Tapo C610 2K 3MP Solar-Powered Pan/Tilt Security Camera Kit

Great little camera that is easy to install

This camera is very easy to install, requiring just 4 screws to mount it onto your surface, the solar panel slides in and locks in then the camera slides on to lock. Adding the camera to the app is seamless, it finds it no problem, the camera even has voice prompts to assist along the way. I installed the camera slightly under my window just for ease of access if I ever wanted to access it, I can reach out the window to remove it, saves me taking the ladder out. This may mean it is a little higher than recommended, but you can see in the images its more than adequate. The position of my camera is perfect for solar as its sees the entire sun rise and sun set. On first use it recommends you charge the battery off of USB first, I have done this and in the 3 or so weeks I have been using it, the battery hasn't dropped below 100% (not bad for Yorkshire winter sun light) The app is pretty basic, you can tilt and pan the camera (no zoom) to your desired position, its almost a full 360° (horizontal). From the app, you can view notification of any motion or people detected, turn the LEDs or download the recordings. The camera supports recording to an SD card (no included) or Tapos Subscription based cloud service. This is a bit rubbish for many of us that already have numerous cloud storage servers, or lan based network devices, that we can't use with the camera. There are also other features, that are hidden behind their subscription "paywall". The recordings that it takes, seem good quality, there is certainly some post processing in the images, especially regarding noise and sharpness but its still more than acceptable. It does say it is a "2K" camera but it uses resolution 2304x1296 which isn't actually 2K but is higher than 1080p, and a standard resolution found on most cameras. In regards to the recordings, it can only record motion snapshots, there is no option for constant recording. I get that this would be to save battery power as its meant to be solar powered, but still it would have been good to see this option as without it it means this camera has very limited uses. The camera can be setup to send notifications, when it detects motion or a person in its field of view. If you are relying on this feature to notify you, id say there are better options. Maybe 20% don't get detected, even with good lighting just not reliable. The recordings can be between 20 and 120 seconds long, and can include audio. Notifications can be sent to you devices when an event has taken place, you can also link it to Alexa or Google to view the camera, but this seems pointless as you can do it all from the Tapo app, and it offers you nothing more from connecting it to Alexa etc. For a solar powered camera, it is pretty good with his wide angle lens, PT control, and people monitor, but I do feel for quite a high priced premium camera, it lacks a lot of features that should be standard on modern "smart" cameras. If you can look past that though, its a handy little camera, easy to install, and helps to increase security at your home.

Jez Brook, 45 - 54, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire