Home protection and security is a minefield, there are lots of products available but how far do you go in securing your home and possessions? With better locks on your doors and windows, a security alarm and even an external security camera, that should be enough, right? In theory, yes. But you can never be too protected, especially when you can use those same devices for more than just home security as well. Internal security cameras are an excellent addition to beef up home security, but they can also be used to monitor pets, elderly relatives and even be used as baby monitors. If you are looking for a security camera with multi-functions then you can’t go wrong with the Tapo C200 Pan/Tilt Smart Home Security Camera for internal use, especially if you are on a budget.
I am a big fan of the Tapo Smart Home devices – I use their smart bulbs and smart plugs in my home and think they are fantastic. They are so easy to use, and the app is brilliant.
The Tapo C200 Pan/Tilt Home Security Camera is a smart indoor video camera that works over Wi-Fi and it has some excellent features:
- 1080p Full High Definition Video (1920×1080)
- Crisp Night Vision up to 30ft
- Pan and Tilt (360° horizontal and 114° vertical range)
- Sound and Light alarm
- Two-way Audio
- Baby Crying Detection
- Motion Detection and Notifications
- Motion Tracking
- Privacy Zones
“The Tapo C200 Pan/Tilt Home Security Wi-Fi Camera is designed for users to protect their homes and keep track of their loved ones. Equipped with 1080p resolution, 360° horizontal and 114° vertical range, and up to 30ft of night vision, Tapo C200 delivers a high-quality live viewing experience day and night. With a built-in microphone and speaker, users can take advantage of Two-way Audio via the Tapo app to keep in touch with their family anytime, from anywhere. Its Motion Detection and Activity Zone features will send a notification to a user’s smartphone once suspected motion is detected.”
In the box:
- Tapo C200 Pan/Tilt Home Security Wi-Fi Camera
- Power Adapter
- Quick Start Guide
- Mounting Plate and Screws
- Camera Base
When people hear the words “CCTV” or “security camera” combined with “DIY” lots will automatically think that it will be difficult to install, drilling needs to be done and have cables running everywhere. This is a misconception and the Tapo C200 is very easy to install and setup, literally taking a few minutes. It can be free standing on a shelf or mounted to the ceiling with the only cabling required being the power cable, so it just needs to be near a power socket. Anyone can easily install and set up this camera.
To start all you need to do is download the free Tapo app to your phone or tablet. The app supports Android and iOS and there is even a QR code that you can scan to take you to the correct app – it is available from the Play and App stores. Once done, open the app, plug in the camera and wait for the LED on the front of the camera to start blinking, alternating between red and green. Press the + button in the app to add your camera and select the Smart Camera C200. Follow the very simple instructions to complete the setup – it won’t take long and doesn’t require a great deal of technical know-how.
Once you have gone through the simple set up and paired the camera with your phone or tablet, you can find the best room and position to site the camera for the best viewing angle maximum effect (you might want it pointing towards the front or back door or towards a window or if using as a baby monitor, towards the cot).
The Tapo C200 camera has a weighted base so it can be free standing on a shelf without the need to wall or ceiling mount, but to get full room coverage you are probably best to mount it to the ceiling using the included mounting plate. This has been made extremely easy as a transparent sticker has been included that has where you need to drill holes – just place the sticker on the ceiling where you want to mount the camera and drill two holes through the circles on the sticker. You can then place the supplied anchors into the freshly drilled holes and screw on the mounting plate. Attach the camera to the mounting plate by placing the camera on the plate and rotating it to attach firmly into place. If you are mounting it on the ceiling remember it is a mains powered camera with no battery backup so it does need to be sited near a power socket (the power cable is only 2 metres in length).
Once you have positioned the camera where it works best for you, you will need to add a MicroSD card if you want to record and keep video footage (or subscribe to the cloud storage option). It can support up to a 128GB memory card. A memory card is not supplied with the package so you will need to purchase one separately, but these are cheap enough at around £10. The card slot is easily accessible below the lens, tilt the lens up until you can see the slot and the reset button. Insert your new card and use the app to initialize the card (do not format it on a PC).
It is nearly all ready to go – all you must do now is adjust your settings within the app to your own specific needs – notifications, marked positions etc. and pair with Alexa if you want to (through the Alexa app).
Operating the camera is very simple, using the app. Everything is easy to find and control. The quality of the recordings in great at 1080P HD (1920 x 1080 px). During the day the captured images are very good quality (in full colour) and the night vision recordings are equally as good, just with a black and white image. The recordings are only at 15fps, so aren’t as smooth as they could be but is more than acceptable. It supports 802.11n 2.4Ghz wi-fi connections with a speed of up to 150Mbps and so far has been very stable (this will depend on the quality of your wi-fi signal, ISP provider, bandwidth and of course where you site it). Just make sure that it is not sited on something that will give a reflection at night as it will ruin the night vision and not give a clear image.
This may be a budget priced camera, but it is packed with features. And does more than monitor and record. It is also equipped with a motion detector sensor. When motion is detected, a door opening or someone entering the room, a notification is pinged across to the app on your phone or tablet. You can then use the Live View function to see exactly what is going on (it has a second or two delay). If that wasn’t enough you have other options with this function. When motion is detected, the camera can sound a siren and flash the lights on the camera to make the intruder aware that there is an alarm and that someone will be aware. It can also detect a baby crying and send a notification so makes a very good baby monitor with sound and audio.
The camera is also equipped with a speaker and a microphone and allows two-way communication. Once you see there is an intruder in the house you can easily inform them that you are monitoring and recording them and that the police have been called, hopefully this will scare them off as they won’t want to spend any more time there to increase their risk of getting caught (and hopefully hearing a voice will make them look up at the camera giving a clear image of their face). And it you are using as a baby monitor, you can talk to and soothe the baby before you even get into the room.
It also features Activity Zones and Privacy Mode so that when you are home you are not recording everything that is happening or are only recording in specific user designed areas.
The Pan/Tilt function is excellent. It allows you to pan around the room 360° on the horizontal and 114° vertically. You can even save marked positions so that you can easily go back to the default viewing angle that you originally set. Just mark your positions, name them and when you select that position the camera will automatically go to that position. This allows you to easily move from set positions such as door view, window view etc. and back again.
And for those that love to use social media, there is an option within the app to share your recordings to your favourite social media sites. Maybe you caught you cat doing something funny?
Overall, despite being a budget camera, the Tapo C200 is a very good camera with good features. It is very easy to install (the app guides you through it using simple and easy to follow terms) and it is easy to monitor with the app interface being very robust (it can even be integrated with Amazon Alexa Echo Spot, Echo Show, Fire TV and Google Assistant). The two-way audio along makes it great for speaking to other family members when away from home or to alert intruders they are being monitored and the police have been called. Recalling saved recordings is simple and they are all date and timed stamped. And the Pan and Tilt function is excellent, easy and virtually noiseless when in operation.
This is a budget camera that is a lot better than its price suggests and would make a perfect addition to your home security measures. It won’t break the bank and will give clear images. It is also perfect as an audio-visual baby monitor.
The Tapo C200 is an excellent internal smart security camera for the budget conscious without compromising on quality of captured images or features.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £34.99
For more information, visit www.tapo.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.