Sometimes, looks can be deceiving when buying a video doorbell. The Tapo D225 Video Doorbell seems perfect for a budget-conscious buyer who doesn’t want to pay for a subscription to record video.
But while it offers some flexible installation options and a good app, the poor video quality makes it hard to recommend. Flexible and easy installation options When taking the first steps in looking for a video doorbell, you usually have to make a big choice to start with.
There are generally two major types of doorbells. The first requires using your existing doorbell wiring for a new option. The second uses a built-in battery in the video doorbell itself.
Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. But there’s no need to worry about that problem with the Tapo D225 Video Doorbell. You can use existing doorbell wiring or use the built-in battery. With the battery, you can go up to eight months between charges.
When on battery power, you’ll need to use the included chime to hear when the doorbell is pressed. The chime plugs into an existing power outlet inside the home and can be used even when hard-wired.
There are a few notable advantages to using existing doorbell wiring. The biggest one is that you can use the video doorbell to record 24/7, provided you use an optional microSD card up to 512GB. If you don’t want that option, even when wired, the doorbell has a pre-roll option. This will show 4 seconds of video before motion is detected.
It took me less than 15 minutes to install the doorbell. First, be sure to download the TP-Link Tapo app for iPhone or Android. The app will walk you through the entire installation process. I chose to use the video doorbell’s battery for power. For this, you’ll need to be sure to fully charge it before installation.
If you go hard-wired, Tapo provides all the necessary equipment like mounts, hardware, and wiring.
Once the doorbell is installed, there are a few more steps in the app to connect everything to your Wi-Fi network.
No subscription required to record video
The video doorbell can be integrated with an existing Amazon Alexa or Google Home smart home. It can also integrate other Tapo products like lights and cameras.
If you’re an Apple HomeKit user, you’re out of luck, which is disappointing. I integrated the doorbell into my Amazon Alexa setup and could see a view of the front door from my Echo Show.
Most of the time, you’ll use the Tapo app to fine-tune the video doorbell and view video. Tapo offers a variety of options for customizing the D225 in the app.
It’s a must for any new video doorbell user to create detection zones to better filter out problematic areas in the camera’s view, such as a flying tree branch that could accidentally trigger a motion alert.
Another cool feature you can customize is the audio quick response for someone at the door. When someone presses the doorbell, you can use existing options like “Please leave the item at the door.” With a built-in slate of options, you can record your own messages. I also liked that when someone presses the doorbell, your smartphone rings just like a phone call, making it much easier to answer rather than needing to manually open the app.
If you’re using the doorbell’s battery, you can modify the way the doorbell uses power using the app, from the high-performance option to a power-saving mode. You can also see detailed information about the battery level and how much battery was used each day.
The doorbell uses AI to detect an activity, person, package, pet, or vehicle. You can choose what type of object the doorbell can detect. You can see a notification for each type. All detection types worked well in my testing except package detection. I found at least a dozen packages in my testing period, and I never received a notification.
Unlike most other doorbell models, you don’t need a subscription for the detection feature.
If you prefer, Tapo offers a cloud video storage option for one device at $3.49 monthly or $34.99 annually. You can view any video from the last 30 days. Compared to other manufacturers like Ring and Arlo, Tapo’s option is available at a very reasonable price.
The better option, however, is to use the optional microSD card. The card slot is on the back of the doorbell, so be sure to insert a card before plugging in the doorbell.
Whether you choose the cloud or local option, you can view all recordings through the app. You can use both cloud and local video storage at the same time. Switch between the two with a simple tap.