Knowing how to update pet camera firmware starts with checking the update controls for your exact camera model: select the intended device in its app, distinguish an available update offer from the firmware version actually installed, follow the matching instructions and record the resulting state. Updating the phone app is a separate observation from confirming the camera's firmware.
The examples below use two manufacturers' current guidance. They do not provide a universal button sequence or a firmware file to download. Keep the camera model, hardware version where applicable and the current support page together before proceeding.
Identify the camera and the question you are checking
If an account contains several cameras, establish which one you intend to maintain. A device nickname alone may be ambiguous. Keep the exact model in a private equipment note, along with any hardware-version information required by its support page.
Then separate three questions: what firmware does this camera report, is an update offered to this camera, and what does the app report after the update process? Do not replace those observations with a single “app updated” or “camera works” box.
Tapo: use the applicable app update route
TP-Link's Tapo-app firmware guide, updated May 7, 2026, supplies two routes for the products it covers. First, sign in to the Tapo account and confirm you can control the intended device.
- Open its device card, enter settings through the gear icon, then choose Firmware Update.
- Alternatively, open Me > Firmware Update. The location of Me can differ with the app version.
The guide also describes Auto Update, but says support varies by model. Finding that option on another device does not establish that your camera offers it.
The current guide specifies the app route and warns against powering off the device during an update. Follow the applicable prompts rather than substituting a browser procedure or an unrelated downloaded file. Check the guide's model list and the support information for your actual hardware.
Furbo: check the offer and the resulting version
The US-English Furbo firmware article describes opening the app menu, selecting the intended Furbo and choosing Update Now beside Firmware Version. It says that button appears when a new update is available; it also describes silent updates.
For the flow described, Furbo asks for stable Wi-Fi and power and recommends updating while at home. It says the update runs in the background without a progress bar and asks users to leave the app open for a few minutes. Afterward, check the reported firmware version.
The same article separately discusses a problem apparently stuck at 100 percent and suggests checking whether the update succeeded after exiting the app. That troubleshooting note is not an ordinary step to interrupt an update, nor proof that every flow has a progress display. If the state remains unclear, use Furbo support. Confirm the page matches your actual product and app; its wording does not establish identical controls across every Furbo generation.
A different update offer does not settle the comparison
TP-Link's update-troubleshooting FAQ explains that firmware is released progressively, so two devices of the same model may receive an offer at different times. Do not decide that a camera has failed solely because another one received an update first.
The FAQ also directs owners to the correct hardware-version support information and firmware release notes. Keep that scope when comparing devices. Its general rollout description does not give a completion deadline for your individual camera.
Keep a useful result, including an unresolved one
Record the selected device, the date, the matching support page, the version or update status actually displayed and any unresolved message. Keep passwords and account secrets out of the note. “An update was offered” and “this version was reported afterward” describe different stages.
| Selected Camera & Hardware Version | Reported Firmware Before Check | Was a Camera Firmware Update Offered? | Reported Firmware Afterward | Unresolved Message & Matching Support Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living Room Tapo Camera (record exact model & hardware version, e.g., V1/V2). | Record exact version string displayed before tapping update. | Yes — offered via Device Settings > Firmware Update (kept powered on). | Record new version string reported after completion (separate from phone app version). | None — matched TP-Link FAQ 2621. |
| Hallway Tapo Camera (second unit of same model & hardware version). | Same starting version string as first unit. | No update offered at this check (“Up to date” displayed). | Unchanged starting version string. | Progressive rollout noted in TP-Link FAQ 2688 (not a device failure). |
| Kitchen Furbo Camera (record exact Furbo model; write unknown if hardware revision is unknown). | Record version shown beside Firmware Version (or unknown). | Yes — Update Now selected over stable home Wi-Fi and power. | Record version reported after leaving app open (or after app restart if display stayed at 100%). | Log any persistent screen message verbatim — matched Furbo Firmware Help Article. |
This guide supplies no reset, power-interruption, downgrade or recovery procedure. A reported version also does not demonstrate a particular security fix or uninterrupted recording.
For initial network, placement and access decisions, use our separate pet camera setup guide. The pet camera category organizes equipment browsing; a listing does not identify the instructions or update support for a particular unit.
The edited illustration combines generic camera exteriors from two different devices, not identified Tapo or Furbo models, and shows no firmware screen or completed update.
