If you’re tired of recharging your outdoor security camera batteries every few months, you should consider going solar. The TP-Link Tapo SolarCam C402 Kit comes with a weatherproof wireless camera and a solar panel that charges the battery. It delivers relatively sharp 1080p video and works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT applets. At $59.99, it’s an excellent value, but if you can increase your budget, the Tapo Wire-Free MagCam (listed for $119.99, but often heavily discounted) provides sharper 2K video imagery, up to one year of battery life between charges, and solar panel compatibility (sold separately), retaining our Editors’ Choice for wireless outdoor security cameras.
Design: Flexible Installation Options
The C402 kit comes with a bullet-style camera and a 6.7-by-4.7-inch solar panel. The camera looks nearly identical to the Tapo Wire-Free MagCam that we reviewed earlier this year, but at 3.5 by 2.3 inches, it’s a bit smaller (the MagCam measures 4.5 by 2.5 inches). It has an IP65 weatherproof rating and threaded holes on the back and bottom for wall mounting and desktop placement. Also around the back are reset and power buttons, a USB-C charging port, and a microSD card slot, all of which are protected with rubber covers. A speaker is located at the bottom of the camera.
The front of the camera holds the lens assembly, a motion sensor, four infrared LEDs, a light sensor, two spotlights, and a microphone. There’s also a status LED that blinks red and green when the camera is ready for setup, turns to solid amber when connecting to Wi-Fi, solid green when connected to the cloud, and solid red when the camera starts up. You can have the spotlights automatically illuminate when motion is detected or manually turn them on from within the app.
The camera captures 1080p video at 15fps and has a 125-degree field of view. In comparison, the Tapo MagCam captures 2K video at 30fps and has a 150-degree field of view. The C402 will record full-color night video when the spotlights are active or when there is adequate ambient light; otherwise, the video is captured in black and white using the IR LEDs.
The camera supports microSD cards up to 512GB for local video storage, but you don’t get one in the box. Alternatively, you can subscribe to a Premium TapoCare plan for 30 days of cloud video storage, rich notifications, and a smart sort feature that lets you classify recorded videos with tags, making them easier to identify. The camera comes with a free 30-day Premium plan trial, after which it costs $3.49 per month or $34.99 per year. Even if you don’t subscribe to a plan, the C402 offers free intelligent alerts (for people, pets, vehicles, and other motion) and the ability to create privacy zones for areas you want to continuously monitor.
(Credit: TP-Link)
The built-in rechargeable 6,400mAh lithium-ion battery can last up to 180 days between charges (depending on usage), and the included solar panel can provide infinite battery power with just 45 minutes of direct sunlight per day. You can install the solar panel directly on the mounting bracket or use the included 13-foot USB-C extension cable to place it further away for better sunlight exposure. Also included in the box are a 20-inch USB-A to USB-C charging cable, two mounting brackets (wall and desktop), a quick start guide, mounting templates, and mounting hardware.
The C402 connects to your phone and the internet using a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio. It supports Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands and works with lots of third-party devices via IFTTT applets, but it doesn’t support Apple HomeKit. It uses the same Tapo mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as other devices from the brand, including the C420S2 camera system ($199.99) and the PM125M smart plug ($19.99).
The camera appears on the app’s home screen in a panel that shows its name and location, battery status, and power status (on, off). Tap the panel to open a screen with a live video stream that can be viewed in full-screen mode by turning your phone sideways. Below the video panel are buttons for taking a snapshot, manually recording a video, muting the speaker, and placing a two-way call to the camera. There’s also a two-way talk button that must remain pressed to communicate with anyone in camera range. Additional buttons on this screen let you manually enable or disable the spotlight, the 94dB siren, privacy mode (which prevents the camera from streaming or recording video and audio), and detection tagging (which draws a blue box around moving objects). Finally, a Tapo Care button lets you access subscription information.
At the bottom of the screen are thumbnails of recently recorded events. Tap any thumbnail to play, download, or delete the video clip.
In the upper right corner is a button that takes you to a settings screen where you can adjust motion settings, enable the siren, view battery life status, format an SD card, and configure video settings. Other settings allow you to adjust the spotlight brightness, configure your Wi-Fi connection, schedule notifications, and update the firmware.
Installation and Performance: Easy and Consistent
The C402 kit is simple to install. Start by downloading the Tapo app and creating an account if you are new to the brand. With the camera’s battery fully charged, open the app and tap the plus icon in the upper right corner of the My Home screen, then tap Add Device and select Outdoor Cameras from the list of devices. Choose the C402 camera and follow the on-screen instructions to press and hold the power button for three seconds. When the LED begins flashing red and green, the app will prompt you to connect your phone to the camera’s Wi-Fi SSID, then select your Wi-Fi SSID and enter your password. Give the camera a name and location, and mount it in your desired place. Finally, attach the solar panel to the mounting bracket and plug it into the camera’s USB port to complete the installation.
(Credit: TP-Link/PCMag)
The C402 camera performed well in testing. Daytime video showed good color saturation and sharp image detail but night video colors appeared a bit washed out. Meanwhile, the black-and-white night video appeared well-lit with good contrast.
Motion alerts were correctly identified and arrived quickly, and the spotlights did a good job of illuminating the area directly in front of the camera. Streaming video to an Amazon Echo Show smart display using Alexa voice commands worked as intended, as did my Alexa routing to have an AiDot Linkind Matter Smart Plug turn on when the camera detected motion.
Verdict: A Strong Value for Solar-Powered Surveillance
The TP-Link Tapo SolarCam C402 Kit provides everything you need to monitor outdoor areas of your home without the need for power. Its rechargeable battery will last for up to six months between charges and the included solar panel offers infinite charging with enough sunlight. It delivered sharp 1080p video and accurate motion alerts in testing and was a snap to install, and its $59.99 makes it extremely affordable, especially for a solar-powered camera. For even sharper, high-resolution video with a wider field of view, consider our Editors’ Choice winner, the TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam, which offers 2K video and can also be used with a solar panel.
TP-Link Tapo SolarCam C402 Kit
The Bottom Line
The Tapo SolarCam C402 Kit combines a 1080p weatherproof outdoor security camera with a solar panel to keep it running without battery charging or wires.
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About John R. Delaney
Contributing Editor
