The Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera Review: A Reliable Security Camera Suited for Renters and Homeowners Alike

The Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera is a budget-friendly, wired or battery-powered video doorbell that I have been impressed with from the get-go.

I've been a user of video doorbells since we bought our first home almost 10 years ago, with some more permanent fixtures than others. I was excited to try the Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera to see how it compared with the other video doorbells I've tested and make full use of the features.

It usually retails for around $190, but I've noticed that it's often discounted, and I've been impressed by how easy it was to install and use, with good video and audio quality. Aside from a screwdriver, it comes with everything you'll need to set it up on the day it's delivered. While it does come with a couple of concerns, I believe it is a worthwhile option to consider to improve your home's security.

My One-Minute Summary

Overall, the Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera is a good, reliable security camera that will use AI to detect motion, people, vehicles, pets, and packages. With just some very basic DIY skills, I had it set up within 10 minutes and have been happily testing for 16 days.

I have been particularly impressed by its ability to accurately detect motion and subjects as they enter the 33 ft / 10 m detection range. The color-night vision has been brilliant with no clarity lost too. I have also liked how good the Tapo app is in its ability to add detection tags, draw privacy zones, and access activity in Playback.

However, this storage is an ongoing cost that'll set you back $3.49 per month after the free 30 days. You do, however, have the option to use a 512GB microSD card to avoid these costs. Alternatively, the eufy E340 and the Lorex 2K avoid paying monthly fees.

Throughout testing, the battery has dropped from 100% down to 43%, even though it's expected to last 8 months – and I've decreased the sensitivity. I've also found that the audio hasn't been as crisp and clear as other Tapo video doorbells that I've tested.

I admit, I am more familiar with Ring video doorbells and security cameras because they are a permanent resident at my home address. I much prefer a wired video doorbell because I don't need to worry about recharging, and they are generally more difficult for those up to no good to remove.

That said, if you're a renter and are concerned about the security of your home, then a spend of around $109.99 for a video doorbell is always going to be a smart move on my watch.

Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera: Specifications

Installation and setup

If you opt to battery-power the Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera as I did, then before you do anything, you'll need to charge the integrated battery. It's estimated to take six hours to go from 0 to 100% charge; reality is closer to seven hours. You don't get notified when the battery is fully charged, so the best way to check this is to add the device to the Tapo app and view the battery levels from there.

Alternatively, if you're hardwiring the D235, then you can skip straight to installation.

The Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera arrives in a neat, compact box that contains everything you'll need for installation. Once you've removed the plastic wrapping from around the box and look inside, you'll find the: Tapo Video Doorbell, Tapo Chime, Mounting Template, Mounting Bracket, Vertical Mounting Wedge, Horizontal Mounting Wedge, USB Adapter Cable, Jumper for Existing Chime, Extension Wires (x2), Mounting Screws and Anchors (x3), Hardwire Installation Screws (x2), Doorbell Detaching Pin, Mounting Wedge Screws (x5), 3M Adhesive, Foam Pad, Wire Nuts (x2) and Quick Start Guide.

I installed the D235 to our wooden gated fence using only a couple of essential DIY skills such as lining up screws and using a screw driver, so it was nice and easy. I used the mounting wedge and bracket, and two screws, to adjust the view of our drive by 15° so that I can see who or what is approaching. There are also four tiny screws to fix the wedge to the bracket but note that these really are tiny so you'll need a screwdriver with a small head to screw them into position.

If you're securing to masonry then you'll need the relevant plugs. Equally, if you're hardwiring, then you may need to call in the help of a professional if you're replacing an existing video doorbell and adding a video doorbell to your network of smart devices for the first time.

It's advised that the doorbell be placed 4ft above the ground, and the 15° mounting wedge be used for a more focused view from a specific side.

The Tapo D235 then simply clicks onto the mount. This would be easy to remove; good for recharging, but not good for thieves. The use of a release pin, such as eufy models, would've made it more of a challenge for those up to no good.

Aside from the charge time, it took sub-10 minutes to install the D235 in a location where I wanted to provide some additional security.

Video Quality

After using the Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera for 16 days, I have found the video quality to be consistently good.

Daytime: I could clearly recognize faces, vehicles, and neighbors' pets as they entered the 30ft/10m motion detection range. Equally, I could see large branded packaging once it was delivered to the floor in front of the lens with a focal length of 1.18mm.

However, details on packages were not clear when they came into range – it really needed to be on the floor in front of the doorbell for any branding to be read. This is the same for any branding on vehicles, although these couldn't get close enough to the doorbell for me to read the words, so it was blurred. And number plate detailing was unclear as vehicles were backed onto the drive.

However, the 16x digital zoom of the D235 was good enough to zoom in to some larger branding on packages and vehicles for identifying in 'playback' or live footage.

Nighttime: The video can be in full-color night vision, enabled by two 850-nanometer infrared LEDs to allow the D235 to capture footage in low-light conditions. You can also view footage at nighttime in Infrared Mode to create black-and-white images or Doorbell Mode to turn on spotlights when someone rings the doorbell at night.

Overall, the picture quality was just as good in nighttime as it was in daytime. It could also detect motion, people, vehicles, packages, and pets just as quickly as during the day, which makes it a great security measure for the house.

In both daytime and nighttime, the D235 also survived some torrential downpours of rain and strong winds during testing. It has an IP-66 rating, which means that it is dust-tight and protected from powerful jets of water.

Dynamic light: Our house is south-facing, so it gets direct sunlight throughout most of the day. The D235 has an f/1.8 aperture lens, which lets in significantly more light than video doorbells with a narrower aperture, making it ideal for bright environments.

It balanced the light beautifully; there is no beam of light behind a moving person, animal, or vehicle, with details remaining visible as they entered the 170.6° (Horizontal), 140.1° (Vertical) field of view.

Audio Quality

The Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera captures live audio and records audio, as well as featuring two-way audio with noise cancellation.

Throughout testing, I noticed a lag time between the live audio, where I could hear the audio before hearing it through the D235. I can also hear some interference from more general bird song and wind. It also sounds like the audio drops in and out when hearing it live.

When I tried out the two-way audio, there was a noticeable delay after the person had finished talking before I heard it through the D235.

Similarly, through Playback, there was a delay in recording activity noise. For example, when a workman was shoveling gravel on our drive, I saw them do this before hearing the noise. In Playback, the noise has interference, and it sounds tinny.

App and Smart Features

The only way to use the Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera is to download the Tapo app to your smartphone or tablet. This app is simple and intuitive to use. It can be downloaded by scanning the QR code found on the box and Quick Start Guide, or directly from Google Play (Android) or App Store (iOS).

Then, if you want to activate voice commands, you can link the app to Google Home or Amazon Alexa devices, such as the Echo Show. This means that another smart home gadget, other than your phone or tablet, will receive notifications when motion, people, vehicles, pets or packages are detected, or when the doorbell is activated. You'll also be able to answer the door (or gate in my case) and engage in two-way audio.

I found that the Tapo app was stable while using it, and it was quick to load. I could customize how I viewed and engaged with footage easily, too. For example, you can opt to capture footage in 2k or 960p; set motion detection tags and add privacy zones so that you're not surveilling a neighbor's land. This is an important feature, as capturing areas of your neighbors' homes where they might expect privacy (for instance, their front door) could land you in trouble.

You can also select the detection type (motion, person, pet, vehicle and package) that you'd like to receive an alert for. Switching any of them off may compromise the security of your home, but it'll preserve the battery life, so it'll be your call what is more important to you.

In the app is where you can engage in two-way audio; "answer" the door; activate the anti-theft alarm and opt for an "auto response" to automatically respond to visitors with a pre-recorded message if the doorbell isn't immediately answered. You can even tweak the settings to the Chime by adjusting the time effective.

If you're signed up to Tapo Cloud Storage, then you can also play back and download activity detected in the app. Activity is stored for 30 days, video clips can be made into a short video summary, weekly reports can be viewed, and rich notifications with snapshots will be received. I found it useful to look back through the activity outside our gate, even though I begrudge paying $3.49 per month when the trial ends.

The D235 can be shared with up to five family members in the app so that you can manage the smart device together. Invitees will have limited permissions, and they can not modify camera settings, but they'll still be able to live view and talk.

Motion Detection and Notifications

The Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera can detect motion, people, vehicles, pets, and packages – and you can receive a notification for all of it.

I found that the default settings were far too sensitive; I had a 'motion' notification when the wind moved a plastic bag some feet away from the camera lens, for example. I also noticed that the battery was draining.

I decreased the sensitivity in the app to the lowest it could be, which reduced the wind and rain setting it off, and it only notified me when motion, people, vehicles, pets and packages were within range.

Throughout the 16 days I tested the D235, we had tradesmen turning up for 10 of those days. With that, I've counted in excess of 500 notifications (I lost count) for motion, people, vehicles, pets and packages, which I received to my smartphone.

It can also work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home to receive notifications and doorbell activations; however, as someone who has yet to set up a smart home and isn't too confident with how voice assistants can be used, I haven't compromised how I've been using this smart device.

The chime rings when the doorbell is activated. This means that you can hear the doorbell ring when you're inside the home and don't have your smart device with or near you. You have six different ringtones to choose from and a range of noise levels.

Power and Battery Life

The Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera can be hardwired or battery-powered, making it a fantastic renter-safe home security option. As we've previously explored, I found it relatively easy to install, and I imagine that it'll be just as easy to remove as and when the battery needs to recharge.

It was installed next to the side gate for 16 days, and, in that time, I didn't have to recharge it. However, the power levels did significantly drop because of the detection sensitivity.

Within the time I tested the D235, the battery level depleted from 100% to 43%. Tapo suggests that the battery can last for up to 8 months, which I feel is an optimistic expectation. On the tested rate of battery usage and the detection sensitivity, it would last just over 35 days.

It took more than seven hours to charge the battery when it arrived, so I'd expect it to take this amount of time (perhaps longer) to recharge. A USB charging cable is included, but you will need to buy a plug, like this 3-pack USB wall charger ($5.99, Amazon), if you need the power from an electrical outlet. To charge it, you'll also need to remove the D235 from the mounting plate because the battery is built-in, and the charging port is on the back of this video doorbell.

This is a long time to be without a video doorbell while it's charging, so it would be better to do this when you're at home if you're concerned about security.

Connectivity and Reliability

For connectivity, the Tapo D235 Video Doorbell Camera has been one of the more reliable Ring-alternative doorbells that I have tested. It didn't detect a poor signal or lose connectivity, as with some of the other budget-friendly alternatives.

It requires a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi for a stable wireless connection. In my home, our Wi-Fi router is located behind thick, external stone walls and inside a cupboard under the stairs. With the D235 located around the side of the house behind a wooden fence next to the gate, the signal had some distance to travel, and yet it remained stable.

The D235 frequently pushed notifications to my phone when activity (motion or subjects) was detected; on one day it did this 174 times within 24 hours, as an example. This is a lot by anyone's standards, but we had workmen on site during the test period who, apparently, had to scuttle back and forth to their van or to the front yard. For contrast, our testers found the eufy E340 to have quite a severe lag despite being in a moderate range of the Wi-Fi router.

When subscribed to Tapo Cloud Storage, activity will also be recorded for playback and download; it'll record the activity in snippets of up to 20 seconds. It'll do this if you have a 512GB microSD card installed instead. And I could watch live footage from anywhere. I experienced fast load times and a consistent quality of footage and audio, regardless of live or Playback.

Privacy and Security

The Tapo D235 Video Doorbell has a couple of home privacy options, including custom zones to block out a neighbor's property and Privacy Mode to disable streaming and the recording functions to protect your privacy.

I enabled a privacy zone to prevent viewing or monitoring our neighbors who live opposite us. If I wanted to, I could set multiple privacy zones. I found these zones easy to 'add' by using my finger on the phone's screen to draw and adjust the square box in the Tapo app.

During testing, I also activated Privacy Mode. With this mode enabled, I couldn't live-stream or view any stored footage during this time, as it gets automatically disabled.

To watch Playback, I had to sign up for the Tapo Care Cloud Storage straight off the bat. This is unlike other video doorbells, including the Tapo D210 Video Doorbell, where I could enjoy a free 30-day trial and then sign up. This meant that no data will be stored unless you agree to pay upwards of $3.49 per month, unless you opt for local storage on a 512gB microSD card – like this SanDisk 512GB Ultra SDXC UHS-I Memory Card (Amazon).

It's generally unclear how my data is handled, with nothing obvious to read on the app. The app also doesn't support two‑factor authentication, which would provide extra login protection.

Price and Value

The Tapo D235 Video Doorbell comes with everything that you need (aside from a screwdriver) to start surveilling outside your home.

It's the third video doorbell from Tapo that I have tested, with close similarities to the Tapo D205 Video Doorbell Mini. The D205 retails for only $49.99, which gives clear day and night footage and crisp audio. However, unlike the D235 that I have on test, it doesn't come with a chime, and it lacks color night-vision, which is reflected in the price.

The Tapo D235 Video Doorbell usually retails for $190, but it is regularly discounted.

Aside from this up-front cost, you will also have the ongoing cost of the Tapo Care Cloud Storage to consider. This is typically around $3.49 per month when the free 30-day trial ends. During the trial, you'll get 30 days of cloud video storage for events, video clips that can be made into a short video summary, weekly reports, and rich notifications with snapshots.

This is notably cheaper than the Ring subscription plans, which start from $4.99 for the Basic plan. This plan includes up to 180 days of event history, person, package, and vehicle alerts, and video preview alerts. However, Ring video doorbells are generally more expensive than Tapo.

For example, I have the Ring Wired Doorbell Pro installed next to my front door. This costs $229.99 when not on sale at Amazon. The image quality is crisper day and night, and the audio is clear. However, I do need to be signed up to a Ring plan to receive doorbell calls and other alerts to my phone. You'll also need to buy a chime separately if you want to hear the doorbell ring from inside the home.

If you'd prefer to avoid paying any subscription fees and save on monthly costs, then I'd opt to install a 512GB memory card for local storage. This will mean that you'll get a video doorbell for a fraction of the price of a Ring video doorbell.

Alternatively, there are other video doorbell brands to consider. The eufy E340 video doorbell, for example, excelled in our tests. Our reviewer, Punteha van Terheyden, found that the eufy footage is crisp, the audio is clear, and it's easy to install. Plus, you can access all features without a monthly subscription – although you will get more storage and longer recording with it.

Installing a video doorbell is a good way to start improving your home security. If it's a priority, check out these home security tips to learn how else smart tech gadgets can help transform your home.