TP-Link’s Tapo family gains 3 high-resolution security cameras

TP-Link’s Tapo smart home brand offers some of the most affordable home security cameras on the market, and the company introduced three new models at CES this week: one with 4K resolution, one with two independent 2K lenses (one fixed, one pan/tilt), and a second, hardwired pan/tilt model with a 2K lens and an adjustable 1500-lumen floodlight.

The battery-powered cameras are recharged by adjustable solar panels and boast dual-band (2.4- and 5GHz) Wi-Fi adapters, while the hardwired floodlight model is 2.4GHz only. All three cameras are equipped with AI motion detection that can discern between people, pets, and vehicles (with no subscription requirements); and the option of up to 512GB of onboard storage (via user-provided microSD cards) and/or cloud storage via TP-Link’s Tapo Care.

TP-Link also offers the NAS box-like Tapo H500 smart home hub for storing video recordings on your home network. You’ll need one of these two storage options if you decide to take advantage of these cameras’ option to record 24/7, not just when motion is detected . The device provides 16GB of storage and can host up to a 16TB hard disk drive. It’s currently available at Amazon for $130.

Each of the cameras is rated IP65 for protection from the elements.

Here’s a deeper dive into each model:

Tapo MagCam C465

TP-Link

This is a battery-powered bullet-style camera with a fixed lens and a 134-degree field of view that captures video in 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels). Outfitted with both starlight night vision for color and energy-efficient black-and-white infrared night vision, the camera also has dual spotlights onboard.  

The camera mounts to a magnetic base that makes it easy to adjust the angle at which it’s aimed. To deter theft, the camera is also tethered to its base, and it will sound an onboard alarm and send an alert to the Tapo app if anyone tampers with it. The camera has a 100dBA onboard siren.

Its integrated solar panel is also adjustable, thanks to being mounted to a ring around the camera’s lens. This allows it to be rotated 90 degrees horizontally and tilted up to 45 degrees vertically for maximum exposure to the sun.

TP-Link says a 50-minute charge of its 7,800mAh lithium-ion battery will yield 24 hours of continuous operation; with more typical use, a fully charged battery will last up to 180 sunless days.

The Tapo MagCam C465 is available now for $139.99, including at Amazon.

Tapo C645D Kit

TP-Link

Dual-lens security cameras like the Tapo C645D Kit are a relatively new thing. Tapo’s take on the concept combines a fixed-position wide-angle camera with 2K resolution (2304 x 1296 pixels) with a 2K pan/tilt camera mounted below it.

The camera features up to 33 feet of motion detection range, and its pan/tilt lens be programmed to lock on to a moving target and automatically track it as it moves, keeping it centered in its field of view. While using the Tapo app, you can also tap anywhere in the live field to focus the camera on that spot.

The fixed lens has a 165.1-degree diagonal field of view, while the pan/tilt lens has a more limited 65.5-degree horizontal field of view, but that second lens is installed in an independent enclosure that can pan 360 degrees and tilt over a 90-degree arc.  

You’ll get color night vision courtesy of six onboard spotlights, as well as the option for the battery-saving infrared black-and-white night vision.  

The Tapo C645D Kit is outfitted with a 10,000mAh battery that TP-Link says will deliver a full day’s operation when its detachable solar panel is exposed to just one hour of sunlight. A fully charged battery can supply the camera with enough juice to operate for up to four months.

The camera can be mounted to a wall or to the ceiling, while its solar panel can either be put on top of the camera or detached and mounted in a location with better exposure to the sun, thanks to its 13-foot cable.

The Tapo C645D Kit is available now for $149.99, including at Amazon.

Tapo C710 Pan/Tilt Floodlight Camera

TP-Link

Ring was the first manufacturer to mate a security camera to an outdoor floodlight, but it didn’t take long for the rest of the industry to join the dance. TP-Link’s Tapo C710 is the latest to make the camera hanging under its floodlight a pan/tilt model.

And it’s not just the camera element that can be adjusted—the 1500-lumen floodlight in Tapo’s device can also be repositioned (manually, that is. It’s not motorized like the camera.) It should come as no surprise that this model must be hardwired to your home’s electrical wiring—a battery wouldn’t last long when tasked with producing that much light for long stretches.

The floodlight element is dimmable, but its color temperature is fixed at a neutral 4,000 Kelvin—right between “warm” and “cool.” Its enclosure can manually be pivoted left or right, and TP-Link gives you the option having it automatically turn on in response to the camera’s motion detection-sensor.

The 2K camera below the floodlight cam is a pan/tilt model that can pan 360 degrees and tilt over a 140-degree arc, with the same auto-tracking feature available on the Tapo C645D Kit pan/tilt camera. Both color and black-and-white infrared night vision are supported.

The Tapo C710 will be available soon for $99.99 at TP-Link and at Amazon.

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best home security cameras.