Outdoor cameras
Coverage or detail: which of these two is the better first outdoor camera?
Two opposite approaches. The Tapo moves and sees wide in 1080p; the Reolink stares at a single scene in 5 MP and can also write to a recorder or an FTP server. Everything else follows from that.
| Compared on | C500 | RLC-510WA-B |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 1080p Full HD | 5 MP |
| Coverage | 360° pan, 130° tilt | Fixed, one scene |
| Night vision | Infrared up to 30 m (98 ft) | Infrared up to 30 m (98 ft) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi only, band not stated, no LAN port | Dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz |
| Storage | microSD up to 512 GB, or Tapo Care | microSD up to 512 GB, NVR or FTP |
| Detection | Person, with motion tracking | Person, vehicle and pet |
| Privacy mode | Lens hidden inside the housing | Not stated |
| Weather rating | IP65 | IP66 |
| Listed on amazon.com | Yes | No |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these products answer different questions.
Prefer the C500 when one camera has to cover a whole yard and there is nowhere to put three. Moving is the feature; 1080p is the price of it.
No amazon.com listing was found for this one. We hold references for other markets but none for the United States, so it may not be buyable here — which is the first thing to weigh against anything below.
Buy the RLC-510WA when the scene is fixed and the detail matters — and above all when you want the footage on a recorder or a server rather than in the camera.
Neither. Both record to a microSD card up to 512 GB with no plan. The Tapo also offers a paid cloud, Tapo Care; the Reolink also records, with no plan, to a Reolink recorder or an FTP server you control. Either way, taking the camera does not take the footage — on the Reolink with no running cost.
It is a different bargain. A pan-and-tilt camera covers far more ground and is pointed away from part of it at any given moment; a fixed camera never misses its own scene. Where an event could happen anywhere, movement wins. Where it will happen at the door, it does not.
1080p · 360° pan, 130° tilt · 30 m (98 ft) IR · microSD to 512 GB · IP65
An entry-level pan-and-tilt outdoor camera that records to its own card. TP-Link states 1080p, a 360° horizontal sweep and night vision to 30 m (98 ft), and the listing is unusually frank about what the model is not.
Best for: A first outdoor camera on a wall that already has a socket nearby, where 1080p is enough and the card matters more than the picture.
≈ $78
5MP · dual-band 2.4/5 GHz · 30 m (98 ft) 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, as well as to a Reolink NVR or a card. Reolink states dual-band Wi-Fi, person, vehicle and animal detection, and 30 m (98 ft) night vision.
Best for: Someone who wants a fixed camera pointed at one thing permanently, recorded somewhere other than the camera itself.
