I'm looking for instructions on how to downgrade my TC70 v3
Hello! I'll try to be as brief as possible.
I'm having trouble (ghosting) using the camera with my NVR, and I suspect the issue is caused by the latest firmware installed on the camera. I'm requesting instructions on how to downgrade to the previous version (TC70(EU)_V3_1.4.0 Build 241212), as I couldn't find any instructions or places to download the firmware files.
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Let me clarify a few things I just realized were misunderstood. First, every time I mentioned "NVR," I was referring to AgentDVR. I refer to any dedicated software or hardware capable of recording from network cameras as an NVR, and I apologize if that's incorrect. Therefore, I don't own an NVR (hardware) to record cameras; I only use AgentDVR, and it's on a dedicated PC that runs this software continuously. That is, I don't use the computer dedicated to recording my cameras in any other way, precisely to avoid any artifacts in the images caused by CPU bottlenecks.
I also noticed you mentioned iSpy. Well, iSpy is the old name for AgentDVR, the older version, so much so that the AgentDVR website still mentions iSpy. iSpy has been discontinued and replaced by AgentDVR. The project's developer strongly recommends using AgentDVR instead of iSpy.
That said, I liked the idea of using VLC to see if the problem occurred, so I ran the following tests.
- I played and recorded from the low-resolution stream. Result: success!
- I played and recorded from the high-resolution stream. Result: success!
- I played from the low-resolution stream while recording from the high-resolution stream. Result: success! This is the same setup I use in AgentDVR. The only difference is that I had to open two instances of VLC to play both streams. I don't know if it's possible to open two streams simultaneously in the same instance of VLC, but this would be an even more accurate test.
The above tests were run with AgentDVR running, meaning that while I was watching and recording the streams, AgentDVR was also accessing them (and recording continuously).
As you can see, using VLC, the recording issues don't occur, which leads me to believe the problem is with AgentDVR. This is quite strange, since, as I mentioned, I didn't update it at all during the time I noticed the issues.
If you have any other tips, I'd appreciate it, but I'll link to this forum page on Reddit and hope support comes here to read this. If not, I'll copy the reply there.
Thanks!
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Hi,
We do not have firmware downgrade instructions and do not recommend downgrading the camera's firmware. In your situation, please provide a detailed description of the phenomenon you encountered so we can assist you further.
What is the model number of your NVR, and what third-party app are you using?
Best Regards
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Since you're able to help me, I'll explain in detail what's happening. I've already tried to resolve this issue on the NVR forum on Reddit, so I already have a wealth of information about the problem and how to avoid it, but I haven't solved it yet. Please read the following carefully...
I purchased the TAPO TC70 (v3) in January 2025, and very shortly after, its firmware was automatically updated to version 1.4.0 Build 241212. I remember this well because this update introduced the panoramic image capture feature. Around this time, I configured this camera for use with my NVR (AgentDVR), which connects to the camera via ONVIF. At that time, everything worked perfectly; the videos recorded by the NVR through the TC70 were perfect and in 720p. So for a few months, until mid-June, I no longer watched any videos recorded by this camera. Around July, I needed to review some recent recordings, and all the recorded videos were producing artifacts and stuttering. See the image below for an example of "ghosting."

After some investigation, I noticed that the camera had been updated again, this time to version 1.4.2 Build 250313, the version currently installed (no further updates have been released since). I ignored this for a while, attempting every possible intervention on the NVR without any success. I have three other cameras in my setup, including a TAPO C100 purchased in mid-July, and they all work perfectly with the NVR, just as the TC70 did in the first half of the year.
Regarding the NVR, called AgentDVR (https://www.ispyconnect.com/), it's a very popular and well-regarded software. The software has undergone a few updates, but none in the period mentioned in this post (I didn't update it, and it doesn't auto-update). So, if the TC70 was working properly in the first half of 2025, it should continue to work properly, ruling out issues with the NVR software.
Technically speaking, AgentDVR (Agent in short) communicates with the TC70 via the ONVIF protocol, and thus three stream URLs were discovered. In Agent, it is possible to configure two streams: one for real-time viewing (Live URL) and one exclusively for recording (Record URL). The recommendation is to use a low-resolution stream for real-time viewing and a higher-resolution stream for recording. This is how the TC70 was configured in the first half of 2025, making it work perfectly. This is also the configuration used in the C100, which is now working perfectly.
And this is the summary of the problem:
Today, with the Agent's recommended configuration, 720p recordings exhibit artifacts (ghosting) and stuttering. Live viewing has never presented any problems. Recordings made through the TAPO app (on-demand recordings) are fine. I never used an SD card in the camera; I simply performed the recording test by tapping the recording icon in the TAPO app while viewing the TC70. The configuration used in the Agent for the TC70 worked in the first half of 2025 and now works with my other TP-Link camera (C100), which leads me to believe the issue is between the camera and the Agent.
I recently ran an experiment with the problematic camera (TC70), playing around with the "Live URL" and "Record URL" settings (Agent). This camera has three streams, two at 360p (I don't know why) and one at 720p. Below are the URLs as they are listed in the program:
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(1) 640x360: rtsp://192.168.100.15:554/stream2
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(2) 640x360: rtsp://192.168.100.15:554/stream8
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(3) 1280x720: rtsp://192.168.100.15:554/stream1
The experiment consisted of changing the values of the "Live URL" and "Record URL" fields, assigning them to either None or values (1) and (3). I didn't initially experiment with the second low-resolution stream (2). The results are as follows:
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When "Live URL" contains the URL (1) and "Record URL" contains the URL (3), the recordings are flawed, with stuttering and artifacts in the image.
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When "Live URL" contains the URL (1) and "Record URL" contains "None," the recording uses the Live URL automatically. The recording is therefore in 360p and is perfect, with no artifacts or stuttering. The same result is achieved if the same stream selected in "Live URL" (360p) is selected in "Record URL."
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When "Live URL" contains the URL (3) and "Record URL" contains "None," the recording uses the Live URL. The recording is therefore in 720p and is SURPRISINGLY PERFECT! No visual artifacts, just some slight stuttering, precisely because both the live stream and the recording are consuming a lot of network bandwidth. Again, the same result is achieved if the same stream selected in "Live URL" (720p) is selected in "Record URL."
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When "Live URL" contains URL (3) and "Record URL" contains URL (1), the recording is SURPRISINGLY BUGGY! WITH STUTTERING AND ARTIFACTS!
As you can see, this doesn't appear to be a bandwidth-related issue, since when both the recording and the live video use the high-resolution stream (720p), visual artifacts don't appear. On the other hand, contrary to all logic, when using the low-resolution stream to record when the live video stream is in 720p, the low-resolution recording becomes buggy! It's as if recording isn't working correctly when using different streams, which wasn't the case in the past :/
I hope I've been clear in my explanations and hope someone can help me. I assumed the problem was with the latest firmware update because that was exactly what was applied around the time I started noticing the issue, and that's why I requested downgrade instructions as a way to TEST if the issue is related to firmware 1.4.2 Build 250313. In another post on this forum, I saw that downgrade instructions were provided, but it was for a different camera, so I believe this is possible and would at least point us toward a more assertive solution.
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Hi,
Thank you for the detailed description. In your situation, please help confirm the following information.
1. If you do not stream the TC70's live feed in the AgentDVR, only record videos on the NVR, whether the video recordings are smooth? You can test with both low and high resolution URLs.
2. Take a PC as an example, if you install another third-party app on your PC, such as VLC or iSpy, disconnect the TC70 from your NVR, then try to stream the camera and record videos on your PC, whether the live feed and video recordings are smooth?
How to view Tapo camera on PC/NAS/NVR through RTSP/Onvif Protocol
Best Regards
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Let me clarify a few things I just realized were misunderstood. First, every time I mentioned "NVR," I was referring to AgentDVR. I refer to any dedicated software or hardware capable of recording from network cameras as an NVR, and I apologize if that's incorrect. Therefore, I don't own an NVR (hardware) to record cameras; I only use AgentDVR, and it's on a dedicated PC that runs this software continuously. That is, I don't use the computer dedicated to recording my cameras in any other way, precisely to avoid any artifacts in the images caused by CPU bottlenecks.
I also noticed you mentioned iSpy. Well, iSpy is the old name for AgentDVR, the older version, so much so that the AgentDVR website still mentions iSpy. iSpy has been discontinued and replaced by AgentDVR. The project's developer strongly recommends using AgentDVR instead of iSpy.
That said, I liked the idea of using VLC to see if the problem occurred, so I ran the following tests.
- I played and recorded from the low-resolution stream. Result: success!
- I played and recorded from the high-resolution stream. Result: success!
- I played from the low-resolution stream while recording from the high-resolution stream. Result: success! This is the same setup I use in AgentDVR. The only difference is that I had to open two instances of VLC to play both streams. I don't know if it's possible to open two streams simultaneously in the same instance of VLC, but this would be an even more accurate test.
The above tests were run with AgentDVR running, meaning that while I was watching and recording the streams, AgentDVR was also accessing them (and recording continuously).
As you can see, using VLC, the recording issues don't occur, which leads me to believe the problem is with AgentDVR. This is quite strange, since, as I mentioned, I didn't update it at all during the time I noticed the issues.
If you have any other tips, I'd appreciate it, but I'll link to this forum page on Reddit and hope support comes here to read this. If not, I'll copy the reply there.
Thanks!
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- Report Inappropriate Content
Hi,
Thank you for your testing and clarification. Based on your tests, it seems the issue is related to AgentDVR. Unfortunately, we don't have any further suggestions at this time. If you come across a solution on Reddit, please feel free to share it. Thanks~
Best Regards
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