Tapo by TP-Link Pan/Tilt Security Camera for Baby Monitor, Pet Camera w/Motion Detection, 1080P, 2-Way Audio, Night Vision, Cloud & SD Card Storage, Works with Alexa & Google Home, Black (Tapo C201)

I’m not a big camera person, but our dog had a seizure a few weeks before we planned to leave the state. He had to stay behind with some friends that would be staying the night with him. Due to their work schedule he had to stay home alone for several hours during the day. Normally this would have been fine but I wanted to be able to check in on him throughout the day when they weren’t there.What a great peace of mind of this is! I added a large SD to record when the camera captured movement. It can ID “pet”, “bark” and “movement” along with other things. Those were the things I set to be alerted to. It didn’t fail at all the whole time we were gone. Unfortunately Tapo doesn’t let shared users to turn off and on the privacy mode, but I trust our friends enough so gave them my login. I wouldn’t recommend this to just anyone. It wasn’t hard to change the password when they left so it was fine as a work around. It’d be nice if they made an option for what controls a shared person could change.The camera zoom came in handy when I couldn’t figure out where our pup was, usually on my chair where I could only see part of him. It’s nice to be able to scan the room from another state. The picture is clear enough to suit our needs, but may not be ideal if an extremely clear video is needed.We never needed the night vision but I did mess with it before we left. Overnight I was able to see the cat being crazy and running around the living and dining rooms.I didn’t use the talk very often but I did use it to calm my buddy down shortly after we left and also had a couple convos with our dog sitters when they came in and the camera alerted me of movement. They said it was clear on their end and it was good on mine too.When we are home I just lift it up and turn it to face a wall because I’m paranoid. I still turn it on every time I leave for an extended period of time, which isn’t often. It makes leaving my furry best friend behind much easier since I can check in on him.Overall I highly recommend this camera for peace of mind if you need to check in on your pets while you’re not home. It was worth every penny and I’d buy again in a heartbeat.

I bought one of these to help me keep an eye on my cat when I was out, and I now have 8 of them. They work great! I can set up the app to flip through them just by swiping; I could also do a 2x2 gridview if I wanted. They swivel a full 360 degrees and have good up/down movement. The night vision is very clear. I can take pictures and videos through them, which is a new way to take a selfie.One major downside is that they have to be plugged in, so I'm limited to placing them near outlets. You need something like the model 425 if you want a chargeable one, and that model doesn't swivel. So I have one of that sort to cover what would otherwise be a major gap, and it integrates into the app seamlessly.The other downside is that the motion sensors give a lot of false positives even with the sensitivity reduced. Maybe that's endemic to the technology? I've never had a motion sensor before. I've also not been able to get the microphone to work consistently, which I think is a matter of not trying to use it often enough to remember how it works. And there can be a few seconds lag.These aren't obtrusive but they are clearly visible.

The Tapo C225 camera is by far the best camera I’ve ever purchased—simple, hassle-free, and incredibly easy to install. Its ceiling-mount system is brilliantly designed: it’s extremely easy to attach and remove, and you can reinstall it just as effortlessly if needed.It offers a wide range of features, a very responsive interface, and excellent image quality. What really surprised me at this price point is how advanced the technology is—especially for smart home projects.One of its most impressive features, which even many high-end cameras lack, is the ability to work with both RTSP and HomeKit Secure Video simultaneously. Tapo got this absolutely right. The camera receives regular updates, and if you prefer to work exclusively within the Apple ecosystem, it supports facial recognition, live streaming, and iCloud recording through HomeKit.If you’re looking for a camera with full native HomeKit support at a great price, this is the best option out there. It also integrates perfectly with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Home Assistant.I originally bought it just to test it out, but it completely exceeded my expectations. Tapo delivers great quality at an amazing price. I truly hope they release more models like this with native HomeKit compatibility.