Tapo D210 Video Doorbell Review
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This product was purchased for this review.
Tested with scoring system 1.0
What do these scores mean?
Learn about our data-driven scoring system.
Pros
✔ Wide field of view with good motion detection✔ Lots of alert customization options
✔ Above average battery life
Cons
✘ Camera quality is lacking for it's spec✘ No package detection features
✘ Requires subscription for rich notifications
The Verdict
The Tapo D210 video doorbell offers an impressive range of smart detection features, good privacy controls, and very impressive motion detection accuracy. The range of customization features rivals that of the most expensive doorbell brands while delivering an app experience better than most.
My testing found the doorbell could identify people and vehicles immediately and consistently, even at the edge of the wide field of view lens and, with the optional subscription plan, delivered rich thumbnails of those events reliably in a usable time frame. The battery performed well under heavy load, and you can expect above average run time with typical sensitivity settings.
Video and audio quality was somewhat disappointing, however, with the 2K camera suffering from significant compression artifacts and the audio pickup diminished by a low-quality stream and consistent low-level distortion. These factors don’t take away from the typical doorbell use case but do have an impact when using the device for more general surveillance and security purposes.
In spite of those shortcomings, the D210 comes with an excellent set of features for the price and delivers performance that, for the most part, gives me little cause for concern. If you aren’t interested in wiring your doorbell, then this is definitely worth a look.
Type: Battery video doorbell
Subscription: Optional for thumbnails and extra storage
Price Segment: $$$$$
Test Results
Each doorbell I review is put through a series of repeated test cycles over a 30-day period. These tests give me 32 data points that make up the 7 overall category scores above. These scores rate each doorbell key performance requirements like video and audio quality, motion capture performance, smart detection accuracy and the overall user experience.
Here’s how this video doorbell ranks compared to the average of other doorbells I’ve tested:
| Data Point | ||
|---|---|---|
| Video Quality | 6.4 | 7.8 |
| Night Vision Quality | 6.0 | 6.9 |
| Dynamic Range | 3.8 | 6.7 |
| Two-Way Talk | 6.0 | 7.6 |
| App Audibility | ||
| Outdoor Audibility | ||
| Recorded Audio | 7.8 | 9.0 |
| Notification Delay | 9.0 | 7.5 |
| Thumbnail Average | ||
| Doorbell Average | ||
| Text-only Average | ||
| Thumbnail Effectiveness | 9.7 | 6.9 |
| Day Success | ||
| Night Success | ||
| Missed Events | 10.0 | 9.3 |
| Day Misses | ||
| Night Misses | ||
| Camera Wake Delay | 7.8 | 8.1 |
| Frame Remaining Day | ||
| Frame Remaining Night | ||
| Event Capture | 4.7 | 5.8 |
| Record Start Day | ||
| Record Start Night | ||
| Package Monitoring | N/A | 5.6 |
| Package Features | ||
| Detection Success | ||
| Smart Detection | 9.0 | 6.9 |
| Smart Features | ||
| Day Accuracy | ||
| Night Accuracy | ||
| Live View Response | 8.4 | 8.6 |
| Live View Time | ||
| Doorbell Ring Response | ||
| Privacy Features | 9.4 | 8.2 |
| App Usability | 7.1 | 7.8 |
| Battery Performance | 7.5 | 7.9 |
| After 30 days | ||
| Time To Dead |
The Basics
Tech Specs
Power: BatteryRemovable Battery: No
Can Use Wired Chime: No
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz
Resolution: 2304 x 1296
Storage: MicroSD
Weather Rating: IP65
Field of View: 135 degrees
Compatibility: Alexa and Google
Smart Detection: Yes
Footprint (WxH): 150mm x 50mm
Notable Features:
- Vehicle/pet detection
- Privacy mode
- Quick voice responses
- Smart actions
The Tapo D210 video doorbell is a battery-only device with a non-removable 6400mAh rechargeable battery that will provide a good 3 months of life under fairly heavy use. The 2K camera is paired with a wide-angle lens providing a good 135-degree field of view horizontally, ‘head-to-toe’ coverage for callers, but not sufficient to see packages left below the doorbell. The 160-degree field of view stated on the doorbell is a diagonal value, combining both horizontal and vertical, so can be misleading.
The central call button is housed within a LED light ring that lights up white when motion is detected, and flashes when the button is pressed. This provides clear guidance to draw a visitor’s attention, especially at night.
The doorbell comes with a robust plastic mounting plate, an optional wedge insert to adjust the viewing angle, and both adhesive and screw fixings for additional mounting flexibility. The mount doorbell is easily removed for charging via USB-C thanks to a specially shaped removal pin tool which I found easier to use than the ones typically included with doorbells.
Video Storage
Local storage is provided by an internal MicroSD slot on the bottom of the device. This supports up to 512GB cards.
Optional cloud storage is available for a subscription, which also adds rich thumbnails to motion alerts. 7-day and 30-day options are available.
Chime Options
The T210 comes with a plug-in wireless chime that can be paired with the doorbell. As the doorbell has no wires, this is the only option for an internal chime apart from notifications through the Tapo app.
I’ve measured the maximum chime volume at 102dB, which is super loud but also results in distortion of the chime sound. Turning it down in the app settings resolves this and still leaves you with plenty of volume to hear through the house.
The ring light at work
Covered ports for charging and storage
Solid but simple mount plate
Camera Performance
Tapo has jumped on the ‘2K’ bandwagon when it comes to marketing the D210, but the camera disappoints compared to much of the competition. Video is captured in a somewhat unusual 2304 x 1296 resolution giving a standard 16:9 aspect ratio. 16:9 is not typically used for ‘head-to-toe’ camera views as the D210 advertises, but Tapo makes this up by using a moderately wide-angle lens, both vertically and horizontally.
While the horizontal field of view provides a good balance of detail and surveillance coverage, the image itself suffers from some fairly heavy handed compression resulting in significant temporal artefacts that obscure fine details. This result in an image that has less clarity than a Ring 1080p camera at the same aspect ratio. I was able to get a good reading of the test chart at 5.1m (16feet) in sunny conditions, which is well below average.
At night, the D210 performs OK thanks to good infra-red illumination. The heavy compression of the recording is again apparent with a clear read on the test chart only possible at 4.2m (13 feet) pulling the score down into the lower half of the field. The video also suffers from some notable blurring/ghosting when the subject is moving closer to the camera due to a lower frame rate and longer exposure.
When looking at how well the camera captures detail in the shade against a bright background, the D210 delivered the second worst test result I’ve yet seen. Looking at the OECF 36 test chart we can see most of the swatches are blurred and poorly defined, with the darker tones washed out significantly.
The camera was also prone to substantial over exposure in the sunlit parts of the image, which made it near impossible to see any detail at longer ranges under these conditions.
OECF36 chart for the Tapo D210
Audio Performance
Audio quality in general was found to be usable when conversing with an outside caller. The caller could understand the conversation out to 6.5m (21 feet). The volume of the speaker in the doorbell was a partial limitation, but this was exacerbated by a persistent distortion in the audio stream which made it generally more difficult to make out what was being said.
This distortion also affected the user of the app, and the pickup volume of the doorbell was more limiting reducing the usable range to 5m (16 feet). Low encoding quality was also a factor here, but this impacted the quality of the voice reproduction more than the clarity.
While the same distortion was apparent in recorded audio, the impact was not as apparent when not trying to hold a conversation, so the D210 scores better due to more lenient criteria on audible range. Notably this model seems less susceptible to wind noise than most doorbell I’ve tested, and also didn’t suffer from extreme audio compression artifacts on longer sounds like passing cars.
Notification Performance
The speed that Tapo can deliver a motion alert was generally usable, but very inconsistent. Test notifications would be delivered between 1.8 and 6.5 seconds, while rich notifications (with thumbnails) came in between 3.2 and 11.6 seconds. This gives the D210 one of the largest spreads for delivery time I’ve seen. Doorbell ring notifications were more consistent, with a very fast 1.75 second average with little variance.
With n overall average delivery time of 5.5 seconds, the D210 performs better than average in this test sitting in the top 25% of test results.
While the Tapo D210 can be used effectively without a subscription, rich notifications are only available on a paid plan. The basic plan is sufficient if you don’t need a lot of storage to keep the cost down, and you can bolster it with a local memory card. I’ve seen a number of otherwise fee-free doorbells take this path recently. Unfortunately, given the usefulness of rich notifications they obviously see it as a path to upsell their subscriptions.
With rich notifications enabled, the D210 performed extremely well. A usable thumbnail was provided 97% of the time, meaning that the subject of the motion detection was clearly capture in the still image that was sent to the app. Only one night test missed this as the capture was blurred at the extreme edge of the frame. This is an extremely good result putting the D210 in the top 10% of doorbells tested.
Motion Detection Performance
This test was another test where Tapo performed extremely well, with 0 missed events recorded out of 72 tests during the entire test cycle. The D210 is one of only 4 doorbells to achieve a perfect score on this criterion.
Camera wake delay is a test that pertains primarily to battery powered doorbells like this one. To conserve battery life the doorbell will go to sleep until motion is detected. This test determines how much delay is introduced between that trigger and when it starts recording. By walking across the camera’s view at close range motion detection is triggered without detection range being a factor and the result is expressed as the percentage of the frame where the person was recorded.
The D210 gave an average performance here, with a significant level of variation in wake delay. In all cases, however, the camera was able to commence recording with the subject less than halfway across the field of view which contributed to both the perfect motion detection score and the very good thumbnail effectiveness score.
Camera wake delay was likely a significant factor in the less impressive event recording tests. This test determines how well the doorbell will capture a person approaching the house based on how far out the subject can be detected and recorded.
The D210 was tested to have a maximum effective detection range of about 6.1m (20 feet) which is decent. In practice, this was rarely achieved as the camera did not start recording until I was much close to the doorbell.
During the day, both front and back lit approaches averaged only 2.6m of the approach being recorded. At night things were considerably better, with an average of 4.8m recorded. I see this with some doorbells as they seem to detect the infra-red shift better at night and can make out the movement against the darker backdrop better than the busier daylight scene.
The fairly short range of detection during the day is a concern as it means you will have little to no warning of an approaching person before they reach the door, and potentially anything left there.
Smart Detection Performance
The D210 does not include a package detection feature. The aspect ratio of the camera makes seeing the ground below the doorbell difficult at the typical mounting height, so packages could only be seen about 1.5m (4 feet) from the doorbell at a minimum. The lack of any specific features and poor ground visibility makes this test unviable, and I’ve marked it as Not Applicable as a result.
For package monitoring you’d need to look at Tapo’s D235 model, which is very similar but with a larger battery, wired power option and a slightly higher weather resistance.
Feature scoring:
✘ Visibility of the test package directly below doorbell.
✘ Visibility of porch area in front of the doorbell.
✘ More than 30 degrees off center visibility to the side.
✘ Presence of active package alerting feature.
✘ Presence of additional package alerts
For other smart detection features, Tapo scores much better. The D210 includes person, vehicle, pet object detection, and not only provides for custom motion zones, but allows separate motion zones for each detection type. This is a level of customization I haven’t seen in other models.
Person detection worked flawlessly, with correct object identification of every test and all other motion activity during the testing period leading to a 100% accuracy score. Vehicle detection was also extremely reliable, perhaps a bit too reliable. Not only would the D210 detect passing vehicle on the road beyond the test course, but it repeatedly detected my car parked in the adjacent garage even when no motion was present.
The vehicle-specific motion zones therefore came in very handy as I could filter out that portion of the frame for vehicles only while still allowing person detection across the whole field of view.
Pet detection needs a little work, however. Numerous neighborhood cats and out small dog never once triggered an animal notification despite being at maximum sensitivity.
Feature scoring:
✔ Custom motion zones.
✔ Person detection.
✔ Animal Detection.
✔ Vehicle Detection.
✘ Facial Recognition.
Smart detection settings
Notifications can be set by type
Smart actions can be tied to other Tapo devices
Battery Performance
With the doorbell set to maximum detection sensitivity for all types the battery held up well, dropping steadily over the test period to a 70% state of charge after the 30-day test cycle. This is with a high level of motion activity covering the various test criteria. Based on this, and with more typical settings and activity, I estimate a very respectable battery life of about 4-5 months in mild weather.
The Tapo app also provides a far more extensive set of battery consumption data than other apps I’ve used. This is included as part of a dedicated Battery Status section. From here you can directly adjust the wake-up settings and choose from a number of configuration presets based on your desired performance priorities. Graphs are provided giving 7 and 30-day statistics for battery level, utilization, wake up times, and activity time with daily and hourly breakdowns.
App Experience
Activating the live view from the app produces a fast response, although with some slight variability. The video stream would start after an average 2.9 seconds, with a range of 1.4 to 4.8 seconds across the test sample. The average score is respectable compared to other doorbell models, but the higher end of the range starts to feel a but slow if you’re trying to check something quickly.
Responding to doorbell rings, the live stream started later, with a more consistent average of 3.9 seconds. This isn’t a bad result, placing Tapo in the middle of the pack for this metric.
The Tapo app scores very well here, with a full range of security features including two-factor authentication that uses push notifications through the app rather than text messages. An email alternate can also be configured providing backup in case the app is not available.
Device updates are handled well. Firmware is kept up to date automatically by default, but you’ll also get a notification when an update is available and can check the current state of updates in the settings. This ticks all the boxes for this important security aspect.
Devices must be flagged as trusted to use the app and are then listed in the Trusted Devices section so you can keep tabs on what is authorized and what devices are using your account. A seperate Login Activity list also allows you to keep tabs on when and where the account is being accessed giving you an excellent set of tools to identify unauthorized access.
You can easily share your doorbell access with other Tapo accounts and then keep track of who has access so you can easily clean up that list in the future. Shared users can’t modify the setting on the device, only access it for normal use.
Privacy features are also well represented, with privacy zones available to block out parts of the camera view you don’t want recorded, audio recording being an optional setting, and an easy access Privacy Mode switch which turns off both streaming and recording if you need some temporary privacy.
The Tapo app is not just for their range of smart doorbells but provides a platform for the wider range of Tapo smart home devices. As such it includes an excellent set of features and an overall level of polish not usually present for doorbells at this price range.
The doorbell section itself is mostly logical with clearly labelled section for the various settings, and an easily accessible link to the support center as well as the user manual specifically. There are a few features which require some hunting, such as Privacy Zones being under the Video and Display section. Thankfully, explanatory text is provided in clear English for many settings which make understanding how to use them very easy.
You have a good level of control over video quality, recording length, how long to wait after a motion event before triggering again, and when during the day you want to record anything at all. Recording can be set to use a MicroSD card (not included), or you can pay for 30-day cloud storage on a Tapo subscription.
Interestingly, only cloud recordings offer the ability to scrub (move the playback position) in recorded clips. Locally stored clips can only be played from the beginning.
Recordings are accessed through a separate Playback and Download section on the doorbell’s main page. This page also includes the live view by default, and a number of quick access controls like activating two-way talk, privacy mode, or quick responses. The playback screen shows the usual list of video thumbnails in chronological order along with a time stamp and icons representing the type of motion detection that triggered it.
A timeline is also provided above the recorded clips that shows when each type of motion was detected. These events appear as simple colored lines and, while you can pinch to zoom, doesn’t offer much benefit over the actual list of clips unless you’re looking for an event some time in the past as it does provide a way to jump through the clip list quickly.
Main doorbell view in the Tapo app
List of playback options including timeline
Clearly laid out settings page
Smart Home Features
Basic live view access via Alexa and Google smart displays.
Integration with Tapo’s other smart home devices through the Smart Actions automation options.
Extra Features
Quick Responses - a set of pre-recorded messages to answer a caller with a tap
Automated responses - a separate set of pre-recorded messages that can be played automatically with motion is detected. A custom message can also be recorded for this purpose.
Object tagging - An optional setting that marks detected objects in recordings and live view with a box and label indicating the type of object detected.
Alternatives
Video and Audio
Reolink Video Doorbell
8.7 Overall Score
If you can wire your doorbell, Reolink's video doorbell provides best-in-class video quality and superior audio quality and range to the Tapo D210. Reolink also requires a low cost subscription to get rich notifications, which are just as accurate. The main downside is that you will have a less polished app experience.
Package Security
Eufy E340
7.5 Overall Score
While considerably more expensive than the D210, if package security is a concern the E340 provides to best option with it's dedicated second package monitoring camera. Very high image and audio quality, and a removable battery and 8GB of built-in storage round out this quality offering.
Security
Ring Video Doorbell 2
8.0 Overall Score
For only a little more up-front, the entry-level model from Ring delivers superb reliability, super fast rich notifications, long detection range, and a wide angle view making it an excellent choice for front yard security monitoring. You will need a subscription for this one, but with that comes a lifetime warranty, anti-theft guarantee, and a generous 180 days of storage.
Common Questions
Can the Tapo D210 be hardwired?
No, the D210 is a battery-only model and has no wire terminals for using either a doorbell transformer or a physical chime of any kind.
What is the realistic battery life of the Tapo D210?
My battery run down test at maximum sensitivity shows the Tapo D210 using about 1% per day, which is typical of many smart video doorbells. This gives a high traffic run time of about 3 months. With lower daily motion traffic and more moderate detection settings this could be easily extended to 4 or 5 months. The stated 180 days is, however, unrealistic.
Where is the Tapo D210 made
The Tapo D210 is made in China. Tapo is a brand of TP-Link. While TP-Link’s webpage says the company is headquartered in the United States, TP-Link is a Chinese company based primarily in Shenzhen. The US headquarters is a smaller satellite office established in response to national security concerns. Notably, the D210 box indicates an office address in Singapore, which is another secondary headquarters established in 2024.
See my video doorbell guides to learn more about other models, features, and options.
