Troubleshooting Tapo C420/C400 shows offline and the battery level shows 0 on the Tapo app after configuration
This Article Applies to:
Tapo C420 V1
Tapo C400 V1
Phenomenon Description:
After inserting the battery in the camera, you can finish the camera's configuration process, but the camera shows offline and the battery level shows 0 on the Tapo app after configuration.
Suggestion:
1. Ensure the battery is fully charged.
It may take about 5-6 hours to charge the battery from empty to fully charged with the original charger, and the battery LED will turn solid green when fully charged.
Note: if the time required for the battery to be fully charged from empty is significantly shorter than the normal charging time, it is possible that there is a hardware issue with the battery.
2. Ensure the battery is inserted into the camera tightly.
Try removing the battery from the camera, using a dry cloth or paper towel to clean the battery, reinserting the battery, and tightening the camera's back cover.
3. Check if the camera uses the original battery.
If you have battery-powered cameras mixed, such as C420, C400, D230, or cameras of the same model but different versions, please ensure each camera uses the original battery.
Different cameras' battery capacities may be different (like 5200mAh and 6700mAh), and early firmware versions may have compatibility issues on different-capacity batteries. However, the latest firmware has optimized the compatibility.
4. If you have another Tapo C400/C420 that works fine, try to swap the batteries on the cameras to confirm if the camera or the battery has an issue.
a. If the specific battery has an issue, please contact the retailer or local support to check if your device is under warranty.
b. If the specific camera has an issue, report the following information in this thread for further analysis.
1) Confirm if the problem occurs after the first configuration or after using it for a period of time.
2) Check the LED status on the camera.
3) Test if the detection and notification features are working when an event/motion happens in front of the problematic camera.
4) Send us a picture of the camera's status on the Tapo app.
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@Solla-topee I am having the listed problem. Purchased kit including hub + 2 cameras and an add-on camera. Charged all 3 batteries until green LED light (fully charged). Set up the hub and the 2 cameras that came on the kit without incident. I was able to set up the third (add-on) camera, but at the test stage, an error message was given indicating the battery was empty, see left part of image.
I tried swapping the batteries from a working camera, did not resolve problem. Tried charging the battery while in the camera, green light on, same problem. The camera shows as connected, but offline with an empty battery, see right part of image. The strange thing is that I am receiving notifications from this camera for motion, person detection, etc.
1) Confirm if the problem occurs after the first configuration or after using it for a period of time. The problem occurs after the first configuration.
2) Check the LED status on the camera. The LED is green.
3) Test if the detection and notification features are working when an event/motion happens in front of the problematic camera. The detection and notification features are working normally, though I cannot manage the camera.
@Solla-topee I have just installed 2 x C400's brand new in the UK only to find that one immediately reported 0% battery despite being able to function when tested. I did notice that the battery charged faster, however not sure how significantly, and so I replaced the battery with a spare that I had purchased which unfortunately did not resolve the problem. I also swapped batteries between cameras which also did not change the outcome. I'm guessing I now need to request an RMA. This is now the 3rd TAPO product in a few months I've had to return and the first immediately after purchase.
1) Problem occurs after the first configuration.
2) LED status on the camera appears to work.
3) Detection and notification appears to work.
4) Send us a picture of the camera's status on the Tapo app.
