TP-Link Kasa Cam 1080p Smart Home Security Camera

Product Description

Kasa Cam Security Camera is like your own personal lookout. Place the TP-Link Kasa Cam 1080p Smart Home Security Camera almost anywhere to help keep your home safe. Give yourself a little peace of mind, all while seeing every detail... [Read more]

Features

• 【Cloud Storage】Rolling 2-day video history for two years free.
• 【Crystal clear video】Sharp and clear, wide-angle 1080P video makes sure you never miss a thing. Manually zoom in to get a closer look to what's going on. Even at night, The camera will detect activity 25 ft. away with night vision.
• 【Activity zones】Control what alerts you receive by creating up to 4 custom activity zones, around areas that are important to you. Set zones for areas that matter most Like your front door, back door, garage, or living room.
• 【Instant Notifications】With motion and sound detection, The Kasa Smart app alerts you of activity that matters and sends notifications straight to your smartphone.
• 【Trusted & Reliable】Kasa is trusted by over 7 Million users. 2-year warranty. Require 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network connection. Kasa Cam is currently designed for installation and use within the U. S. Region.

Top Reviews

Dennis Reynolds Would Not Approve
by Chelsey (1 out of 5 stars)
March 29, 2018

Let me preface this by saying that I have a handful of TP-Link/Kasa products already (smart bulbs and smart plugs), which work flawlessly. Because I was so pleased with the products I already had, I figured I would get a camera from them as well. The first day was okay; I was only using it from within my house and it seemed to be a good quality video, although like others have said, there was an inexplicable high pitched ringing that would come and go.

The next day I got to work and I couldn't access the video stream. I went home at lunch and the camera was flashing red, so I reset it from scratch. That fixed the problem for about 24 hours, and then the same thing started happening again. None of my other devices had any issues, and I have very high speed internet, so I believe this comes down to the camera itself regularly malfunctioning.

Now let's talk about the recordings. The record time is very short; from what I can tell, it's a minimum of 20 seconds and the max video length that I experienced was about 2 minutes. However, it doesn't record every time there is motion. The first few days it recorded me walking through the door when I got home in the evening, then it just stopped. I'd walk across the living room and it wouldn't notice the motion, but it would later record me sitting still on the couch.

Overall I am very disappointed with this product. It does not stand up to the quality I have seen with TP-Link/Kasa's other devices.

Oh, and for any of you debating purchasing this for "other" reasons, I assure you that Dennis Reynolds would not approve.
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Just about as good as the rest
by Lost in Paradise (5 out of 5 stars)
September 21, 2017

SUMMARY: At least $30 (probably more) less than Nest, a much better picture than nest (night vision also), and gives you 2 days (up to 1GB) of cloud storage for recordings.. I dig it.

I'm giving it 5 stars, it might be more like 4.7 but I'm thinking the things that it needs will be added in software updates.

I bought the nest 2 weeks ago and was underwhelmed. This is much cheaper (though I got the nest on sale for $160... it's still $30) and gives you 2 days (up to 1GB) of cloud storage for free. That right there is what makes it worth it because every other cam (worth having) requires a subscription after a trial period. Everybody wants a piece of your monthly money because it's practically guaranteed income when people forget they pay for it.

The quality of the product is MUCH better than nest was (I also have a pretty good foscam spy camera that records to SD, Kasa Cam wins against that, too).

Setup was a piece of cake, but to be fair I'm pretty technical.

I do understand the other reviewers issue about the white cord, but ultimately I think they went that route because of the probability people will run this camera somewhere where the wire will be against a wall... and there is an abundantly more amount of white trim/light color walls (or just walls that look better with white than black). Even if you're hiding the camera, odds are the wire will be hidden also. So, the times when a black wire would be a better choice are minimal and it's just easier to let the user use one of the thousands they have lying around.

It only lets you schedule the 'on/off' setting, i.e. when you go to work. Nest has a location setting where if you're home it won't notify you. So Kasa will basically shut off or turn on at times you designate... Nest you could leave on all the time but then not get notified constantly while at home; meanwhile when you are out on a random trip you'll get a notification saying there was motion. To achieve this with Kasa you'd have to turn it off then turn it on when you leave. Again, I think a software update to the app will come out and fix this.

Also, it doesn't appear that is linked up to Google home yet (which would make the above issue a little less taxing)... but again, I'm sure it's incoming given all their other stuff is linked.

I think that's it.
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A hidden gem among WiFi cameras
by Gordon Gross (5 out of 5 stars)
November 14, 2017

I first purchased a Philips home security camera - two of them - when they were just coming out and very expensive. The image was terrible and they had no night vision. Generally, they weren't worth the money. It soured me on buying anything new for quite a while.

But when the TP-Link came along with a reasonable price and a familiar quality, I joined their beta program and tried it out. I continue to be amazed by the image quality. I can zoom in (using my iPhone's accessibility zoom) to quite large and eavesdrop on my little, old cat while she investigates things she shouldn't and I can even talk to here although she ignores me. I was in the hospital and had some friends take care of my cat and was able to direct them via the camera and our voices as to where things were and what lights to leave on. I also had to allow a pest-check company have a look while I wasn't there and could not only see everything they did (they were perfectly professional) but also hear everything they said.

For the price, this camera is a find and it can also record based on sensitivity zones small enough to catch my cat climbing into the kitchen cupboards. It's well worth your time if you have such a need.
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I plan to purchase at least one more, to expand and complete my security coverage!
by Dr J A Marquis (5 out of 5 stars)
November 16, 2017

After spending weeks researching home 1080p security cameras, I decided to give the TP-Link Kasa Cam a try. My decision to do so was helped along by the fact that I am a (very satisfied) user of TP-Link smart Wi-Fi switches and plugs. I really couldn't be happier with the Kasa Cam. It does take a bit of trial-and-error to establish placement, orientation and sensitivity levels (as with any camera of this type). Once that was taken care of, the camera's performance has lived up to everything good that's been said about it in user reviews. I experience few false triggers, few missed triggers, quick response and very short lag times. Low light "reach" and performance in near-total darkness is very good. I highly recommennd the TP-Link Kasa Cam KC120.
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DO NOT BUY
by Chad Poindexter (1 out of 5 stars)
March 24, 2018

UPDATE 6/5/18: I am officially downgrading my previous ratings on this camera to a 0... I can't actually give it 0 stars here on Amazon, so 1 will suffice, but don't let it fool you, it is a 0. I can't say enough, DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA!

As mentioned below, I purchased 2 of these. One on 2/28 and the other about 2 weeks later. The second camera I purchased stopped working after only 11 days. Amazon replaced it, and as of today, it is still working...

However, the first camera I purchased has been dropping signal left and right for the past few weeks now. More times than not, when I would go to check in on the feed the camera would be unreachable. And no, my internet and wifi is fine. The other camera, as well as all the other smart home products I am using still worked. Also, the firmware is up to date on all products, including this camera, and this particular camera is 12 feet away from my router, with no walls or other obstructions in the way. Currently, I am getting 117Mbps download speeds, and that is via wifi on my iPhone, and with other things running and a wall in between the router and the phone. Trust me, it's the camera...

Being that I am now out of the window for a return through Amazon, I tried calling TP-Link. I spent an hour talking to 5 different people on the phone yesterday. The first several minutes wasted on a huge communication barrier... the lady did not speak English very well, and seemed to understand less than she spoke. From there I was strung along a few others that said that I needed to talk with someone else. Finally after troubleshooting (which I had done many times before calling, and I explained this to them more than once) I was finally told that they would swap the camera out for me... but not quite yet! First I had to wait on an email, and then I would have to sign up on the TP-Link site, including entering my credit card information, and then they would process that and then they would mail me a replacement.

The email came faster than I thought it would, which was a surprise. I went through the motions, and got to the point to put in my credit card information, and the web site stopped working. I tried multiple browsers, 3 different computers, and even my iPhone. It wouldn't go any farther. I waited til today and tried again... still the same... So, I called them back. After about 20 minutes I was told that they would have to get back with me because the manager was out to lunch... So, now I am waiting on another email, and then I am sure another phone call...

I requested to just send both cameras back and them refund me the money because I am not convinced that these camera's will continue to work, and I don't want to have to deal with this every couple of months. Of course they can only do an exchange (which they still haven't been able to do anyway), so it looks like I am stuck with $270 worth of camera's that just aren't up to snuff...

Due to the fact that this will be the 4th camera (assuming I get it) in less than 4 months, and the customer service is very much lacking, I can not recommend others to buy this camera. Your time is worth more than broken products and hours of your "free" time spent on the phone dealing with folks that barely understand the words coming out of your mouth.

UPDATE 4/3/18: I have now had my second Kasa Cam KC120 for 11 days and for some reason it suddenly went offline. I could not access the feed all day while at work, even though everything else was able to be monitored/controlled, including another KC120 camera. When trying to access the feed on the Kasa app I would get a spinning wheel until a message would pop up and say that there was a "Connection Error. Unable to connect with the server." Of course it told me to check my internet connection, but I knew that wasn't it since everything else was still functioning just fine. So, once I got home from work I unplugged it and went through a full set-up again. Still didn't work. Then I reset it by pushing the reset button on the back with a paperclip... it still did not work! And for the record, yes, both the app and the camera firmware was up to date and good to go... the camera just was not working.

Next I decided to contact technical support. I first tried the phone number listed on the TP-Link website. After a few number entries I found myself holding for the next representative while listening to a horrible hold music... it was like a radio station right on the brink of just being static... then every couple of minutes a recording came on telling me that I was very important and they would be to me as soon as they could. Here's the catch though... if you do not hit the 1 button to continue holding during this conversation, the phone call will be ended. After about 9 minutes I missed it and lost my spot... So I did like the recording told me to do and used the online chat via the TP-Link site... it only took about 5 minutes there for my connection to be lost...

I gave up at this point and just came back to Amazon and filled out a return. I am going to swap it for the exact same camera since my first one, which I have had for almost 5 weeks now still works fine (despite the feedback clicking noise that I discuss below... even with the back cover removed.)

Due to how quickly this product defected though, and more so for the lack of technical support, I knocked my rating from 4 stars to 3 stars because I can't give it a 2.5... Amazon is sending me a replacement so I will see how that one goes. However, now I am weary of this product, and even more so that it seems there is no reliable customer service... I will update this review as needed...
------------------------------------------ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW-----------------------------------------------

I picked up one of these to try out, and liked it enough to pick up a second!

I wanted this to be able to click over and see parts of my house when not home, but also to keep an eye on our pets while not at home. They still sometimes want to chew, so catching them in the moment and being able to use the mic to say "NO" is enough to get them to stop! I am not relying on these as total home security, and while they do fall short on a few things (as already noted in other reviews) they are not that bad.

I don't see much difference between the 720 and the 1080 feed, so we just leave it set to 720 to decrease bandwidth usage. Each camera is monitoring rooms about 20x20, and the 720 feed is plenty for us to see all the detail we need. It would be nice if there were a zoom, and would be a must in rooms much bigger than this, but were fine without it. I find the lag time to be very short, no more than a second off.

The audio is fine, both way's, but I wouldn't say it's great. Again, it's fine for us and our needs though. Concerning audio, mine also had a pretty annoying clicking noise when watching the live feed. It wasn't anything that we could hear standing next to the camera, but it sure did come through the feed. I found a solution to this is to simply remove the back cover from the camera. The magnets that hold the back on must be causing some sort of interference with the audio... anyway, when removing the covers, I found that the feed on both camera's were without the annoying clicking noise. According to TP-Link, the camera's are fine without them on.

Edit to add: As of the next morning, even with the back covers removed, I can still hear the clicking noises on the first one I bought (it's about a month or less). I do not hear the clicking in the section nd camera (which I received the day of this review, yesterday). Also, I notice a lot of white noise on both when the volume is turned up (still with the back cover removed). This is a bummer...

The app is working fine so far. I am a little annoyed that when clicking on the camera tab in the Kasa app, it shows both camera's, however, it is not a live feed. It snaps a screenshot and shows only those single images. I would like to see this changed in a future update... preferably sooner than later. It would be nice to be able to see live feeds of both camera's at the same time on the same screen.

I am disappointed that the camera's cannot be programmed into the Kasa scene's, which is on the actual Kasa app... It would be great if I could have the camera's automatically come on when I am away and shut off when I am home. It is nice that I can set an on/off time, which is great for use at bedtime. Since I cannot set the camera's to auto on/off when I am home or away, I just leave them on. The downfall to this is the constant notifications... This entire area needs to be improved on for using this camera as a more realistic "home security" camera.

Overall, this camera does what I want it to. It gives me the option to view a live feed when I want, and allows 2 way communication. Basically, it's a really good nanny cam. As for home security camera, it needs more work, but if you are very diligent with turning things on and off, it works fine for that too...
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Not Yet Ready for Prime Time -- good hardware but no functional app
by Mr. G. (1 out of 5 stars)
November 2, 2018

I write this as an owner of 50 TP-Link smart products (plugs, switches, modems, routers, etc). All of their products are good. I would highly recommend passing on the Kasa Cam KC-120. We also own other cameras (Nest, Amazon). We have 150 mbs speeds in the house. I have also spent considerable time with tech support (so please don't message me to write or call tech support). The main shortcomings are these: the camera streams to Chromecast, Amazon, iPhone, Android devices, for TEN MINUTES and then stops. If you wish to use the camera for less than 10 minutes at a time, then this camera is for you. In addition, on some devices (Amazon Fire Tablets and Acer Chrome tablets), the image freezes after a few minutes and takes equally as long to get a streaming imaging again. Notifications only appear on iPhone (not Android or Amazon devices). There is also no mute or volume control in the app. My sense is this: the hardware is pretty good, but the supporting App does not do the camera justice (it is a half-baked effort designed by someone who has clearly not used a security camera -- 10 minutes and it times out!) I would highly encourage TP-Link to rework the app functionalities for the KC-120. A good place to start is to check out any other security camera apps to see what seems to be standard functionalities.
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Video quality is very good. Audio quality is passable
by E. Quick (5 out of 5 stars)
September 25, 2017

I have several TP-Link products already. I was looking to purchase a 1080p camera so when saw that TP-Link had released one i took a look. I compared to similar competitor products and this seems to have all the features I need. Video quality is very good. Audio quality is passable. It is good for monitoring for sound and if you used it to scare someone off (example: if you received an alert for break-in) but i would not attempt to carry on a remote 2-way conversation with someone. Packing and construction of camera are good.Setup is very simple with KASA app and setting up Activity Zones (intrusion detection) is straightforward and very responsive and adjustable and you get a clip on your phone which is downloadable. TP-Link will be offering a cloud storage subscription service or a basic service where you can store a couple of days. I had a problem with downloading the clips which turned out to be a configuration issue that was my fault. But the tech support people were fantastic, responsive and identified the problem very quickly. I would recommend this camera.
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Nice first effort... with a couple quirks
by SciFi Fan (4 out of 5 stars)
September 19, 2017

Like all of the Kasa products from TP-Link, the Kasa Cam is easy to add to your network when using the Kasa mobile app from your phone. Setup is similar to adding the TP-Link Kasa Smart Plugs. Once setup is complete, the app allows you to see live video so you can position the camera. The camera has an excellent picture with a useful 130 degree wide angle. One oddity is the camera is jet black, but it comes with a bright white power cord. So, I need to pay extra to buy a power cord to match the camera. Makes no sense... The camera is powered by standard Micro USB, so finding a new cord isn't a big deal.
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Great video and sound quality; very sensitive- anything will set off its motion sensor
by Aranza (3 out of 5 stars)
May 28, 2018

Pros:
-Great video quality both during the day and at night
-Clear sound quality
-Ability to use the "talk" function from your phone so you can talk using the camera
-Easily turn it on and off using your phone
-You can see live from your phone what the camera is looking at
-Cheap monthly subscription compared to other plans

Cons:
-Cannot turn the camera on/off using Alexa
-It does not record 24/7
-Everything turns on the motion sensor and then sends an alarm to your phone; dust passing in front of the camera, loud sounds coming from my apartment building hall- this is the main reason why i'm returning it because all throughout the day I would get notifications and when I looked at the videos it was just specks of dust floating in front of it.
-Cannot set zones, such as specific locations for the camera to look out for people; and if you have pets this camera will go off all day
-Camera is stable, you cannot move it remotely or using your phone
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when it works it is nice..
by ChirpingBirdy (1 out of 5 stars)
October 28, 2018

I tried chat support, and they had me email them a screen shot of their app showing me the message "Continue Live Streaming?". Tech support never replied back to me. The problem I am having with this product is that sometimes it stays connected for many hours, but most of the time is disconnects in five to ten minutes with the message "Continue Live Streaming?". Worst is that sometimes the screen freezes so you think it is connected, but it is not. You have to force close the Kasa app and then restart the app to get it going again. This has happened with three different tablets (2 Lenovos (both Android), and one Ipad), and with my Pixel two. I bought the camera to keep an eye on my 90 year old mother, but it has been totally unreliable. I even tried installing an access point right next to the camera in-case it was having trouble connecting - no difference. I think it is all a software problem. It works with Alexa, but it has the same problems. The only difference is that instead of getting the message "Do you want to continue" the Alexa says "buffering" and then disconnects. I have never seen the Alexia stream it for more than five minutes before it says "buffering" and then disconnects.

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