TP-Link Tapo C420 3-pack

As soon as I received the product I couldn't wait to install it. This is really the product I have been looking forward to for a long time. Satisfied so far! Very easy to set up for the first time. First connect the Hub to your home network and the Tapo App tells you step by step. Due to the hub, the delay between the two cameras is very short. Mounting the camera is simple too, with horizontal or vertical orientation options making it easy to decide which wall to mount it on. After placing the camera, you can set the detection sensitivity and range as you wish. This way I can see from the balcony when my cat is outside. It also has an AI detection function, which can distinguish whether it is a person, a pet or a car, and notify me. It is also possible to set when you want to receive notifications, so that it doesn't always warn me when I'm home during the day. When prompted for an alert, both the hub and the camera can do so. The battery also exceeded my expectations. A battery of 5200 mAh, after a full charge, about 2% -5% electricity per day. Based on about 10 triggers per day. The highest image quality is 2K, which is very clear during the day. And there are two lights on the camera, so the image is also very clear at night.

Introduction I have received these cameras to review. The cameras have a beautiful image quality. The images are recorded in 2k and you can clearly distinguish details on the images. They end up on the SD card as recognizable video files, so you can also remove them from your card if necessary. Still, I am not very satisfied with these cameras. You can read why below. Ease of installation Mounting the cameras is quite simple. There are feet with recesses for three screws. The camera is attached to this with a ball joint that gives you room to aim the camera precisely. You can then connect the base station to your network via a UTP cable, which is quite easy. When you install the app, it is actually self-explanatory. After this it becomes a bit less clear. You can't make recordings straight out of the box. The app pushes hard to purchase an expensive cloud subscription. I didn't do this because I don't want images from my cameras to end up in the cloud. How you can make recordings only became clear to me later, you have to find out for yourself. You do this by inserting an SD card that has never been used. A pre-formatted card is not accepted, the app does not report this and does not offer the option to format the card correctly. Image quality (color night vision + video clarity) The image quality of the cameras is very good. Thanks to the 2k resolution, you can see clear details and the wide-angle lens ensures that you have a good overview of most situations, without immediately having a fish-eye effect. The cameras also stand their ground at night. In my situation I do not need night vision, the cameras are so sensitive to light that the color night vision works well (city garden, without direct lighting). AI detection and notifications So far, you could say that I am very satisfied with the properties described above. Now two things that I am less satisfied with, first the (AI) detection. The camera has the option to warn you via a notification on your phone when motion is detected. It can also distinguish between people and other objects (AI detection). In my opinion, this is a crucial functionality for a set like this. Here, however, he drops quite a few stitches. The detection is usually too late to record, even if you set the sensitivity to maximum. On a recording I regularly see the parcel deliverer getting back into his van as soon as the recording starts. Notifications are often 5 to 10 seconds after there is movement, then I open the app on my super fast Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and then I finally have a real image after another 10 to 20 seconds. So you are guaranteed to be too late to use any form of interaction with the person who is at your door. Furthermore, the sound on the camera is not practically usable for having a conversation. One of the cameras is now being tested in our (silent) kitchen, but when I use the speaker at maximum volume to say something, the only response you get is: "huh, did you hear something?". But more often than not, someone doesn't respond at all. App and ease of use The second point that is disappointing is the (android) app that comes with the cameras. This is the Tapo app. With this app you can connect various home automation solutions such as cameras, vacuum cleaners and other things. The app is cluttered, slow and the cloud functionality is pushed at least once on every page. You have to redo all the settings you make for each camera, there is no option to make overarching settings. Many things do not feel logical either, so the app is not user-friendly. The cameras are equipped with batteries that last a very long time. In my two week test period I used about 20%. Unfortunately, because the cameras work on battery, they cannot record continuously. This also probably means that it is not possible to stream the cameras via the network to, for example, a Synology or Home Assistant server. Conclusion Although the image quality of the cameras is very good, in my opinion they are completely unusable for any realistic scenario such as security or use as front door communication. I do not recommend purchasing these cameras.

I was able to test this product for a few weeks, so that I could find out whether this product would be suitable for me. Immediately after receipt I started charging the batteries because there was only a charger with a single connection, it took more than half a day before I could get started with the installation. After I installed the App I installed and configured the cameras. After I selected the type of camera, the app indicated that the hub had to be installed first. This was done with clear instructions. After the installation, the configuration could be started. Most of the settings already had a good value, so very little had to be changed. However, which settings are adjusted by the home mode and away mode setting was not clear to me. (also the help text was inconclusive) What immediately struck me was that the LEDs are always switched on when motion is detected in the dark (even if the lighting alarm is switched off). Through the chat with Tapo's helpdesk, it was confirmed that this is always the case. And a few days later I received an email confirming that this cannot be switched off either. After the first test indoors, I immediately noticed that the image quality and angle of view are good. The image could also be zoomed in slightly via the app. The camera also works without a micro SD card. You have to watch that immediately after you receive a notification. I also tested the cloud storage (30 days free) the images are neatly sorted by date, so that they are easy to find. Via the App it is also possible to start a recording at any time. I then placed one of the cameras outside with a view of the driveway. The connection did not cause any problems, even though the hub was not in the most optimal place (in the meter cupboard). The image quality was also excellent outdoors. The 2nd camera is intended to keep an eye on the pond in the backyard. However, the signal does not pass through the extra thick HR++ glass of the session. even moving the hub didn't change this. This is a major drawback for me. Until now, the battery use is not disappointing and 180 days of battery life should be possible.