Is Your Tapo Camera Motion Detection Not Working? Let's Get It Fixed.
Your TP-Link Tapo camera is a fantastic tool for keeping an eye on your home, but if it's not detecting or alerting you to motion, it's not doing its job. Whether you're missing important events or not getting notifications, the cause is usually a simple setting that's been overlooked.
This troubleshooting guide will walk you through the essential settings in the Tapo app to diagnose and solve your motion detection problems, from initial setup to fine-tuning for accuracy.
Identifying the Problem
First, let's be clear about the issue you're facing, as the solution might be different for each:
- No detection at all: The camera doesn't seem to react to any movement, and no recordings are being made.
- No notifications: You can see motion-triggered recordings in the app's playback history, but your phone never sends you a push alert.
- Missed specific events: The camera picks up some motion but seems to miss obvious events, like a person walking clearly into view.
- Recording issues: You get an alert, but when you go to view the footage, there is no video saved.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting in the Tapo App
Work through these steps in order. The solution is very likely to be in one of these settings.
1. Check the Basics: Is Motion Detection Enabled?
It sounds simple, but it's always the first place to look.
- Open the Tapo app and select the camera you're troubleshooting.
- Tap the gear icon in the top-right corner to open the Camera Settings.
- Go to 'Detection & Alerts'.
- Ensure the main 'Motion Detection' toggle is switched ON. If this is off, nothing else will work.
2. Configure Your Activity Zones
Activity zones tell your camera where to look for motion. If they are not set correctly, the camera may be ignoring the area you care about.
- In the 'Detection & Alerts' menu, tap on 'Activity Zones'.
- You will see your camera's view with a grid. You must select the squares that cover the area you want to monitor.
- If you want to monitor the entire view, make sure every square is highlighted. If you only want to watch a door, only highlight the squares covering the door. Any motion outside the highlighted zones will be ignored.
3. Adjust Motion Sensitivity
This setting controls how much movement is needed to trigger a recording.
- In the 'Detection & Alerts' menu, find 'Motion Sensitivity'.
- You can choose between Low, Normal, and High.
- If your camera is missing events, the sensitivity may be too low. Try setting it to 'High'.
- If you get too many false alarms from shadows or leaves, the sensitivity is too high. Try setting it to 'Low'.
4. Verify Your Notification Settings
If the camera is recording but you're not getting alerts, the problem lies with your notification settings.
- Phone-Level Settings: First, go to your smartphone's main Settings > Notifications. Find the Tapo app in the list and ensure it has permission to send you notifications.
- App-Level Settings: Back in the Tapo app, under 'Detection & Alerts', make sure 'Push Notifications' (or 'Rich Notifications') is toggled ON.
- Check Notification Schedule: Some settings allow you to schedule "do not disturb" times. Ensure you haven't accidentally muted the notifications.
5. Check AI Detection vs. Standard Detection
Many Tapo cameras have smart AI features. This can sometimes cause confusion.
- In the 'Detection & Alerts' menu, you will see options like Person Detection, Pet Detection, etc.
- If you have only enabled 'Person Detection', the camera will only alert you if it is confident it has seen a person. It will ignore all other types of motion.
- If your camera is missing events, try enabling the standard 'Motion Detection' alongside the AI features. This ensures that if the AI isn't sure, the basic motion detection will still catch the event.
6. Ensure Recording is Set Up
If you get alerts but have no video, check your storage and recording schedule.
- Go back to the main Camera Settings page and select 'Storage & Recording'.
- Check your storage: Make sure you have a working microSD card with free space, or an active Tapo Care subscription.
- Check the 'Recording Schedule': Make sure you have a schedule set up to record when motion is detected. If the schedule is blank, it won't record anything.
By methodically checking these settings, you can almost certainly find and fix the reason your Tapo camera's motion detection isn't behaving as expected.