Tapo security camera review: The C325WB offers up immaculate quality

Updated June 2, 2023

Tapo, a smart home subsidiary of TP-Link, has been quietly, consistently rolling out a lineup of smart outdoor cameras. The Tapo C325WB (available at Amazon for $119.99) is the latest heavy hitter on the scene, a 12-volt powered device that installs easily and delivers astounding 2K QHD video performance for its price point. It may be a little finicky during the setup process. But once it's up and running, the Tapo C325WB represents a value that's hard to come by in the smart security world.

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About the C325WB Tapo Security Camera

What we like

What we don't like

Privacy

Should you buy it?

Related content

Excellent video quality

Can identify people, pets, and vehicles

Good features accessible without paid subscription

Setup can be buggy

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The video feeds are of crystal clear HDR quality.

It's no secret that many outdoor cameras try to draw prospective customers in with the promise of 2K video quality. In that regard, the C325WB is no different. But as soon as this camera is up and running, it becomes increasingly apparent that Tapo has backed up the buzz words with spectacular results.

Tapo's outdoor security camera offers clear and detailed daytime video quality boosted by the camera's HDR.

Where the C325WB really wows is the nighttime performance. The C325WB comes with Tapo's ColorPro Night Vision technology, which includes features like a larger sensor, a F1.0 super-aperture lens for capturing more light, and image-optimization algorithms to improve clarity, brightness and saturation. The result is video quality at night that ranks among the best outdoor cameras.

The C325WB retails for $120, which is not the most affordable outdoor camera, but for the video quality it provides alone, it represents an outstanding bargain in the smart security space.

Installation will only take minutes.

It's been a trend with most of the 12-volt powered outdoor cameras we’ve tested (options like the EzViz C3W Pro come to mind), but I’m once again impressed with just how easy the instal process is with the Tapo C325WB. Hardwired cameras aren't necessarily hard to install, but between shutting off power to entire sections of your house and splicing wires together, there's a lot more steps.

With the C325WB, there's basically two steps: find a spot to mount the camera with the included screws and hardware, and find an outlet to plug the camera into.

Better yet, the C325WB has one of the longer power cables I’ve seen, making the camera a little less limited when it comes to mounting location.

Overall, Tapo makes it easy for virtually anyone to get this security camera installed and ready to go.

The Tapo C325WB offers local storage options via a micro SD card, which is great in its own right. But the icing on the cake here is that Tapo doesn't hide its most intriguing features behind a monthly subscription.

The camera's AI detection capabilities, which give it the ability to identify people, pets, and vehicles, is already built-in, no extra fee needed, and is better AI than Ring cameras offer. The same goes with other, more standard features like the C325WB's built-in siren and spotlight.

If you do want cloud storage, you can opt for Tapo Care, which gives you unlimited 30-day cloud storage for a single device for $3.50 a month.

The point is, you can utilize all of the C325WB's perks without having to sign up for an extra charge each and every month. In a fee-focused smart home space, that's a huge benefit to consider.

Setting up might be a little confusing at first, but at least the app is relatively straight forward.

After finding a location for the C325WB (down my side yard) and drilling it into place, I ran into a peculiar problem. After logging into the Tapo app to set up the camera, the C325WB couldn't find my Wi-Fi network, despite both my phone and another outdoor camera having no issue finding the network from that same location. I ended up having to uninstall the camera, take it inside next to my router, and finish the setup before returning it to the original location.

I haven't had any connectivity issues since, and the app is very easy to use otherwise. Plus, the C325WB can connect via ethernet if you want to guarantee a connection. The initial setup was just frustrating, and I’d advise anyone interested in this camera to plug it in and add it to your Wi-Fi for mounting it, just to be on the safe side.

Privacy is tricky with Wi-Fi-connected smart home devices, especially with products like security devices. Regardless of the measures a brand takes, it's hard to completely guarantee your data will stay safe.

That doesn't mean brands shouldn't take measures, and Tapo did as much by encouraging two-factor authentication and offering Privacy Mode, a setting that will temporarily disable streaming and recording when enabled.

The video feed resolution alone makes it a good sell.

For $120, the Tapo C325WB should have no right to showcase such detailed, impactful video performance. But somehow, it does, pairing a 2K QHD 4MP resolution with ColorPro Night Vision technology to create video quality that's extremely hard to come across in this price range.

Honestly, this level of quality by itself already makes the juice worth the squeeze.

Factor in the fact that the C325WB installs very easily and packs all of its best features right into the camera itself, free from the need to use a subscription, and Tapo has itself a camera that's hard to overlook. It did have quite the hiccup finding my Wi-Fi network in the setup process, but it was a one-time blunder that had a fairly easy solution.

If that's the price to pay for great video quality and an easy-to-use outdoor camera, then consider us eager buyers.

This Wi-Fi-enabled home security camera offers crisp and clear 2K resolution.

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

Nick Woodard

Contributor

Nick Woodard is a tech journalist specializing in all things related to home theater and A/V. His background includes a solid foundation as a sports writer for multiple daily newspapers, and he enjoys hiking and mountain biking in his spare time.

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