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expiredphoinix | Staff posted May 01, 2025 07:36 AM
expiredphoinix | Staff posted May 01, 2025 07:36 AM

1080P TP-Link Tapo SolarCam Outdoor Security Camera w/ Solar Panel Base

+ Free Shipping

$40

$51

21% off
Amazon
51 Comments 26,749 Views
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Deal Details
Amazon has 1080P TP-Link Tapo SolarCam Outdoor Security Camera w/ Solar Panel Base (White or Black) for $39.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Hunter phoinix for sharing this deal.

Available:Features:
  • The innovative design includes a modular solar panel that continuously charges the built-in battery, ensuring your camera remains powered. Even on cloudy days or extended periods without sunlight, the fully charged battery can provide up to 180 days* of uninterrupted performance.
  • Enjoy the flexibility of wire-free installation
  • Receive real-time alerts for true security concerns with free person/vehicle detection, eliminating false detection from other objects.
  • Store footage locally via a microSD card (up to 512GB)* or via cloud with a Tapo Care cloud subscription.
  • Capture vibrant color night vision up to 30ft away for enhanced security to monitor for possible intruders or motion.

Editor's Notes

Written by qwikwit | Staff

Original Post

Written by phoinix | Staff
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
Amazon has 1080P TP-Link Tapo SolarCam Outdoor Security Camera w/ Solar Panel Base (White or Black) for $39.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Hunter phoinix for sharing this deal.

Available:Features:
  • The innovative design includes a modular solar panel that continuously charges the built-in battery, ensuring your camera remains powered. Even on cloudy days or extended periods without sunlight, the fully charged battery can provide up to 180 days* of uninterrupted performance.
  • Enjoy the flexibility of wire-free installation
  • Receive real-time alerts for true security concerns with free person/vehicle detection, eliminating false detection from other objects.
  • Store footage locally via a microSD card (up to 512GB)* or via cloud with a Tapo Care cloud subscription.
  • Capture vibrant color night vision up to 30ft away for enhanced security to monitor for possible intruders or motion.

Editor's Notes

Written by qwikwit | Staff

Original Post

Written by phoinix | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+26
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Price Intelligence

Model: TP-Link 𝗧𝗮𝗽𝗼 SolarCam C402 Kit, Outdoor Battery Camera w/Solar Panel Base, Wireless, 1080P, Free Person/Vehicle Detection, SD/Cloud Storage, Color Night Vision, No Hub Needed, Works w/Alexa

Deal History 

Sort: Most Recent
Post Date Sold By Sale Price Activity
06/23/25Amazon$40
4
06/06/25Amazon$40 frontpage
30
11/25/24Amazon$40 frontpage
92
07/08/25Amazon$27 frontpage
22

Current Prices

Sort: Lowest to Highest | Last Updated 8/2/2025, 03:29 AM
Sold By Sale Price
Amazon$46.99

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Top Comments

ten80
6657 Posts
910 Reputation
The solar is there just to charge the battery, not to run the camera... so it would not really be able to keep up with 24/7 recording.

The best way I found to eliminate bushes and flags is to only turn on detection for PETS, VEHICLES, and PERSONS. With this setting, I do not get any detection for things blowing in the breeze.
shyamster
14 Posts
18 Reputation
Bought this on the last deal. The downside on this camera, compared to other wired Tapo cameras, is that it won't record continuously on to the SD card, just when it detects motion.
luddite_cyborg
750 Posts
682 Reputation
It was sitting at $40 for a long time, was briefly up to $50 for like a week. And it's been available for about $30 too
Edit:
March 27 - April 23 @ $40 (with occasional coupons thrown in making it lower)
April 24 - April 30 @ $50...
May 1 @ $40 once again

50 Comments

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May 04, 2025 06:08 PM
1,429 Posts
Joined Sep 2013
May 04, 2025 06:08 PM
okhelloMay 04, 2025 06:08 PM
1,429 Posts
Quote from NervousFang9788 :
Huh? IT IS NOT FIXED in one position. Notice the swivel the camera is attached to. Also the solar power cord. I have one. I have the box right in front of me. Included is a separate mount for the solar panel, and a VERY long power cable if needed. One of the photos shown, show the solar and the camera separated from each other.
Dude, can you rotate the camera automatically from your app. I guessed Not. I don't see how you can rotate the camera from your app. That's what I was talking about.
1
May 04, 2025 06:20 PM
1,429 Posts
Joined Sep 2013
May 04, 2025 06:20 PM
okhelloMay 04, 2025 06:20 PM
1,429 Posts
Quote from hi4noon :
Do you have a link of one you would recommend? Amazon is overflowing with crap China brands, I have a hard time discerning the quality China product over the cheap crap one...
Here is one of them. There are a lot of them which are sold around the same price and all are rated at least 4.3. Rotating 360 degrees feature is very convenient. The app is also the most important thing too. Good camera with a bad app is a waste of money.


SEHMUA Solar Security Cameras Wireless Outdoor, 2K 360° View Battery Powered Outdoor Camera, WiFi Home Security with Spotlight Color Night Vision, PIR Sensor https://a.co/d/feSaXSs
Last edited by okhello May 4, 2025 at 11:25 AM.
May 05, 2025 12:44 AM
2,708 Posts
Joined Mar 2016
May 05, 2025 12:44 AM
webdoctorsMay 05, 2025 12:44 AM
2,708 Posts
Although this isn't a ptz camera I'm really impressed with it. I paid a $100 for the eufy spotlight solar cam s230 and this one is about the same. Being only $40 is amazing, you could cover your entire house with these.

No idea how it's economical.
May 05, 2025 01:55 AM
2,708 Posts
Joined Mar 2016
May 05, 2025 01:55 AM
webdoctorsMay 05, 2025 01:55 AM
2,708 Posts
Quote from okhello :
Here is one of them. There are a lot of them which are sold around the same price and all are rated at least 4.3. Rotating 360 degrees feature is very convenient. The app is also the most important thing too. Good camera with a bad app is a waste of money.SEHMUA Solar Security Cameras Wireless Outdoor, 2K 360° View Battery Powered Outdoor Camera, WiFi Home Security with Spotlight Color Night Vision, PIR Sensor https://a.co/d/feSaXSs
Do you know of any that will upload to ftp or e-mail rather than local storage? At least that would enable external triggers to do stuff when motion is detected like turn on lights or home automation stuff.

Frustrating all these cameras just have closed ecosystems where they want you to only use their apps.
May 05, 2025 04:07 PM
14 Posts
Joined Jan 2015
May 05, 2025 04:07 PM
FrankieGrayMay 05, 2025 04:07 PM
14 Posts
I bought a bunch of these last year and most of them run great and meet my needs.
The one drawback, however, is if you have to submit a warranty claim, you are responsible for shipping costs to TP-link.
May 05, 2025 07:48 PM
5,956 Posts
Joined Aug 2012
May 05, 2025 07:48 PM
poohead123May 05, 2025 07:48 PM
5,956 Posts
Tapo is such trash. Have had a ton of problems in 1st year that I never had with Wyze over a decade. Customer support is even trashier.
1
May 05, 2025 09:06 PM
14 Posts
Joined Sep 2015
May 05, 2025 09:06 PM
msslick55May 05, 2025 09:06 PM
14 Posts
The solar on this camera works great and the picture is crisp. HOWEVER, the detection is horrible, it hardly ever detects anything. When you view the picture it shows whatever you are looking at as very far away. I have tried increasing sensitivity and everything else to get it to pick up motion and it doesn't help. It is too bad because as I said, the solar part is great, even in the winter was 100% and the picture quality is very good. I bought it to put in an area with no access to connect wired. Too bad it doesn't actually take many pictures! I would not recommend. I have other wired Kasa cameras that are much better.

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May 05, 2025 09:36 PM
80 Posts
Joined Nov 2005
May 05, 2025 09:36 PM
maooweMay 05, 2025 09:36 PM
80 Posts
Bought it last time for same price, within 2/3 months stopped working due to rain water went inside, contacted customer service, they are okay to resend another unit but asking me to pay for rerun shipping. I would not buy this product.
May 06, 2025 01:01 AM
66 Posts
Joined Jul 2016
May 06, 2025 01:01 AM
HFrenchMay 06, 2025 01:01 AM
66 Posts
Quote from poohead123 :
Tapo is such trash. Have had a ton of problems in 1st year that I never had with Wyze over a decade. Customer support is even trashier.
Agree. I had major headache with Tapo D130 doorbell camera. Returned it and bought the same model again. Picture quality sucked. Took forever to load…never Tapo again.
May 06, 2025 02:11 AM
5,956 Posts
Joined Aug 2012
May 06, 2025 02:11 AM
poohead123May 06, 2025 02:11 AM
5,956 Posts
Recording is absolute trash. Tons of skipping and missing footage. Monitoring device at best. Also the quality of tapo is sh1t
May 06, 2025 09:39 AM
1,332 Posts
Joined Sep 2007
May 06, 2025 09:39 AM
L0wangMay 06, 2025 09:39 AM
1,332 Posts
Beware of privacy. Chinese owned gear, who knows when the gov decides your gear is their agent …
3
May 06, 2025 02:42 PM
293 Posts
Joined Jul 2014
May 06, 2025 02:42 PM
Cam2020May 06, 2025 02:42 PM
293 Posts
Quote from slicktay :
However, if the trees create shadows that are in the middle of the viewing area, there's no way around it but to turn motion detection off.
That indeed can be problematic.
1- You can set up a scheduled task program in the app to omit the time shadows on the ground appears, and when you want to detect motion, to be excluded from daily-time, so it does the rest automatically.

2- You may look at other angles and other sites for installation, especially since this camera is totally wireless, you may use it on the tree or its fixed branches where shadows may not be seen(As long as your WiFi range permits).

3- If the trees are yours, you may consider trimming as needed, or if the city's, talk to them, if that is an option.




Quote from slicktay :
I don't think this is a problem particular to Tapo, though.
What's funnier is occasionally it detects long shadows as limbs of a person and thus triggers person detection. That indeed can be problematic.
The Problem is actually related to this Tapo and every other camera that uses motion on pixel detection as a triggering factor for motion notification.
Almost all manufacturers have cameras with different systems that work not by pixel movement, but by detection of a body of heat(As a human body/an animal/a car, or a motor generates), as the source of motion. This is called Passive Infra Red detection, or in short and common words, a PIR system. This way, a shadow, a moving tree branch by the wind, or a falling leaf can't falsely activate motion detection notification.

Problems:
-PIR on cheap systems is not really that accurate and acts as a hit-or-miss phenomenon mostly.
-Typically, the range of PIR detection is short, say up to 30 feet, unless you go for better systems.


Additionally, and with the help of better AI incorporation in more recent cameras' software, you can name objects, say Cars, Animal, Parcel, Suspicious behavior of human-in-view, etc., to trigger detection, but this is still with its own caveats, and then, mostly offer it as a paid addition service, usually only once you subscribe to their ridiculously expensive subscription services!
May 06, 2025 02:45 PM
293 Posts
Joined Jul 2014
May 06, 2025 02:45 PM
Cam2020May 06, 2025 02:45 PM
293 Posts
Quote from poohead123 :
Recording is absolute trash. Tons of skipping and missing footage. Monitoring device at best. Also the quality of tapo is sh1t
Very typical of every camera in the market, even at higher price tags.
Give me a name of a camera that can do this flawlessly, at least acceptable, even at up to 3x the price of this deal!Wink
May 06, 2025 03:25 PM
1,429 Posts
Joined Sep 2013
May 06, 2025 03:25 PM
okhelloMay 06, 2025 03:25 PM
1,429 Posts
Quote from L0wang :
Beware of privacy. Chinese owned gear, who knows when the gov decides your gear is their agent …
You are a farking nut man.

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Pro
May 06, 2025 07:57 PM
1,090 Posts
Joined Jun 2011
May 06, 2025 07:57 PM
Cheapskate27
Pro
May 06, 2025 07:57 PM
1,090 Posts
Quote from isdex1 :
Would someone be able to recommend a good solar cam (wireless) that support RTSP? Perhaps one that have a larger battery that could record 24x7, thanks.
It doesn't exist. Requires too much power for small panels. You could DIY it, but panels just big enough for RTSP cameras (25-50W) are not popular, and thus not easy to find. And it would be clunky looking, if you care. And you need a battery that will reliably stay on without manual adjustment and charge/discharge at the same time (which makes portable power supplies tricky). FYI, I tried to set one up like this and gave up.

All of the above is probably why we haven't seen a commercial AIO version. It would be stupid expensive for a single camera (due to bigger battery and panel), and they'd be big and ugly.

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