Technical questions: C530WS vs C520WS, Stream vs Recording quality, and Fixed camera alternatives

Technical questions: C530WS vs C520WS, Stream vs Recording quality, and Fixed camera alternatives

Technical questions: C530WS vs C520WS, Stream vs Recording quality, and Fixed camera alternatives
Technical questions: C530WS vs C520WS, Stream vs Recording quality, and Fixed camera alternatives
18 hours ago - last edited 4 hours ago
Model: Tapo C530WS  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

Hi everyone,

I recently added a Tapo C530WS to my setup, but I have a few technical questions regarding its performance and configuration:

 

  1. Sensor Comparison: Is the sensor on the C530WS the same as, or superior to, the one found on the C520WS? I know the C530WS has a higher resolution (3K), but the C520WS is often praised for its Starlight sensor. Does the C530WS maintain the same low-light performance?

  2. SD Card vs. Tapo Care: I am currently a Tapo Care subscriber. In this case, is a physical SD card still necessary or recommended? What are the main advantages of keeping an SD card if all my event recordings are already going to the cloud?

  3. Fixed Camera Alternatives: I’ve noticed that I tend to keep my cameras in a fixed position without using the Pan/Tilt (360°) features. Are there better "fixed" (bullet style) models in the Tapo lineup that offer superior image quality or better hardware for a similar price point?

  4. Independent Resolution Settings: Can I configure the camera to record at maximum quality (both on the SD card and Cloud) while keeping the Live Stream at a lower resolution (e.g., 720p or "Auto") to ensure faster loading times and less lag on the app?

Looking forward to your insights. Thanks!

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Re:Technical questions: C530WS vs C520WS, Stream vs Recording quality, and Fixed camera alternatives
3 hours ago - last edited 3 hours ago

  @Alexandre_Tplin 

Hi,
Take the Tapo C530WS V2 and Tapo C520WS V2 to compare:

 

1. The Tapo C530WS V2 has a 1/2.7" Progressive Scan CMOS Starlight Sensor, which is superior to the Tapo C520WS V2's 1/3" Progressive Scan CMOS Starlight Sensor.

 

2. The advantages of SD card storage are:

  • The camera can store continuous video recordings to the SD card. 
  • Even when the camera is offline, such as when the router has no internet connection, the camera can still record videos to the SD card.

 

You can decide whether to use an SD card in the camera based on your requirements. It's recommended to refer to the instructions below to select an SD card from the compatibility list if you want to insert one into the camera.
What type of microSD card does Tapo Camera support?
 

3. You can go to this page to filter the cameras and select one that interests you.
 

4. Different Tapo camera models use different video resolution settings when saving videos to SD cards. 
For the Tapo C520WS V2, the resolution of video recordings saved to the SD card is the same as the camera's live feed resolution. 
For the Tapo C530WS V2, video recordings saved to the SD card are set to the highest quality by default.

 

The resolution of videos saved to the cloud server is set to the highest quality by default.

 

Best Regards

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