brian for your product thumbs up!
Nice! Enjoy so much Dan!
Great review, we have been looking high and low for a decent security camera setup and I think these may be the ones. I run Homebridge, with connects to HomeKit and there is a TP-Link TAPO plugin for it. May have to get one to test the waters.
Yeah I think someone else had said they wanted to do that or had used the homebridge to get it into HK. Good luck!
@Tuxuser2003
Hey. Did you tested this security camera with HomeKit? If yes how it went?
@@vladasss I did not purchase them yet. Still looking.
Great review!
Do you need an SD card for each camera?
You will, yep!
I bought the Tapo C425 (the one pack version of this camera) and there is no RTSP/ONVIF and you can add a hub on these cameras
can it record 24/7 or is this just motion trigger events?
Just motion
Thank you for the recommendation. These cameras work great! They work great with my automations with Alexa. I have 6 of these cameras.
So happy you're enjoying them!
Hello Brian. I would like to know if the TAPO also can work if someone is using a signal jammer or how to protect my cameras from being jammed
It's tough to stop signal jammers at all. You'd have to have a stronger signal than the jammer to basically override it.
But if you put an SD card in these (and most cams), they will still record. Check that with any other cameras but these do it
Good info. If the feature is available, you didn’t mention how the quality of video looks if/when you zoom in during live viewing.
Since these are 2K cameras, they look pretty good. I have never been left wanting on my phone but you could definitely see some grain on the larger screens if you were zooming in
Great video ! Will they trigger alexa routines?
They do, and fast enough to be useful. That comes later in the video :)
They are really good. Installing solar panel #2 in a few days
😀😀🔥
amazing review this sealed my decision on getting this camera!
Enjoy! They are so good
How do you like this in comparison to the small 2K QHD Indoor/Outdoor camera?
Plus, can uou view these cdneras when you're away from the house?
Thanks
Hey Carl (thanks for earlier by the way)
I'm not sure which cameras you're talking about. But in general I think these cameras look great and I find that they are very clear for me in every situation I've put them in.
You can absolutely look at the feed of these cameras when you're away from the house. They work pretty well too, as I don't usually have a ton of delay.
That will depend on your network but they've been great for me
@@AutomateYourLife You're welcome. 😃 I meant your thoughts between the Tapo C120 outdoor/indoor vs the Tapo Mag Cam.
Thank you sir. 👍🏼
Thank you sir!😃
very good review points, thanks, ..
What if someone steals the camera or destroys it, how can I get the video clips?
Get a cloud subscription or mount it up high (or with a different mount) so they can't :)
What if I use AT&T internet service will it still work and if so how do I connect it?
Any 2.4 GHz WiFi network should be just fine. Make sure you have that with a strong signal out where you're going to install these.
This was a great video. I'm looking for doorbell/outdoor cam setup to replace my older ZMODO setup and TP Link checks all my boxes. No other cam system matches price, features, capability and no subscription like the TP Link cams. Much appreciated.
Great system. Still using them to this day!
Thanks for the video, is it possible to record 24/7?
Nope
@@AutomateYourLife and do they have such camera like eufy that can record 24/7 to homebase and not just SD card?
Can you add an nvr to view on a monitor?
Not at the moment
Very well done.
Thank you kindly!
Since you got the 3 pack of cameras do you also need 3 solar panels? Do you need a memory card for each camera or will all three feeds record to one card?
You need 3 of each!
I just have a 256gb card in the h200 hub + 2 camera
Can view on iMac beside iphone.
Nice!
Any info on camera specs .sensor size, f ratio lense size
Everything we have is in the video. You'll see it in the titles
Great video I have been using the Tapo c325WD and had it on my garage but in saying that where I am moving there is no place to run wires is the magnet strong enough for like a side mount or would I have to get the tripod mount
The magnet is very strong. Exceedingly
Hi 👋, what is the diameter of it, If you could, please let me know, but not sure whether I can get it in Europe yet,
Thank you, from the moulin,
Brian, thank you very much for your video. Question: records conversations, music? If you have tested these parameters thoroughly, and at what distance? Thanks in advance for your answer.
It records audio, but I haven't really checked an exact distance. Music, I haven't tested specifically either. Sorry!
I can tell you that I heard the kids out over 15 feet away.
@@AutomateYourLifeThank you very much. If need to buy some property in Soth Florida let me know. :)
Looks like a great camera, Confused on how it compares to the C420. The C425 (or TC85) doen not need the hub ( not sure if that is a positive or negative - the SD card would be in the hub and record all cameras - less sd cards necessary and its away from the camera so no one can just steal all the cameras (and its recording). No idea what the hub does to the range compared to a good wifi router. The magnetic mount looks much better on the C425.
whats the max clip length this can be set to for motion events?
The most important feature I look for is web access for the camera. Most camera companies don't offer it for low cost cameras and reviewers don't mention negative things about the item they are reviewing.
Web access is a rarely asked for feature since apps are normally used, but if you want that, you can look at Wyze or Ring with a subscription
Does it support masking in battery mode?
You mean the privacy zones? Yep!
Do they have motion tracking?
Nope
@@AutomateYourLife tplink tapo should make
Motion tracking
Solar powered
Non magnetic mount camera
Hello Yoof! I just noticed these on Amazon and they interested me. I also knew i knew a man that would know the details and so here i am. Lol. I hope you are doing well my Yoof? Thanks for a great video as ever.
Ahahahaha, well look who the cat dragged in! :) Doing well over here, and hope you are too!
Great video, can the cameras be added to the H200 hub and have the recordings be sent there instead of the local sd card?
I don't know that actually! I don't have the H200. Sorry
You’re in Canada? How do these handle the cold?
Ehhhh you get used to it!
Love Tapo, tried so many different brands but hands down tapo is the best.
They've been great for us here!
good review ! clear content
Much appreciated!
Does it record 24/7? Can it be permenantly hardwired to a power source?
Where can you buy it
Check the links!
Is the battery removable? Can the Tapo A100 batteries be used with this camera?
No sorry. All internal
Do you know if you're using the micro sd card for storage and you lose internet for a while and get it back, will you be able to access the recorded clip during the outage?
Yes! It seems to continue to record for me :)
Can i use this camera to indoor use to show my laptop
To show your laptop with the camera? I think you could. If you're trying to show the camera ON your laptop...you could with home.google.com if you connect it there.
Hi there. Good job. You think is it better than ezviz bc1c? I think that are similar but i dont know if the night record is better.. thank u
I like the compatibility with other systems better than EZVIZ's options. I think that's worth any differences in Night Recording, but sadly I don't have that specific camera to be able to tell you for sure that it's better.
I can say that I've been very impressed with the night recordings on these cameras.
Would it make sense to use a solar panel even for indoor use? That way you don't have to take the cameras down to charge up the batteries. You just turn the light on in the room?
I think if you get it up against a window then the solar panel can be useful but inside of a house using ambient lighting isn't really going to charge much. I haven't seen it work very well even with panel lights that put out a lot of light at different frequencies
Does this work with HomeKit
It doesn't, no
Love the info. Thank you. Will it work in Fairbanks, Alaska with cold winters? (-25 F) Will any system? I was thinking light socket camera may stay warmer? I have only just started looking and landed on this video first. If you have the time to reply, I'd appreciate it.
It worked in Canada at -30 C. The batteries definitely drain quicker in that situation, but I was impressed :)
Do feature rich notifications require a subscription?
I believe they do yes. I've been using other services to bring up the feed though. Ie. Amazon Echo Hubs
Can you disarm the tapo mag cams from the TP Link app, or do you have to press a button on each camera?
You can put cameras into privacy mode by pressing a button for each camera in the app. I believe there is an automation option to do that as well and if I remember correctly, Alexa has an option in their routines to turn on or off privacy for each camera. I have to do that for memory because I recently moved and haven't set everything back up yet
Brian, does the camera show a live view without recording 24/7 or does it just activate when there is a detection?
There's a privacy mode that you can turn on and off, but it's always on for a live view if you want it :)
I have the subscription and SD card installed. The subscription covers up to 10 cameras and it's really affordable.
10 cameras is a lot!
So loving my TP link Tapo system! Only thing missing is 4k cams . I'm also a bit upset you need a 2nd subscription after 10 cameras. I'm up to seven already, and most likely would like 15 total.
I'm sure we'll see them up to 4K soon :)
Having that many cameras, you should be going wired! Much better but also more expensive.
@@sx20Ramar At six, zero issues wireless. Minus learning curve on where to adjust settings. That is a bit confusing. FOR THOSE new, YOU MUST do your settings in HOME, and AWAY! Otherwise, settings are lost immediately! In Home and Away, you must press the three vertical dots and than edit from there. NOT FROM MANAGE! Whoever designed the software app STINKS! BIG TIME. NO reason for it to be so stupid and confusing. Should be only ONE WAY to set and edit cameras. Otherwise, you will be wondering why your camera keeps ignoring your settings and resetting.
Brian, yes these camera's look very promising - short of the Google Home integration you mentioned. Followed the links you put in but not seeing any CDN retailers for this model?
It's been a painful wait for us Canucks. It should come to Best Buy asap.
not available for sale in most countries yet
No it is still taking time to get these rolled out!
does it work with home assistant
Sorry, you're on your own with HA
Looking for some nice wifi cameras any brands you recommend would be appreciated . . Thank you
You're watching a great one here. :)
Brian, this camera looks really interesting, but for me it has to also work in Homekit. While it doesn't have native Homekit support there is a Homebridge plugin called "Homebridge Tapo Camera" which I think could bring in the camera feed as well as some notifications for automation purposes. The plugin appears to be being maintained as there was an update last April. I'm hoping one of your viewers will read this and comment on it. I don't know if you have a Homebridge, or Hoobs set up there or not. Anyway, thanks for the review!!!
Thanks Hugh! I do have a hoobs setup but I barely use it so I'm not well versed enough to comment!
I,m having a heck of a time finding the 3 pack of camera's in canada is there any other link the works thx Morris
It's not available Morris. Sorry!
Are they ONIF or RSTP compatible? I want to connect them to Blue Iris. Thank you.
Last I checked, they were RTSP but the setup was a little complicated. Nothing difficult, but it required a second account. Haven't tried in a while though
Great video, I have a few questions…does the sd card fill or overwrite when full? How far does it reach for detection? Thank you
Overwrite!
Detection...I've had a solid 20-25 feet be no problem. Vehicles I've detected 50+ feet away no problem
Good review. What isn't clear to me is the camera able to send the clip via wi-fi to a hard drive so that the home owner doesn't have to pull out the SD card.
Yes, so you'd have to go through a bit of a setup process. You can do NVR/NAS through RTSP.
NVR/NAS through RTSP means what actually? @@AutomateYourLife
Can you access history of videos remotely from the app, from local SD card storage? Does the app work well with Android phones?
Yes, yes, and yes!
How is the person detection? Does it give a lot of false alarm compare to Google outdoor battery cam. thanks
I thiiiiiink I spoke about that in detail, but suffice it to say it's been excellent. Near perfect, actually.
You said in an earlier comment about leaving the TC85 plugged into a charge bud permanently, that it leaves a port open to weather. But is that not same situation with the solar panel plugged into the TC85? Also where are 3 packs in Canada?
3 packs in Canada is impossible still...
Yes it is the same, but it's fairly well handled with location. Just warning folks
Do they make a lte 4g camera for places where wifi is not available?
I haven't seen that from TP Link just yet. I bet they make one though
Did they fix 24/7 view...wifi was the problem? On t/p link
Sorry, what's the Q Gary? I don't remember everything I said in these videos anymore!
Great review! Do you know if I can have the recordings stored to my NAS instead of the SD card on each camera?
You can!
I'm looking for a outdoor camera to monitor my driveway. The distance away it needs to be mounted is about100 ft. I need it to connect without wires to a desktop computer and not a cell phone or wifi and has a memory card.
Any ideas?
Get a SIM card camera that meets that requirement?
At what range do these cams pick up motion? I have cams that can't see further than 10 Ft. In terms of triggering cam
In the video, you'll see it pick up cars 50ft+ away. It'll depend how you set them up and what you want to trigger based on, but that's been the performance if I wanted it.
What is the range of these cameras??
WiFi range? Visual range? Detection Range? Sorry...that's a lot of questions in one!
@@AutomateYourLife wifi range sorry
@Kevin-r5n2i that's going to depend on your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi! But generally these are very good and hold a connection in medium strength Wi-Fi areas
@AutomateYourLife ok thank you I need about 500 feet
@Kevin-r5n2i you'll need a wifi system that can do that...tough
Thanks for this video. I was wondering if a resurve battery is available? Seems to me it would be easist to have one fully charged for one trip up the ladder to replcace then 2 trips to remove and ger it charged.
No sorry, just a solar option that I've seen
Hi Brian, I have a disturbing dilemma which I hope you can provide your guidance and opinion to determine if this security camera solution would help me address a problem we are having around my home. My husband and I live in a small 300 home NJ lake community. We have a modest 1800 sqft corner home that sits on less than a 1/4 acre lot so the front and right sides of our property face the road. We are a quiet couple with no children. We keep to ourselves but get along well with most neighbors although at times, you can compare our community to high school where you have clicks and bullies of all sorts especially those who have generations of family that have lived here so entitlements out weigh individual peaceful enjoyment and many dictate how things should be done.
In the last 3 years, someone in our neighborhood has taken a significant dislike to us and has been going out of there way to intentionally defile our property on an ongoing basis. They leave bags of dog poop on our property sometimes 2-3 times a week and we have been unsuccessful in catching them. We have found bags half way up our drive way with a rock on it to secure it when it’s been windy. They have thrown it over our 4 ft fence into our backyard lawn. They have left it in the middle of our front lawn and on the walkway into our home. Unfortunately, we have been unable to afford a security camera system but this may finally be the solution we need to catch the culprit. I have a few important questions before making such a significant investment and would greatly appreciate your opinions and guidance to determine if we should move forward with the purchase.
Take note that my husband is not handy in the least so the ease of the installation here is definitely a plus.
First question may be a bit difficult but would you have any guideline on how far away from the home can you position a camera and still connect to the WiFi?
Not sure if I can get a clear line of sight to where people walk with the fence in between on the side of the backyard so I may need to resort to attaching it to a tree or possibly my neighbors tree across from me. This is why I am concerned about distance for connecting to WiFi.
Since I also live in the suburbs, there is no sidewalks or street lights so there is no lighting in the backyard. Since the side of my backyard fence is approximately 20-30 ft from the home with no lighting, will the security camera be useless at night to actually see a person walking with their dog 30 feet away and will the motion sensor even detect from this distance?
Also with a 512GB Micro SD card, do you have any guidance on how many video recording hours will it hold at 2k. I was having trouble finding an answer online with certain unknown variables. My husband tries to walk the property often so we typically find the poop bags within a day or two which you can tell now especially because the bag is on top of the fallen leaves vs covered by leaves. So we think we would only need a few days of storage. Will 512GB be enough? Can we actually use a smaller card size considering they are expensive and the plan would be to buy the 3 or 4 device package. So would need 3-4 SD cards.
Also, what happens if someone takes the camera since it is magnetic, they could possibly pull it off the base or throw a rock to break it. If the device is stolen or broken and because the SD card stores the videos would I not be able to see who did the deed?
Thank you in advance for any information and guidance you can provide.
Long story and a tough one!
I think the truth is you have many options for taking care of this. There are many battery powered cameras and many that will be good options.
I think if I was worried about someone stealing a camera on me, I'd mount it up high and make sure they had a heckuva time getting to it. I'd also use a mount that made it difficult to steal (so not the mag mount here, get a twist on or even a tougher mount).
Then, I'd probably do a test with 1 or 2 cheap cameras and see what I see. A cheap Wyze cam sitting at your home might do the trick.
Then if I see them, then I'd get the big system.
As for the card, you'll never fill it at 512 GBs ;). Battery cameras just record events, never record full time so they film a minute or two then stop.
Everything else you said sounds like you could use a camera like this. One of the reasons that people do sometimes go with a company like ring is because they do offer replacement of stolen cameras.
I would be curious to find out if you’ve experienced any issues with the night vision when it gets cold outside. I’ve had a couple of other brands that literally fail to detect motion at night when the temperature gets below 40F ~ 4C.
Nothing I've noticed. That would likely be based on motion sensing using PIR sensors not being able to pick up the changes in infrared
can record 24/7 on the micro sd with automatically erasing the old videos?
Not 24/7 as far as I remember
Great video. Thanks for all the detailed information regarding the features of the camera. I want the ability to have local storage with no subscription. You mentioned RTSP in the video but I’m not familiar with that and how it works with an NAS. Can you point me in the right direction of a video that explains that whole concept pretty well?thanks again
I don't actually have a video on that Frank! Sorry about that!
Brian, my internet is fiber optic. Will this cam work with my wifi?
The internet being Fiber Optic won't really change anything. Your WiFi should work though. You just need a 2.4 GHz WiFi signal (which just about every WiFi deployment today has)
@@AutomateYourLife Thanks. Doing a quick google search I learned that Fiber Optic just describes the types of cables that go to your house from the street. Your router will still transmit 2.4 and/or 5GHz signals to create your WiFi network, which makes it inherently no different than “traditional” WiFi. The only concern it to make sure your router offers 2.4 GHz for this cam to work.
Compared to Eufy Solocam?
I like TP's current security and privacy standpoint better than I like Eufy's. Otherwise, very similar offerings.
@@AutomateYourLife Thanks but seems most Tapo cameras not compatible with Homekit out of the box?
Can license plates be read while passing by or parked in zone?
I can read them in my drive. It's gonna depend on distance and speed so I won't be promising that
Thank you for the review. Just wondering are these available in Canada yet?
Not quite yet actually. I think Best Buy should have them soon and I imagine they'll come soon on Amazon
They don't appear to be available in the UK either 😢, interestingly the Google G3AL9 Nest Cam
Has a very similar design has there been a collaboration between these two in the past?
I didnt hear anything about the camera having a siren?
Sorry about that! It does!
The video was excellent and great information. Can you offer suggestions on tripod to facilitate a permanent install.
Well I know one which is installed here in my customer.. Whenever I come inside his house it will siren and I need to call the owner to disarmed it so that I can work inside his house
A couple of questions please. Will it record brightly at night without the spotlight having to be used?
And can you purchase spare bases so you can just move the one camera around various locations?
It can, you'd need just a little light to see things but it does pretty well with the IR lighting. Just if you want color at night the spotlight is normally used.
As for the bases...I don't know sadly!
I purchased a three-pack of cameras, but one has a battery problem. It doesn't hold a charge for long and needs to be recharged every 40 days or so. I'm unsure whether I should return the entire package to Best Buy and risk getting another faulty camera or keep what I have and accept the loss. What do you suggest?
You paid good money. Get it back and get a camera that works.
Maybe contact Tapo Direct though and see first?