TP-Link Tapo Cameras

[kirk39]

I've been using Amcrest wifi cameras on and off for 7 or 8 years and the wireless connection quality has always been a problem.

I finally gave up and purchased a couple of the TP-Link Tapo cameras, (2) of the C110 and (1) C120. That was (3) 2k cameras for under $100 total. There were a few users that claimed compatibility with Blue Iris, and I do see a few people here on the forum that have had some success, however not PTZ, so I got the stationary cameras. Because I'm in a rental, the C110's are mounted just inside my windows facing out, and they still work well. Although the C110 and 120 do require a power cord, I see they do have battery powered completely wireless cameras, although with continuous recording I don't see myself using those (maybe with the solar panel).

I am not affiliated with TP-Link nor did I receive any discounts in exchange for a review. That said ...

I am amazed at how easy these cameras were to set up, get connected wirelessly (to wifi mesh), stay connected reliably, and ultimately get configured with Blue Iris. With the low cost and relatively high quality of the video, I don't see myself purchasing PTZ style cameras ever again, I'd just purchase more cheap cameras to cover all the areas. As a Blue Iris user, this is the camera I've been wanting for years.

The one issue that initially threw me with setting them up with Blue Iris is that I didn't realize I had to set up a "camera account." In the Android app, after getting the camera connected via the app to my home network, I had to go into settings > advanced settings > camera account and set it up for the first camera (username and password). Once I did this with the first camera, I then linked the other 2 cameras in the same manner with the same username and password (although I think you could set up a different user/pass for each camera if you prefer). That user/pass (and IP address that I have set to always use the same IP in my router) is what I used to get the camera connected in Blue Iris. I then shut off pretty most camera features in the Tapo app and handed the control over to Blue Iris.

Anyone else have positive/negative experiences to share? I'm really curious to hear someone with their doorbell cam, they have a new one coming out shortly.

[Pogo]

I bought a C110 to monitor the flue temp of my wood burning furnace after reading what sounded like crazy hype about em. Figured I couldn't go wrong for $17 on sale.

I was (and still am) amazed. Best deal out there bar none -- except maybe some of the better Tapo models.

They're ONVIF compliant for starters. The initial registration is primarily for warranty purposes and they do not require cloud support to operate. Once configured for the local network they need zero internet connectivity. Solid RF performance for me so far. Not one single drop since I bought mine last Fall.

I haven't used any of the basic 'AI' features. (A stovepipe is pretty much a stovepipe.) But the Motion and Person detection supposedly work better than one would expect along with two-way talk and siren alert. SD Card recording. Notifications, of course. And audio based alerts (baby crying, etc.) Three resolutions. Great 2K image. Decent short range night performance. Great app, too.

ONVIF interaction with Blue Iris should be straight forward, including Pan/Tilt stuff with other models where applicable. What may throw folks is Tapo using port 2020 for ONVIF service.

The only caveats are the wall wart and a two connection max for live RTSP streams, "So Mom and Dad can both check on Baby at the same time".

As for powering, a couple adapters and some Cat-5 (or any old twisted pair laying around) and you're there.

The C110 is definitely making a splash in the econo-market -- and deservedly so.

I see they're all the way up to 20 bucks now.

[kirk39]

I noticed that mine autoconfigured in Blue Iris to Media/video/RTSP port 554 and Discovery/ONVIF port 8999. Is that correct? The cameras are working.

I did notice another user somewhere here in the forum that seemed to be struggling getting PTZ to work for applicable cameras.

[Pogo]

The initial discovery port is determined by Blue Iris and is usually 80. The ONVIF 'device service port' is determined by the device and needs to be specified in place of the discovery port for the ONVIF stuff to work between end points.

Try another Find/Inspect on one of the 110s using just the IP address and user/pass info with no ports entered. It may complain about wanting an integer entered. Just click OK until the inspection occurs and spits out the info. Port 2020 should be in the Discovery/ONVIF box if everything went right.

[kirk39]

Thanks, Pogo.

I had previously thought that RTSP or ONVIF could be used to view and control cameras, but after some reading I see that RTSP is for video transport and ONVIF is for discovery & feature control, as you mentioned. Now it makes sense.

[Pogo]

Happy to help.

I just happen to be playing around with mine at the moment and discovered that my advice about not entering anything for rtsp and Find/Inspect doesn't seem to always provide results.

And while Find/Inspect will initially work via port 80 and designate ONVIF port 8999, it doesn't auto-populate the Main and Sub Stream paths for the streams as it does if port 2020 is specified prior to the Find/Inspect. The ONVIF Source boxes at the bottom of the page are also correctly populated by this method. This will provide a much more likely chance of successful ONVIF communication between Blue Iris and these cameras.

[kirk39]

I went ahead and dialed 2020 into the ONVIF port for each camera. Much appreciated!

[kirk39]

I did notice today that some of their newer products seem to support better framerates. The C120 is native 20 fps whereas it seems the C125 is "15/20/25/30 fps (Default 15fps)." If someone gets one of the C125's, please comment on how the framerate is set in the app, or if it's dynamically set by the camera. I'm also curious how their D130 wired video doorbell works.

https://www.tapo.com/us/product/smart-camera/

[apple2k]

Howdy all, noob with Blue Iris.. Recently bought a Tapo C520WS.. and mostly happy with it and the accompanying mobile app.. I'm just used to using a http web interface to access my camera
when at home as oppose to using the 5" phone screen.. thus Blue Iris 5.

After 3 days or so, playing with BI, got most of the stuff working including PTZ. Using ONVIF port 2020.. I got most of the information after using Find/Inspect.
MAIN & Sub streams were populated.. frame rates information were also populated.. PTZ seems to work reasonably well.

Had problem with trigger/alert/recording tabs till I finally got them working.

Another issue that I'm still having issues with is the image sent along with email trigger notification. The image seem to be massive with scroll bars on right & bottom to see the full image. If I click on the image it will provide a full image without 'scrolling'. Any configuration options to fix this ?

BI is very powerful but also difficult to get it 'just right'. (similar functionality of mobile app functions / smooth streaming.. intuitive.. etc)
Still tweaking with storage folder sizes. and possibly mess with the AI functionality.


Can I assume that I should stick with the Make: 'Generic/ONVIF' Model: '*RTSP H.264/H.265/MJPG/MPEG4) using 'media/video/RTSP' port of 554, 'Discovery/ONVIF' port of 2020

Any hints / tips from configuration standpoint to get the most out of the Tapo C520WS & BI5 would be greatly appreciated.

Waiting patiently for TP-link Tapo to release the C525WB. Hoping I can tweak the config for C520WS to work on the C525WB.



Appreciated this forum for learning, helping, and sharing of the community.

[Pogo]

Had problem with trigger/alert/recording tabs till I finally got them working.

Welcome aboard. Yeah, there's a lot to unpack there right out of the gate. Sounds like you got a handle on it fairly quickly.

...the image sent along with email trigger notification. The image seem to be massive with scroll bars on right & bottom to see the full image. If I click on the image it will provide a full image without 'scrolling'. Any configuration options to fix this ?

Assuming you're referring to the alert image generated by Blue Iris and not the camera, there are a couple places to adjust for size and quality. Under the Trigger tab in the 'When Triggered' options -> 'Immediate Actions' there's a selection for 'Hi-Res JPEG files' that may be inadvertantly causing problems in the unlikely event that's where you set up your email alerts instead of from the actual 'Alerts' section. The latter would generally use an image based on the options in the Record settings which provides for quality and sizing adjustments that would normally apply to images used for an alert..., more or less.

BI is very powerful but also difficult to get it 'just right'.

Please let us all know when you do get it 'just right'..., and how you did it! LOL

Can I assume that I should stick with the Make: 'Generic/ONVIF' Model: '*RTSP H.264/H.265/MJPG/MPEG4) using 'media/video/RTSP' port of 554, 'Discovery/ONVIF' port of 2020?

Yes.

Any hints / tips from configuration standpoint to get the most out of the Tapo C520WS & BI5 would be greatly appreciated.

ONVIF triggers will be a good place to experiment, especially with the motion and basic AI functions of the camera itself vs. jumping right into the CPAI/Blue Iris jungle. If they'll work together via the camera's triggers for Blue Iris actions via ONVIF, you're way ahead of the AI game right there.

Learning how the motion and object detection features of Blue Iris itself function will take you a long way in understanding how the whole AI thing is supposed to work and whether it is a necessary component of your particular Blue Iris use case. Start out with basic zones and save the object detection stuff for later. Both at once create unnecessary confusion about which does what and how they interact as well as how they can work independently for different purposes / camera applications.

Enjoy the challenges and experience.

If it weren't fun..., Ha!