Tapo C212 cannot be installed without Internet access
Let's just say, I mistrust any OEM of any IP camera deeply. So my Tapo C212 camera should be used without ever having Internet access According to the advertisment, this should be possible.
To fullfill the (idiotic) requirements of the Tapo App I came up with this setup: I configured a spare a WiFi router, connect the camera via LAN to it and connect my phone to the very same WiFi. And all seems fine:
- The C212 has an IP address
- The phonehas an IP address
- I can ping the C212 from the phone
- The router sees (and pings) both devices.
When I start the detection process in the Tapo App the C212 is not found. End of story, no happy ending.
Why does the Tapo App block me from just putting in the IP address of the camera and configure it?
Why does the camera not have a Web Interface to configure it? Could be an expert mode, whatever.
TP could make the world so much easier, but chose to not support static IP addresses. And, maybe, put a really big sign on the box saying: this device needs to access the Internet - only cloud usage is possible.
Any ideas or success stories?