C120 Hacked
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I just bought an Indoor/Outdoor Home Security wifi-camera, the C120. I only started using it 2 days ago. It was working with no problems. I placed it facing a window because I was having a problem with a neighbor who was throwing trash in the lawn.
In the evening I put the camera in privacy mode and went to shower. When I walked into the shower, the camera suddenly set off an alarm nose. I went to check it, and saw in the saved SD card that the camera had turned on and used the reflection in the window to record my walking into the shower, twice. My C120 has been hacked.
I'm pretty sure that the problem is that the wifi signal it broadcasts is unsecured. However, I can't find any way to secure it. I tried http://tplinkwifi.net/ but it says that I am not connected to my TP link network, even when I plug it into my computer, so I think this has nothing to do with the wifi signal.
This is really disturbing. How is it that TP link is selling a product with a unsecured network signal that anyone can hop onto and hijack the camera?
Hey @aneighbor,
I would be more than happy to ease the concerns you have about the camera.
First, the camera's recording. The camera will work using its Infrared Sensor to detect motion and upon detecting a change in infrared, the camera will begin to record the event. Since your camera was placed in front of a window, the Infrared light is actually bouncing off the glass and back into the room, causing your camera to start recording when you move within the room.
To combat this, I would recommend placing the camera against the glass to eliminate a reflection of the room, and disabling the infrared lights on the camera.
To disable the infrared lights that are reflecting and will likely blow out the image of your lawn when behind the glass:
Open your camera live view > Tap on the Live View > Tap Auto > Select Day Mode
Keep in mind that the C120 can also be used outdoors, so you may consider placing the camera on the outside of your home if you are recording your lawn.
For your concern about the unsecured Wi-Fi network, this network is temporary and only available for setting the device up within the Tapo App. Once you have set the camera to connect to your home network during setup, this network will be disabled entirely, and the only way to access your camera is through the Tapo app. This network is only used to do the initial configuration, after setup, the device will communicate only over Wi-Fi.