Camera · TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa)
TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa) C120 privacy & local-first review
Plug-in, Wi-Fi · List price: Unverified
Last verified · 1 unverified item
68Local-First Score
how we score
how we score
At a glance
| Works without internet | Yes Yes on the same Wi-Fi: live view and microSD recording continue1 |
|---|---|
| Local storage | Yes microSD (up to 512 GB)2 |
| Home Assistant | Local polling Official (TP-Link Smart Home) · Local Polling · Platinum3 |
| Open protocols | Yes RTSP, ONVIF (Tapo: wired cameras support both)4 |
| Subscription needed? | Not needed No (Tapo Care is optional)1 |
| Cloud account required? | Required Yes (TP-Link account)13 |
| End-to-end encryption | Unverified |
Score breakdown
| Works without internet | Yes | 20 / 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Local video storage | Yes | 15 / 15 |
| Home Assistant, locally | Local polling | 15 / 15 |
| Open protocol (RTSP / ONVIF / Matter) | Yes | 10 / 10 |
| No cloud account required | Required | 0 / 10 |
| No subscription for core recording | Not needed | 8 / 8 |
| End-to-end encryption | Unverified | 0 / 7 |
| Privacy policy: does not sell your data (brand) | Ad sharing disclosed Tapo policy offers an opt-out of "processing or sharing of your personal data for online targeted advertising", i.e. it does this by default. The Kasa app policy has the same opt-out.56 | 0 / 5 |
| Police requests: warrant or no access (brand) | Discretionary Tapo privacy policy: shares information on a "good faith belief" that disclosure is needed to comply with law or legal process, or to respond to legal claims "like search warrants, court orders, production orders, or subpoenas" from parties including law enforcement. No warrant requirement stated. The Kasa app privacy policy uses the same language.56 | 0 / 5 |
| No incidents in our tracker, last 5 years (brand) | Incident found 1 in our tracker since Oct 2021 | 0 / 5 |
| Total | 68 / 100 |
Privacy notes
No device-specific privacy notes yet.
Firmware & phoning home (not scored)
- Tapo says its cameras need an internet connection during initial setup; after that, microSD recording continues if the camera loses its router connection.1
Police & law-enforcement requests (TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa))
Discretionary Tapo privacy policy: shares information on a "good faith belief" that disclosure is needed to comply with law or legal process, or to respond to legal claims "like search warrants, court orders, production orders, or subpoenas" from parties including law enforcement. No warrant requirement stated. The Kasa app privacy policy uses the same language.56 Compare companies
Security incidents & settlements (TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa))
| Date | Company | What happened | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2022 | TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa) | CVE-2021-4045: unauthenticated remote code execution (CVSS 9.8) in the Tapo C200 camera (firmware 1.1.15 and below); the researcher published a write-up and exploit code. Fixed in later firmware.78 | Serious vulnerability |
Similar cameras compared
| Device | Score | Offline | Local storage | Home Assistant | RTSP/ONVIF | Subscription | Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubiquiti UniFi G5 FlexCamera · PoE | 90 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
| Ubiquiti UniFi G5 BulletCamera · PoE | 90 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
| Ubiquiti UniFi G4 InstantCamera · USB-C, Wi-Fi | 90 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
| TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa) C210Camera · Plug-in, Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) | 68 | Yes | Yes | Local polling | Yes | Not needed | Required |
| TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa) C120Camera · Plug-in, Wi-Fi | 68 | Yes | Yes | Local polling | Yes | Not needed | Required |
More from this company: Is TP-Link (Tapo, Kasa) safe? Policies and incident record. Have a question about this device? Ask us or suggest a device.
Spotted an error? See our corrections policy. Informational only, not legal advice.
Sources
- Tapo FAQ: Using Tapo cameras without internet / storage options · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Tapo: C120 product page · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Home Assistant: TP-Link Smart Home integration (Tapo cameras) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Tapo FAQ: RTSP/ONVIF on Tapo cameras · checked Oct 22, 2026
- TP-Link Tapo Privacy Policy · checked Oct 22, 2026
- TP-Link: Kasa app privacy policy (updated Jan 29, 2024) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- NVD: CVE-2021-4045 (Tapo C200 unauthenticated RCE) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- hacefresko: Finding an RCE in the Tapo C200 (CVE-2021-4045) · checked Oct 22, 2026