A totally wireless camera with super-sharp 4K resolution, TP-Link’s Tapo C460 KIT solar-powered security camera makes it easy to keep an eye on things from afar.
Wireless security cameras make life much easier when it comes to installation, but the trade-off is that you need to keep them charged. Regularly taking them down in order to charge them up is a pain, during which your video surveillance is offline.
TP-Link addresses this challenge with its smart home Tapo sub-brand, in the form of the totally-wireless Tapo C460 KIT. Install the solar panel where it gets at least a few hours of direct sunlight each day and the camera will run forever.
Tapo C460 first impressions
At first glance the barrel-shaped Tapo C460 seems bulky, but it’s important to remember that a decent-sized body allows room for a decent-sized lens, image sensor, battery and other electronics to ensure great performance.
Admittedly, some of my photos, like the one below, make the camera look massive. In actual fact, it’s only 11.5 cm long and 6.5 cm wide – making it roughly the size of a can of soft drink. Meanwhile, the solar panel measures 17 x 12 cm.
The camera is designed to work best mounted up high, rather than sitting on a benchtop. Thankfully, the design allows a wide range of installation options, which is useful when you’re trying to find the perfect spot.
One option is to attach the camera to the solar panel’s stand and then install them together as a single unit.
The camera comes with a round magnetic mount that attaches to the back, similar to the old Google Nest Cam (Outdoor or Indoor, Battery). To install the camera and solar panel together, you need to screw solar panel’s stand onto the wall (screws supplied), magnetically attach the camera mount to the stand and then magnetically attach the camera to the mount. The solar panel then connects to the camera using a short built-in cable.
At this point, it’s easy to adjust the angle of the camera until it points in the right direction – Tapo recommends tilting it down 10 to 15 degrees to get the best view. You can also adjust the solar panel on its ball joint to best catch the sun.
Of course, the spot when you want to install the camera might not be the best spot to install a solar panel. Thankfully, there’s the option to install them separately and connect them using the supplied 3.8-metre extension cable.
At this point, the easiest installation option for the camera is to attach the mount magnetically to something up high, like a metal bracket. If that’s not possible, you can detach the metal plate from the solar pane’s stand, screw the plate on the wall up high and then magnetically attach the mount and camera to the plate.
Alternatively, the camera also features threaded mounting holes on both the back and underside. To use them, you’ll need to buy a threaded camera mount which you can screw into the wall.
Thankfully, the system is rated IP66 for protection against dust and jets of water, so it’s fine to install it exposed to the elements.
Tapo C460 specifications and price
| Image sensor | 1/2.7” Progressive Scan CMOS Starlight Sensor |
| Lens | Focal Length: 3.17mm Aperture: ƒ1.65 Field of View: 134° (Diagonal), 113°(Horizontal), 59°(Vertical) |
| Maximum Resolution | 4K 8MP (3840 × 2160 px) |
| Frame rate | 15 fps |
| Zoom | x18 digital |
| Lighting | 2× Built-in Spotlights Motion Activated, App-Controlled |
| Night vision | 4× 850 nm IR LEDs (49 ft / 14.9 m) Colour Night Vision |
| Image enhancement | 3DNRWDR |
| Audio | Built-in Microphone and SpeakerTwo-Way Audio with Noise Cancellation |
| AI Detection | Motion DetectionPerson DetectionPet DetectionVehicle Detection |
| Siren Volume | 100 dBA (Level measured at 10-cm distance)80 dBA (Level measured at 100-cm distance) |
| Local Storage | MicroSD Card Slot on Camera (Up to 512 GB) |
| Cloud storage | Tapo Care cloud storage services (Subscription required) |
| Connectivity | 802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11a/n, 5 GHz Wi-Fi |
| Power | 10000 mAh Built-in Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery – up to 200 days Solar Panel |
| Ruggedness | IP66 |
| Dimensions | 64.8 × 114.6 mm |
| Weight | 340 gm |
| Price (RRP) | TBC |
| Warranty | 1 year |
| Official website | TP-Link Australia |
Features
Once you’ve decided where and how you want to install the Tapo C460, setup is pretty straightforward using the Tapo app on an Apple iOS or Google Android device.
To make life easier, the camera talks to you as you go through the process of connecting it to your home Wi-Fi network.
Like many cameras designed to be installed up high, the C460 offers a reasonably wide 113-degree horizontal viewing angle but only 59-degree vertical.
Installed in a corner it can see across from wall to wall, but the narrower vertical angle means you get the best coverage when looking down from on high. As you’d expect, you still get a blind spot directly beneath the camera when tiled down on the recommended angle.
The camera features night vision but also has a built-in spotlight, which can be triggered by motion or turned on manually using the app. Likewise, the built-in siren can be triggered automatically or manually.
One of the C460’s big selling points is the 4K resolution, while if you’re happy with Full HD you could opt for the cheaper $199 Tapo C425 KIT.
As for power, you’ll want to tilt the solar panel up on a 45-degree angle and point it north-ish (assuming you live south of the equator). Thankfully, just a little morning or afternoon sun should be enough to keep the camera happy.
I installed the panel facing directly west, which was still enough for the battery level to creep up each day – even though it was getting less than five hours of direct autumn sunlight and regularly detecting motion.
Thankfully, the camera’s hefty 10,000 mAh battery is good for up to 200 days, so a few overcast winter days won’t leave you in the lurch. Of course, regularly using the spotlight will eat into your battery life.
As part of the setup process, TP-Link offers a 30-day free trial of its Tapo Care unlimited cloud storage service. After that you can opt to continue without a subscription or choose between the Basic and Premium plans.
The free service includes live view, motion detection, instant notifications, two-way audio, activity zones. smart alerts and local storage – which is very good compared to what some other cameras can do without a subscription.
Taking advantage of free local storage requires inserting a microSD card, up to 512 GB, which again is a feature lacking on some rival home security cameras.
Using local storage lets you view your video clip history without the need to pay for an ongoing subscription. If your home is full of Tapo cameras, you can also consolidate recording from them all to the optional Tapo H200 hub.
Stepping up to the Basic Plan – from $3.99 p/m for one device to $14.99 p/m for five – adds rich notifications with snapshots, extra detection options and 7-day video clip history stored in the cloud. Meanwhile, the Premium plan – from $4.99 for one device to $16.49 for ten – extends the cloud storage to 30 days.
It’s worth mentioning that TP-Link also offers a range of Tapo indoor and outdoor cameras as well as video doorbells, all of which can be covered by your Tapo Care plan. It’s something to consider if you’re looking to simplify your smarthome set up and reduce your number of subscriptions.
As part of the setup, you can adjust the camera’s sensitivity to reduce the detection range and also create Activity Zones to only be notified of movement in specific areas. All of this helps reduce false positives so you’re not bombarded with alerts.
You’ve also got customisable person, pet and vehicle detection – something that other vendors typically charge for. Plus, with a Tapo Care subscription, you get rich notifications that send you a snapshot of what the camera can see – so you can tell at a glance whether a notification warrants further investigation.
The app lets you schedule times to silence alerts but, unlike some camera ecosystems, you can’t automatically disable the cameras for privacy when they detect your phone is at home – instead you need to disable them manually.
When it comes to broader smart home ecosystems you can integrate the Tapo cameras with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT, but not Apple HomeKit.
Quality
Put to the test, the Tapo C460 KIT solar-powered security camera is responsive and reliable while offering a great picture.
Motion alerts pop up on your smartphone within a few seconds, and tapping on the alert quickly launches the Tapo app so you can see and hear what’s happening in real time.
The extra-sharp 4K resolution ensures you can see plenty of fine detail, even when you pinch to zoom in for a close up. It also compensates well for bright backlights so you don’t lose too much detail in the shadows.
One frustration is that you can only zoom in when watching a live video and not a recording.
It’s worth noting that it only offers 15 fps, whereas 1080p cameras tend to offer 30 fps, but that’s unlikely to be a problem when it comes to seeing what’s happening.
After dark, the night vision is excellent, offering colour if there’s enough ambient light. The spotlight also does a reasonable job, but not as good as what you’d get from a dedicated hard-wired floodlight.
It’s worth noting that the camera reverts to 720p resolution when you’re connecting remotely via over 5G, but there’s the option to bump it back to 4K if you need to see more detail.
Who is the Tapo C460 KIT for?
If you need the convenience of a completely wireless camera but don’t want the hassles of recharging, the TP-Link Tapo C460 KIT solar-powered security camera is a great option – assuming you’ve got a good spot to install the solar panel.
Along with sharp 4K picture quality, its strengths include a microSD slot for local video storage, along with some free advanced features for which some rival camera makers demand a subscription.
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