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Camera spotlight for night vision - better to have a mixed mode

 
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Camera spotlight for night vision - better to have a mixed mode

Camera spotlight for night vision - better to have a mixed mode
Camera spotlight for night vision - better to have a mixed mode
2025-05-13 22:57:04
Tags: #Motion Detection
Model: Tapo C410  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

Currently, there are two modes: Color night vision and Infrared. When I choose Color Night Vision mode, it misses a few seconds of recording before the spotlight is turned on.

 

The test is like this:

1. Use Color night vision mode.

2. Walk in to the room in the night.

3. The camera detects the motion and the spotlight is turned on.

4. Replay the recording.

5. Only see color vision when the spotlight is on; no recording before that. I believe this is caused by the camera's inability to record anything without infrared.

 

I would suggest to have a mixed mode: In an infrared mode, it turns on spotlight automatically once it detects something and changes to color night vision mode. This would ensure it records things that happen right before the spotlight is on.

#1
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Re:Camera spotlight for night vision - better to have a mixed mode
2025-05-14 12:31:50

  @newtapouser 

Hi,
To conserve power, battery-powered cameras typically remain in a low-power sleep state when no motion is detected, and they start detecting motion and recording when awake. The camera can be awakened by actions within the app, such as viewing the live feed, or by the PIR sensor. You can refer to the following instructions to see how the Tapo C410 can be woken up.
What is the Wake-up Sensitivity of my battery camera?
 

In your test, the camera is in the sleep state first, then the motion in front of the camera wakes it up, and then it turns on the spotlight and starts recording the video. This process is logical. Even if the camera is working in the Infrared mode, it needs to be woken up from the sleep state before it can start recording video.

 

You can refer to the tips in the following instructions to adjust the camera's mounting position to make it easier for the camera to detect motion, and check if it helps.
What should I do if my battery-powered camera can't detect the motion?
 

Best Regards

>> What to do if the Detection feature is not working on the TP-Link Camera. >> Enhance Video Clarity: Troubleshooting Tips for Improving Camera Video Quality. >> General questions about the TP-Link camera's Pan & Tilt feature.
#2
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Re:Camera spotlight for night vision - better to have a mixed mode
2025-05-14 22:01:14

  @Solla-topee 

Thanks for the information.

 

To have a mixed mode, as I have suggested, is to ensure movements are detected and recorded prior to the switch-on of spotlight.

 

Otherwise, in the Color Night Vision mode, a person can run quickly under the camera without be captured on the video, due to the fact the spotlight takes time to be turned on.

#3
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Re:Camera spotlight for night vision - better to have a mixed mode
2025-05-15 10:00:24

  @newtapouser 

Hi,
When the C410 camera operates in Color mode, it takes approximately 200 milliseconds to turn on the spotlight after the camera wakes up by motion from sleep state. This rapid response time ensures that almost no motion is missed after the camera wakes up. 


When the camera is in Infrared mode, it also begins recording only after being awakened by motion, and the recorded video content is nearly identical to that in Color mode.

 

For your usage scenario, the key to capturing more comprehensive video footage is to quickly wake the camera from sleep state. You can refer to the tips in the following instructions to adjust the camera's mounting position to make it easier for the camera to detect motion and be woken up.
What should I do if my battery-powered camera can't detect the motion?
 

Best Regards

>> What to do if the Detection feature is not working on the TP-Link Camera. >> Enhance Video Clarity: Troubleshooting Tips for Improving Camera Video Quality. >> General questions about the TP-Link camera's Pan & Tilt feature.
#4
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Re:Camera spotlight for night vision - better to have a mixed mode
2025-05-16 05:10:11

  @Solla-topee 

Thanks for the insight about the speed of turning on spotlight and that infrared mode is nearly identical to color mode in terms of motion capturing. My current tests show that the footage captured in the spotlight color mode (C410) is less complete as compared to the infrared mode (C210), simply because nothing can be recorded before the spotlight is on. Of course, I can't tell how many frames or mini-seconds it is less.

 

Once I am ready to install the camera, I will try to tune it, taking reference to the link you provided.

#5
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Re:Camera spotlight for night vision - better to have a mixed mode
2025-05-16 07:15:08

  @newtapouser 

Hi,
When you use the infrared mode, please pay attention to whether the camera is in the sleep state. For example, if you have woken up the camera by entering the Tapo app to watch the camera's live feed, it may be able to record a complete motion.

 

Thank you very much for your understanding. If you have further questions, you can reply to us.

 

Best Regards

>> What to do if the Detection feature is not working on the TP-Link Camera. >> Enhance Video Clarity: Troubleshooting Tips for Improving Camera Video Quality. >> General questions about the TP-Link camera's Pan & Tilt feature.
#6
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