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I bought 3 of these because I was took lazy to pull Ethernet cable to replace some old coax cams. Here's an unbiased and honest review:
Pros:
Easy to install and set up. Wireless connection has been stable. The cameras are fully compatible with Scrypted, which can be run on a Raspberry Pi (or other low-powered computer) and can integrate the cameras into HomeKit (HKSV). Picture quality at 2k is fine. Cameras are very cheap!
Cons:
Cameras have poor average bitrate; many users on the Tapo forum have complained about this, but fast motion can cause the video to become blurry. Night vision isn't great.
Other:
If you have privacy concerns about these cameras, you can set them up in the Tapo app and then completely block the cameras from the internet, if your router allows for it. You will still be able to view them locally in the app, and you will probably still get notifications, but once you disconnect from your local network, the cameras will be inaccessible to you or anyone else. If you use Scrypted to pipe the cameras into HomeKit, you can block access to Tapo but still be able to view the cameras remotely through HomeKit.
I would buy again, but only because they're cheap. I did not go with the Starlight version of these cams because of them needing the always-on light to achieve acceptable night vision. Also, the starlight version of these cams suffers from the same low bitrate issues as most other Tapo cams.
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I bought 3 of these because I was took lazy to pull Ethernet cable to replace some old coax cams. Here's an unbiased and honest review:
Pros:
Easy to install and set up. Wireless connection has been stable. The cameras are fully compatible with Scrypted, which can be run on a Raspberry Pi (or other low-powered computer) and can integrate the cameras into HomeKit (HKSV). Picture quality at 2k is fine. Cameras are very cheap!
Cons:
Cameras have poor average bitrate; many users on the Tapo forum have complained about this, but fast motion can cause the video to become blurry. Night vision isn't great.
Other:
If you have privacy concerns about these cameras, you can set them up in the Tapo app and then completely block the cameras from the internet, if your router allows for it. You will still be able to view them locally in the app, and you will probably still get notifications, but once you disconnect from your local network, the cameras will be inaccessible to you or anyone else. If you use Scrypted to pipe the cameras into HomeKit, you can block access to Tapo but still be able to view the cameras remotely through HomeKit.
I would buy again, but only because they're cheap. I did not go with the Starlight version of these cams because of them needing the always-on light to achieve acceptable night vision. Also, the starlight version of these cams suffers from the same low bitrate issues as most other Tapo cams.
Last edited by bobfatherx March 23, 2023 at 04:24 AM.
I did not go with the Starlight version of these cams because of them needing the always-on light to achieve acceptable night vision.
Did you try the Starlight though? I have 4 of them. Two indoors in equipment areas (not lit), and two outdoors watching the driveway and entrance. I have zero complaints about night vision with just the IR and I live in a rural area with no streetlights. The "spotlight" feature can be activated if motion is detected and you want full color but I find the IR has better reach.
Did you try the Starlight though? I have 4 of them. Two indoors in equipment areas (not lit), and two outdoors watching the driveway and entrance. I have zero complaints about night vision with just the IR and I live in a rural area with no streetlights. The "spotlight" feature can be activated if motion is detected and you want full color but I find the IR has better reach.
I did not try the Starlight cameras (320). Reviews I read indicated that the IR performance on the 310 and 320 were very similar, but that the full-color night vision on the 320 was worse than its IR, even with the full-color spotlight. I figured since I'd want the extended range of IR, and because the 310 was ~40% cheaper, I'd just go with the 310.
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Mar 25, 2023 11:34 PM
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Pros:
Easy to install and set up. Wireless connection has been stable. The cameras are fully compatible with Scrypted, which can be run on a Raspberry Pi (or other low-powered computer) and can integrate the cameras into HomeKit (HKSV). Picture quality at 2k is fine. Cameras are very cheap!
Cons:
Cameras have poor average bitrate; many users on the Tapo forum have complained about this, but fast motion can cause the video to become blurry. Night vision isn't great.
Other:
If you have privacy concerns about these cameras, you can set them up in the Tapo app and then completely block the cameras from the internet, if your router allows for it. You will still be able to view them locally in the app, and you will probably still get notifications, but once you disconnect from your local network, the cameras will be inaccessible to you or anyone else. If you use Scrypted to pipe the cameras into HomeKit, you can block access to Tapo but still be able to view the cameras remotely through HomeKit.
I would buy again, but only because they're cheap. I did not go with the Starlight version of these cams because of them needing the always-on light to achieve acceptable night vision. Also, the starlight version of these cams suffers from the same low bitrate issues as most other Tapo cams.
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank
Pros:
Easy to install and set up. Wireless connection has been stable. The cameras are fully compatible with Scrypted, which can be run on a Raspberry Pi (or other low-powered computer) and can integrate the cameras into HomeKit (HKSV). Picture quality at 2k is fine. Cameras are very cheap!
Cons:
Cameras have poor average bitrate; many users on the Tapo forum have complained about this, but fast motion can cause the video to become blurry. Night vision isn't great.
Other:
If you have privacy concerns about these cameras, you can set them up in the Tapo app and then completely block the cameras from the internet, if your router allows for it. You will still be able to view them locally in the app, and you will probably still get notifications, but once you disconnect from your local network, the cameras will be inaccessible to you or anyone else. If you use Scrypted to pipe the cameras into HomeKit, you can block access to Tapo but still be able to view the cameras remotely through HomeKit.
I would buy again, but only because they're cheap. I did not go with the Starlight version of these cams because of them needing the always-on light to achieve acceptable night vision. Also, the starlight version of these cams suffers from the same low bitrate issues as most other Tapo cams.
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Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
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