Looking for a TP-Link Tapo camera app for your PC? After going through a lot of documentation, I finally found a way to use the TP-Link Tapo CCTV camera on a PC. You can download and install the app directly on your computer. With TP-Link Tapo for PC, you can monitor your Tapo CCTV cameras remotely, just like you would on your smartphone. The main difference is that you get a much bigger screen, making it easier to keep an eye on your cameras.
In this guide we will explain how to download and install an alternative application for TP-Link Tapo CCTV cameras on PC.
Is the TP-Link Tapo CCTV App Available for PC?
After I checked on the official page, the TP-Link Tapo CCTV application is not available for PC.
TP-Link Tapo, as the manufacturer, only provides apps for Android and iOS. However, based on the manufacturer’s comprehensive documentation, users can use an alternative app to view the TP-Link Tapo CCTV camera’s display on a PC/laptop. Is this alternative app safe to use? Absolutely.
What is the name of the app? It’s called iSpy Connect.
With iSpy Agent DVR, you can view live feeds from your Tapo cameras on your laptop or PC. Based on my tests, it works by connecting to cameras that support ONVIF, so you can view their live feeds directly on your computer.
How Do I Download and Install the TP-Link Tapo App on My PC?
To keep my PC safe from viruses, I always download software from the official sites.
Even though Windows comes with built-in antivirus protection, downloading applications from unofficial websites can still pose security risks. Files from outside official sources may have been modified or infected with malware, which is not always detected immediately. Once installed, these unsafe files can affect system performance, causing the PC to run slower than usual and triggering frequent pop-up ads.
For better security and stability, it is always recommended to download software only from official and trusted websites.
1. Download
Just to reiterate, there’s no official Tapo app for PC provided by the manufacturer. So, in this guide, I’m using iSpy Connect to view the Tapo camera on a PC. I’ve also looked for PC software provided by the manufacturer, but as of the time of writing, I haven’t found one.
So go to the iSpy Connect page to download it.
The download process will then start automatically. The downloaded file will have a .zip extension and be 356 KB in size.
2. Install
To install the application, open the download folder on your PC and double-click the downloaded .zip file. Then, double-click the AgentDVRSetup installation file. Click Yes on the User Account Control window.
Then click the “I Agree” button on the License Agreement.
On the Installation Options page, you can tick the Install Beta Version box or if you want to install the full version, click the Next button directly.
Then the download process will appear. Wait until it’s complete. The file size is 54 MB.
Click the Next button to continue the installation process.
You’ll be prompted to select the application installation folder location. I chose to follow Windows’ recommendation, which is C:\Program Files\Agent. I left the port and other settings as default. Click the Install button.
The installation process will then begin, and you must wait for it to complete. If the “Done” sign appears, it indicates the application installation is complete. Please click the Close button to end the process.
Update: Since I’m using a Mac, I’ll try downloading and installing iSpy Connect on my Mac to see how it works. Previously, I downloaded iSpy Agent DVR on macOS version 10, and it wasn’t supported. After I upgraded my Mac to macOS Monterey, iSpy Agent worked normally on my Mac.
Go to the iSpy Connect website.
Click the Download button and select macOS.
The iSpy installation file for Mac comes in a .dmg format. Simply click the file to start the installation. A window like this will appear. Click Install Agent DVR.
If a window like this appears, just click the Open button.
The iSpy Agent DVR installation will continue as shown in the image below.
Just wait for the installation to finish—there’s nothing else you need to do during the process. If an AgentService window appears, simply click OK to continue. Once the installation is complete, you can open the app. Here’s what the iSpy Agent DVR dashboard looks like on a Mac.
Since Tapo cameras are difficult to find in my area, I used a Hikvision DVR to test iSpy Agent DVR instead.
I connected the Hikvision DVR to the iSpy Agent DVR software, and it was able to display all the cameras connected to the DVR. You can read the guide on how to connect a Hikvision DVR to the iSpy Agent DVR software.
So this is an alternative app for viewing Tapo camera feeds on your PC and laptop—it is not an app provided directly by the manufacturer.
If you want to use the Tapo app on a Mac, one option is to install an Android emulator. It lets you run Android apps directly on your Mac. However, I don’t really recommend this method because emulators can use quite a lot of system resources. If you’re using an older MacBook like I am, running an Android emulator can put quite a bit of strain on your Mac.
Conclusion
Please note that, as of the time of this article’s publication, the TP-Link Tapo app for PC is not yet officially available. Therefore, users who want to view the TP-Link Tapo CCTV camera display can use an alternative app, iSpy Agent DVR. So far, iSpy Connect has been safe to use on my PC, but you must download the app through the official website listed above.
I also tried looking for the Tapo app on the Mac App Store, but I couldn’t find it there.
I hope this article has been helpful. In my next post, I’ll cover how to set up the iSpy Connect app. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section.
