Hi @Solla-topee 

and many thanks for your clear and helpful response!  It was one of tp-link's own chat support agents who told me that because my camera is a smart camera it will not work without an active network connection.  When pressed about that, the agent said he had checked with another agent and confirmed what he had said in the first place.

However if I may, I have another query.  My original plan was to connect the camera to my mobile hotspot via an access point using the camera's ethernet connection. This was because with the camera going outside I wasn't sure how strong the WiFi signal would be from all parts of the house, but I could put the access point next to the window that the camera will be close to.  But when I tried with a router (which I do not use for Internet access) although my phone connects to it the camera did not.  However apparently my phone cannot connect to mobile data and to an access point at the same time anyway.  So I decided to try with my iPad mini connected to the hotspot on my phone, but apparently that cannot connect to my mobile phone hotspot and a separate access point simultaneously either.  Is there any way I could set up an access point to do what I want even if I have to purchase another device to do it or is internet access essential during set up?  

Hi again @Solla-topee 

and thanks again for your helpful reply!  My question is, after set up, will I be able to use the app to access the camera from my phone or iPad while they are simultaneously accessing the internet (my phone via mobile data and my iPad via the phone hotspot)?

  @Solla-topee 

Thank you again for your help.  Please be aware that I do not use a router for internet access.  References to this possibility is causing me some confusion,  

What I have done is reconfigure my router to work as an access point only, to extend the camera's range to my devices within the house.  It is successfully connected to the access point by cable and I can access it from both my mobile phone and my iPad mini over WiFi to the router.

Unfortunately I cannot access the camera from my iPad without disabling its access to my phone's hotspot, and if I access it from my phone, its mobile data connection stops working.  If there is no way round this I believe you advised that I could connect from my devices direct to the camera's WiFi instead.  Now that I am set up for ethernet link if I select it on my devices, how do I add in direct WiFi access to the camera from my devices please, and will it be practical to leave the ethernet cable connected as a backup up in case the the direct WiFi connection occasionally drops?

Hi  @Solla-topee thank you for your reply.

You wrote, "In the network diagram you described, accessing the camera when your phone is on mobile data and your iPad is connected to the phone's Wi-Fi hotspot means remotely controlling the camera, which only works when your camera is connected to the internet."

I am sorry that I do not understand this as it suggests I can access the camera while my phone is using mobile data from my phone, and from my iPad while it is connected to the hotspot from the phone.  In fact the opposite is the case!  1. The phone can access the camera via the router if I select the router's Wi-Fi signal.  But mobile data is then blocked.  So with my phone, I have to choose between using mobile data OR accessing the camera by selecting or deselecting the router connection.  2. With my iPad mini, I have to choose between using the Internet via the phone hotspot OR accessing the camera - again, by selecting or de-selecting the router Wi-Fi signal.  

As this attempt to strengthen the connection within the house to an external camera is not a practical solution for me (my only Internet access is via my phone's mobile data which is very reliable and supports other devices in the home without any problem) I want to try connecting to the camera directly without going through the router.  So

1. I would like to know how to set this up WiFi connection direct to the camera please.

2. I would like to know whether I can leave the ethernet connection in place to use as a back up if the WiFi connection is weak.

  @Solla-topee thank you very much for staying with me to walk me through my set up!  
 

To add some context, I'm not really concerned about being able to access the camera remotely.  My main objective in installing it is deterrence of intruders which the local memory card will also support with its event recordings; these you have assured me will not be dependent on an active internet connection.  I can't imagine a time when I would have left the phone with its hotspot running at home when I myself had gone out.  (Although I am now intrigued as to how I would access it remotely in the event that it had an active Internet connection - but best not to let that distract us from the setting up!) 

In order to proceed with the WiFi connection, I assume it will be OK to leave the Ethernet lead in place but unplugged from the router?  However, from what you are saying I would not be able to reconnect the camera to the router if I wanted to retain the option of going back to using direct Wi-Fi only later (your case 2) without first doing a factory reset of the camera again.  Is this correct?  Resetting the camera will not be practical once the phone is mounted on an outside wall over 2.4m above ground level.  But if the WiFi signal is good enough I should not need to use the case 1 set up again.

Please also advise whether after setting up the WiFi direct (case 2) connection, I will be able to access the camera from the Tapo app on my phone while it is generating the hotspot and using the internet, as well as from my ipad.

Many thanks, Mike