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Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?

Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?

Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?
Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?
Wednesday - last edited Wednesday
Tags: #Firmware #Live View #Recording #Tapo App Related
Model: Tapo C325WB  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 1.2.4

Hi, I bought 2 days ago the camera. Every 2 second, the video freezes and lags / stutters during live view and playback. 

I have tried the following troubleshooting, issue persist: 

 

- Wi-Fi signal strengh is 53-55 RSSI.

- Tried direct ethernet connection.

- I connected to the same Wi-Fi network, on 4G it's even unwatchable.

- Tried pinging the camera: all tests were <10 ms and no packet lost.

- Network connection is stable, as C320WS works fine. 

- Tried "Compatible mode" instead of "Hardware accelerated".

- Tried without SD card.

- Tried with other SD card.

- Tried on another phone and tablet.

- Camera reboot.

- Factory reset.

- Different plugs.

- Tried disabling all detection modes.

- Tried disabling SD card recording

- Tried another versions of the Tapo app with older apk.

 

Please note that: 

 

- The live view works fine on 720p.

- The downloaded media on computer plays fine.

- I have 320WS that works fine on the same network.

 

I can send videos of the issue in private.

 

Another extremely annoying issue is that when I select 720p, the recording on SD card are still 2K and it still lags during playback view.

There is no way to record 720p on the SD card, because the camera does not register it.

 

I'm within 15 days of returning and getting refunded for this camera for which I'm extremely dissapointed to have purchased.

Please advice for real solution and do not post the usual knowledge based links, because I've checked everything.

 

Also tell if's known issue with the camera and should I return it, or Tapo team is aware if the issue and will solve this with a firmware update.

Considering the last firmware is from August 2024, Tapo doesn't seem to be concerned and in a hurry to solve the issue.

 

Please advice, thanks.

 

 

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#1
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6 Reply
Re:Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?
Wednesday

  @fisko 

Hi,
The problem may be related to the specific camera and usage scenario. In this case, could you please send me a video showing the problem for further analysis?
You can upload the video to your cloud server(such as Google Drive), generate a link to download it and send me(@Solla-topee) the link via a private message.
Best Regards

>>Landscape Mode - Tapo App for Pad. >>Smart Action 2.0 Explore and meet the next level home automation. >>How to position my TP-Link camera for optimal performance.
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#2
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Re:Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?
Thursday

  @Solla-topee 

 

Hi, please check your privates messages, I have sent a video. Thanks. 

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#3
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Re:Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?
Thursday

  @fisko 

Hi, 
Thank you for the video provided. 
You can try to uninstall the Tapo app on your phone, copy the link and paste it on your phone's browser, download and install the Tapo Trial app, then check if you can watch the camera's live feed and play video recordings properly.
Best Regards

>>Landscape Mode - Tapo App for Pad. >>Smart Action 2.0 Explore and meet the next level home automation. >>How to position my TP-Link camera for optimal performance.
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#4
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Re:Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?
Thursday - last edited Thursday

  @Solla-topee  Thank you for your quick reply. I installed this older version of Tapo app, but issue persist. The lagging is very regular - every 2 seconds, no matter the device, version of the app, cable or Wi-Fi connection. 

 

Also it does not record on SD card 720p, even if I select in Settings to record 720p, the camera records at 2k on SD card. Only live view switches between the modes.

 

Is is either a hardware or firmware issue. Between thousands of C325 cameras produced, how can I have picked up a defective one? I was so much happy with the quality of the image and was so much impatient to have the camera installed, only to have this. Is there any way you force and older firmware to my camera?

By the way after looking on internet, other users have reported similar issues with this particular model. Can you tell if it's a known issue? Thanks.

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#5
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Re:Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?
Thursday

  @fisko 

Hi, 
This is not a known issue, and if you are willing to continue troubleshooting, please confirm the following information, and I will escalate your case to our tech team for analysis.
  1. Please remove the SD card from your camera, connect it to your PC, and check if you can watch the video recordings smoothly on your PC.
  2. If not, refer to the instructions to collect the camera log and reply to me if you have collected it.
 

You can also try to contact your retailer or our local team to check if the camera is under warranty.

Best Regards

>>Landscape Mode - Tapo App for Pad. >>Smart Action 2.0 Explore and meet the next level home automation. >>How to position my TP-Link camera for optimal performance.
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#6
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Re:Serious Stuttering 325WB camera, defective camera?
Thursday - last edited Thursday

 @Solla-topee Hi, I have found the culprit. I checked the bitrate and activated the Speed tag during live view. When the scenery has too much small details, grass, leaves, etc , the bitrate goes over 500-700 kb/s on 2K and the image start to lag, the camera is overwhelmed. During recorded playback of the same scenery it's the same.

 

I tried to move the camera inside the house where the bitrate is lower at around 200-300 kb/s - it is perfectly smooth during live view and playback. The choppiness comes if scenery overpass 500 kb/s. I believe Tapo has has put some kind of limitation into the camera or its hardware to limit bandwitth. It is very unfortunate. The downloaded media on PC works fine. 

 

This explains why my C320 does not lag when placed outside on the same place, it has lower quality image and the bandwith rarely exceed 300 kb/s.. Also, this explains why the C325 does not lag when 720p is selected during live view - the bitrate is 300 kb/s. Please note it's not a network issue from my side.

The same issue is described here: https://community.tp-link.com/en/smart-home/forum/topic/746942?replyId=1485874

In case someone else has the same issue and find this thread - this is what's causing it.
 

 


 

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