If you’re someone who frequently travels for work, a small business owner, or an entrepreneur who operates a business and is in search of a budget-friendly indoor surveillance camera to keep an eye on your home or protect important assets while you’re away.
We would recommend the new TP-Link Tapo C211 Wi-Fi Camera a reliable and feature-rich indoor surveillance solution. It boasts of a high-definition camera, versatile pan & tilt functionality, and an efficient night vision feature that offers day and night performance, along with user-friendly controls.
The Tapo C211 retails for only PHP1,499 now available in TP-Link’s official e-commerce partners and authorized resellers nationwide.
We are excited to share our hands-on experience with the TP-Link Tapo C211, so let’s dive right in!
Unboxing
The packaging box of the TP-Link Tapo C211 is made of thick carton board-type material.
The box has a nice array of graphic design elements printed on it. It incorporated the brand’s signature colors in blue and white. There’s an image of the product, the Tapo logo, certification marks, product information, and unique selling points (USP).
I like how TP-Link gives a sense of professionalism and adds a premium feel to its packaging.
When you open the box, you’ll find all the accessories and the Tapo unit neatly arranged in a large cardboard tray.
The included contents comprise the following:
- Quick Start Guide
- Mounting Plate
- Public License Notice
- Power Adapter
- Camera Base
- Mounting Screws
- Tapo C211 Unit
Design
The TP-Link Tapo C211 is made of durable polycarbonate material complemented by an attractive matte black finish. The overall dimensions of the Tapo C211 measure 3.36 x 3.42 x 4.63 inches.
It features a round camera enclosure on the top with a motorized base that offers pan and tilt mobility. View an entire room or walkway effortlessly as the base can do 360-degree panning, while the motorized black camera lens assembly provides 114 degrees of vertical tilt.
Manually rotate the camera upward to find both of the microSD card slot and the Reset button. Local storage using the microSD card can support up to 512GB capacity.
Just below the camera on the base, you’ll find the Tapo logo positioned there.
At the back, it holds the speaker and the power port using the included AC adapter. An embossed TP-Link logo is also noticeable on the surface.
At the bottom of the base, you have provision for the mounting plate to attach the camera to a wall or ceiling. There are also three raised rubber feet to keep it stable when placed on a flat surface and certification marks are printed on it.
Camera
The TP-Link Tapo C211 is equipped with a 2K 3MP high-definition camera, ensuring crystal-clear video quality when viewing your indoor security feed.
The camera lens has a 1/2.8-inch image sensor with an aperture of f/2.4 and a focal length of 3.83mm.
The image resolution of the 3MP camera is 2304 x 1296 pixels.
Overall, the quality of the camera performed great with the daytime video looking bright, sharp, and with nice color reproduction. The black-and-white night video on the other hand produced good contrast and was sharp with minimal noise.
Tapo App
The TP-Link Tapo C211 comes with a really good app for video surveillance, you can easily set up and connect any Tapo smart devices to the TP-Link Tapo app. The mobile app is available for Android and iOS devices.
TP-Link Tapo App Setup
- Download and open the Tapo App
- Tap Plus (+) to add your smart device
- Look for your device and connect
- Name the device and choose the room it’s in
- You can remotely operate the smart device from your phone.
You’ll be taken to the My Home screen to view all the connected Tapo devices on your app. Tap on the saved Tapo C211 device to instantly direct you to the main screen, where you can view the camera feed.
On the top right of the main screen, you have your settings to set or toggle the other features of the app.
You have access to photo capture, video recording, a camera’s microphone, and voice calls placed below the screen. Beneath it, you’ll find a talk button, pan & tilt control, alarm, privacy mode, and access to Tapo Care for managing your local and cloud recordings.
You can also observe up to four camera feeds in a split-screen mode and there’s also a button that automatically switches to the full-screen mode for a larger view.
The Pan & Tilt button features a round jog dial for easy control, along with a patrol feature that automatically moves the camera both vertically and horizontally.
Under the settings, you can set your preferred video quality between resolutions of 2K, 1080p, and 720p.
Main Features
Person and Motion Detection with Instant Notification – Elevate the level of security by the Tapo C211 as it promptly alert users to potential threats or movements. Receive immediate push notifications, including the ability to detect and alert you to a baby crying.
Precise Motion Tracking – Despite its budget-friendly price, the Tapo C211 impressively incorporates an intelligent and precise motion tracking feature, it allows the device at following and capturing the movement of subjects within its field of view. Whether it’s monitoring pets, tracking intruders, or simply keeping an eye on everyday movements, the feature enhances the camera’s responsiveness and accuracy.
Voice Control – The Wi-Fi camera device is voice-command compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, allowing you to control it hands-free.
Privacy Zone – The privacy zone can add an extra layer of security to keep certain spaces from being recorded and be leaked. Users can designate specific areas where monitoring is restricted, ensuring a tailored and secure surveillance experience.
Device Sharing – The Tapo C211 provides the convenience of device sharing feature to enable users to grant access for viewing your Wi-Fi camera feed from two different smartphone devices. This feature enhances collaborative monitoring, allowing a few individuals to observe the camera feed good for families or businesses who may need access to surveillance footage.
2-Way Audio – The Tapo C211 has the ability to facilitate real-time communication or a 2-way audio aside from viewing the live video feed remotely you can also engage in two-way conversations. With the built-in microphone and speaker it allows direct communication with people in the monitored area it enables users to speak with family members, pets, or visitors, providing an extra layer of interactivity and monitoring capabilities. It is also beneficial for businesses to allow for a seamless communication between staff and monitoring personnel.
Night Vision – To provide continuous surveillance and monitoring even in low-light or complete darkness, the device offers a night vision up to 30 feet. By utilizing infrared technology, it ensures that every corner of a property remains visible and secure throughout the night. The night vision feature can help extend the functionality of the Tapo C211 by providing around-the-clock peace of mind for users.
Tapo Care
Aside from saving your recording on the microSD, TP-Link offers a cloud storage service called Tapo Care for its Wi-Fi cameras with some added intelligent function that supports person detection, baby crying detection, motion tracking, and privacy zone.
Tapo Care solves the worries of users on storage space limited by microSD, making sure they have unlimited storage and a seamless smooth experience. Users can have access to check the recorded video anywhere, anytime, regardless of the camera status.
Every Tapo camera has a one-month (30-day) free trial of Tapo Care. Once the trial expires, the customers need to subscribe either monthly or yearly to enjoy the unlimited storage space. Tapo Care users can also cancel the trial at any time during the trial period.
The benefit of Tapo Care lies in its guarantee of 100% protection of user privacy.
What We Like
- Minimalist Design
- 2K Video
- 360-degree Pan & 114-degrees Tilt
- Person and Motion Detection
- Motion Tracking
- 2-Way Audio
- Night Vision Up To 30 Feet
- Device Sharing
- Pricing
- User-Friendly Tapo Link App
- 30-Day Free Trial Tapo Care
What We Want
- Unlimited Cloud Storage Needs Subscription
- No IP Rating
- Free MicroSD Card Bundled
Conclusion
Priced at only PHP 1350, the TP-Link Tapo C211 is an excellent Wi-Fi camera for those in need of a reliable home or office surveillance device.
It produces excellent video image quality, especially in daytime and bright ambient lighting. Low-light videos are decent with sharp images. Controlling and reviewing footage is easily done remotely through the Tapo Link app.
The 360-degree Pan and 114-degree Tilt feature is outstanding, providing the ability to observe your entire surroundings comprehensively. The Tapo C211 extends its capabilities with intelligent features, including person detection, baby crying detection, motion tracking, and privacy zones.
In general, the TP-Link Tapo C211 really stands out as an exceptional Wi-Fi surveillance camera that offers a diverse range of features at a highly competitive price point.
Full Specifications – TP-Link Tapo C211
- Model: Tapo C211
- Price: PHP1,499
- Resolution: 3MP
- Image Sensor:1/2.8-inch
- Lens: F/NO: 2.4; Focal Length: 3.83mm
- Night Vision: 850 nm IR LED up to 30 ft
- View Range: 350-degree Horizontal, 114-degree Vertical
- Frame Rate: 15fps
- Audio Communication: 2-way Audio
- Audio Input & Output: Built-in Microphone And Speaker
- Frequency: 2.4GHz
- Storage: Up to 512GB MicroSD Card
- Wireless Rate: 11Mbps(802.11b), 54Mbps(802.11g), 72.2Mbps(802.11n)
- Wireless Security: WPA/WPA2-PSK
- Security: 128 bit AES encryption with SSL/TLS
- Panoramic Recording
- Smart Detection: Motion Detection, Motion Tracking, Person Detection, Baby Crying Detection
- App: TP-Link Tapo App (Android and iOS)
