Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily

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Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily

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Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-09-02 10:03:16 - last edited 2020-09-04 08:40:25
Model: Adapter  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 1.0.10

I have 2 x C200 cameras and the second one keeps losing the connection to the network and I have to restart it to get it to re-connect again.  I have also connected them both to Synology Surveillance station and in the evenst list I can see about 6 disconnects and re-connections a day but only from the 1 camera.  The other one is working perfectly.

The temperamental one has been re-postioned to be closer to the WAP but my home has excellent WiFi coverage and this is not the problem.

Any suggestions welcome or do I have a dodgy unit?

Cheers

 

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#1
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1 Accepted Solution
Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily-Solution
2020-09-04 08:40:21 - last edited 2020-09-04 08:40:25

@MarkyG 

 

Are they both connected to the same wireless network? You may try to swap the location of the two and confirm again if the issue occurs in the specific location or with the specific camera.

 

It is suggested to refer to the below suggestions to troubleshoot:

https://www.tp-link.com/support/faq/2624/

 

Good days.

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#2
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily-Solution
2020-09-04 08:40:21 - last edited 2020-09-04 08:40:25

@MarkyG 

 

Are they both connected to the same wireless network? You may try to swap the location of the two and confirm again if the issue occurs in the specific location or with the specific camera.

 

It is suggested to refer to the below suggestions to troubleshoot:

https://www.tp-link.com/support/faq/2624/

 

Good days.

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#2
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-09-05 07:12:43

@MarkyG Today I placed right next to each otehr and made sure they were both connecting by the same access point, the troublesome one went offline again after a couple of hours.  I have seen from teh logs on the Synology surveillance station that this camera sometimes reconects itself after a period of time such as 1 minute or 2 hours but this is still not suitable.

Cheers

 

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#3
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-09-05 07:45:46

@MarkyG I have now reset it and turned on diagnostics so will see how it goes over the next 2 days

 

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#4
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-10-22 22:15:52

@MarkyG I'm having the exact same issue. 2 cameras on the same account in the same property, on the same WiFi. Having connection issues on both of them, with one of them having significant connection issues.

 

I've only had them a week. They worked seamlessly the first few days, but now it's as if my stream has been downgraded??? 

 

I've done the usual SpeedTest for my broadband connection, LAN scan, firmware update check, etc. Everything checks out fine. No other network changes since installing the Tapo C200 cameras. I've rebooted one the cameras, but this hasn't resolved anything. 

 

Wondering if you've had any success resolving the issue? My next step will be to contact the manufacturer, or I might just send them back for a refund. What's the point in having security cameras if you can't connect to them when you need to? 

 

This isn't the only issue I've noticed with these cameras, but it's certainly the most significant. 

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#5
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-10-22 22:25:05
The troubleshoot page is for "What can I do if I can’t find my Tapo camera on Tapo app?" This question is about loosing connection, which isn't the same issue. I can see my cameras on the app, but connection is dropping. Also, the troubleshoot page doesn't say what to do if none of the suggestions work.
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#6
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-10-22 23:23:19

@EMM My troublesome camera is still disconnnecting and the frequency varies, it can sometimes remain OK for up to 2 days and then it goes offline again. I just checked and currently it is offline and I will need to reboot it to rectify.  I have made the suggested changes to the WiFi 2.4Ghz channels too but nothing I have tried so far has any success.  I am an IT pro so set networks and WiFi up for a living so I know my own home WiFi and LAN are fine.  Next step I will try is a completely different network and will take the camera to my office and see if it also has issues there.

Cheers

 

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#7
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-10-23 00:28:21

Update: rebooting both cameras from the settings page on the app seems to have resolved the issue. Although, getting into to the settings page on each camera was an issue in itself due to the overarching connection issue. 

 

I'm not satisfied that this is a long-term solution. A quick fix at best, and not something that was described in the troubleshooter or FAQs. As I have both cameras set to continuous recording, I'll now have gaps whenever I have to reboot them.

 

Requiring constant maintenance, especially for security devices, isn't a good solution. If this is a common error, it really should be picked up in the next firmware update. 

 

There appears to be an option to select a daily reboot at a specific time slot, but as it causes a gap in recordings, you would need to have a crystal ball to predict when you don't need to be recording. 

 

This is probably an even bigger issue for users who have them setup to notify when motion is detected. I haven't tested this aspect, but I can only assume that it will result in false-positives. This isn't good at all for any kind of surveillance equipment. 

 

Alongside the issues of 1. not being able to accurately maintain camera position marks, 2. the problem with the feed dropping to low quality without asking, and 3. playback speed issues, leaves me with the feeling that these are firmly in the budget security camera market.

 

I've used worse cameras than these in a similar price range, but this is the first big name brand that has fallen well short of my expectations.

 

These cameras (and the app) have their plus points, and probably more of them than most other cameras I've used, but they've clearly not been through rigorous testing before going to market. 

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#8
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-10-27 06:43:30

@EMM 

Good day,

Thanks a lot for your time and patience.

Sorry for the delay.

If you haven’t returned the camera back to Amazon and would like to spend more time with us, we would like to forward your case to our senior engineers directly;

At the same time, please help us check the following information:

  1. What is the model number of your home router?
  2. When the cameras lost the connection, would the system LED turn red or stay green?
  3. How many times would it get disconnected within one day?

Thank you very much.

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#9
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-12-09 16:09:48
Hello, I have the exact same problem too. 2 C200, on the same network etc... 1 has constant connection, the other a lot of offline time, without any cleared indication of when will be the next (might be 3 days, might be 1 hour, or even 10 minutes). Swapped locations with the other one, tried all things, even removed the microsd to see if it is some kind of problem with it. Always the same C200 goes offline. And btw, how did you manage to get it to reboot from within the app, when it is offline???
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#10
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Re:Tapo C200 Camera losing connection almost daily
2020-12-10 15:17:53

@Brook I have similar problems with my cameras.I have 3 installed, two of them losing connection randomly and one of them (closest tho the main router) worse than the other. I use a meshing wifi network with bandsteering on 2.4 ( and 5GHz) and total of 3 meshing AP's.

 

Br Christer

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