TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam Review (2024)

Battery-powered outdoor security cameras are ideal for locations where AC power is out of reach, but most models require relatively frequent recharging. The TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam is a bullet-style outdoor camera that can last up to 300 days on a single charge. It delivers crisp 2K video and works with plenty of third-party devices. Listed for $119.99 but frequently available for $20 to $30 less, it’s an excellent value for a battery-powered camera that offers color night vision, built-in spotlights, local and cloud storage options, free intelligent alerts, voice control, and many other features. All this earns the Tapo Wire-Free MagCam our Editors’ Choice award for wireless outdoor cameras.

Design and Features

The TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam is available for $119.99 or in a three-pack for $249.99, though you can typically find it on sale for less. The bullet-style camera is 4.5 inches long, 2.5 inches wide, and has an IP66 weatherproof rating. The bottom of the camera holds a speaker, a rubberized on/off button, and a rubber cover that protects a microSD card slot and a reset button. Behind a second cover is a micro USB charging port.

(Credit: TP-Link)

The MagCam is powered by a rechargeable 1,000mAh lithium ion battery that is rated to last up to 300 days between charges, depending on usage. If you’d rather not bring the MagCam inside for charging, you can pick up a $39.99 Tapo A200 Solar Panel and use the sun to keep the battery fully charged.

Included in the MagCam box are a USB charging cable, a USB AC adapter, mounting hardware and templates, a magnetic mount, adhesive mounting pads, and a quick start guide.

The front of the enclosure holds the 4MP camera assembly which captures 2K (2,560 by 1,440) video at 30fps with a 150-degree diagonal field of view and support for 12x digital zoom. It also holds two spotlights, four infrared LEDs, a motion sensor, a light sensor, a microphone, and a status LED (that blinks red and green during setup, shines amber when connected to Wi-Fi, green when connected to the cloud, and red when the camera is starting up). This camera is equipped with a Starlight sensor that will use available ambient light for color night vision or when the spotlights are active; otherwise, it will use the infrared LEDS for black-and-white night vision. Network connectivity comes by way of a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio.

If you’re looking for a camera that offers a wider viewing range, consider the $199.99 Eufy SoloCam S340 Wireless Outdoor Security Camera. It's a lot more expensive than the MagCam, but the SoloCam S340 features dual lenses for wide-angle viewing and telephoto zooming, plus mechanical pan and tilt capabilities. As a bonus, it comes with a solar panel that keeps the battery charged indefinitely.

(Credit: TP-Link)

It works with Amazon and Google's voice assistants, and it supports integrations with other Tapo devices as well as scores of third-party devices via IFTTT applets. If you need an outdoor security camera with Apple HomeKit support, the Eve Outdoor Cam is an option.

When it detects motion, the MagCam will record video and provide free intelligent alerts that differentiate between motion caused by people, pets, and vehicles. It has a built-in siren that works along with the spotlights to deter unwanted visitors.

The camera will store video locally on a microSD card (up to 512GB) but you’ll have to supply your own card. Or, you can subscribe to a Tapo Care plan (starting at $3.49 per month or $34.99 per year, after a free 30-day trial). The subscription supports up to 10 cameras, offers rich notifications, Smart Sort video tagging, and gives you 30 days of cloud storage for event-triggered video clips.

(Credit: TP-Link/John R. Delaney)

The MagCam uses the same Tapo mobile app as other Tapo smart devices including the C120 wired outdoor camera and the P125M Mini Smart Wi-Fi Plug. It appears in its own panel on the app’s home screen. Tap the panel to open a screen with a live video panel that can be viewed in full-screen mode by turning your phone sideways.

Below the video panel are buttons for taking a snapshot, recording video, muting the speaker, and placing a two-way call to the camera. You can also initiate two-way talk with the microphone button, but you must keep it pressed to talk. Other buttons are used to activate the siren, enable privacy mode, turn the spotlights on and off, enable motion tagging, and access Tapo Care account information. At the very bottom of this screen are thumbnails of triggered videos. Tap any thumbnail to view, download, or delete the video clip.

To access camera settings, tap the button in the upper right corner of the screen. Here you can adjust motion settings, enable the siren, view battery life status, format an SD card, configure video settings (frame rate, resolution, night mode), and configure the spotlight brightness level. Other settings let you configure your Wi-Fi connection, schedule notifications, run diagnostics, and update the firmware.

Installation and Performance

Since the MagCam is wireless, it's very easy to install. You have to charge the battery for several hours, download the app, and create an account to get started. I already had the Tapo app installed, so I tapped the plus icon in the upper right corner of the home screen > Add Device > Outdoor Camera. I then selected the Tapo Wire-Free MagCam from the list of cameras and followed the instructions to press and hold the power button for three seconds.

I confirmed that the LED was flashing red and green (this takes around 30 seconds) and used my phone’s Wi-Fi settings to connect to the camera’s Wi-Fi radio. The app immediately discovered the camera so I entered my home Wi-Fi SSID and my Wi-Fi password to connect the camera to my network. After a few seconds, the camera was connected and paired with the app so I gave it a name and scrolled through a series of installation and placement tips before taking the camera outside and mounting it on a deck post in my backyard using the included metal plate and magnetic mounting hardware.

(Credit: TP-Link/John R. Delaney)

The MagCam is a strong performer. In testing, it delivered sharp 2K video with well-saturated colors, while black-and-white night video appeared crisp and evenly illuminated. Color night video was also sharp, but colors lacked the pop that you get with daytime video.

Motion alerts arrived instantly and were correctly identified. The spotlights did a fine job of illuminating my backyard area and two-way talk was loud and clean. Unlike the Tapo C120, the MagCam had no trouble interacting with other devices using IFTTT applets. I created an applet to have a Wyze Floodlight v2 turn on when the MagCam detected motion and it worked without issue. Streaming to an Amazon Echo Show worked as intended.

The Best 2K Wireless Camera

Long battery life and simple installation make the TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam an excellent choice for monitoring outdoor areas without the need for an electrical outlet. It delivers sharp 2K video and offers plenty of features including color night vision, dual spotlights, local and cloud recording, intelligent alerts, and lots of third-party integration possibilities. For the price, it’s an excellent value and merits our Editors' Choice award. If you can increase your budget, it's also worth considering the Eufy SoloCam S340, which has two cameras, mechanical pan and tilt support, and an included solar panel that keeps the battery charged indefinitely.