Better Than A Starlight Sensor Camera! - Tapo ColorPro Outdoor Camera Review

[@harold0723]

Something thats most reviews do not mention. These cameras work even if the Internet is off . You can acess the camera via the app as long as you are connected to the same local network. This is something that i haven't seen in other brands . Good feature if you want to set a local surveillance system without Internet access but still be able to use the app .

[@rokkuanii6922]

Half true, it does record but if you set it up with internet access. You always need to use the net to ping sever to verify. It is ok if you are already log in. Then viewing locally is fine. But if internet goes down, you won't able to access app to live view. Unless you set up rstp. Time stamp goes crazy, even if it had "on board ai". It seems to use server to organize the data. So if internet is down, it can tag motion etc... But the view system tag would all be mess up. Even with two large It antenna I get horrible live view. Idk some device would stream 24/7. Other gives me this "You been viewing for 5 min, do you want to continue?" as it log me out. My s7 FE tablet can stream for hours. All other ones just log me out. It don't play nice with storm surge. Being in Florida twice it had to be forced reset. If network goes down, it also don't auto connect well. I'll sometimes have to power cycle it. I keep this over my cars for the fast notification 2 sec over 8-12 wyze. Video is better too. But for non important things, I love my wyze. I can have 6 streams non stop for days. A true cct setup. Things like my backyard, 3d printer, my indoor garden. On sale v3 can be purchased for $20...

[@curtisbme]

I'm stunned that they have this much of an improvement with low light over the wyze 3 and without doing it in a way that introduces more motion blur.

[@CraigFromTheLand]

You are by far the best at reviewing cameras, I appreciate all the effort you put into it. The only thing I'd like to see added is a view of how bright the light is, you show your yard in the dark and then what the camera looks like. I would love to see how bright the spot light is from the camera to know if it's bright enough for what you need. For instance, I want to replace a flood light and I need to know if the camera light is bright enough for that.

[@LifeHackster]

I usually show this but not on this one because as I said in the video, the spotlights doesn't turn ON on motion in my backyard. In my testing, I have to manually turn it on. The spotlights will only turn ON when it is almost totally dark and no ambient lighting. This is not a replacement for a floodlight. The low light sensor of this camera just needs a small amount of light ..so its spotlights even on the brightest setting is not that bright.

[@CraigFromTheLand]

@@LifeHackster so cool of you to follow up with me! Thanks, I'm still on the search for a flood light camera with continuous recording. I wish TPLink would get that Tapo C720 out already, I'm curious to see how that does

[@TwoFeatherChannel]

the no light night vision is amazingly good with this Tapo

[@battletv777]

Congratulations on 200 000 subs.

[@LifeHackster]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[@seanjamescameron]

Do you think this camera could be used to live stream to youtube monitoring a garden? Thanks.

[@MonkRX]

That lens and sensor combo captures excellently at low light. However, that compression ruins a lot of its native performance. I wish some of these cameras could support way higher bitrates or less destructive/higher quality compression.

[@jim_wicks]

I just watched a video of yours that was uploaded 10 days ago, in which you added the Reolink CX410 cameras to your home security system. I know this video is 2 months old, but in your review of the Tapo ColorPro Outdoor Camera you sound as if this is so great. Why did you choose the CX410 over this one?

[@chris]

Impressive low light quality and not bad for $120. LMK when Reolink finally wakes up and comes out with this in either POE or 5G wireless form and I'll replace most of my cameras with it.

[@LifeHackster]

They actually have one the CX410 which I’ll be reviewing soon.

[@chris]

@@LifeHackster Ordering became available a couple days ago so I ordered 2. Looking forward to seeing your review, too!

[@SecretMan299]

hello, have you tried the Tapo C510W or C500,... compare it with Tapo 320 which is better for outdoor... thanks

[@andreamcneilage5159]

L.H your reviews are awesome. I apologise for all the silly questions you get asked. Peeps, LH has covered just about everything. DYOR (do your own research) make your own decisions. What's the point in reaching out to LH for him to get Tapo to redesign mods, improvement suggestions. Contact the manufacturer of the Tapo C325WB. Making decisions about safety cameras are all our personal responsibility. As a "chick" I can work out what's what. I really value & appreciate the time & effort LH puts into his reviews. So, for my budget/needs the Tapo C325WB is atm my choice. The performance of the cheaper C320WS I have set up for a neighbour is fantastic. Expecting even better from this model. Thank you for your great honest reviews

[@LifeHackster]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[@billylacharity3443]

How is the straight head-on detection? I guess if you do 24/7 recording it is not an issue, but hopefully it gives a notification and is easy to find the events.

[@LifeHackster]

It has pre-recording..so straight head on detection is not a factor. I only test this in battery powered cameras because it uses a separate PIR sensor…which is the one affected by towards camera movement.

[@billylacharity3443]

@@LifeHackster awesome. Looking at this as a good option given its night video is so good!

[@modernwize]

my tapo app does not have the grid feature. Why is it different on yours?

[@randm4178]

The temperature range is not feasible for some desert areas during the summer where the temp can get up to 120+ degrees in the shade.

[@cyberjayarunway4852]

Wow the night vision crazy impressive!i nearly buy the xioami aw300 but completely changed my mind. Tq sir!❤

[@LifeHackster]

@cyberjayarunway4852...Thanks for watching!

[@TheofficialJedisworld]

Good job for reviewing home security cameras, and also I cannot wait for the future videos

[@LifeHackster]

@learnwithjedimapping8155...Thanks for watching!

[@philiprothwell291]

Your reviews are perfect ! Lot's of detail and well presented

[@Lexo400GS]

Maybe it's just me, but the sound quality of you 40+ feet away was fantastic. You can probably eavesdrop on your neighbors at the same time, lol!

[@LifeHackster]

It does pick up audio pretty far.

[@CBR305RR]

So can you download the videos with out the subscription on this one?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes, you can. You really don't need the subscription it records locally to the micro SD card and the only thing it will not do when you don't have a cloud subscription is the snapshot notifications.

[@at3o]

Would be an amazing window cam. Hope they make a indoor version with a window mount.

[@LifeHackster]

I agree. They should make a window or indoor version of this sensor.

[@ilikeitwhatisit6749]

​@LifeHackster I absolultey live your videos I was disappointed to see that this one wasn't completely wireless like some of there other cameras that I already have. Other than that great video as usual

[@aminyamumsminge]

​@@LifeHacksterthey do,it's the tapo c100

[@aminyamumsminge]

The have an indoor cam,it's called the tapo c100

[@Compulsive-Elk7103]

LH, the wyze cam floodlight pro is out now and would love to see you review it!! Theirs only 1 other review video on youtube but your review videos are the best because you go over everything!! Hope youve ordered your unit and the video is in the works soon!!

[@LifeHackster]

I'm waiting for it to be delivered so that I can check it out.

[@Compulsive-Elk7103]

@@LifeHackster awesome, can't wait!

[@abc123fhdi]

can you do 2 way talk in Alexa? video sometime slow to load in app after tapping notification, as well as in Alexa. also can you set it to go live after tapping on notification within a few seconds or recorded video if tapping a few minutes later?

[@LifeHackster]

No, just live view. It normally goes to live view when you click on the notification promptly and recording after a few seconds after that. No option to set which you prefer in the settings.

[@Chris-zu4es]

so if I'm not in my house and get the notification and click on it how does it show me the live view? is it over the internet or do you need to have a sim card in the camera?

[@MRSTEEL15]

Any difference between this and the C320WS?

[@LifeHackster]

This one is definitely better.

[@dwchen1]

Downside : 1. 20fps while most other brands can record on a common 25fps or 30fps. 20fps will struggle a bit catching a fast passing cars if this camera put in front of the house facing the road. 2. Record in a very old and inefficient H.264 format instead of already widespread and common H.265 format which us significantly more efficient in terms of memory savings.

[@AK-sv4kb]

This does not have the 360 feature of the c520 ws. Is this better video quality wise in comparison to the 520 ws? Very useful video by the way. ty

[@western-fishing]

Great review. Would like to see night detection distance as well :) thanks!

[@ASEAngelica]

Can you please make a video Tapo C325wb VS Tapo C320ws and vs Tp link Vigi C340W and Vigi C540w. Thanks for video!

[@stewdart]

i wonder what the comparison to the C310 the nightvision is. security wise if you dont need colour then is the video quality better than the C310 or the same.

[@vikrambeyondreview]

If it's pitch dark, without an IR led, how it looks without enabling floodlights. I have tapo C320ws

[@stevecarr6976]

You said that it can download a initiated live view to your phone from the SD card, but can it download a recorded event to your phone without the cloud subscription?

[@PatrickC139]

Overall it looks excellent. I wish they would the thumbnail though in the camera list. I use that all the time to quickly identify the camera to click on. And they should adjust that snapshot for the rich notification. What about the reolink color NV camera? The cx410 is it?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes on the thumbnail.. hoping they will update that. I'll be testing out the CX410 soon. Thanks for watching!

[@chayudath1022]

Great reviews. Thank you

[@davidmmuench]

For the price the performance at night is pretty impressive! Thanks for reviewing it! Will you be reviewing the new Wyze floodlight cam pro?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes, I will..when it arrives.

[@AnupomAG]

How's your channel verified?

[@abc123fhdi]

I notice with these cameras if there is a lot of activity/movement in the field of view sometimes the camera gets overwhelmed and will temporarily disconnect, not sure if this is due to wifi bandwidth or somehow the processor can't handle processing the video when too much is happening with the compression, like too many pixels moving at once vs most of the pixels being frozen when there isn't much motion to process? Maybe you can do. more testing when there is a lot of activity like your children playing and you are moving in the frame as well to see how the cameras handle it or if they tend to crash. Like in my case even if it's just one person moving around a lot it could cause disconnect just when I need it to work the most. Maybe test to see if it's better with an ethernet connection or PoE cameras in general being better especially with multiple feeds and multiple cameras.

[@LifeHackster]

Because this is recording to the microSD card, then it will not have issues that you are describing... It can happen when you are watching the live view but the recordings will and should be good. Unlike on cameras that are recording to the cloud only then you can have issues depending on your netowork/wifi connection at the time of the event.

[@p4ul.f708]

A really interesting camera but imo the image quality does not look like 2k. It looks pretty compressed to me. Is that only youtubes compression? I mean there is a significant difference in quality if you compare this camera with a 2k camera from reoink.

[@LifeHackster]

Yes, there is compression... just a tad better than Eufy's but Reolink has lesser compression overall.

[@danielmartinez3210]

Bought this camera from your review. Great camera! An upgrade from my old generation nest cameras.

[@LifeHackster]

@danielmartinez3210...Thanks for watching!

[@danielmartinez3210]

@@LifeHackster is there a way to increase the time interval of alerts. Mine goes off every 10 seconds it seems like when someone is waking by or driving by. Great great info you have!

[@Yesgo3]

@@danielmartinez3210 hey have you figured out how to increase the notification cool off interval?

[@danielmartinez3210]

@@Yesgo3 I haven’t. It’s incredible that an older nest camera from years ago got the interval thing right and this new one has it so completely wrong.

[@danielmartinez3210]

I don’t want to assume this but the fact that lifehackster doesn’t respond is strange. Makes me think that maybe there’s reasons he doesn’t want to bad mouth Tapo. Just an assumption on my part.

[@tiaguerra4479]

Is the zooming good and clear

[@LifeHackster]

It is digital zoom so it is not as clear.

[@nedbelasoto5902]

When you say powered by 9 volts, can i use the existing 12 volts for this ? Hope i can hear from you, thanks

[@LifeHackster]

I'm not sure and I'm not willing to try though.

[@mayrensingh3095]

Can this connect to their solar panel

[@AstroTrain100]

Can you hook this up to a smart tv?

[@tarashee]

hi , what is the different between this one and tplink tapo c320ws and witch one is better ?

[@karthiksivakumar6368]

I had ever saw a good review nice. Which one is best compare C320WS vs C325WB

[@davidlei6930]

325WB is the best one, B means BlackLight. S means StarLight. BlackLight technology is better than Starlight.

[@Lesleerz]

If I want wirefree and batteryfree cams which tapo do you recommend I buy? I'm tired of blink bc of the batteries I have to keep changing.

[@phoenixlam931]

Hi, Is it a 360 cam? I reviewed the specification sheets.. cannot find it. Thanks.

[@Jay-sg2ww]

Just as you say at the end of the video I want a Spotlight camera to turn on the spotlights as a deterrent. Where I put the camera has a decent amount of ambient light, and almost all spotlight cameras with starlight sensors never go into night mode. That is the only mode that Spotlights work in. This camera seems similar, even though it doesn't have a starlight sensor it decides if there is enough light the spotlights don't go on. There needs to be a setting under spotlights that you can set them to go off when motion is detected from sunset to sunrise. I've had the problem with the Kasa KC420, the Tapo c320, and it looks like this Camera will have the same issue. The only camera that worked for me was the Eufy C24 aka e220 outdoor cam. Since that camera does not have a starlight senor it does go into night mode with the amount of light I have. And the spotlight shines a nice bright blue to let people know there is a camera. Also the camera has a lens with a large aperture, so if I turn off Auto Night mode the color picture at night with my ambient light is really good. And for some reason even in color the spotlight goes off when it detects motion. Its like it has it built into the code, spotlights go on with any motion from sunset to sunrise. If Tapo had/added this feature I'd consider buying it over the Eufy. Tapo has better motion detection, as well as AI, person and vehicle. It detects people and motion further away. The Eufy is less than 20 ft at night.

[@Dani-zg7fr]

I have 2 units and 1 on delivery. I notice that its pet detection works very poorly when mounted more than 1 meter from the ground. Have you tried that?

[@ewanburnett3956]

I have a tapo 67A8 camera and that is a good picture. I wonder if this is better quality as mine is also stated as 2k qhd

[@eleonorsiat2287]

Can you still access the camera even if you dont have the same network or if you are away from home?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes.

[@michaelbedwany3417]

What is the best nvr cam system with wide screan and speaker and two way and alarm with spot light

[@abc123fhdi]

Like Reolink, no rich notifications without subscription. 512 max SD card is nice, maybe test if it will work with bigger SD card. also is it more reliable if set to lower resolution vs. max resolution? I would say daytime performance isn't the best even with HDR off, main outstanding feature is the night time image. Audio quality no that great, they should design the mic with some foam on it to reduce wind buffeting noise.

[@djfrankymix]

I will have to look into this camera. Maybe replace my wyze v3

[@LifeHackster]

It is pricier than the V3 though.

[@djfrankymix]

@@LifeHackster you’re right but 2k and better sensor, worth it for me tbh. Plus im tired of the super late notifications on wyze

[@gingionejuice3902]

What does "rich notification" mean?

[@manerdie]

If i view the camera thru echo show, can i just view or monitor it there the whole day???

[@thesilentgeneration]

I have a 320 myself and it is great. The only thing is that it aerts over anything like bug movement or even shadows, Have not figured out how or if I can adjust the sensitivity to motion yet.

[@philanthropist1241]

How do i get it record clips longer than 2 minutes ???

[@JRB33169]

Lol. Even this brand is better than ring. Thank you for another great product review.

[@LifeHackster]

@JRB33169...Thanks for watching!

[@jernovak5227]

Does this camera turn on its lights when someone passes by (like flood lights)?

[@varunpaniyath]

Is it okay to put this camera indoor and place it on a window sill to monitor outside ?

[@edgfaz]

Hello, can you help me, i have to choose about these two EZVIZ and TP-LINK, can you help me choose.

[@s.y548]

Can it be mounted to a ceiling instead of a wall?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes.

[@michaeln.8401]

How does the ezviz C3X compare to this?

[@LifeHackster]

This one is better. EZVIZ needs to release a successor to their C3X.

[@LundeSite]

Will this camera work with Synology Surveillance Station integration?

[@coreyschaos6978]

How does this model comparemagical? Tapo wire-free magcam?

[@ypark2877]

Anyway to mount to inside of window? Maybe buying some to replace V3 outside. Great review

[@LifeHackster]

No option to mount inside a window.

[@Starring_LaThomas]

So would you say this is better than Riolink, Eufy, Lorex POE, and Zosi? I have a rental property that is getting activity at night from the unhoused. I want the best of the best, wired. What do you recommend?

[@samboy05]

Does it have an rtsp stream and onvif lookup ? I will want to connect it with my homelab pc.

[@davidlei6930]

it supports onvif.

[@niteshpant9265]

which is better 64gb or 256gb sd card to insert in tp link c325

[@mahfah7911]

So what app or program these camera plug in? Do they record in dvr? I am tired of blink camera missing event or not recording continuously. I also need where back battery can still record if no power Any suggestions please?

[@mkr9103]

How do you charge this ? Replaceable battery available?

[@johnpkim8]

can you direct me to one of your reviews on a camera that you think is the best for video quality and low light video quality. kinda looking for the best overall and if you had to pick one, which would you choose for your home. thanks

[@CristianLopez-ei1ye]

Awesome review. I actually got the camera because of this review. The camera by itself is awesome. The image and field of view is great. Also it does a great job on detecting what is supposed to detect (cars, animals, people) and doesn't give false notifications like moving tree shadows or insects. I am loving it so far, but I just noticed that is doesn't have an option to record 24/7, it only records what it detects. Do you know if this an option that TP-Link is going to add in the future? Thanks again for the awesome review.

[@lucasf123]

It does 5:07

[@CristianLopez-ei1ye]

@@lucasf123 thanks for the information!

[@lucasf123]

@@CristianLopez-ei1ye you are welcome.

[@satyabhan6548]

As a tapo user myself I believe the tapo care cloud service records only on motion detection, but if you want it to record 24x7, you can simply insert a micro SD card in the cam and it'll do the job.

[@fluffydee]

I have a few indoor tapos, love them, very responsive and great video quality. This one intrigues me. I am looking for at least 2k video outdoor cam that can be hardwired for a ceiling mount(replacing a porch light), any suggestions beside ring pro and plus, would like a local storage also.

[@LifeHackster]

You can check out Eufy's Floodlight Cams. They have local recording.

[@aaron.1985]

is there a 30 fps on video recording?

[@alexleon8406]

I wish there were more mounting options

[@AmericanPatriots87]

Seems criminal not to have poe. Shame.

[@abc123fhdi]

PoE means no wifi option usually, though maybe they can make it PoE and only requiring separate power when on wifi.

[@LifeHackster]

With these type of cameras...it is either.. WIFI model or PoE model.. not both. They might release a PoE model or you can always use a PoE splitter or power it up separately and connect directly to your network.

[@AmericanPatriots87]

@@LifeHackster Great point!

[@kraminbris6980]

Hi Lifehackster! I've bought myself a Reolink Doorbell and NVR thanks to your research (Thanks to Reolink too!). Is there a way of viewing audio events, or seeing the audio volume for recordings for events that may not be picked up by motion? For example, the other night we heard a loud bang and teenagers shouting during the night but I didn't see what time it was. I had to replay a lot of footage to 'see' when the noise occurred and also what I could see in the recording at that same time. Perhaps this is a feature the Reolink could add that is time-synced to it's videos. Or maybe there's a 3rd party solution to see the audio as a time line (to look for spikes in volume). Maybe audio events could be used a trigger for time stamping recordings in some circumstances? For now I'd be happy to just view the audio track to look for volume spikes. Thanks again.

[@LifeHackster]

That can be a good update for Reolink. Audio triggered events, at this time, they don't have this feature.

[@AlexRocks24-7]

It has great video quality 🤩👏👌 Got my vote 👍

[@LifeHackster]

Thanks for watching.

[@amargaikwad]

Please compare ezviz h8c 4mp with tapo cw530w 4mp outdoor CCTV camera in 2k resolution. I want to purchase one and your review will help me decide based on pros and cons.

[@timattard5459]

How does this compare to the google nest cam?

[@ismaiden666]

I bought four of these models. The streaming and recording quality is terrible. The bitrate is only 1 but it should be 4. They are connected via a good quality network cable and I have fast stable fiber internet. In the app the selected quality is 2k. They have the updated firmware. Any suggestions on this?

[@keithvlogs1]

Bit rate is different from megapixel. Perhaps you're expecting too much from a £60 security camera that doesnt require a susbcription which gives you 24/7 recording. Cause I have the lesser version of this, the Tapo c310... I'm surprised how clear the footage is... I can definately figure the faces of the people even in dim light. And considering yours is meant to have cleaner footage im not sure whats up. I have the c310, c211, c120.... all recording excelent quality footage.

[@xavier6183]

How long is the power cord?

[@petersamwell5919]

Great review - many thanks! One question though. Is this an IP camera so that I can connect it to my Synology NAS running Surveillance Station. The C320WS is listed on the Surveillance Station IP camera Support List so I'm hoping that this is also compatible?

[@LifeHackster]

It is an IP camera and if the C320WS is compatible, this should be the same too.

[@bruceworsley8199]

Nice review Can't wait for the Reolink CX410 review.

[@cheongtuckkean6258]

When TP-Link will be releasing Tapo C520WS upgraded version with colorpro feature similar to C325WB?

[@cheongtuckkean6258]

Newer version with colorpro is it C525WB?

[@markd.songsandstuff7728]

Thanks for another honest full review! I just got the newly released Reolink CX410 4MP POE with low light sensor. It has good night vision too. Not many in stock yet though. Will you review it?

[@LifeHackster]

Thanks for watching. Yes, I’ll be reviewing it soon.

[@BobPritchard]

Exasparating that TPLink came up with a new and not compatible with Kasa product family. I've stopped purchasing their products because you need 2 different apps to manage. Will they ever be combined?

[@davidlei6930]

The new Tapo 3.0 APP supports kasa devices

[@eg7737]

Do you think a lorex hardwire 4K with nvr is better than ring. My ring doesn’t have good video quality and you can’t really distinguish faces all that clear. Also license plate capture is nearly impossible with ring.

[@janzaldi]

Does anyone know how long the power cord is?

[@hkja99]

Q: Considering getting this one. I have the C310 now, but are disappointed with the 15 fps. This one is listed with 20 fps. Worth upgrading or maybe get another model?

[@ronjames9599]

Will this send email notifications?

[@johanw2267]

Thanks this helped in my decision.

[@diegob6729]

Is the night colored mode without the flashlights equal quality to Tapo C420s2?

[@tomknight1086]

Great review, thank you! I like the fact that it has local storage and not much is lost without a subscription. Do you know if there is a cool down period? Might be comparable to Wyze v3 Pro (resolution wise) that requires a subscription to get AI and no cool down alerts.

[@LifeHackster]

Barely any cool off.

[@bernardhammonds3718]

been waiting for this since i have kasa

[@aminyamumsminge]

I have 3 tapo cams,love them

[@iam_joshua_bcxvii]

I have 5x C320WS and this seem like a good improvement over this units that I have, love it. though this things are expensive enough for me, so imma keep it,hahaha. I hope their floodlights could be brighter or plugged in with a dedicated flood light even if for external use, the current floodlights even at this new model seem just weak enough for use as a motion detect light really.

[@Robstunner]

Mine will always notify me of AI detection when enabled outside of my zone area. Is there any way to force it to only notify me of those things WITHIN the zones?

[@MichaelFlatman]

I wish these ran off 12v. I might replace some cameras with these and somehow i'll have to shoehorn a 12v to 9v converter into the junction box, or replace every camera to a 9v tapo one (which is a waste as i already have some good working cameras). power over ethernet support would also be impressive but that's a more high end feature.

[@enderiskender2977]

As a user of 4 c320s ı have to tell they work just fine but unless tapo care doesn't starts its recording somwhere in between its current form and local storage and ends slightly later its most of the time useles it mises much more than it catches. Also they should let us download every event in a singlie file biweekly or something for long term storage then tapo care would be must in it's current form its more about supporting the developers for further updates then having actually usage value...