Tapo Wire-Free MagCam Review: Everything You Need to Know

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Some helpful time stamps: Intro: 0:00 Front of camera: 1:17 Underside of camera: 3:08 Back of camera: 4:00 What's in the box: 4:48 Setup: 5:40 Power: 9:08 App camera controls: 11:57 App camera settings: 20:56 New Tapo app areas: 30:10 Audio test: 32:16 Video examples: 33:10 Notification test: 33:51 Conclusion: 34:28

[@eddyanderson4999]

Thank you for the informative video presentation. Found it very helpful.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Happy to help.

[@ThePilot_USA]

For info only, the 3M sticker DOES NOT support the weight of the camera and I nearly lost 2 cameras which smashed on my ceramic tile floor, so my recommendation is not to use the sticker. If you need to mound, you must screw the metal plate on the wall, which I didnt have the guts to try, afraid the cam would fall off again.

[@Tristan-kt2fp]

use a super glue then. 😂😂😂

[@rajifusama]

yep my camera already fell then i put some super glue and it sticks now

[@markusr1308]

can two people access the same camera on two phones? Not necessarily at the same time.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Yes, you can either share an account or just share the camera each with their own account.

[@curielux]

Very comprehensive video! Thanks!

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Happy to help.

[@ItAintMeBabe99]

Nice review, thanks ! I don’t understand the purpose of “tagging”. Watching a video, can’t you tell the difference between a person and a pet? Do you really need a tag to tell you which is which?

[@niinja101]

how did you find the magnetic connection itself?? As in when you stuck it to your wall etc. has it been holding up no issues?? considering of placing it on my gutter for example (only magnetic surface) would that suffice you reckon??

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

If the surface is of a good enough type of metal then it holds up very well. I mannoy sure how well a gutter would do as it is thiner and not super magnetic.

[@eljota0424]

Thank you very much for the review. A question, for battery-powered TAPO cameras, in the schedule recording option, can it be configured for continuous recording? Or do you only have the option to record with detection recording?

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Detection recording only.

[@helenturgeon403]

We have a rather LONG house in a rural area. I have to wonder to get the coverage the H wants from cameras we may need more than a three-pack. Can you add cameras if we find it is necessary?

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Yes, there is no base station with these cameras so you can add as many as you may need to fit your home.

[@phiz780]

Is it waterproof in rain when solar panel is plugged in? I have rooftop on top of the cam

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

I did not have any issues with it, and it got rained on a lot.

[@sadlerfilm2]

Great video! VERY thorough. Helped me to get my 3 new cameras set up and to learn the app features. Thank you! Only one question: the meaning, difference and action of the Home Mode or Away Mode (under My Cameras, Detection Mode)...

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

What this will allow you to do is toggle several settings changes accross all of your cameras all at once. For example if you have a camer indoors that you want to set to privacy mode when you tap home and set your out door cameras to detection on, with notifications off you can. It is a one stop quick toggle location.

[@guitarhero9592]

Great video! Thanks for all the great info. I have a few questions, do you know the differences between this camera and the 420s review you did few months ago? Also if you don’t have a subscription do you lose any really helpful features? Thanks again

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

The main differances are larger battery, better low light sensor, better ip rating, larger feild of view, do not need to use a home base in order to have local storage. For me Tapo has been very good abot not taking away key features if you don't pay for a subscription. The big one that you would not get is rich notifications meaning you would have to open the app to see a preview of what set off the camera instead of seeing it as part of the notification.

[@guitarhero9592]

@@Wanderer001_Reviews Thank you. So in your opinion which do you prefer ? This camera sounds pretty good . I’ve got several Eufy 2c pros but motion seems very inconsistent that I’m considering something different and this camera might be it.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

@@guitarhero9592 Honestly I like these a lot more. They are simpler for me to mount and I like the wide field of view. I actually put up an extra one around my home as I had someone walk through my yard and both my other cameras missed part of where they came from so needed an extra. So I used the magnet and put it on a pole from my fence. Very handy.

[@guitarhero9592]

@@Wanderer001_ReviewsThanks again. I’m definitely going to order these. Any benefit on the ones that come with a hub? Are alerts faster etc?

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

@@guitarhero9592 The main benifit is needing only one SD card for several cameras. There also is depending on where the camera is mounted the worry someone might mess with it a take the SD card out of the camera. Alerts are about the same speed wise.

[@lisas6363]

Does solar panel have magnet mount?

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

It does not at this time.

[@PotsieMe]

I was going to purchase the C420 before I saw your review for these magnetic ones, the magnetic cameras have a larger field of view along with larger battery, however if each of these cameras in this review require their own microsd card I see this as a big flaw since someone could remove the camera and take your footage with it if you don’t have cloud storage, is this correct? This also seems to be a sealed unit, therefore when the battery finally fails am I right in thinking you’d have to purchase a new camera? Thanks 😊

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Yes, each of these cameras needs to have its own SD card as they do not talk to a base station.

[@PotsieMe]

@@Wanderer001_Reviews thanks, also when the battery finally fails I assume they're sealed units so you'd have to purchase a new camera?

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

@@PotsieMe Yes these cameras do not have repalcable batteries, unlike the C420.

[@ashleycayden6060]

​@PotsieMe it's rechargeable

[@jTempVids]

I absolutely love the physical design of the camera and it's mag mount. I also like the 10,000 mah battery. The app seems great. I was just about ready to buy one for my front door. I feel like this is almost a great camera but it seems to miss the mark. I'm not impressed with the clarity of the camera footage. The camera does have an impressive fov but the footage is quite blurry. I've also seen quite a few reviews saying the range of the PIR sensor is only 20' max. I also wish they didn't paywall the "Rich Notifications with snapshot". Such a shame. I don't want to have to unlock my phone and launch the Tapo app everytime a family member goes outside or lets our dog out. This would also help with battery life. You wouldn't need to connect to the camera to see the snapshot and footage. I'm guessing this may be an advantage to the cameras that have a home base (Eufy). The home bases say they use some special low energy communication to help with battery life but I'm skeptical.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

The PIR sensor is always going to be the limiting factor on a batter powered camera. As for pay walling the Rich Notifications I would rather that then the person and pet detection like some other manufacturers do. I have tested eufy cameras that use the home base 3, however they all have built in solar options to help with battery life. Tapo sells a additional solar option to help with battery life of the this camera. Tapo also sell a battery camera that uses a home base to help centralize your footage as well as preserve battery life.

[@jTempVids]

@@Wanderer001_Reviews hmm.... I really not sure what to do. Do you like one over the other? I've been trying to decide between Tapo, Eufy, or Reolink. I agree on getting the AI detection for free without a subscription is great. I'd like to go battery camera but everything I've read says the batteries don't last half as long as they say. You end up charging them every month or so. I'm thinking about doing what you suggested and getting one with a solar panel so I don't have to run wires in my attic. I know wired with a NVR would solve the problem all together or install a doorbell transformer and go with a wired doorbell cam.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

@@jTempVids If I was looking between these cameras and the one with the home base I like these more. But if you have a lot of things on your wifi you might Bog things down. I like eufy cameras but the ones with solar built into them and work with their Home Base 3. Lots of cool things that can be done with their AI for free.

[@nchlau]

For base station, you may choose CS420 model

[@sfnyc]

Hi and thanks for the video. Have you tried storing on NAS/NVR? If you did could you describe process or point to post/video with details on how to get these cameras work with such systems? Thanks :)

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

I have not as of yet, but this might help you out: www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2748/

[@toddrhine7648]

Awesome video and subscribed w/ a like to you! Is this cam the same as the TP Link Tapco TC85 A200? Is there a newest model today with the same setup but better? How long is the Solar Panel's cord? If purchasing the 3 pack, do I need to need a SD card for each individual cam to work properly or ? Thx so much for your input.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Does seem to be pretty much the same camera just with different branding as for the solar panel the cord length is 13 ft.

[@SanjayChadha]

Hi mate, nice video as always, what automations like with this camera? With the C420 it is limited and is there a way to trigger the alarm if a sensor goes off inside the house, so that both outside and inside ring at the same time? Thanks

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

I think automation is done pretty well, especially if you are staying in the Tapo/TP link hardware universe. As for triggering yes there is. Under smart for the Tapo app you can select triggers and what will happen included setting of alarms on cameras.

[@SanjayChadha]

@@Wanderer001_Reviews Thanks mate, appreciate it - I was looking for an automation that if anything is triggered indoors, then the outside camera alarms are triggered, unfortunately the C420 doesn't give this. I also just got the Eufy S340 Solocam which is just amazing.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

@@SanjayChadha I have the C420S I can always see what I can come up with. What would be triggering it indoors? Camera motion sensor etc. I also have the eufy S340 it is a very nice pan tilt camera.

[@SanjayChadha]

@@Wanderer001_Reviews I have the Tapo smart button and I want to setup an automation where when it is pressed the siren is triggered both indoor and outoodr cameras as so far I can only do it with indoor cameras and not with the C420 which only has privacy on / off, which is silly really, it basically security for my daughter when she is alone at home just to be safe

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

@@SanjayChadha Took some time and could not get it to do it just using the Tapo app. That was disappointing.

[@Tristan-kt2fp]

can it be place on the side of a car and if does would it survive the vibration while.running? 😅

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

It can not. If it could there is no way it would survive.

[@theheck5176]

OK - but the hub is central to the Tapo eco system of up to four cameras + 64 IOT devices/sensors with a central Tapo H200 hub to save security footage on and for management. It's a Sub-GHz WIFI system (Sub-1G, 868MHz or 922MHz) transmitting from the H200 hub to which you can add a 512 GB SD card. Not all Tapo security cameras are Sub-GHz WIFI compatible but they're all WIFI compatible "Normal" 802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz - to be specific. Thus saving cam footage to the hub is only for Sub-GHz Tapo devices. (I don't think you can add a Tapo C325 security camera or other models that don't use the Sub-GHz WIFI to save footage on the hub SD card. You'll need a subscription with Tapo Care or just access the SD card on the device from your phone. The solar panel Tapo A200 works with Tapo C425, Tapo C420, and Tapo C400. Please correct me on that if you know other wise.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

This camera does not use the Tapo home base. While there are several cameras and IoT devices that doe Tapo does have a large selection of stand alone deivces as well. Most of these cameras will need an SD card in the camera itself in order to record, unless you have a Tapo Care subscription.

[@MelodicSolar]

Is us not possible to manually delete individual clips saved to micro SD?

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

You could remove the SD card from the base station to do it but you could from the app as well. I just like keeping all the clips on the device to look back to if I need them.

[@MelodicSolar]

@@Wanderer001_Reviews thank you, I tried on the app but it only allows me to download, not delete from the actual Sd card. Phenomenal video, it pushed me across the line to pick up 5 of these!

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

@@MelodicSolar iOS or Andorid? I will go back and doubble check mine. Some times the cameras bleed together for me.

[@MelodicSolar]

iOS@@Wanderer001_Reviews

[@Ashmeet]

I was thinking to buy two of these, how had the battery life till now? Any degradation or any problems with the Cam till now? Thank you in advance!

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

I have not seen any as of yet. Camera still works very well.

[@SimonElias]

If I share device with someone in my house will they also receive notifications? I don’t want them to be just a viewer but also get notifications when something happens.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Depending on the level of access you give them. If they are just a user they can turn off notifications on their app.

[@jf7247]

Record to the local storage but it is so easy to remove, people might just remove the card or snap the camera together.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

If it is up out of the way it does make it harder to do.

[@MelodicSolar]

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?

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

What about a thrid option of getting the Tapo solar panel for the camera that is having the issue. If you got this from Best Buy they would make you do a full return of the system sadly. If I did not go with the solar option, personally I would role the dice and see if I can get a new system.

[@lisas6363]

If under warranty have tp link replace it

[@onanysundrymule3144]

Did you mention its WiFi transmission range Sir, will it connect and alert to your phone across the full depth of your property, through several internal walls etc (ie, if camera is at the front, but you are at the back, upstairs, in a study or bedroom etc). Kind regards.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

That is actually more dependent on your wifi router then the cameras. Your router needs to be strong enough to send out a wifi signal through your walls and exterior of your home. In my case it is and I was testing these cameras about 60 feet away from my home. As long as the camera can connect to your wifi you will get a notification no mater where you are.

[@onanysundrymule3144]

@@Wanderer001_Reviews Oh wow, 60 feet or so, thankyou so much Sir, very useful to know (actually, when I asked I had 'bluetooth' in my mind for some reason, but I do undertand it is WiFi, direct to hub or router, just like if you connecting a tablet or some-such). Kind regards.

[@Peeps86]

Thanks for the in-depth video for this camera.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Happy to help.

[@davidt7609]

Thanks so much for the detailed review! Just a quick question, what is the best micro sd that you recommend to be used in conjunction with the camera? Thanks!

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

I use Sandisk cards in my cameras: amzn.to/3W38slm

[@Bstar2024]

The resolution doesn't look any better than my Ring 2 doorbell cam. Looking for a better res camera.

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Did you check out the raw video footage that I put up? kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJnNpnh8n8qYpJIsi=9op4Qi3D75dJPAkR. The footage here was down scaled to 1080.

[@KevinCripps-z5o]

Excellent

[@lisas6363]

Can i have unlimited cameras, or is there a limit?

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

With this type it is as many as your Wifi can handle.

[@jeanie68]

Hi I just purchased this camera. It’s on the front of my house testing it and I’ve noticed it will not pick up any vehicles which is what I want to also see, never know when someone might side swipe your car on the street. It’s not even 30ft to the street, what am I doing wrong? I do have sensitivity set up to 10 max. Thank you

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Battery powered cameras use a PIR sensor so they need heat and movement to trigger. That is how they save the battery life. Generally for what you are looking for a powered camera would be better as it uses pixel based motion detection. Meaning if it sees a change in the video feed it would notify you. Tapo does have several outdoor cameras that can do this.

[@caoimhin7122]

Would thiis be a good solution for living in an apartment, to monitor a motorcycle parked on the street? I have a bike that has been the object of attempted theft four times in eleven months. Recently, twice in 9 days! My landlord will not let me park it anywhere else and I have to park it on the street. I have a GPS monitor on the bike, but at this point, I want to stop the theft before it happens. The insurance deductibles are killing me, not being without it while it is being repaired, etc. I want to get some video of these punks and send their butts to jail. Would this work to catch someone trying to steal a motorcycle on the street?

[@nelmirie]

Isn't there a risk of theft of the camera since it's on a magnetic base, couldn't someone just pull it off and run away with your camera??

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

Yes that is a possiblity, which is why this will not work for everyone.

[@sx20Ramar]

I just put it high enough, that they would need a ladder to grab it. I also use the cloud storage along with a 256gb card, so I will have their picture grabbing it. 😮

[@KishoreMassKumar]

If someone remove the camera from the magnetic mount will it sound a alarm

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

It will not.

[@billb8262]

That would be a cool AI feature. If it detected it was moving, rather than there being movement in its view, it could sound the alarm. Because if someone stole the camera, they have the footage from it too unless someone paid for the cloud service. One weakness in having micro SD storage right in the camera.

[@caoimhin7122]

Would thiis be a good solution for living in an apartment, to monitor a motorcycle parked on the street? I have a bike that has been the object of attempted theft four times in eleven months. Recently, twice in 9 days! My landlord will not let me park it anywhere else and I have to park it on the street. I have a GPS monitor on the bike, but at this point, I want to stop the theft before it happens. The insurance deductibles are killing me, not being without it while it is being repaired, etc. I want to get some video of these punks and send their butts to jail. Would this work to catch someone trying to steal a motorcycle on the street?

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

This particular camera might not be what you are looking for depending on where you would be placing it and how far from your apartment it would be. The camera only records motion clips but uses a PIR sensor to trigger meaning heat and motion so placement can be tricky. It also would not work through glass because of the PIR sensor. What it sounds like you need is something that would record 24/7 or uses a pixile based motion trigger that is generally a powered camera. If you give me a little more info as to what you have to work with I can try can come up with something to help.

[@보리-q5l]

가격에 비해서 화질이 조금 아쉽다 4K로 저가격이면 만족하겠는데

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

내 생각에 가격은 화질보다는 이 시스템을 갖춘 카메라 3대를 얻을 수 있다는 사실을 더 많이 반영한다고 생각합니다. 보시면 카메라 2개 또는 1개 중 더 저렴한 옵션이 있습니다.

[@johnfr2389]

If stolen, you lose the SD card and all its content? Not great for privacy!

[@Wanderer001_Reviews]

These can be used inside as well. But you can place them up higher to keep them out of reach. Tapo also makes models with a hub that stores the clips.

[@sfnyc]

Case in point... that is exactly why the ability to save recording on a NAS is and use with an NVR should be a priority for ALL brands venturing into production of security cameras which should all support ONVIF and RSPT (and as far as I know Tapo Cameras do although they do not advertise nor document as I'd like them to do!), as well as wired ethernet with POE, with wifi being only an additional feature leaving it up to the customer to use it (or not) in the event cabling was physically unfeasible or too challenging.