If you’re looking to improve your home security camera setup, the Tapo H500 is the central hub you need. It solves the biggest challenges of a security camera system like unreliable SD card recordings and unstable connection. The Tapo H500 can support up to 16 Tapo security cameras with built-in WiFi networking and continuous recording into a HDD or SSD drive.
Tapo H500 also functions as the brain of your smart home with support for up to 64 Tapo sensors and smart switches for seamless automation and control. Being Matter-supported also let the Tapo H500 to seamlessly work with other smart home ecosystems such as Apple Home. This unique design unifies your security and smart devices into one cohesive system.
Tapo H500 Smart Homebase
A+
Tubi Rating
pros
- Supports up to 16 Tapo cameras with continuous recording on HDD/SSD
- On-device AI adds face recognition and smart video analytics
- Doubles as a Matter-enabled smart home hub
- Loudspeak and doorbell integration
cons
- HDMI monitoring restricted to only 4 simultaneous streams
- AI features (like face recognition) limited to 6 cameras at once
Tapo H500 NVR for Tapo Cameras
The Tapo H500 is an excellent companion for your existing Tapo security cameras, offering seamless integration and control for nearly every Tapo camera currently on the market. It can support up to 16 Tapo cameras, all with continuous recording at the same time, making it a powerful central hub for your surveillance system.
While the Tapo H500 comes with 16 GB of built-in storage for the system. You will need to purchase your own 2.5″ SSD or hard disk to store the recorded CCTV footage. It only works with SATA drives up to 16 TB and NVMe drives are not supported.
A key benefit of the Tapo H500 is its ability to connect to Tapo cameras directly with its integrated WiFi, instead of relying on your wireless router. This means the cameras can continue to record to Tapo H500 even when your router or Internet connection is down. It’s also designed to intelligently choose the best connection for your Tapo security cameras.
You don’t have to use the built-in WiFi network, as all Tapo cameras connected to your router can work with the Tapo H500 as long as they are on the same network. However, I highly recommend connecting the Tapo H500 to your router with an Ethernet cable as that will provide a faster, more stable connection for the Tapo cameras.
When paired with a Tapo Doorbell like the D235, the Tapo H500 doubles as a two-way audio hub. Its built-in microphone and loudspeaker allows you to communicate with visitors directly from the unit itself. The unit also features dedicated volume and end-call buttons on top for easy access.
Tapo H500 HDMI Port for Monitoring
On the rear of the Tapo H500, you’ll find an HDMI port which lets you connect it to a TV or monitor to act as a surveillance screen. However, this capability is somewhat limited, as the HDMI output can only display 4 streams at a single time with no ability to increase it beyond that.
However, you can use the Tapo App to view the live stream of all 16 cameras simultaneously. Tapo H500 comes with a handy integrated mount for your own Android or iPad tablet as the surveillance screen. TP-Link included even a USB-A and USB-C port at the rear of the device to charge the tablet while in use.
AI Empowerment for Tapo Cameras
When it comes to smart features, the Tapo H500 truly shines with its on-board AI video analytics. It adds powerful capabilities like on-device face recognition, even to Tapo cameras that don’t natively support such features, effectively upgrading your entire camera network.
The Face Recognition feature can recognize different faces and lets you to maintain a library of familiar faces. With that, it can let you know only when an unfamiliar face is detected by the camera unlike conventional motion detection feature which triggers on every single movement.
The AI video analytics feature also enhanced the search feature on the Tapo H500. It can lets you to search recorded footage based on a particular face, vehicle or pet; reducing the time needed to review surveillance footage. The system can even display a person’s movement across multiple camera views, letting you track their entire path on your property in one place.
While the Tapo H500 supports simultaneous recording for all 16 channels, the on-device AI features, like face recognition, can only be enabled on a maximum of 6 cameras at the same time. This means you will need to manually select which of your cameras are needed for these smart detection features.
Tapo H500 Matter Home Hub
While the Tapo H500 is excellent as an NVR, it also doubles as a smart home hub. This allows you to link all your Tapo smart home sensors and use them to create powerful automations for your home. Setting up the automation is fairly easy thanks to the user-friendly Tapo App.
One of the most practical applications is using it as a security alarm, thanks to the extremely loud 110dB siren built into the Tapo H500. This is highly effective for deterring intruders when combined with Tapo smart sensors like the Tapo T110 contact sensor and Tapo T100 motion sensor.
The Tapo H500’s inclusion of Matter support allows it to link seamlessly with other Matter ecosystems and accessories, such as Apple Home. This integration means you can view and control all smart home sensors connected to the Tapo H500 on a third-party platform such as the Apple Home app, instead of being limited to the Tapo App.
It’s crucial to clarify that the Matter integration on the Tapo H500 is exclusively for smart home sensors, not the cameras. It does not expose the security cameras to Apple Home as HomeKit Secure Video requires it to be supported natively by the camera and it cannot work through Matter. Therefore, you’ll still need to use the Tapo app to view your camera streams.
Closing Thoughts
In conclusion, the TP-Link Tapo H500 is far more than just an NVR for your Tapo camera footage. It can unify all Tapo security cameras and smart sensors into a fully integrated security and smart home system for better performance and reliability.
For anyone already invested in or planning to build out their Tapo smart home ecosystem, the Tapo H500 is a highly recommended purchase. The on-device AI face recognition elevates the whole user experience and provides a more robust storage solution than relying on SD cards. It also acts as a Matter-enabled smart home hub to unify your entire Tapo ecosystem.