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Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85

Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85

Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85
Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85
a week ago
Tags: #Night Vision #Feature Request
Model: Tapo TC85  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version: Newest

I just got 7 of the C425/TC85 yesterday. Four of them are the solar powered hard-mount and three are non-solar magcams. I'm wondering if it's possible to configure the spotlight on these to turn on when they detect motion. From my limited research it seems like maybe this is a glaring omission in the features but I'm not sure.

 

I think I have all of these set up exactly the same in the app--Night Mode Setting is set to "Color Mode". There are no other settings under that mode. I do have a distance setting if I select IR.

 

The spotlight on the magcams turn on when they detect movement but the spotlights on the solar-powered versions do not, maybe this is just because of ambient light differences where I have them placed?

 

Is it possible to have the spot lights turn on every time they detect movement? The spot lights would let people know they are being recorded and act as an extra deterrent, and probably improve image quality a bit.

 

Thanks

 

 

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#1
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7 Reply
Re:Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85
a week ago

  @brent1395 

 

Were the detection features of these cameras successfully activated? If no activity was detected, or if the environment remains relatively bright and the camera hasn’t switched to night mode, these factors could explain why the spotlight did not turn on.

 

What are the model and hardware version of these cameras?

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#2
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Re:Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85
Thursday

  @Wayne-TP 

 

As mentioned in both the body and subject of my post, these are C425 and TC85 cameras. They are hardware version 1.2.

 

So are you saying the spotlights these cameras should turn on when recording if they are in dark environment?

 

Thanks

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#3
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Re:Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85
Friday

  @brent1395 

 

The color mode is one of the Night Mode settings.

▶ Tapo P110M Matter 1.3 Release Energy Monitoring through Matter ▶ Smart HomeBase Tapo H500 - Even More Powerful Smart Hub ▶ First Smart Switch Module! Tapo S112 Smart Switch Module with Roller and Switch Dual Modes ▶ Tapo Camera Image Style & Image Brightness Try out a different image style for your camera!
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#4
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Re:Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85
Friday

  @Wayne-TP 

 

Thanks for responding, but this doesn't answer my question at all.

 

Let me try asking my question again:

 

Should the spotlight turn on when the camera begins recording in the dark???

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#5
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Re:Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85
Tuesday

  @brent1395 

 

The color mode is one of the night mode settings. The camera will activate its spotlight when switching to night mode.

This means the spotlight will not turn on if the camera is not in night mode. One possible reason for this is that the environmental brightness exceeds the night mode threshold, preventing automatic switching.

▶ Tapo P110M Matter 1.3 Release Energy Monitoring through Matter ▶ Smart HomeBase Tapo H500 - Even More Powerful Smart Hub ▶ First Smart Switch Module! Tapo S112 Smart Switch Module with Roller and Switch Dual Modes ▶ Tapo Camera Image Style & Image Brightness Try out a different image style for your camera!
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#6
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Re:Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85
Tuesday

  @Wayne-TP 

 

Thanks. I wish it were a little more sensitive to how dark it is, or even better, if there were a way to adjust the sensitivity.

 

I'm surprised at how different the "night mode" sensitivity is on different models.

 

The TC85 Mag Cam and C402 activate their spotlight for any motion when it's barely dark. Even if you only have "person detection" on, their spotlight will trigger when a car drives by when it's barely dark. Seems like they should only turn on if it detects a person. Meanwhile, I've never seen the spotlight activate on the solar powered TC85/C425. Never. All of these models I have next to eachother in the same ambient light and are configured the same in the app.

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#7
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Re:Configuring Spotlight on C425/TC85
4 hours ago

  @brent1395 

 

Try to switch the camera to night mode manually -- tap the liveview screen, click the Auto icon on the bottom toolbar, check if the spotlight turns on.

 

By the way, can the light be turned on manually? The Light option on the light view page is used to control the spotlight.
 

▶ Tapo P110M Matter 1.3 Release Energy Monitoring through Matter ▶ Smart HomeBase Tapo H500 - Even More Powerful Smart Hub ▶ First Smart Switch Module! Tapo S112 Smart Switch Module with Roller and Switch Dual Modes ▶ Tapo Camera Image Style & Image Brightness Try out a different image style for your camera!
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#8
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