Smart Security Cameras

Smart security cameras put a live view of your gate, driveway or hallway on your phone over the home Wi-Fi you already run. This category holds indoor and outdoor units from the TP-Link Tapo line, and the people buying them are homeowners watching an entrance, landlords keeping an eye on a rented floor, and shopkeepers who want a second view of the counter.

Every camera stocked here is a TP-Link Tapo model, so the range is narrow on brand and wide on form. The Tapo C100 is a fixed indoor Wi-Fi camera at the entry end. The Tapo C310 and Tapo C320WS are outdoor Wi-Fi cameras for a fixed view of one approach. The Tapo C510W and Tapo C520WS add pan and tilt movement outdoors. At the top sits the Tapo C400S2, a wire-free two camera system. Prices run from entry-level single units through to premium multi camera sets.

Three decisions settle most purchases.

• Start with placement, because an indoor unit like the Tapo C100 belongs on a shelf or hallway wall while the outdoor models are made for an eave or boundary wall facing the street.
• Next, choose between a fixed lens and pan and tilt. A fixed camera covers one approach and nothing beyond it, while a pan and tilt unit sweeps a wider area from one mounting point, which counts on a long driveway or an open compound.
• Last, check power. Most models here need a mains point within cable reach, and the wire-free Tapo C400S2 kit exists for corners where running that cable is a problem.

Matching a camera to your situation

A single indoor camera answers the common case of watching a door, a stairwell or a child’s room while you are out of the house. Owners with a gate and a boundary wall lean toward the outdoor pan and tilt models, since one unit can watch the gate and the parking space instead of two. A shopkeeper covering a counter and a stockroom gets more from the two camera Tapo C400S2 kit than from two separate installs. If your router sits at the far end of the house from the mounting spot, budget for a Wi-Fi repeater before you budget for another camera.

You can see these cameras working at our Karachi showroom before you commit, and orders ship nationwide across Pakistan. Payment goes through cash on delivery or online payment, so you can settle when the box reaches you. Mega Computer has sold computer hardware since 1986, and the staff who hand over the camera will talk you through mounting height and app setup.

These cameras join your Wi-Fi network rather than a wired recorder, so signal strength at the mounting spot decides how the live view holds up. Stand at the wall you have in mind and check the bars on your phone before you drill. The Tapo units share one app, which keeps a mixed set of indoor and outdoor cameras under a single view.