Home » Reviews » Unboxing Kasa Spot Pan Tilt (EC70), Motorized 360 Panning Camera from TP-Link

Unboxing Kasa Spot Pan Tilt (EC70), Motorized 360 Panning Camera from TP-Link

We’re taking a hands-on look at some of the best security cameras on the market to help readers make more informed choices about their security products.

A nifty 360 panning security camera from TP-Link’s ‘Kasa’ namesake that’s smart home savvy and packed with polished features—all for a decent price.

Main Features

  • 1080p Full HD
  • 360 horizontal panning
  • Vertical tilting
  • 3.2 in x 3.2 in x 4.4 in
  • 195 grams
  • Two-way audio
  • Motion detection and motion tracking
  • Continuous recording via 8gb -128gb microSD (not included)
The Kasa Spot Pan Tilt packaging
ProsCons
???? Excellent image quality
???? Motorized 360 panning with motion tracking
???? Well-designed app that functions flawlessly
???? Easy and useful automation
???? microSD slot for continuous recording
???? Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, and Samsung SmartThings
???? Free trial isn’t actually a free trial
???? Panning and tilting isn’t smooth
???? No built-in siren
???? Some noise when rotating means it isn’t appropriate for more covert surveillance
???? Works best at a distance from a ceiling mounted position, limiting the range of positions it can be mounted in

Packaging

The Kasa Spot Pan Tilt comes in a medium sized cardboard box. It’s a bit larger than that of other similarly-priced cameras, but it makes sense given that the camera itself is larger than average. That being said, Reolink’s E1 Pro, a virtually identical-looking camera, came in a smaller package.

The Kasa Spot Pan Tilt packaging unboxed

Inside you’ll find the Kasa Spot Tilt Cam, a power adaptor, a 10 foot USB cable, mounting screws and wall brackets, a mounting plate, and a quick start guide.

The contents included with Kasa Spot Pan Tilt: the camera, micro USB cable, charger, Quick Start guide, screws with wall mounts, and alignment/mounting stickers
The contents included with Kasa Spot Pan Tilt: the camera, micro USB cable, charger, Quick Start guide, screws with wall mounts, and alignment/mounting stickers.

The quick start guide is a small double-sided piece of paper with simplified instructions written in English. Once the app is installed, users quickly find plenty of detailed guides inside the app that help with mounting the camera, setting up automations, and so on.

Installation & Onboarding

App Setup TimeMounting tools included?Drilling? 
10-15  minutesScrews x 2Wall plugs✔️

Setting up the unit requires downloading the Kasa Smart app, an excellent and well-designed app that controls a whole host of Kasa branded products, from doorbells to smart lights (see below for more on the app).

Users sign up or login to a Kasa account and are encouraged to provide a location ‘to determine sunrise and sunset times’, though this isn’t required. 

Promotions, anonymous analytics, and bug reports, and two-step verification can also all be opted out of. 

Kasa allows for ‘group’ devices to be paired, in other words,multiple products at once to speed up installation.

Plugging in the camera via the USB cable will power it on. The status light on the front will blink orange and green, and the camera will also perform a test pan and tilt. The blinking light indicates that it is ready to pair.

Connecting the camera was a little troublesome at first. The app’s instructions omit that location services must be enabled in the phone’s settings for the Kasa app.

Unlike other cameras on the market, there is no scanning of a QR code to achieve this. Instead, the camera creates a wireless network which must be connected to by the phone as if it were a Wi-Fi hub, i.e. through your phone’s Wi-Fi settings menu. 

Mounting is a simple process involving two screws, a mounting plate, and matching sticker.

The app’s instructions specify details like what type of screwdriver is needed, making mounting the camera a breeze even for those that are a little daunted by the prospect of a mini DIY job.

In most circumstances, mounting the camera on the side of a wall would be ill-advised because of its shape, size and movement. It is much better suited to being mounted upside down on a ceiling, where it can capture much more by freely panning 360 degrees and tilting minimally up and down.

Hardware – Durability, Aesthetics, Size, Weight

SizeWeightWeatherproof?CasingTilt/Pan?Local Storage?
3.2 in x 3.2 in x 4.4 in195 gramsWhite matte plastic outer shell.
Motorized 360 degree panning. 113 degree tilting
✅8gb – 128gb microSD

Kasa Spot Pan Tilt is made of a durable white plastic. It measures 3.2 in x 3.2 in x 4.4 in, which is moderately larger than the average budget security camera.

The front of Kasa Spot Pan Tilt

It pans 360 degrees horizontally, 113 degrees vertically. The tilting lens area is black, meaning that the camera as a whole is not likely to ‘disappear’ into the background of a room and go unnoticed. 

Panning is controlled through the app. Panning causes some noise. It isn’t especially loud, but it’s worth being aware of, particularly since this is an indoor camera. 

See Kasa in motion (panning and tilting!)

The 10 foot USB cable allows users to place the camera quite far from its power source. 

Because the camera is spherical and rotates on a fixed stand, ceiling-mounted positions are most advantageous, which perhaps explains the choice to include the particularly long cable.

The microSD card slot and reset button are located on the black-colored tilting part of the camera, which is tucked away beneath the white-colored outer casing when the camera is in its default position. 

The back of Kasa Spot Pan Tilt

To access these, use the app to tilt the camera’s lens upwards.

Software – App Usability, Third Party Compatibility

Wi-Fi?LTE Data (3G, 4G, 5G)?Bluetooth?Wired?
✅ 2.4 GHz✅ Micro USB cable

The Kasa Smart app is required for use of the camera, just as it is for the rest of the TP-Link’s Kasa product line. The app is sophisticated and cleanly designed, and functioned flawlessly on my iPhone XR.

Since Kasa produces a range of products, the app serves as a kind of automation hub for your home, seamlessly combining all of the products under the brand name into a Cloud-based calendar that gathers ‘event’ information; motion detected events from the camera, for example, alongside activity gathered from the doorbell. 

Filters allow users to easily search through everything collected here, making effective automation across the home accessible and uncomplicated for even the least tech-savvy of users. Cloud-based storage has to be enabled to access this feature.

Naturally, this has no use if only using the security camera, but it’s a nice touch for those interested in automating their home. 

Speaking of automation, Kasa works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, and Samsung SmartThings, allowing users to easily configure voice commands to control the camera and other Kasa devices linked to the account.

Patrol Mode makes the most of the camera’s selling point—its ability to move.

When enabled, four different viewpoints can be set that the camera will pan to, either when action is spotted or at set intervals, effectively ‘patrolling’ larger areas.

Camera

QualityFrame rateField of viewInfrared
1080p HD15  FPS360° horizontal, 113° vertical✔️ 

The camera comes with three quality options—360p, 720p, and 1080p. 360p consumes the lowest amount of data, and it shows, but both 720p and 1080p have a smooth and clear image. 

Kasa Spot Pan Tilt Quality Test with 1080p livestream.
1080p livestream
Kasa Spot Pan Tilt Quality Test with 720p livestream.
720p livestream
Kasa Spot Pan Tilt Quality Test with 360p livestream.
360p livestream

Latency delays are minimal when viewing the live feed,  usually no more than a second or so of delay.

Panning the camera has a delay. If the camera is only a few feet from the moving object, and said object is moving quickly, the motion tracking feature will occasionally fail to track it accurately. 

The camera may be more useful at a distance from what’s being observed. 

The underside of the Kasa Spot Pan Tily camera

Although the same can be said of all IP cameras, the Kasa Spot Pan Tilt cannot be placed in view of a direct source of light—in its case, particularly because the motion tracking becomes confused by harsh or shifting light.

Adjusting the sensitivity levels, which is done on a sliding scale, helps eliminate false triggers from motion detection, which are also caused by shifting light sources.

Kasa Camera Motion tracking - the camera sits in its default position.
The camera sits in its default position.
Kasa Camera Motion tracking - the camera in mid-motion as it moves to track a subject.
Motion tracking moves the camera from its default position to follow a subject.

Motion detection notifications were reasonably responsive, occurring no longer than three seconds after motion. The app defaults to limiting notifications to once every five minutes, which will likely have no real use for most people, since five minutes is actually a pretty long period of time in all kinds of scenarios, from break-ins to pet and baby care. 

The limit period cannot be adjusted, but it can be turned off in the settings.

Audio 

MicrophoneSpeakerSiren
✔️ ✔️ 

Though it won’t necessarily be inaudible, mounting the camera to a high ceiling will make it much harder to hear for the person on the other side. 

There is no built-in siren.

Cost

Kasa Spot Pan TiltSubscription Service
RRP $29.99From $3 a month per camera

Even the most budget-friendly of rotating cameras tend to cost about double the price of their static counterparts as a result of the additional manufacturing costs. At $29.99, Kasa Spot Pan Tilt is highly affordable.

Subscriptions aren’t required, but start at $3 a camera. They provide 30 days of cloud video history and manual clip recording, among other things.