Tapo D235 2K wired or battery video doorbell and chime (review)

The Tapo D235 is a 2K wired (using your existing chime wiring) or battery-powered video doorbell and chime (TD25). 180° vision sees from head to foot!

Video doorbells are a no-brainer. They can replace the old ding-dong chime and use the existing wiring. With one caveat: Your existing wiring is most likely connected to an 8V/1A/8W DC power to run its wired ‘ding-dong’ Friedland/Honeywell doorbells.

If your existing power transformer is incompatible, you can buy a suitable 8-24V AC, 10-40VA, 50Hz (not US 60Hz) transformer for about $50. You may need an electrician to fit it, as it is illegal to hardwire AC.

The new chime plugs into a convenient power socket. You can also set up notifications for your smartphone or Google Assistant speakers, so you will know when someone is at the front door.

Please read our guide: Video doorbells – knock, knock, who’s there?

We like Tapo because it offers a complete security ecosystem of cameras, hubs, and sensors, all controlled by one app.

Australian Review: Tapo D235 2K wired or battery video doorbell and chime

As of 25/4/25. Firmware 1.1.19 Build 250320 Rel. 42136n

Website	Tapo Smart Camera Model Overview    Video Doorbell Datasheet User Guide Quick Setup
Price	approx. $250
From	Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Bunnings, and TP approved retailers.
Warranty	1-year
App	TP-Link Tapo for Android and iOS
Sensor	2K, 2560 x 1920, 5MP, 1.27” Starlight CMOS backlit sensor Fixed focus F/1.18, 2.2um 3DNR – dynamic noise reduction by comparing frames WDR – wide dynamic range 16X digital zoom
Frame rate	15-20fps Fallback to 1280 x 960p
Field of View	170.6° horizontal,140.1 vertical (4:3)
Night Vision	2 x 850nm IR LEDs – good to 10m (practically a little less). Colour night vision good to 5m.
PIR sensor	130° Horizontal up to 5m
Spot Lights	Push Button (ring)
Wi-Fi	N AC 2.4 for maximum range
Battery	10,000mAh Charger (not included) 5V/2A/10W
Sound	Mic and speaker – two-way with noise cancellation. Siren 98dB (10cm)
Storage	Tapo Care Cloud Storage Services (Subscription required) OR up to 512GB micro-SD on device
AI on device	Motion Detection Person Detection Pet Detection Vehicle Detection
Voice	Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa
Weather-resistant	IP66: The device is fully protected against dust and water, which is projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction and shall have no harmful effects.

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations), and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be, and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show that it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression

I don’t wish to sound trite, but a video doorbell is a video doorbell, and there is much competition in this market. We look for that ‘Je ne sais quoi’ (French for ‘I don’t know what’) that makes this a better buy than other brands. You will have to wait for CyberShack’s View at the end of the review, as we ponder why Tapo?

The Tapo D235 Doorbell is 150 × 50 × 38.4 mm has a 180° camera sensor (good), push button (which doubles as a light source), two IR LEDs, a PIR (passive infrared) motion detector, and 512GB micro-SD slot. It comes with all the mounting hardware. I like the IP66 weather resistance (many have only IP65 or less) and the anti-theft feature, as it’s all too easy to rip doorbells (all brands) off the mount.

The chime is 73×51×43.5 mm and plugs into a convenient power socket. Its 75dB ring (at 2m) is enough for home use.

Setup/Privacy – Pass

Download the Tapo app for Android or iOS. Set up an account and accept the terms of use and privacy policy (we have reviewed these, and they are benign. Cloud storage is local). The User Guide has an explanation of all the screens.

Screenshots are self-explanatory and cover all the usual features.

App features – Pass+

It is fully featured and covers all necessary adjustments. We did not test the 30-day trial of Tapo Cloud storage.

• Battery status
• Local micro-SD or Hub storage (see storage option later)
• Recording clip length, retrigger and with/without sound
•  Some AI detection of motion, people, pets, vehicles and packages to reduce false alerts.
• Detection zone/s – ditto
• Doorbell press (fewer alerts) and event detection (records all movement in the zone)
• Night vision quality – only if there are both IR and spotlight LEDs
• Privacy Mode (turns camera off)
• Notifications: activity or rich with a snapshot
• Activity detection (Motion, Person, Pet, Vehicle). No subscription.
• Share the device with others
• Smart Actions (leave or arrive home, geofencing or use motion to light the area)
• Firmware update (you would be surprised at how few generics offer this most important feature)

Mounting – Pass+

All the Tapo D235 hardware you need is provided: Mounting Template, Mounting Bracket, Vertical Mounting Wedge, Horizontal Mounting Wedge, Jumper for Existing Chime, Extension Wires, Mounting Screws and Anchors, Hardwire Installation Screws, Doorbell Detaching Pin, Mounting Wedge Screws, 3M Adhesive, Foam Pad, and Wire Nuts.

In our experience, the correct height for the Tapo D235 is about 1.2m from the ground (any higher, and you won’t see parcels on the floor) and angled (a left-side vertical wedge is included—turn it upside down for right-side use). If needed, a horizontal tilt wedge fits behind the angled wedge.

The wrong place for this is on the door, as the motion detection works best when someone crosses the beam. On that note, don’t let a busy front footpath or street constantly activate it. You can set up a zone to avoid false positives.

And if you want full daylight colour quality at night, consider a motion detection light nearby.

Starlight colour night vision – Pass

Starlight uses a larger sensor, wider aperture, and reduced shutter speed to collect and amplify the ambient light from stars, the moon, and other sources to ‘see’ colour images where normal cameras can’t.

The camera features an IR cut filter (ICR) that switches to night mode when there is insufficient light for colour images (usually <50 lumens). This produces IR mono night vision to about 10-15 meters.

When light levels increase (we tested between 50 and 100 lumens), the image begins to show colour. But there is a trick. The camera is fixed, and basic AI knows the colours in daylight and uses pixel manipulation to help colourise the image. However, it is not full colour—more an approximation of that.

Battery life – Pass

It has managed to shoehorn in a 10,000 mAh battery – about twice as much as many generic brands.

Tapo says it can last up to 210 days, but our 4-week review period cannot give accurate figures. It drained at about 1-3% per day. Remember, the battery drain depends on mode, IR or colour, night vision, the number and length of activations, and so on.

This is realistically about 60 to 90 days.

Under Power Options, the app has many graphs to help you determine the best settings for longer battery life. One way to save power is to limit it to doorbell presses instead of events.

Power

We covered this earlier, but a reminder that it needs 8-24V AC, not 8V DC power and will likely require a new transformer. Allow $200ish for an electrician to install.

The battery can be recharged in about 4.5 hours from any USB-C PPS/PD adapter capable of delivering 5V/2A/10W. HINT: Use a USB-C power bank to charge in situ.

Wi-Fi

99% of any issues you may experience (with any brand and model of router or Wi-Fi camera) are due to Wi-Fi. If you have a low-cost router supplied by your ISP, it likely won’t have the signal strength to go 100m line-of-sight or 30m through a few layers of plasterboard, brick, etc.

The Tapo D235 had no issues with dropped video or audio, except for the length of audio/video lag, which depends on Wi-Fi and mobile data quality. It requires about 65 Mbps upload for 2K@20fps. You can adjust video quality to reduce bandwidth.

While mesh compatible, it won’t auto-roam, so power it off/on when you move from where it was initially set up to connect to the nearest mesh satellite.

Storage – Pass

The Tapo D235 has a micro-SD slot for up to 512 GB. A 2K@20fps clip is 262MB, or about 2000 clips. Remember, a doorbell will likely have more events than a security camera. Our initial range was 60-130 daily events (average 115). When we converted to powered, we set zones and changed the angle slightly, substantially reducing activations.

Tapo currently has a H200 Smart IoT hub with chime (great for a Tapo video doorbell) and soon a H500 Smart HomeBase.

H200 (older technology)

• Supports 65 devices (maximum four cameras or doorbells)
• 512GB micro-SD storage (limiting for multi-camera use)
• Ethernet RJ45 connection to the router or 2.4GHz Wi-Fi

H500 (later in 2025)

You would use this to build a Tapo ecosystem of cameras and IoT.

• Supports 16 Tapo cameras and 64 IoT devices
• 16TB HDD/SSD (one bay)
• HDMI out
• Ethernet RJ45 connection to the router or 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi
• Sub-1GHz control network 920.9MHz, 921.7MHz, 922.3MHz
• USB-A for data transfer
• It provides advanced face recognition with high precision (you can allocate names), and versatile AI features like person, pet, and vehicle detection.
• Track individual movements across cameras and form a face database
• 110dB siren
• Doorbell voice call
• No cloud subscription needed
• Matter compatible

Viewing the clip on a computer

The video clip is saved as an MP4 with H.264 compression. You may not have the right CODEC installed to view it. Download the free VLC  for Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, Android, or Chrome, and it will play the clips.

Tapocare

You can subscribe to Tapocare Premium, 30-day storage (there are no lower-cost 7-day options on the website). You must provide a credit card, and payment automatically rolls over. Prices exclude any promotions or incentives after a 30-day trial period.

	Monthly payment	Annual payment
1 device	$4.99	$59.88
Up to 2	$8.99	$107.88
Up to 3	$12.99	$155.88
Up to 10	$16.49	$197.88

While Aussies hate paying for subscriptions, the on-device storage fills quickly and overwrites after about every 2000 clips (typically 10-20 days). The video I want to find usually needs 30 days’ grace.

But if you are averse to subscriptions, the H500 Smart HomeBase is what you need. The price is TBA, but expect around $500 plus a 2.5” SATA HDD (1TB approx. $100, 2TB/$175, 4TB/$250, 8TB/$375).

Weather IP rating – Pass+

The Tapo D235 is IP66 and suitable for external use, including near the sea.

Siren – Pass

While accurate—98 dB measured at the camera—it is barely a whisper at 100m outdoors (the same as all brands). It is there to alert the intruder.

Two-way audio – Passable

Every security camera maker claims full-duplex audio, so you can speak naturally to the courier or intruder. Yeah, nah!

Audio lag time can vary from four to six seconds over Wi-Fi and several times that for remote smartphone viewing over mobile data.  Wind noise is evident. That is OK, but it makes natural communication difficult. It is not the camera’s fault, as that depends on Wi-Fi and mobile signal strength.

Voice assistant – Pass

Currently supports Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and soon Matter.

CyberShack’s view: Tapo D235 wire-free video doorbell and chime is a good option as part of a Tapo security ecosystem

As I have mentioned throughout the review, it performs very similarly to any other 2K Starlight sensor doorbell camera from Uniden, Swann, Eufy, et al., and its app and cloud costs are very similar to any other, which makes this a ‘me-too’ device that needs to offer something others do not.

So why TP-Link Tapo?

• Trustpilot gives TP-Link a 4.6/5 rating from 4,529 reviews—that counts for after-sales and warranty service, which frankly, few brands get right.
• Tapo is often featured in ‘best of’ reviews.
• It has an Ecosystem of internal, external, pan/tilt, floodlight and IoT that you can use in one App.
• Matter compliance may not matter now, but it will soon as IoT moves in that direction
• I have found TP-Link and Tapo products very reliable. They issue firmware updates promptly, which is way safer than using unknown generic brands on your home network.
• Its privacy terms are benign, and data is stored in Singapore. Read Give TP-Link a break – No spyware for you.

Tapo D235 2K video doorbell ratings

• Features: 85 – a Wireless or wired 2K doorbell and chime with a good app.
• Value: 85 – Great value from a reputable company.
• Performance: 85 – decent 2K video provided you have strong Wi-Fi.
• Ease of Use: 85 – easy to set up. Good online help.
• Design: 85—not so much for the bland rectangle design as for the whole package with chime and mounts.