General Questions about the Kasa Cam

Q&A of functional explanation or specification parameters
Updated 08-16-2022 02:08:15 AM 184294
This Article Applies to: 

Part 1:Installation Related

Q1.1: Do I have to create a Kasa account to be able to use the camera?

Yes, if this is your first Kasa device, you will be asked to create an account when you add your first camera. A Kasa account will allow you to manage the Kasa Cam and other Kasa devices. After you create your account you’ll be sent a verification email to complete the registration process. For more details, refer to FAQ 1961.

Q1.2: What kind of devices and OS version is the TP-Link Kasa App compatible with?

Any mobile device running iOS 10 or above, Android 5.x or above.

Note: Currently, there is no plan to support the OS such as Windows phone, Kindle or Kindle Fire, and the Kasa App is only available on mobile devices but not computers.

Q1.3: What encryption types do the cameras support?

The Kasa cameras only support WEP and WPA/WPA2 encryptions.

Portal, WPA/WPA2 enterprise and open/unsecured networks are not supported.

Note: Kasa smart devices do support hidden SSIDs.

Q1.4: What are the frequencies used for Kasa Cams? Does the Kasa Cam use the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band?

KC120(US)_V1, KC120(EU)_V1 and KC200(US)_V1 support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, while all of the other Kasa Cams and Kasa Spot Cams support 2.4GHz only.

Q1.5: What do the various LED colors mean on the Kasa Cam?

The Kasa Cam has an LED on the front, you can know the current status of the camera from the LED.

System LED Colors

Status

Solid amber

Rebooting

Alternating amber and green

SoftAP Mode

Flashing red

Connecting to Wi-Fi

Flashing green

Connected to Wi-Fi

Solid green

Bound to Cloud

Flashing amber

Resetting to SoftAP/Factory mode

Q1.6: How can I mount my Kasa Camera?

Every Kasa Cam comes with a mountable base plate, indicator label and screws. The Kasa App provides you with step-by-step instructions for mounting it on wall. Select Device Settings for your Kasa Cam, scroll down to Wall Mount Guide for further instructions. Once you have screwed in the base plate you may attach the camera and adjust the lens to the desired view.

Part 2:Motion Detected&Notification Related

Q2.1: What if the Kasa camera is too sensitive or not sensitive for motions?

If you feel your Kasa camera is too sensitive, please navigate to the camera Device Settings page on the Kasa App, then tap Privacy and Sensitivity where you can find settings to change the sensitivity of the detection to a lower/higher level.

Q2.2: What does the Notification Frequency option do for Kasa Cams?

The notification frequency setting allows users to receive a single push notification per 5 minutes for multiple activities detected within this time period. Notification frequency can be enabled from the camera’s notification settings and will be useful for users who have their camera pointed to a busy area.

Q2.3: Why there is no clip or snapshot in the Activity Center when motion detected?

For SD card models such as KC105, KC115, KC400 or KC410S, etc., we do not provide free cloud storage or the Activity Notifications with Snapshots.

The user will have to subscribe to one of our paid Kasa Care subscription plans to enable the features.

Q2.4: Does Kasa camera support email notification when it detects an activity?

Nope, Kasa cameras only support Kasa App Push Notification currently and it doesn’t support Email Notification.

Q2.5. If the 24-hour local recording function is enabled on the Kasa app, can the motion/sound detection function of KC105/KC115(SD Card model) work at the same time? Will the clips triggered by motion/sound be uploaded to the cloud server or saved to the SD card?
1) Motion/sound detection function can take effect at the same time.
2) The clips triggered by motion/sound will be uploaded to the cloud server if your camera has a Kasa Care subscription.
3) If you are using the SD card recording, all 24/7 videos will be saved to the SD card at the same time.

Part 3:Live View Related

Q3.1: Who can view my camera and video clips?

Only the individuals who have signed into the associated Kasa account can view your camera and clips. All video streams and activities associated with your Kasa Cam are private and can only be viewed by those signed into the Kasa Account.

*Note: We recommend that you never share your account information with anyone.

Q3.2: Can I view multiple Kasa cameras at the same time?

Users can view multiple Kasa cameras at the same time. All Kasa cameras will list on the Camera page of the Kasa App and you are allowed to view all of them by just sliding up and down.

Q3.3: Can multiple accounts/devices view the Kasa camera at the same time?

Currently, one camera can be controlled or managed by only one account. But it allows different mobile devices (up to 10 phones) which login with the same account to view the camera at the same time.

Q3.4: What should I do if the screen of my camera has an abnormal color (pink, purple, green, etc.)?

1. Move it to a different position with a different light environment and see if the issue arises again.
2. There is a possibility that the filter got stuck. Please give it a good shake and see if it would work.
3. Switch between day mode and night mode, check if the switching between mode works fine. Make sure you can hear a click sound when switching.
4. Please try to reboot the camera by powering it off and on, then check again.

Need more help? Contact TP-Link Support

Q3.5: How long can I watch the Live stream of Kasa camera using the Kasa app?

1) If the Kasa app connected to the Wi-Fi network of the router which the KC camera connected to, the Kasa app can watch the Live stream all the time, no time limit.

2) If the Kasa app is connected to the other Wi-Fi network when you watch the Live stream of the KC camera, or if you are viewing the camera on multiple phones at the same time, you can watch the Live stream for 10 minutes, then you will be prompted to continue. Click Continue to continue watching.

3) Use the third-party device such as Google Home Hub, Echo show, fire TV to watch the Live stream of KC camera, it will be disconnected automatically when it arrives in 10 minutes. If you want to continue watching, take the Echo show as an example, you need to ask it to show again by voice command "Alexa, show me the [Camera Name]".

Part 4: Third-Party Related

Q4.1: How to view Kasa camera on a computer?

Currently, we don't have camera control software for a PC nor can we view the Kasa Cam directly on the web, you can use an Android simulator on PC to install the Kasa APP as a workaround.

Q4.2: How can I use Kasa cameras with Chromecast?

To use Kasa cameras with Google Assistant, you need a Google Chromecast, a Google Home Hub and any smart display that supports Chromecast (such as a TV with built-in Chromecast). After configured, you can watch the live feed from any Kasa cameras via a spoken command, and you can refer to this link to know the commands the camera support.

Currently, the Kasa cameras don’t support “camera on/off” command due to possible security risks. For example, an intruder could potentially shut off your cameras with a simple command.

Watching the live feed of Kasa cameras through Google Assistant will use your internet traffic as it’s a Cloud-to-Cloud service. In consideration of your extranet traffic and performance, the live feed will stop after 10 minutes. However, you can ask Google to show the camera again if you want to continue streaming.

Q4.3: What third-party services does Kasa Cam support?

Kasa Cam supports both Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant services.

For Amazon Alexa: http://www.tp-link.com/us/faq-1952.html

For Google Assistant: https://www.tp-link.com/us/faq-1558.html

Q4.4: Does the Kasa camera supports RTSP streaming or ONVIF protocol?

No, the Kasa camera does not support RTSP or ONVIF protocol.

Part 5: Audio & Video Related

Q5.1: How to adjust the volume of the Kasa camera from the Kasa APP?

There is no option on the Kasa APP that allows you to adjust the volume or mute audio. You may need to adjust the media volume on your phone directly.

Q5.2: What can I do if the audio from the Kasa camera sounds a bit muffled?

If the audio is muffled or there is noise/echo when watching the live view or recorded videos of the Kasa camera, try below troubleshooting steps.

1. Relocate the camera in case there is any other device that may have interference with it.

2. Move and put the phone much farther away from the camera or at least put them in two different rooms and test the two-way audio again.

Q5.3: Why there is no audio in the recordings from my Kasa Cam?

Generally, it will enable audio automatically when you watch Live View of the camera. If there is no audio when streaming, please follow the troubleshooting steps below.

1. Adjust the media volume of your phone and ensure it is NOT in Silent Mode. If you have an iPhone, please flip up the hardware switch on its left side.

2. Open Kasa App, navigate to the Device Settings page, tap on Privacy and Sensitivity and ensure you select Record Video and Audio.

3. Download the recorded clips/videos to your phone. Then check if you can hear the audio while playing the videos.

4. You could try on another phone if you have one.

If the above steps cannot fix the problem, it’s suggested to contact TP-Link support via Email.

Part 6: Recordings & Clips Related

Q6.1: Does the Kasa camera support manual recording?

If you have a Kasa Care subscription for the camera, manual recording function can be enabled on the Kasa camera’s live view interface.

Click on the red dot, and the manual recording will be on. The manually recorded clip can be up to 5 minutes long and users can view these clips in the Activity list on Kasa App (same place where the users visit detection clips).

Q6.2: Why can't I use the manual recording feature on my Kasa Camera?

A: If you cannot see the manual recoding button on the live view page of the camera, it is likely that you have not subscribed to the Kasa Care Plan, thus there is No free cloud recording for the camera.

After the subscription, you will see the recording button and use the manual recording feature, the clip recorded will be saved to the activity center.

Q6.3: How can I delete recordings of Kasa camera from Kasa APP?

Now, there is no such option or setting on Kasa APP to delete SD card recordings. The cloud recordings can only be deleted one by one.

Q6.4: Does Kasa Cam monitor 24/7?

Yes, Kasa Cam monitors 24/7. With a Kasa Care subscription, the camera records clips only when motion or sound activity occurs.

*Note: For cameras that support SD cards, you can Save your footage using a Micro SD card (sold separately) and play back with your Kasa Smart APP.

Your camera must be powered on for the monitoring to take place.

Q6.5: Can we delete the 24/7 recording on Kasa App?

No, it doesn't support deleting the 24/7 recording.

Q6.6: How can I download a Kasa cam clip to my PC?

You are not able to download a camera clip to your PC directly, nor can you download multiple clips at a time. However, you can download the clip from the Kasa App one by one. The downloaded clip will be saved in Photos on your phone, then you can sync it to your PC.

Q6.7: How do I get back my deleted recordings of Kasa Cam?

Sorry, the deleted recordings of the Kasa Cam are irreversible since they were completely removed from TP-Link Cloud Server.

Q6.8: If the Micro SD card has a capacity of 32G, how long can he record after enabling the 24-hour recording function?
The recording time has a great relationship with the scenes taken by the user, usually about 1-2 weeks. If there are many moving objects in the scene the user takes, the time will be shorter.

Q6.9: If the Micro SD card is full of recordings, will the newly recorded videos automatically overwrite the old ones?
A: Yes, the newly recorded videos will overwrite the old videos and this process will start from the oldest one.

Part 7: Other Questions

Q7.1: How secure is this camera?

Data security is important to us and we understand that it is essential for your peace of mind. We use industry-standard AES 128-bit encryption with SSL/TLS. Kasa uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud infrastructure and storage. For more information regarding Amazon’s security policy refer to AWS Cloud Security. Refer to TP-Link’s Term of Use for more information.

Q7.2: How much data will my Kasa camera use when watching live video or uploading the clips to Cloud?

The recommended bandwidth for uploading a camera video to the cloud will vary due to different camera types and resolutions. The upload bandwidth for each camera would be around 2-2.5Mbps to stream a live feed or upload videos at 1080p resolution. Please ensure your network meets this requirement and if necessary, adjust the resolution accordingly to stay within the upstream limit.

Most importantly, however, the actual streaming experience would be affected by the surrounding wireless interference and the signal strength, even when the bandwidth is enough. In this case, it’s suggested to eliminate possible wireless interference (like Bluetooth devices, USB 3.0 devices, cordless phones and microwave ovens) or place the camera closer to the router.

Q7.3: How many Kasa cameras can be managed by one account?

There is no quantitative limit on the cameras that can be set up or controlled by one account on the Kasa App.

Q7.4: What should I do if I’ve forgotten my password?

You can refer to this link to solve your problem.

Q7.5: How do I change my login email address on Kasa App for Kasa cam?

If you want to change the login email address on Kasa App, please click on the three-line icon on the top left corner of Kasa App, hit the current login account and you will see Sign out from Kasa, just click on it and sign out. Then click “Log In” again and type in your new email address and password, and you will be able to see all the devices bound to the new account.

But please note if your Kasa devices have already been bound to the previous account, you will need to remove those devices first from the old account and bind them to the new one, here is the guide for unbinding them from the old account.

Q7.6: Can I use my Kasa camera anywhere if there is no internet?

You can use the camera or watch the live view without an internet connection, but please ensure both your phone and the camera are connected to the same wireless network.

Note: Motion detection or any other service associated with the TP-Link Cloud will not work if there is no internet access.

Q7.7: How long is the Kasa Cam’s power cord?

Each Kasa Cam comes with a 10-foot USB cable and an AC adapter meant to be plugged indoors only.

Note: For the Kasa Cam Outdoor, please make sure the AC adapter or the Kasa Hub is plugged indoors or into a weatherproof outdoor outlet.

Q7.8: What is Camera Power?

With Kasa Cam’s Camera Power option you can enable or disable recording of video and audio. When you disable this option, your camera will not record audio or video, and you will not receive any event notifications. However, live video and audio streaming still work.

Q7.9: Can I turn my Kasa camera on or off from my mobile phone?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t support to turn on/off the camera on the Kasa App at present. If you want to turn on/off the camera, you need to switch it off manually or you may just plug the camera into a smart plug like HS100/HS105 and set a schedule to turn it on/off automatically.

Or you can disable recording of video and audio with Kasa Cam's Camera Power option, but please note that when you select this option your camera will not record audio or video, and you will not receive any event notifications.

Q7.10: How do I turn on or off the green LED on the front of the Kasa camera?

If you want to turn on or off the green LED on the front of the Kasa camera, navigate to your camera's live view screen and access the device settings. Scroll down to a toggle switch for Status LED.

Q7.11: How do I use Hold to Talk?

All Kasa Cams come equipped with a built-in microphone and speaker for two-way communications. From the live view screen (portrait or landscape) you can push the “Hold to Talk” button to start a conversation.

1. Press and hold the “Hold to Talk” button and you will hear the chime indicating you can start talking.

2. Start talking

3. Release the “Hold to Talk” button when you’ve finished talking and you'll hear a chime as well.

https://robotcare3.live800.com/robot/v/materials/show/2wYF6x8oQ0u-

Q7.12: Why can't I hear the sound of the camera when clicking the “Hold to Talk” button on the camera?

Our camera's 2-way audio is half-duplex. It can't send and receive voice like instant calls at the same time. It is similar to the walkie-talkie mode.

Q7.13: How to view my Kasa camera over the internet?

Users can view and manage the Kasa camera once they link the camera successfully to the TP-Link Cloud server and the System LED on the camera is solid green. Launch the Kasa app anywhere anytime when you want to see the camera. But if you cannot see the camera when you are outside, please refer here for some troubleshooting.

Q7.14: Does Kasa camera support local storage with a micro SD card?

The KC105, KC115, KC400, KC410S, KC420WS support it.

However, the old cameras do not support local storage nor do they have micro SD card slots, and all of the detected video clips, as well as manually recorded recordings from the Kasa cameras, are saved and stored on the TP-Link Cloud server and users are allowed to view or download them based on their Kasa Care subscriptions.

Q7.15: Can KC300 and KC310 use the same hub?

Yes! The hub (KH300/KH310) supports both KC300 and KC310 at the same time, the maximum limit of the cameras connected is 16 cameras for 1 hub.

Q7.16. Can I format the SD card on the Kasa APP or do I need to format the SD card through a computer?
You need to format the Micro SD card on the Kasa app.

Q7.17. What is the meaning of Class10 in SD cards?
SD cards are divided into Class 0/2/4/6/10 according to different read and write speeds. Class 10 is one of the faster speed classes of SD card flash memory.
It’s suggested to use an SD card which read and write speed is Class 10 or above to work with the KC105/KC115, if the SD card is Class 0/2/4/6 card, we can’t promise it will work properly with the KC105/KC115.

Q7.18: How to setup the Schedule feature?

On the live screen, there is the Schedule icon. Customers can set a time to turn off or on the camera.

When the camera is off, its video stream service is disabled, which means you cannot live view, and would not get any detection or notification. The camera is in standby mode.

Q7.19: What’s the subscription plan for Kasa Cam?

The subscription plan is also called Kasa Care. Refer to the FAQ link for details:https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1962/

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