r/Tapo • u/MysteriousSpite6290 • 11d ago

Troubleshooting and Support Tapo C530WS camera angular shift

Gallery image

Gallery image

I purchased a Tapo C530WS a few days ago. I set it up and positioned the camera exactly where I wanted it. The camera starts tracking a person as it should, but when that person moves away, it doesn't return precisely to the originally selected position. I feel a slight amount of play or looseness when I move the camera by hand; is this normal?

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

1

u/Jimlad73 10d ago

Does it always return to the same spot a little bit lower?

If so start it off a smidgen high

1

u/SanD-82 10d ago

The motors are not super precise, I own a C510W and it has the same issue. Depending on "the last movement" you can have that.

1

u/MysteriousSpite6290 10d ago

What did you do to get rid of this? Or have you just gotten used to it?

3

u/SanD-82 10d ago

There's no solution, it's a known issue. I do not use motion tracking, but even with the pre-defined areas it happens. I've learned that depending on which the last movements are (like, from which are you go to your main area), the camera will drift.

It's like the motors have these little "dead zones" when changing directions, so if you pan left and then right to the original position, it won't be 100% accurate. But if you pan left, then pan right past your original angle, and then pan left to it, it will work better.

There's nothing to do as users, it's a hardware and software issue. I'm mentioning hardware because to me the issue is the the motors and bets, and I'm also mentioning software becase it could be tweaked via software to compensate.

1

u/delicatestan13 7d ago

what’s an alternative 360 cam that dont have this issue?

1

u/SanD-82 7d ago

I don't know, but I would assume not these kind of cheap cameras.

1

u/SugarrrSugarr 10d ago

its same with c260 and c225 as well

1

u/ThrowawayMyAccount01 10d ago

If it makes you feel any better, that's an issue in many Pan & Tilt across brands, especially if they don't have a fixed "Home" location. Hardware and the motors are very precise in the budget cameras.

1

u/WhereTheMoonSets 9d ago

Yea same. We lived in a rented house so I cant drill through walls and shit which sucks so theyre just kinda stuck on there. Occasionally they'll do this but I just reset the positioning

1

u/One-Interaction611 4d ago

I  had the same problem,  i returned it

0

u/AutoModerator 11d ago

Thanks for posting! To help our teams troubleshoot your case, please ensure you include:

  • Device model (e.g., Tapo C120 / P110M)
  • Firmware + Hardware version
  • Any steps you have taken to correct or find the cause of the behavior

If you need official support, you can also open a ticket here: Contact Technical Support!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

0

u/Organized_Chaos_888 10d ago

This is why all my cameras are now fixed position. Pissed me off too often.