Surveillance cameras are now part of the basic equipment for many house and apartment owners. Models that can be operated wirelessly, deliver good image quality and are as maintenance-free as possible are particularly in demand. The TP-Link Tapo C660 kit, which is equipped with 4K resolution, pan/tilt function and a solar solution, falls precisely into this category. This allows the camera to be operated almost independently of a fixed power supply. In the TP-Link Tapo C660 Kit test, we tried out this promising smart surveillance camera.
Technical data
| Model | TP-Link Tapo C660 Kit |
| Resolution / Video | 4K / 8 MP (3,840 × 2,160) |
| Frame rate | Up to 15 frames per second |
| Viewing angle | 105° (fixed lens) |
| Zoom | Digital up to 18× |
| Pan/tilt range | 360° horizontal + 90° vertical (pan/tilt) |
| Night vision / illumination | Infrared LED + color night vision (spotlight + starlight sensor) |
| Wireless connection | Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, Wi-Fi 4 standard) |
| Battery / power supply | 10,000 mAh battery + solar panel (integrated or externally connectable) |
| Weatherproof | IP65 (dust and splash water protection) |
| Memory | microSD card (max. 512 GB) |
| Cloud / subscription option | Optional cloud storage via “Tapo Care” |
| Interfaces / smart home integration | Google Home, Amazon Alexa (no Apple Home / Matter) |
| Price | € 119.99 * |
Scope of delivery
- The Tapo C660 camera unit (pan/tilt)
- One solar panel (with connection cable)
- Wall/ceiling bracket and mounting material (screws, dowels)
- Instructions / quick start guide
- A small connection cable (e.g. USB-C) for coupling between panel and camera, if panel is mounted separately
A note: Unfortunately, the scope of delivery does not include a microSD card. This is a bit of a shame, as more and more manufacturers are now including a suitable memory card. However, if you are looking for a suitable model, you will find many good offers on Amazon or in other online stores.
TP-Link Tapo C660 Kit test: Design and workmanship
Visually, the Tapo C660 is a fairly typical outdoor camera that is clearly reminiscent of other Tapo models in its design language. The housing is white and the front is black. It looks more functional than elegant, although this is hardly a problem outdoors. What some people might find annoying is the bulky appearance. This is not due to the camera itself.
It is no larger than comparable models. In fact, the large solar panel is almost impossible to overlook. Personally, this doesn’t bother me, as a conspicuous camera is certainly always a bit of a deterrent to unwanted visitors. However, anyone who has a problem with the fact that surveillance cameras can be recognized quickly should keep this in mind.
The workmanship makes a solid impression. The housing has a clean finish and the IP65 certification ensures that dust and rain cannot harm the camera. The microSD slot, power button and reset button are located under a rubberized cover. A small weakness was revealed here in tests: the power button is relatively hidden, making it easy to overlook the fact that the camera has to be switched on manually.
Especially during the initial setup, this could cause some confusion for newcomers, as they initially assume that it starts automatically. Apart from that, the workmanship is impeccable and the ability to mount the panel flexibly significantly increases its practicality.
TP-Link Tapo C660 Kit test: Installation and setup
Installation is basically straightforward. First, the bracket is attached to the wall or post, then the camera is screwed onto it and the solar panel is attached. If you wish, you can also mount the panel separately using a cable and align it optimally to the sun. The camera is then switched on using the power button and connected to the Tapo app.
A very clear step-by-step guide can also be found in the Tapo app. You can then use this to pair the camera directly after installation. This is also lightning fast, as the software automatically finds the camera. I assume that pretty much everyone will have the Tapo C660 installed and set up within 30 minutes at the latest. However, choosing the right mounting location can be more time-consuming. As the camera can only pan upwards to a limited extent, it should not be mounted too low.
According to the installation instructions, it should be installed at least 2.5 m above the floor. Otherwise you can see the floor area very well, but the view upwards is restricted. If you pay attention to this, you get a flexible monitoring solution. On the positive side, the solar panel actually provides sufficient energy, provided it gets enough sun. On cloudy days, the battery charge dropped noticeably, but the camera was always ready for use over a period of several weeks.
TP-Link Tapo C660 kit test: Tapo app
At the heart of the operation is the Tapo app, which is available for both Android and iOS. It presents all connected devices in a clear tile view. A tap on the camera takes you to the live image, which offers additional functions. There you can control the pan and tilt movement, switch on the spotlight or use two-way communication at the touch of a finger. The so-called “viewpoints” are very practical.
These are saved camera orientations that can be selected with a tap of the finger. For example, if you want to regularly check the entrance area and garden, this saves you having to pan manually. The app also allows you to set up motion detection zones. This allows you to specify that only certain areas should be monitored. In practice, however, there is a limitation: as soon as the camera is panned, the defined zones also move.
This can lead to false alarms if trees or bushes suddenly enter the monitored area. Overall, however, operation is very intuitive. What I personally miss is a direct image preview in the device overview. To see what the camera is currently recording, you have to switch to the live image every time. A small preview image would certainly have been helpful for a quick check.
TP-Link Tapo C660 Kit Test: Camera quality
In daylight, the camera impresses with sharp and detailed images. Individual structures are easy to recognize, and the 4K resolution makes it possible to zoom into the image without it immediately becoming blurred. The colors look realistic, even if they naturally do not reach the brilliance of high-quality cameras. In scenes with high contrast, it is noticeable that the dynamic range is not always perfectly balanced.
Bright and dark areas in particular lose detail due to the lack of HDR. The camera shows its strengths at dusk. Thanks to the integrated LED floodlight and the starlight sensor, it can deliver colorful images even in low light. This is a clear advantage over models that rely solely on infrared. However, if you don’t want to activate the spotlight, you can also get classic black and white images thanks to the IR sensor, which are also usable but have less depth of detail.
In complete darkness, the quality lags behind some competitors, but remains solid overall. Motion detection with automatic tracking works reliably for the most part. If a person walks through the picture, the camera follows this movement and then automatically returns to the starting position. However, the camera does not always keep up with very fast movements, but this is not a problem for surveillance purposes in most cases.
TP-Link Tapo C660 Kit test: Motion detection
The motion detection offers several setting options. In the app, you can specify whether only people, vehicles or pets should be detected. This reduces false alarms if, for example, you do not want to trigger an alarm as soon as a cat walks through the picture. The sensitivity can also be adjusted so that not every small movement triggers a notification. In practice, the detection works reliably.
However, I occasionally noticed that even passing shadows or moving branches can trigger an alarm. However, this is a problem with many surveillance cameras in this price range and can at least be minimized by clever zone settings and fine-tuning the sensitivity. Overall, motion detection offers a good mix of flexibility and accuracy.
TP-Link Tapo C660 Kit test: practical experience
The Tapo C660 Kit proved to be a stable solution in everyday use. Once set up, the camera ran without any major problems. Push notifications of movement were received reliably and with only a slight delay. The combination of solar operation and large battery works well as long as the panel receives enough sunlight. In prolonged bad weather, the battery level is likely to drop noticeably, but in the spring and summer months, operation should be maintained without any problems.
I found it particularly practical to be able to access the live image and pan the camera at any time via the app. This gives you a high degree of control, especially when you’re not at home. If you’re not at home or don’t want to leave the house, you can also use the intercom function.
The two-way audio scores with clear voice quality and intelligible playback via the loudspeaker. However, there was a weakness with poor Wi-Fi coverage: the connection occasionally dropped out or the image was delayed. So if you want to install the camera far away from the router, you should consider using repeaters or mesh systems. Apart from this, everyday use was very reliable.
TP-Link Tapo C660 kit test: Video memory
An important advantage of the camera is that it does not necessarily require a cloud subscription. Instead, microSD cards with up to 512 gigabytes can be used. At 4K resolution, this is enough for around 16 days of recordings before older clips are overwritten. The app enables password-protected access to the card, which increases security. If you still want to use a cloud, you can book “Tapo Care”.
The recordings are stored there in encrypted form and there are additional functions such as rich notifications or longer storage times for the recordings. The cloud is therefore an optional extra, but not a requirement. This sets the Tapo C660 apart from many of its competitors, which rely heavily on subscriptions. In the test, local storage worked without any problems and all videos could be retrieved and played back quickly.
Conclusion
With the Tapo C660 kit, TP-Link offers an all-round successful package for anyone who wants to reliably monitor their home. The combination of 4K resolution, pan/tilt function and solar operation makes the camera a flexible solution that does not require a power connection but still delivers detailed images. The color night vision in particular stands out positively from many competitor models. The fact that you can save recordings locally without being forced to take out a cloud subscription is also a real plus point.
However, not everything is perfect here either. The camera looks rather clunky, the motion detection zones shift when panning, and the system reaches its limits with fast movements or a weak Wi-Fi connection. A small memory card in the scope of delivery would also have been desirable. Nevertheless, the positive aspects clearly outweigh the negative ones. Anyone looking for a reliable, flexible and largely maintenance-free surveillance solution will find the Tapo C660 Kit a very attractive offer.
PRO
CONTRA
The TP-Link Tapo C660 kit impresses with 4K resolution, pan/tilt, solar operation and color night vision. Strong image quality and flexible use are offset by minor weaknesses in operation, design and installation.
TP-Link Tapo C660 Kit
Design and processing
Hardware
Camera quality
Ease of use
Range of functions
Price-performance ratio
89/100
