In this post, I’m reviewing TP-Link Tapo products: Tapo P105 smart plug, Tapo L530E smart bulb, and Tapo TC40 and Tapo TC70 webcams.
Disclaimer: The product links I’m sharing here are Lazada Affiliate Links, and I will get a small commission from Lazada if you purchase from these links.
What is TP-Link Tapo?
Tapo is a smart home solution brand by TP-Link. It includes different products, including smart devices like plugs, light bulbs, webcams, switches, vacuums, and sensors. The price-to-feature ratio is good. Unlike other Chinese brands, you also don’t need to translate manuals because their products are catered to a Western audience. It also means that their manuals and apps are in English.
Some Useful Features of the App
Once you use the app, adding devices is easy. You select the type of device and the model. It will guide you in pairing your device with your account. I’ve found linking devices easy and intuitive, and I’ve not encountered issues so far that I need to reset a device to link it.
You can also easily set up automation routines in the app by adding a trigger, a condition (optional), and an action for a set of devices. However, you can also set up device-only triggers and actions if you want to.
For some devices (like the light bulbs), you can see how long your device was on and how much energy it used for the past 30 days. You can set widgets in Android, and I could easily turn on/off my devices using my phone.
Third-Party Integrations
Tapo can integrate with popular home automation services like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT. Home Assistant is also supported, but only for selected devices.
I linked my devices to Google Assistant and IFTTT, which was almost seamless.
When I set it up, I needed to set up my Google Assistant as the default and not switch to Gemini. This may disadvantage you if you use Gemini more as your generative AI tool.
But once I’ve linked, I can use my Tapo devices in my Google Assistant routines. I can even use voice commands to control my devices. I can see myself buying a Google Nest speaker in the future, as it will be compatible with my Tapo devices.
You are limited to two routines if you use IFTTT’s free tier. You must pay for the paid tier instead to create more routines.
Tapo P105 Smart Plug Review
- Link: https://s.lazada.com.ph/s.LkDH0
- Price: Php 379.00
- Store: TP-Link Authorize Store
- Other Details:
- Rated 1800W, 15A
- Voltage: 100-240V, 50-60Hz
- Dimensions: 60x38x33mm
- WIFI Protocol: IEEE 802.11b/g/n (2.4Ghz)
- 3 Pins with Ground
- How Long I Have Used This: Since 2023
My Review
This was the second item I purchased after buying the Smart Bulb. I mainly use it to turn on and off my electric fan at certain hours of the day. I have it turned on after my A/C turns off at a specific time in the morning and turned off a few minutes after my A/C turns on at night.
Looking at the specs, it can support medium/big appliances like refrigerators and even A/Cs — just make sure that the power draw is supported.
The form factor is a bit bulky; putting this on a typical socket will likely take up space. I resolved this using a power strip with spacing between sockets. It also doesn’t check how much power the appliance it is plugged into consumes; it only tracks the hours you used it.
I’ve also linked this with Google Assistant and have used voice commands to turn on/off the fan using the plug. I haven’t had any issues or have this replaced since I bought it.
Even when the power goes out, once you plug it in and have WIFI, it will automatically reconnect to your network.
Tapo L520E Smart Bulb Review
- Link: https://s.lazada.com.ph/s.LkxOs
- Price: Php 299.00
- Store: TP-Link Official Store
- Other Details:
- Plug E27
- Color Temp 4k
- Brightness: 806 Lumens
- Power Consumption: 8W
- How Long I Have Used: Since 2023
My Review
This was the first item I bought. I needed lights that turned on at night and changed colors during the day. I was surprised at the range of colors the bulb could put out—you can change the colors via RGB settings. The novelty was nice the first time, but I wanted to see if it followed my requirements.
I put on routines that change the color, temperature, and brightness several times daily. I set bright, cold tones in the morning to stimulate work and dimmed yellows at nighttime to put me into a relaxing mood. I turned it off before bedtime.
After linking this to Google Assistant, I could control lights via voice commands, which is helpful. I also tried linking it to IFTTT to turn the light a different color when it rains outside. The action was a bit late (it triggered after the rain), but the fact that it works means you can use it with other applets.
Like my other Tapo devices, this bulb reconnected seamlessly with the wifi after being turned on.
I’ve been using this lightbulb daily for a year (including automation), and I’ve had no issues with the performance so far.
Tapo TC40 Webcam Review
- Link: https://s.lazada.com.ph/s.LkA0A
- Price: Php 1750.00
- Store: TP-Link CPT Store
- Other Details:
- 360 deg Motion Tracking
- 1080p Recording
- IP65 Weatherproof
- Customizable Alarm
- Two-Way Audio
- Night Vision up to 98ft
- Local Storage up to 512GB
- How Long I Have Used: Since July 2024
My Review
This is an outdoor webcam, and I use it to monitor activity outside of the main door. The parts that come with the webcam are meant to be weatherproof, even the plugs for the power outlet. It is intended to be mounted on a ceiling or a wall.
I bought the 64GB SD card I used with this camera from the Tapo store as well, and it’s been working well. Despite the multiple reads/writes I have daily, I haven’t encountered any data loss. With regular busy recordings (a few hundred instances per day), it was able to keep around 9-10 days of data.
You can also enable Tapo Care, a cloud subscription that uploads recordings online as backup. It is pretty affordable. There are basic and premium plans per device. Basic allows recordings for up to 7 days (Php 140/month), while Premium is up to 30 days (Php 175/month).
The Tapo app works well to control the camera. You can pan 360 degrees and tilt up to 90 deg, pointing straight down. It has presets for pan/tilt, so you can save a certain angle you like, up to 4 presets. A microphone and speaker are built-in, so you can also use it to communicate with visitors.
You can also use the alarm function to blare out noise when it detects movement. The alarm is pretty loud — I could hear it on the second floor of the house despite the camera’s location being at the front entrance.
One function I like is motion tracking, which follows the motion actor as he moves along. Here is an example of our cat doing cat things in the middle of the night.
The camera has been reliable and I haven’t had any issues.
Tapo TC70 Webcam Review
- Link: https://s.lazada.com.ph/s.LP1uI
- Price: Php 934.00
- Store: Tapo by TP-Link
- Other Details:
- 360 deg Motion Tracking
- 1080p Recording
- 2MP Resolution
- Customizable Alarm
- Two-Way Audio
- Night Vision up to 30ft
- Local Storage up to 512GB
- Dimensions: 143x104x65mm
- How Long I Have Used: Since July 2024
My Review
I bought this with the TC40 outdoor webcam. This one I used indoors. It has generally the same features, but it’s mainly meant to stand upright. I mounted it on the ceiling so the image was inverted. I needed to enable the “Invert Image” option to show the proper image.
The 64GB SD Card, in this case, was a bit overkill, as the recordings are fewer and far less frequent. I checked and could access 4 months of data, unlike my outdoor one, which lasts around 10 days of recordings.
One notable feature I was able to use was the Privacy Zone, which blocks a specific portion of the screen you set. This is useful for keeping certain areas private. Once you set that, it blacks out that part of the recording every time.
Another thing that I noticed is the LED light on the camera changes to red when there’s no WIFI, but it doesn’t stop recording. You can review the recording once the WIFI is back up.
Verdict
I’ve used these Tapo devices (the smart plug, smart bulb, cameras) for over three months and haven’t had any reason not to continue using these products. They are reliable and easy to operate. They haven’t had a downtime so far, and I’m still using all of the automation schemes I’ve started.
These devices have also made me curious about how other Tapo sensors and devices would work with my current setup. I recommend Tapo devices as your gateway to home automation.