TP-Link 𝗧𝗮𝗽𝗼 SolarCam 2K, Outdoor Battery Camera w/Solar Panel Base, Wireless Camera, 2K QHD, 150° Super-Wide FOV, Free Person/Vehicle/Pet Detection, SD/Cloud Storage, Starlight Color Night Vision

I am not an expert (and have only owned the C425 w/solar for a year). It seems to be well made and the solar panel works well. Well enough, that I just ordered two more Tapo cameras with solar panels to replace my Google/Nest (wireless but non-solar) camera. The one I have, works well and I will update this post if that changes.I added a photo TO SHOW the size difference between the single Tapo solar panel and the smaller one that is included in the all-inclusive kit. I haven't installed the it yet, but the C425 with the large solar panel works great and stays fully charged. I am hoping for the same from this smaller panel/kit that I also purchased. One great advantage to buying the Tapo "kit" is that it comes with a Tapo C425 camera! That is the same one I have owned that works great!I believe these previous "kits" came with lesser cameras like a C320 or something. So, I was glad to receive another C425 camera.The smaller kit comes with a smaller solar panel, but I think it will still supply enough power for the C425 to never need to be charged manually. This smaller kit is NOT the bundled offer of the C425 with the larger solar panel... it's the one that shows the the camera and small panel connected... one you could install as one unit in one location. The bundled C425 and larger solar panel are two completely separate boxes (but sold as a bundle, and are designed so you can have the solar panel in one location (aimed at the sun), and a wire that runs to the camera at another location. The kit does allow you to separate (and mount) the solar panel away from the camera, and comes with extra wiring if you choose to so that. I will also be posting this review under the combined kit (and possibly the C425 camera). I will update this in the future with any new details, after I have installed and tried out this all-inclusive kit.

I purchased a set of these to replace a bllnk outdoor 4th generation. In every way these Tapo cameras are superior.I reside in upstate NY where we do not get much sun. With the attached solar panels the cameras have never dropped below 95% power. Confident that it will always be powered, I have set the cameras to the highest quality/highest sensitivity.I love being able to customize each camera as to whether/how much to sense/alert me to people, animals, cars, and general motion. Keeping the general motion detector off has prevented the false alerts I used to get on my Bllinks from bugs and trees.The cameras were easy to set up and install. We have standard 4 inch vinyl siding and the base fits perfectly horizontally on the vinyl; I just had to be certain which direction I wanted the solar panel when positioning the base.There is almost no lag time from motion to detection to notification, my personal tests have shown mere seconds from activity to notification. (This was a huge issue with my Bl!nks, which could often have a delay of more than 4 minutes!!!) Not sure if it makes a difference: I ran the bllinks through the hug whereas the Tapo is being run without a hub.My favorite aspect might be that I do not pay for a subscription nor a hub. The onboard sensors have accurately determined the difference between a person, an animal, a car, and bug/tree motions, and you can use almost any capacity SD card.

I have been looking for a good solar camera for a while and found none have all of the features I need. I had hoped this would support ONVIF and RTSP, but I have found out that it does not. Doing more research, I understand these are very unlikely to be supported. This one does not have a continuous recording and is in a lower power mode for motion sensing that triggers the camera to turn on and determine whether to record and trigger alerts. This allows it to last for over a day on a charge from the solar panel. It does turn on video when I connect via the mobile app.One thing I didn't like was that the base combines the solar panel and camera in one mount. The camera can be somewhat mounted separately, but it's not really a good setup. I ended up using the base for the camera and just jury-rigging a mount for the solar panel where it would get the most sunlight.The Wi-Fi connectivity is so-so. It's not that far from the wireless access point, but it is still only middle of the way for connectivity. I may see if there's a way to improve the signal, but it's good enough for how it's being used.It has a wide view and very good detail. It does a good job of detecting people and alerting via the mobile app when it does. Since I already have another TAPO camera (wired) that does support ONVIF and RTSP, I'm going to keep this camera to minimize the number of mobile security apps I need.