The surveillance camera from TP Link films solar-powered

No plan, no paywall. Ferhat Akbay from TP Link emphasised this again and again during the presentation of the new devices. The background to this is that it has become a trend for manufacturers to sell their products, but then charge extra money for a plan for the best functions in the app. This should not be the case with TP-Link.

Tapo RV30 Max (Plus): hurdler with LiDAR scanner

The Tapo RV30 Max is the new robot hoover from TP Link. The Chinese company, which is otherwise more at home in the network sector, is initially making a price announcement: the robot cleaner costs 219.90 euros, 249.90 euros with the station. What's special about the station is that it not only charges the robot, but also vacuums the dust. This is supposed to work for up to 60 days without human intervention. However, this only applies to the vacuuming function. If you let the Robo mop, you should remove and wash the mop every day.

Compared to its predecessor, TP Link has made a few tweaks. For example, the built-in LiDAR scanner should recognise obstacles even if they were not yet there when mapping. These obstacles are then saved and taken into account during the next cleaning round. The scanner also works in the dark. There is also a "whisper mode" with a maximum noise level of 53 dB.

For mapping, TP Link has built a 3D mapping function into the app and equipped the Robo-Cleaner with a function called "Tapo IQ+ Smart Cleaning". It should also be able to overcome obstacles of up to 2.2 centimetres, such as skirting boards in old buildings.

The Tapo RV30 Max will be available at the end of the year with or without the corresponding station.

First impression: My furniture is probably too low

It's a bit difficult to translate a cleaning demo at a trade fair into everyday life. I like the fact that I only have to map the RV30 Max once per floor. I can then simply select the floor in the app and the robot knows what to do itself. During the demo, the "carpet avoidance mode" also worked well when I wanted the appliance to mop instead of vacuum.

The RV30 Max also recognised obstacles well, as well as small elevations such as skirting boards. What strikes me, however: It is relatively high with its scanning attachment. A test would have to show whether it can crawl under all my furniture. Otherwise, it impressed in the short demo, both when vacuuming and mopping.

The Tapo C460 films solar-powered

The Tapo C460 smart cam is a 4K camera with eight megapixels. TP Link offers three storage options for the video material: locally (512 GB internal memory, on the local network (e.g. on NAS storage) or in the TP Link Cloud.

The camera itself adheres magnetically to the wallmount. Using Smart AI, the camera should be able to recognise people, cars or animals that come in front of its lens. TP Link claims a hit rate of 96.92 per cent. This also applies at night, with a headlight and infrared function.

The camera's battery is said to last up to 300 days (10,000 mAh). TP Link also offers the camera as a set with a solar panel, which also adheres magnetically to the wallmount. The manufacturer claims that 45 minutes of sunshine is enough to keep the battery charged for up to 180 days.

The C460 kit (camera with solar panel) will be available at the end of the year for 149.90 euros. Swiss prices are not yet known. <p