Night image depends on the illuminator, not on the sensor count · review
The model TP-Link points its own budget buyers towards. A 2560 × 1440 sensor behind an F1.6 lens gives colour at night without a spotlight, and unlike most cameras in this price band it can be wired to Ethernet instead of trusting Wi-Fi.
The bottom line The one to buy in this hub if the camera is going anywhere Wi-Fi is marginal. The Ethernet port is worth more than the extra megapixels.
TP-Link recommends this camera on the listing of its own cheaper model, which tells you where it sits: the C520WS is what the C500 buyer upgrades to for 2K, for colour at night and for the ability to plug in a network cable.
The first is the sensor. TP-Link states an F1.6 aperture with a Starlight sensor, producing colour in light where an ordinary camera has already switched to infrared. That matters because a monochrome image of a person in a dark coat tells you a person was there, while a colour image tells you what they were wearing.
The second is the Ethernet port, and it is the more important of the two. On an outside wall at the far end of a house, Wi-Fi drops intermittently rather than completely, which produces a camera that appears to work and has gaps in its recording. A cable ends that argument. It carries no power on this model, so a socket is still required — this is not a PoE camera.
Colour at night is a function of available light. A Starlight sensor gathers more of what there is; it does not manufacture any. On a lane with no street lighting, the camera will be using infrared like everything else, or its own spotlight, which announces its position.
IP66 is declared by TP-Link and describes dust and jetting water. It says nothing about how long a gasket lasts in ultraviolet light, which is what actually ends outdoor cameras.
Anyone whose first camera dropped off the network, and anyone who wants to see colour rather than shapes after dark. It is the default recommendation of this hub for a mains-powered position.
On sale from 43 € to 55 € on the German, British, French, Italian and Spanish Amazon stores at the time of checking.
Not found on the American Amazon store, where the buy link falls back to a local search rather than to a page that does not exist.
Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2 September 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Resolution | 2K QHD, 4 MP (2560 × 1440), stated by TP-Link |
|---|---|
| Lens | F1.6 aperture with a Starlight sensor |
| Coverage | 360° horizontal, 130° vertical |
| Night vision | Starlight colour, with an adjustable spotlight and audible alarm |
| Storage | microSD, or Tapo Care cloud subscription |
| Weather rating | IP66, stated by the manufacturer |
| Connection | Wi-Fi or Ethernet |
| Amazon reference | B0CCW8GHT8 (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces) |
| EAN | 4895252501599 |
It is a marketing name for a sensor and lens combination tuned for low light — here an F1.6 aperture, which admits more light than the F2.0 or F2.2 lenses typical at this price. TP-Link states it produces colour in poorer light. It is sensitivity, not night vision: in genuine darkness the camera still falls back on infrared or on its spotlight.
On an outside wall, usually yes. Wi-Fi is the part of an outdoor camera installation most likely to fail, and it fails intermittently, which is worse than failing outright. A cable removes the variable — and on this camera it also carries no power, so a socket is still needed.
TP-Link answers this on its own C500 listing: it recommends the C520WS to anyone wanting 2K, full-colour night vision or an Ethernet connection. The C500 is the 1080p wireless-only entry point; this is the model above it.
2K 3MP · 350° pan, 90° tilt · colour night vision · siren · 2.4 GHz only
A 2K pan-and-tilt outdoor camera with a floodlight and a siren that trigger together on motion. Codnida states auto-tracking, a PIR sensor and custom detection zones, and the camera runs on mains power rather than a battery.
Best for: A driveway or side passage where the point is to make an approach visible and audible, not just recorded.
≈ 30 €
2K 3MP · 355° pan, 90° tilt · full-colour night vision · 110 dB siren · IP66
Imou states a 3 MP sensor, four night-vision modes including full colour, AI person and vehicle detection and a 110 dB siren, in a dual-antenna housing rated IP66. It sits between the budget cameras and the tracking models in price and in capability.
Best for: A garden or driveway where false alarms from foliage and insects have already made a cheaper camera unusable.
≈ 34 €
5MP · dual-band 2.4/5 GHz · 30 m IR · microSD to 512 GB, NVR or FTP · IP66
A fixed 5 MP bullet camera rather than a pan-and-tilt, and the only camera in this hub that will record to an FTP server or a Reolink NVR as well as to a card. Reolink states dual-band Wi-Fi, person, vehicle and animal detection, and 30 m night vision.
Best for: Someone who wants a fixed camera pointed at one thing permanently, recorded somewhere other than the camera itself.
≈ 70 €
