Terrific outdoor performance, low price

Outdoor security cameras are an easy option to improve security outside your home. Unfortunately, they also tend to cost much more than their indoor counterparts. For folks wanting to keep expenses low, this means buying fewer outdoor cameras than they have inside the house.

However, the TP-Link Tapo C510W breaks this trend by delivering a feature-rich outdoor security camera for less than $50. The C510W uses pan-and-tilt motors to patrol an expansive 360-degree view of your yard in sharp 2K video resolution. It also supports local video storage, so you skip the monthly fee typical of brands like Arlo, Google Nest, and Ring.

Price, availability, and specs

The TP-Link Tapo C510W is available online from Amazon, B&H Photo Video, and Walmart. While it has a list price of $50, the C510W usually sells for around $44 on Amazon.

Despite the low price, the Tapo C510W is actually a mid-range outdoor pan-tilt camera offering. The cheaper Tapo C500 maxes out at 1080p resolution and lacks spotlights, but otherwise, it offers the same features for $35. The pricier Tapo C520WS comes with a sharper 1440p 2K QHD resolution, additional smart motion detection options, better weatherproofing, and frame rates of up to 30 frames per second (fps) compared to the 15 fps of the C510W — all for about $60.

I love it when brands like Tapo sell multiple camera variants, each within a specific budget. You get the same core features but can upgrade or downgrade based on your needs.

What’s good about the TP-Link Tapo C510W?

A budget outdoor security camera with solid video quality and robust features

The Tapo C510W generally boasts excellent video quality in daytime conditions; it’s easily on par with the Wyze Cam v4. The 2K video resolution accurately captures colors and detail, though there’s some distortion on fast-moving objects due to the camera’s low frame rate. Still, this is better video quality than you’ll see from similar outdoor pan-tilt security cameras on the market.

At night, the infrared night vision and color recordings look great, with the color video providing solid results in well-lit areas like the courtyard outside my apartment. The camera has a small, fairly bright spotlight, but it won’t create much light beyond 20 feet.

One of the Tapo C510W’s biggest strengths is a pan/tilt function that gives the camera a 360-degree horizontal field of view. This means you can point the camera practically anywhere in your yard with a good line of sight to the lens.

I like that the Tapo C510W includes motion tracking and patrol modes that automatically look around your yard using motion or a timer. Motion tracking follows any activity through your yard to get a complete recording, making it incredibly helpful. This outdoor security camera comes with durable IP65 weatherproofing. The wired power source also helps it resist extreme temperatures better than battery-powered security cameras.

Also, the Tapo app doesn’t waste my time with a pile of nested menus. You can find most settings with a couple of taps, and everything follows a reasonable navigation flow. There weren’t any performance issues or crashes, so it scores an easy pass in my book.

One of my favorite things about the Tapo app is that it now supports devices from Kasa, TP-Link’s other smart home brand (indeed, there’s more than one). All my Kasa smart plugs quickly showed up in Tapo after I granted linking permission. Every TP-Link app uses your main TP-Link account to log in — the integration is seamless. This cross-compatibility also includes adding Kasa security cameras to your Tapo Care subscription.

Like most newer Tapo cameras, the C510W supports up to 512GB of local video storage on a microSD card. This is enough to save weeks of footage at the highest resolution. Although the camera doesn’t come with a microSD card, you can easily find relatively 512GB models for less than $45 — smaller capacities are even more affordable.

Local video storage doesn’t require a subscription, making it a great option for keeping ongoing costs low. In contrast, the Tapo Care cloud storage plan has a $3.49 monthly price, which is quite competitive with what you’ll see from Wyze, Ring, and Arlo. While it’s a little disappointing that Tapo Care’s priciest plan tops out at 10 cameras for $12 a month, that’s a high bar to clear for many homes.

TP-Link Tapo offers outstanding smart home compatibility with Alexa, Google, IFTTT, and SmartThings. It’s almost on par with Arlo’s smart home support, except Tapo doesn’t work with Apple HomeKit. (HomeKit isn’t typically on an Android user’s radar, so I suspect most of this site’s readers won’t see it.)

Although TP-Link is currently rolling out Matter compatibility, the smart home platform doesn’t offer complete integration with security cameras yet. Still, linking your Tapo cameras to a smart home platform makes it easier to check camera status and watch live feeds on smart displays with fewer apps. It also helps you control the camera mode with a voice command.

In addition to smart home platforms, Tapo supports two security camera tools: RTSP and ONVIF. These tools allow you to link your Tapo security cameras to a private server or network video recorder (NVR). While these tools are more complex to set up than a typical Wi-Fi security camera, they are options for people with technical backgrounds.

What’s bad about the TP-Link Tapo C510W?

The C510W’s drawbacks aren’t deal breakers

My biggest complaint is that the 10-foot power cord limits where you can install the security camera outdoors. Outdoor power outlets are uncommon in most homes, especially if you want to keep the power cord out of reach to prevent someone from accidentally (or intentionally) unplugging your camera.

While it’s possible to drill a hole through your exterior wall to install the power adapter indoors, that’s more complex than mounting a battery-powered camera like the Arlo Essential XL.

My other top criticism is the Tapo C510W’s frame rate of 15 fps, which produces motion blur on fast-moving subjects. Although this is typical performance on many security cameras, it’s harder to identify someone on a recording. Still, it does well enough with people moving at normal walking speeds that most video clips will look great.

Beyond that, my final quibbles are so niche that I debated mentioning them: live views in connected smart home apps and some Tapo features requiring a paid plan.

While you can view live video feeds from your Tapo cameras on Amazon Echo and Google Nest Hub smart displays, there’s a preview option in the Alexa and Google Home apps — though it was a pleasant surprise when the live view showed in my SmartThings app.

This means you’ll have to switch between the Tapo app and the rest of your smart home system to view clips and access better camera controls. Tapo’s not alone. Very few third-party security camera brands offer in-depth Alexa and Google Home integrations.

My last beef is that some features require a Tapo Care cloud subscription, which starts at $3.49 monthly. It’s disappointing that you must pay to use the rich notifications that show a preview of recent camera events without opening the Tapo app. Tapo Care’s paid features, like cloud video storage and smart video sorting, work well together but are unnecessary if you use local storage.

Should you buy it?

TP-Link Tapo C510W is almost perfect for every budget and outdoor setting

I’lI keep it short and sweet: I highly recommend the Tapo C510W for anyone needing a wired outdoor security camera.

Few rival outdoor pan-tilt cameras can beat the TP-Link Tapo C510W’s features, video performance, and simple app for under $50. The closest competitor is the $40 Wyze Cam Pan v3, which tops out at 1080p and locks more features behind a subscription than Tapo. Even the pricier offerings from Eufy and Reolink struggle to offer more utility than the Tapo C510W unless you need a battery-powered option.