The TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 are two popular IP cameras by the brand, and this review has been designed with the aim of enlightenment and guidance.
Home security is a top priority for everyone, whether you’re a homeowner or renting. With the increasing number of break-ins and security breaches, having a reliable security system in place is essential.
And what better way to secure your home than with a top-of-the-line security camera? TP-Link is a well-known brand in the field of home security cameras, and the TP-Link Tapo series are among its popular product lines. Two of the cameras in this series that stand out are the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200. Both cameras are affordable, offer impressive features, and have similarities as well as differences.
In this review, we’ll compare the two models to help you choose the best camera for your home security needs. Whether you’re looking for a camera that’s easy to install, provides clear video footage, or is packed with features, we’ve got you covered.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the TP-Link Tapo C210 vs. TP-Link Tapo C200 comparison and help you make the right decision for your home security.
Brief Overview of the TP-Link Tapo C210
The TP-Link Tapo C210 is a smart Wi-Fi home security camera that provides crystal clear video footage and a wide range of features to enhance your home security. It boasts a sleek and modern design, making it a stylish addition to any room in your home.
With a 3-megapixel high-resolution lens, the TP-Link Tapo C210 captures detailed and sharp images, even in low-light conditions. Its advanced night vision technology ensures that you’ll have clear video footage of your home even in complete darkness.
The TP-Link Tapo C210 is easy to set up and use, thanks to its quick and simple installation process. All you need is a stable Wi-Fi connection and the Tapo app which is available for both iOS and Android devices. With the app, you can access your camera from anywhere, at any time, view live or recorded footage, set motion detection alerts, and adjust other settings.
One of the standout features of the TP-Link Tapo C210 is its advanced motion detection technology, which sends instant notifications to your phone whenever motion is detected. With this feature, you can always stay in the know about what’s happening in your home, whether you’re at work, on vacation, or simply in another room.
Another great feature of the TP-Link Tapo C210 is its two-way audio capability, which allows you to communicate with family members, pets, or even potential intruders. The built-in speaker and microphone provide clear and crisp audio, and with the Tapo app, you can communicate through the camera in real time.
The TP-Link Tapo C210 comes with a 3-meter power cable, camera base, mounting screws, mounting plate, and quick start guide, making installation a breeze. It also has a variety of other features, such as a privacy mode, which allows you to turn off the camera’s live stream and microphone, and a local storage option (up to 256GB micro SD Card) that lets you store footage on a microSD card for easy playback.
Overall, the TP-Link Tapo C210 is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a high-quality and feature-packed home security camera. Its advanced features, easy installation process, and sleek design make it a top contender in the home security market.
With that said, let’s catch a glimpse of what the TP-Link Tapo C200 camera has to offer.
Brief Overview of the TP-Link Tapo C200
The TP-Link Tapo C200 is another well-designed and highly functional smart security camera that provides excellent features at an affordable price. If you’re looking for a quality security camera to monitor your home when you are away, this is also a perfect fit for you.
The TP-Link Tapo C200 has a sleek and compact design. This makes it easy to install anywhere you want. It is an excellent option for people who need a camera that is easy to set up and use. You can connect the camera to your home Wi-Fi network, and it is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Perhaps, the most remarkable feature of the TP-Link Tapo C200 is its 1080p Full HD video quality. This camera captures crystal-clear images that provide an excellent view of your home. The camera’s lens provides a 360-degree view, and it can Pan and Tilt to give you a broader perspective of the area you are monitoring.
Another feature you’ll fancy is the Night Vision capability. This ensures that you have clear footage even in the darkest areas of your home. The camera has infrared lights that can illuminate an area up to 30 feet away, providing excellent visibility at night.
The Tapo C200 also features two-way audio, which allows you to communicate with your family or pets while you are away from home. You can speak to them from wherever you are, and they can hear you through the camera’s loudspeaker. Also, the camera provides for local storage of footage (128GB micro SD Card).
All in all, the TP-Link Tapo C200 is a fantastic camera that provides excellent value for its price. Its sleek design, impressive video quality, and night vision capabilities make it a great option for people who need a reliable and functional home security camera.
Now, you may be wondering, what exactly differentiates both cameras?
Differences between the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200
The TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 are two great options for those looking for high-quality home security cameras. These cameras have a lot in common, but there are a few differences that set them apart.
One of the major differences between the two cameras is their video resolution. The TP-Link Tapo C210 camera has a higher resolution of 3MP (2304 x 1296), while the TP-Link Tapo C200 camera has a resolution of 1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080). This means that the C210 camera can capture more details in its footage, which is particularly useful for those who need a more detailed identification of people or objects in the footage.
Still, both cameras allow you to set resolutions as you deem fit. You can choose to record using the low-quality mode. This helps you conserve your storage space.
In terms of image sensor and lens, the TP-Link Tapo C210 camera has a 1/2.8″ image sensor and lens specification of F/NO: 2.4; Focal Length: 3.83mm. While the TP-Link Tapo C200 camera has a 1/2.9″ image sensor and lens specification of F/NO: 2.4; Focal Length: 4mm. While this difference may seem minor, a camera’s image sensor can often result in better image quality, particularly in low-light conditions.
Another difference between the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 cameras is in their microphones. Both cameras come with a built-in microphone and speaker, allowing for two-way communication. The quality of the microphones and speakers are almost similar but there are still some slight differences. From a series of tests, we found that the microphone on the TP-Link Tapo C210 camera is more sensitive than that on the TP-Link Tapo C200, and thus, results in clearer audio in recordings.
Having said that, let’s take a look at a few key areas where both cameras are similar.
Similarities between the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200
The most notable feature that the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 share is their Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) functionality. This is a very important feature in home security cameras, as it allows for the camera to move around and cover more areas. With PTZ, you can pan the camera left or right, tilt it up or down, and zoom in or out to get a closer look at a specific area. This feature can come in handy if you need to monitor a large room or if you want to keep an eye on a specific location.
Another great similarity is the privacy mode feature. This feature is designed to automatically stop the camera from recording when you are in your home and want some privacy. The privacy mode feature is incredibly easy to use. All you need to do is activate it using the mobile app, and the camera will automatically stop recording whenever you want it to.
In addition to the pan/tilt/zoom functionality and privacy mode, the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 cameras share two more great features; Motion Detection and Local Storage. These features are incredibly useful and can give you even more control over your home security.
With the motion detection feature, the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 cameras can detect any motion within their field of view. When motion is detected, the cameras can send a notification to your smartphone or tablet, so you can check what is happening. This feature is incredibly useful to keep an eye on your property when you are away.
However, one issue that has been uniform with cameras offering this functionality is false positives. So, to cut down false alerts, the app has an activity zone feature to use. This allows you to only monitor places that are of interest. If you desire Motion Tracking, you may want to see the Reolink E1 Outdoor PoE or Wi-Fi cameras.
Moving further, the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 cameras come with a microSD card slot that can support up to 128GB of local storage for the C200 and 256GB for the C210. This means that you can store all your video footage on the camera itself, rather than having to rely on cloud storage.
Local storage is great because it gives you complete control over your video footage, and you don’t have to worry about paying for cloud storage or having your data stored on a remote server.
Another great thing about both cameras is their night vision capability. Both cameras use infrared (IR) technology to provide clear video footage even in low-light conditions.
The TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 cameras provide up to 30 ft. (10m) of IR range to capture clear images even in complete darkness. This means that you can monitor your home at all times in the daytime as well as nighttime without any loss of quality in the video footage. You also won’t have to worry about burglars or intruders sneaking around in the dark without being detected.
In addition to the high-resolution image sensors, the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 feature wide-angle lenses that provide a 360-degree horizontal field of view and 114-degree vertical field of view respectively. This ensures that you get a comprehensive view of your home without any blind spots. You can also adjust the angle of the camera to ensure that you capture the areas you are most concerned about.
Full Specifications of the TP-Link Tapo C210
The specifications of the C210 are shown below.
Full Specifications of the TP-Link Tapo C200
The specifications of the C200 are shown below.
Setting up the cameras
The setup process for the TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 cameras is quite easy, and they have the same process. First, ensure that you have all the items that came with the package.
Now, plug in the camera’s D.C adapter and wait until the status LED begins to blink intermittently in red and green. At this stage, open the mobile app and tap on the plus sign to add a camera. The app will then search for the camera, and when it is found, enter your Wi-Fi network login credentials. After the camera has been added to your network, it will appear on the homepage of the mobile app, you will also see any other TP-Link device that you have. You can then access the live view and begin to play around with the features of the camera like the Pan and Tilt, the Motion Detection feature, or Activity Zones.
Final Thoughts
The TP-Link Tapo C210 and TP-Link Tapo C200 are not the most fully featured out there. But with the prices, they are definitely great value for money. They offer you exceptional image quality regardless of the lighting conditions.
Their motion detection performance is satisfactory. Even better, they both provide Pan and Tilt functionality, thus covering various areas of your home. So, regardless of your pick, you can be sure you’re making the right choice with either the TP-Link Tapo C210 or TP-Link Tapo C200.
You may want to see our full review of the Reolink E1 Outdoor camera or the TP-Link Tapo C320WS vs. TP-Link Tapo C310.