Tapo TC73 AI Pan/Tilt Camera: A Vision of Excellence

Tapo TC73 pan/tilt AI security camera: A Vision of Perfection

What’s the point of an indoor security camera? Monitor a pet? Keeping an eye out when you aren’t home? Maybe it’s to keep an eye out while you sleep? This camera does it all with enough detail to really make a difference if, heaven forbid, you ever need evidence of a break-in or have a pet emergency. Let’s dig into the Tapo TC73!

Tapo TC73: Price and Availability

Tapo’s TC73 is widely available online and in brick-and-mortar stores. Right now, it can be purchased for $50 at places like Best Buy or Amazon.com. It was at its highest price in January 2024, at $70, but it seems to have price dips every couple of months or so, bringing it back to the $50 price point. Its pricing aligns with one of our other favorite pan-and-tilt indoor security cameras, Aqara’s E1. The TC73 comes in only one color, white and black, with a red stripe toward the bottom.

Tapo TC73: Specs and Features

The Tapo TC73 is one of the best cameras reviewed lately. The 2K QHD 4MP video is bright, with true colors and plenty of detail in darkness and daylight. It features HDR, which increases dynamic range and enhances image quality in shadows and highlights. If 2688x1520 (2K QHD) is too much for your available video bandwidth, you can scale the video down to 720P, saving space on the optional microSD card used for local storage. You can also switch video frame rates, choosing from 15fps, 20fps, 25fps, and 30fps.

The camera has more options than many of its competitors when it comes to motion and sound settings. You get the usual unspecified motion, then specific person/pet/vehicle options, plus “Line-Crossing Detection” and “Camera Tampering.” The former allows you to set a boundary in a location and get notified anytime a person or object crosses it. The latter sends you a notification when someone attempts to obstruct the camera and includes sensitivity settings. You can also set the built-in alarm to go off when obstruction or tampering is identified.

The camera features a starlight sensor, providing better night visibility. It comes with two IR lights to illuminate further: red and blue. The red light allows you to see up to 30 feet in the dark, but is visible at night, while the blue light is practically imperceptible.

There’s native HKSV support built in, so you can add it to Apple Home after configuration in the Tapo app. That means lower resolution video, and most features are unavailable in Apple’s app, including the built-in alarm. The motion sensor is exposed in Apple Home, allowing automation configuration.

Tapo TC73: Build and Looks

The camera unit is almost 5 inches tall by 3 inches wide, making it slightly larger than some other models. The unit can be mounted upside down, with an inversion option in the Tapo App 3.0 menu. It is powered by a 12V DC adapter and connects to your network via 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only.

Tapo TC73: Ease of Use

Setting up the TC73 version two was simple. Download the Tapo app, create a login, tap the “+,” look for your device, and follow the prompts. The app’s camera settings are intuitively laid out. You can access all of the camera’s settings from two screens: the main home screen for the TC73 and through the settings cog on that home screen. Features include pan and tilt function, privacy mode, alarm on/off, screenshotting, video recording, two-way communications, and playback and download of events.

Tapo TC73: Competition

Currently, the HKSV options include Aqara’s E1, Camera Hub G3, Eufy’s Indoor Cam E220, and Netatmo’s Smart Indoor Camera. Aqara’s E1 and Eufy’s E220 fall in line price-wise with the TC73, while Netatmo’s offering is $190 and the Hub G3 is $88. Of the several cameras reviewed, Tapo’s has the best-looking video so far.

Tapo TC73: Verdict

There’s a lot to offer with the TC73’s high-quality night and day video, fluid pan and tilt, smart privacy options, and an intuitively laid out Tapo App 3.0. All of this combines to make Tapo’s TC73 easy to recommend for anyone looking for an HKSV-supported pan and tilt camera with plenty of compatible accessories to build a smart home.

Pros:

• High-resolution video
• Great value
• Pan and tilt camera with HKSV support

Cons:

• Not very inconspicuous
• No Ethernet and USB-C out